
A BILINGUAL MUSICAL
BOOK by Melis Aker and Tatiana Pandiani
MUSIC by Jacinta Clusellas
LYRICS by Jacinta Clusellas, Tatiana Pandiani and Melis Aker

AZUL is a Latin American bilingual musical about artistry and the immigrant experience.
Set in a world of magic realism, Act One is a musical fable prequel. It follows an ambitious young woman, Blue Bird, who leaves her home behind and travels to the New World in hopes of making a living and a life as a poet. In present-day New York City, Act Two is a coming-of-age tale following Blue Bird’s daughter, Rita. A first generation American, Rita is a composer struggling to write an album about a motherland she has never known. When attempting to make her music more authentic, she uncovers a family secret that debunks the stories she heard as a child. She must now reimagine her parents’ past, as well as the future of her own artistry.
AZUL weaves together these two distinct worlds to explore how memory and imagination shape immigrant stories. Driven by a constellation of songs rooted in Latin American folklore, AZUL is a spectacle in the legacy of book musicals, as well as a deep dive into intergenerational stories shaping immigrant identity.

54 BELOW, Broadway’s Supper Club, presents Mandy Gonzalez (In The Heights, Wicked, Hamilton), Tony Award® nominee Robin de Jesús (In the Heights, La Cage aux Folles, The Boys in the Band) Katerina McCrimmon (The Rose Tattoo), Robi Hager (Spring Awakening) & More in the AZUL EP Release Concert.
In an unforgettable celebration of this new bilingual musical previously programmed at the 2020 National Music Theatre Conference at the Eugene O’Neill Theatre Center, NAMT 2021 Annual Festival of New Musicals, the 2022 NYC Women’s Fund for Media, Music and Theatre, and the 2023 Writers Grove at Goodspeed Musicals, the creative team will be presenting a constellation of songs blending traditional Latin American sounds with contemporary musical theater to create a musical experience unlike anything you’ve heard before. This concert will celebrate the release of a full cast EP with arrangements and orchestrations by Tony® and Grammy Award® winner Alex Lacamoire (Hamilton, In The Heights, Dear Evan Hansen) and vocal arrangements by Kurt Crowley (Hamilton, Freestyle Love Supreme, Bring It On).
Joining this all-star cast are David Merino, Martin Sola (The King and I), Henry Gainza (On Your Feet!, Mr. Saturday Night), Florencia Cuenca and Xavier Cano, along with a band led by Music Director, Ben Moss, joined by Federico Diaz, Pablo Lanouguere and Franco Pinna. AZUL features a score by Jacinta Clusellas, lyrics by Melis Aker, Tatiana Pandiani and Jacinta Clusellas, and a book by Aker and Pandiani. This concert is directed by Tatiana Pandiani and produced by Anabel Manuela Romero, Ryan Duncan-Ayala, and Jacinta Clusellas. Casting by Michael Cassara, CSA.
AZUL EP Release Concert plays at 54 Below (254 West 54th Street) on March 23, 2023. There is a cover charge starting at $34.50 and $25 food and beverage minimum. Tickets and information are available at www.54Below.com. Tickets on the day of performance after 4:00pm are only available by calling (646) 476-3551.
DEVELOPMENT HISTORY
-
Johnny Mercer Foundation, Writers Grove at Goodspeed Musicals (2023, East Haddam, CT)
-
Shen Family Foundation Grant (2022, New York, NY)
-
Reservoir Studios, EP Recording, orchestrations by Alex Lacamoire & Kurt Crowley (2022, New York, NY)
-
NYC Women’s Fund for Media, Music and Theatre, Recipient. (2022, New York, NY)
-
Eugene O'Neill Theatre Center, full cast workshop (2022, Connecticut)
-
NAMT 33rd Annual Festival of New Musicals - 2021, New York, NY
-
National Music Theatre Conference at the Eugene O'Neill Theatre Center - Summer 2020
-
Catwalk Institute - 2020 and 2021 Catskill, NY
-
Musical Theatre Factory - 2020, New York, NY *postponed due to COVID-19, to be rescheduled
-
Dramatist Guild Fellowship - 2019, New York, NY
-
Tofte Lake Center Residency - 2019, Ely, MN
-
Westben Performer - Composer Artist Residency - 2019, Campbellford, Canada
-
Prelude Festival, Elebash Recital Hall (2019, New York, NY)
-
Brush Creek Foundation for the Arts Residency - 2018, Saratoga, WY
-
BRIC Lab - 2018, Brooklyn, NY
-
New York Theatre Workshop 2050 Fellowship Project - 2017, New York, NY
-
The Drama League First Draft Residency - 2017, New York, NY
-
The Habitat Directors’ Playground Workshop - 2016 - 2017, Brooklyn, NY
FOR MORE INFORMATION ABOUT AZUL CONTACT
Anabel Romero - Creative Producer
Ryan Duncan-Ayala - Producing Consultant
Graphics by Azul Santamarina and Maia Chozas