Interludes

THE HANGOVER REPORT – Todrick Hall’s exciting, uneven new musical MIDNIGHT re-shuffles the past to unlock the present

• By drediman
• October 20, 2026
• No Comments

Where to start with a hugely exciting but uneven show like the new musical Midnight, which officially opened Off-Broadway a few days ago just off of Union Square at the Daryl Roth Theatre? The brainchild of Todrick Hall through-and-through — Hall produced, wrote the book and score of, directed, choreographed, and stars in the show — the admirably ambitious endeavor arrives in New York after having played London for limited developmental engagements, creating buzz in the process. The three-hour work is notable for being a completely original musical, having taken shape without the strict outline of a movie/book plot or the usage of a preexisting songbook. In short, Hall recasts the fairytale of Cinderella as a sort of 19th century American historical fiction folktale, telling the queer, star-crossed love story between a landed White man and a poor, repressed Black slave. Both are men.

Although the musical’s story is relatively simple from a synopsis standpoint, Hall prismatically translates it through a dazzlingly layered score of interweaving thematic motifs that collectively amount to a rich musical tapestry. Drawing from hip-hop, gospel, and R&B, the score compares favorably to the musical vocabularies of Hamilton and Dreamgirls. Indeed, throughout, there are nods particularly to the Lin-Manuel Miranda mega-hit in terms of musical storytelling via a rapid-fire, through-composed score, as well as its kinetic choreography-driven staging — featuring thrilling step and hip-hop dance sequences — complete with the aid of a turntable. From the get go, huge swaths of backstory and forward plot movement are told through a breathless parade of interconnected songs. Currently, some characters are more finely drawn than others (e.g., Lily Rose and Violet are mere cartoons), resulting in some scenes that don’t quite register as emotionally resonant as the music intends you to feel. Given its highly narrated folk tale presentation — kudos, by the way, to the show’s three narrators, who are spectacular — Hall is able to really play with meta-theatricality, making a radical choice in the second act (no spoilers here!) that effectively re-shuffles history, with the goal of unlocking our present-day woes in terms of racial divide and threats to civil rights. This sends the musical spinning into a philosophical, if slightly didactic, direction.

In the “Cinderella” role of Rail, Todrick Hall leads the company with a vocally splendid and physically dynamic performance that’s also able to draw you in with its passionate inner life. Unfortunately, with the exception of Aryana George’s textured, fierce turn as the wise but sassy Ethel (who functions as one of the narrators), many of the other performances tend to come across little more than two dimensional creations, despite the company’s spectacular, full throttle vocals. With so much going on in terms of content and staging, Midnight as it currently stands is a bit too much to take in, even at the Daryl Roth, which is one of Off-Broadway’s more expansive venues. The dense, nonstop pageant could benefit from taking its foot off the pedal and sinking into quieter moments, thereby allowing characters to more fulsomely find their authentic voices before being rushed into the next situation. Despite my reservations, I applaud the musical for swinging big. Much of the show is already in place, as evidenced by the enthusiastic ovation it received at its conclusion (the production just today announced its extension through early 2027).

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MIDNIGHT
Off-Broadway, Musical
Daryl Roth Theatre
2 hours, 55 minutes (including an intermission)
Through January 3