New Musical A Sign of the Times Will Bring the Sounds and Spirit of the Sixties to Off-Broadway

A Sign of the Times, a new musical set in the 1960s and featuring several of that decade’s catchiest pop hits, will have its off-Broadway premiere at New World Stages. Previews begin February 7, 2024, with an official opening on February 22. The musical is directed by Gabriel Barre, with a book by Lindsey Hope Pearlman based on an original story by Richard J. Robin.

The musical is set in the summer of 1965. With the country in transition—as the war in Vietnam rages on and struggles for civil rights and women’s liberation command headlines—one aspirational young woman finds herself in New York City.

The show features several hits by Petula Clark, including the title song, “Downtown” and “Don’t Sleep in the Subway.” It also features renditions of the Spencer Davis Group’s “Gimme Some Lovin’,” “Rescue Me” (made famous by Fontella Bass), Nancy Sinatra’s “These Boots are Made for Walking,” Elvis Presley’s “If I Can Dream” and the Monkees’ “Last Train to Clarksville.”

A Sign of the Times will be presented by the York Theatre Company, which is dedicated to developing and producing new musicals and preserving notable shows from the past. The show had its world premiere at Goodspeed Musicals’ Norma Terris Theatre in 2016 and was staged at the Delaware Theatre Company in 2018.

The musical features choreography by JoAnn M. Hunter, music direction and orchestrations by Joseph Church, set design by Evan Adamson, costume design by Johanna Pan, lighting design by Ken Billington, sound design by Shannon Slaton and projection design by Brad Peterson.