Duncan Sheik’s final musical has reached the Off-Broadway stage, but the team bringing it to life has drawn a firm line around one part of his work.
The cast of “Memoirs of Amorous Gentlemen” does not plan to alter Sheik’s lyrics following the Tony- and Grammy-winning composer’s death. Star Sophia Anne Caruso says preserving the songs exactly as he left them has become especially important as audiences begin experiencing the Duncan Sheik final musical.
The production began performances in New York City on Sept. 25, just over a week after Sheik died at age 56. But according to those who spent years creating the show with him, his involvement continued until very late in his life.
Duncan Sheik’s Final Musical Will Preserve His Words
Caruso, who stars as aspiring writer Colette, told People that Sheik’s presence can be found throughout “Memoirs of Amorous Gentlemen.” “I think that every character that sings has a piece of him,” she said, explaining that the songs contain elements of Sheik’s “heart and his soul.”
That connection is one reason the company is leaving his final score untouched. Caruso said the songs remain particularly “raw” because they have not been polished or commercialized since Sheik’s death.
“They have not been changed because those were his words and we’re not going to change them,” she told People. The decision comes after years of collaboration between Sheik, Caruso and book writer Leah Nanako Winkler, who adapted Moyoco Anno’s manga with the composer.
Sheik Was Still Collaborating From the Hospital
Winkler told People that she and Sheik spent six years developing “Memoirs of Amorous Gentlemen” and were still working together even while he was hospitalized. “We were working together, up until he was in the hospital bed,” she said, adding that she knew Sheik was proud of what they had created.
Their writing process was unusually personal. Before Sheik composed songs, Winkler said she would send him what he called “raw pages”: scenes, monologues and thoughts drawn from her own experiences. Those pages would lead to lengthy conversations before Sheik transformed their emotional material into music.
For “Immured,” a song Caruso performed during a Sept. 21 press event, Winkler said she wrote about seven of her own painful breakups. Sheik would then share stories about his heartbreak before eventually returning with the finished song.
Caruso’s relationship with the production was equally personal. She said Sheik specifically asked her to play Colette before she even knew much about the project.
Over the years, the character changed alongside her. “Because we were so collaborative, the role has been shaped around my experiences too and my own sort of growth,” Caruso told People.
‘Memoirs of Amorous Gentlemen’ Brings a Manga to the Stage
“Memoirs of Amorous Gentlemen” is based on Moyoco Anno’s manga and follows Colette, a young writer working at a Parisian maison close in the early 20th century.
As Colette records the fantasies and confessions of the people around her, she begins finding her own artistic voice while navigating a complicated relationship with her childhood love, Léon.
Winkler said she was especially interested in giving the women at the center of the story agency rather than treating them simply as tragic figures.
The official production site lists Winkler as book writer and Sheik as composer and lyricist, with Tony winner Rob Ashford directing and choreographing. Caruso stars alongside Cory Jeacoma, Nkeki Obi-Melekwe, Marc delaCruz and Jenny Powers.
Performances began Sept. 25 at The Night Egg at Culture Club in Manhattan. Opening night is scheduled for Oct. 15, with the limited engagement running through Jan. 3, 2027.
The Musical Adds a Final Chapter to Sheik’s Broadway Legacy
Sheik first became widely known through his 1996 song “Barely Breathing,” but his career eventually became closely tied to musical theater.
His work on “Spring Awakening” earned him Tony Awards for best original score and best orchestrations and helped establish a Broadway production that launched several major careers, including those of Lea Michele and Jonathan Groff. EntertainmentNow covered Groff’s continuing Broadway connections.
Sheik’s other stage work included “American Psycho,” “Alice by Heart” and “The Secret Life of Bees.” Now, “Memoirs of Amorous Gentlemen” gives audiences one more score from the composer and the people closest to the production want them to hear it as he intended.
For Caruso, preserving the music means keeping Sheik present in the theater. “These songs are pieces from his heart and his soul,” she told People. “In this theater and through this piece, Duncan very much lives.”
