Invisible Thread
Opening Night: December 2, 2015
Closing: December 27, 2015
Theater: Second Stage Theatre
Determined to find his place in the world, 20-something Griffin leaves his job and his New York City apartment to volunteer for a charity in Africa. But when his altruistic aspirations collide with the real world, his life is changed in unexpected and profound ways. Inspired by a true story, this rousing new musical infuses a world pop score with African beats in an electrifying journey about discovering whether changing the world is even possible.
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December 2, 2015
When faced with a personal crisis — the chilly reception he gets from his church in New York when he tells the pastor that he’s gay — Griffin, the black central character of the musical “Invisible Thread,” at Second Stage Theater, makes a counterintuitive choice. He heads off to volunteer at a religious compound in Uganda, a country notorious for its virulent hostility toward homosexuality. When his white boyfriend, Ryan (Corey Mach), expresses shock that Griffin didn’t find somewhere closer to home to volunteer for the poor, Griffin snaps, “I am scared to go to the South Bronx!” Inspired by the real experiences of Griffin Matthews, who portrays Griffin and wrote the show with his real partner, Matt Gould (the show’s conductor and music director), “Invisible Thread” is moistened with sentiment and a little scattered when it comes to story. Even in its early scenes, the musical, directed by Diane Paulus (“Finding Neverland,” “Pippin”), makes odd choices about what to dramatize and how: The fateful meeting with Griffin’s pastor, for example, is merely referred to, as is the cold shoulder Griffin gets from his fellow choir members, whom he considers his friends.
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