Midnight is an upcoming sung-through musical, with a book, music and lyrics by Todrick Hall. After a series of delays, it is expected to receive its world premiere Off-Broadway in October 2026, at the Daryl Roth Theatre.
Synopsis In America's South during the nineteenth century, the audience is introduced to the story of Rail, a young Black man, who was sold as a slave as a young boy. Rail falls in love with bubbly Lily Rose, a young Black woman. Rail's owner, young Scarlet, falls in love with Richard, a wealthy neighbour, at a ball she and her family organise. Richard chooses Rail to work alongside him and a group of Black and white workers on his future house, and a bond starts between the two men. The friendship grows into mutual respect, and ultimately into a forbidden and dangerous love that challenges everyone's stories.
When Rail is brutally attacked, all characters are forced to confront their differences and what divides them, while the show invites the audiences to look at the story through other people's eyes. The final message is that we cannot choose the roles we are given in life, but we can choose how we play them.
Production history Development workshops (2025–2026) The show had two closed-doors performances in New York and London, before running for a paying audience as a fully staged workshop at the Sadler's Wells East in London from 11 to 15 November 2025. A second fully staged and updated workshop session was announced in January 2026. This ran at the Sadler's Wells East again from 20 February until 8 March. Cast for the new workshop was announced in January 2026, with many performers reprising their roles, including Rachel Tucker as Charlotte, and Marisha Wallace playing Happy and George Maguire, Sylvester. The musical style of the show blends gospel, blues and pop, with nods to the classic musicals.
Off-Broadway (2026) In June 2026, it was announced that Midnight would premiere off-Broadway on September 27 at the Daryl Roth Theatre. The show is set to run from September 12 through November 8. Lead casting includes Hall as Rail, with Jeremy Beloate reprising his role as Richard, Ayana George as Ethel and Charlotte Odusanya returning as Lily Rose.
Musical numbers
First fully-staged London Workshop (October 2025)
Act I "(Prologue) Midnight" "Mine (Beautiful)" "No Time Soon (Change Ain't Coming)" "Somebody" "Two Brothers (One Ball)" "Pretty Eyes" "Impressed" "The Dancing One" "Never Known Nobody" "On a Night Like Tonight" "White People" "Uh-Oh" "Ready or Not" "More Than a House" "Forever" "I Love You" "Nothing Like This" "Surprise" "Letters" "Twelve"
Act II "Oom Doom Dadda" "Black Excellence" "Tonight, In White" "On a Night Like Tonight (Reprise)" "Great Adventure" "Forget I Ever Loved You" "Lilly's Lullaby" "Fix It" "A Rose" "Home" "Midnight Train" "Who Knew?" "A Sin" "Are You a Bride?" "A Thousand Years" "Eleven O'Clock" "Time" "After Midnight"
Second fully staged London Workshop (February-March 2026)
Act I "Prologue" "Midnight" "Somebody" "Pretty Eyes" "Impressed" "The Dancing One" "Dear Mama" "Two Brothers" "White People" "Uh-Oh" "Ready or Not" "More Than a House" "Forever" "I Love You" "Nothing Like This" "Surprise" "Letters" "Twelve"
Act II "Oom Doom Dadda" "Black Excellence" "Midnightmares" "Dangerous" "Great Adventure" "Forget I Ever Loved You" "You" "Lily's Lullaby" "A Rose" "Home" "Midnight Train" "Who Knew?" "Night On Fire" "Nightfall" (Later changed to "A Thousand Years") "Eleven O'Clock" "Time" "After Midnight"
Cast and characters CharacterSadler's Wells East workshop Off-Broadway RailTodrick Hall RichardJeremy Beloate Lily Rose Charlotte Odusanya Rachel Webb Charlotte Odusanya Scarlet Ailsa Davidson Maia Gough Kennedy CaughellCharlotteRachel Tucker Autumn Hurlbert EthelAyana George VioletCharlotte Jaconelli Sarah Lynn Marion Happy Georgina Onuorah Marisha Wallace Kolbi Jordan Harry Barney Wilkinson Isaac J Lewis Jimmy Brewer Clyde Ashlee Irish colspan="2" Billy Watkins Smith Jr. colspan="2" Squeak Ahmed Hamad Sidney DuPont Horace Nick Rashad Burroughs Dwayne Clark Sylvester Craig Armstrong George Maguire Ciaran McCarthy
References
External links
Midnight, a New Original Musical - Sadler's Wells East