New Musical Adaptation of The Secret Life of Bees Opens Off-Broadway

Saycon Sengbloh

World-premiere musical features Donna Reed Scholarship alumna 

The Atlantic Theater Company’s world-premiere musical adaptation of Sue Monk Kidd’s best-selling novel The Secret Life of Bees officially opens Off-Broadway June 13 following previews that began May 12. The production will run through Sunday, July 21, at the Linda Gross Theater.

The production stars Donna Reed Scholarship alumna and Tony nominee Saycon Sengbloh (Eclipsed, Hair) as Rosaleen and Elizabeth Teeter (The Audience, The Crucible) as Lily.

Set against the backdrop of 1960s South Carolina, the story follows the journey of Rosaleen, a Black caregiver who is beaten and jailed for asserting her right to vote, and the young Lily, a restless teenager haunted by her mother's death.

Sengbloh was the 1996 recipient of a Donna Reed Acting and Musical Theatre scholarship.