The creators of the Off-Broadway musical " Invisible Thread" are giving audiences an early peek at their new show with this soaring ballad.
Following a successful online fundraising campaign, composers Matt Gould and Griffin Matthews shot the clip for the song, "Beautiful," with "Invisible Thread" cast members in both New York and Uganda. Matthews and Gould, who are a real-life couple, told The Huffington Post in an interview that they wanted to capture the feeling of "how the grass is always greener somewhere else" in the song which, like the rest of the show, melds a pop melody with African beats.
"Whenever we go to Uganda, we always wish that our lives could somehow resemble the pace and beauty of that place," Matthews said. "But inevitably, the Ugandans always talk about how much they want to come to the U.S. Each of us wants what the other has."
Gould and Matthews teased the show earlier this year when they released a music video for the titular song, "Invisible Thread." That clip, which was directed by Broadway actor Andrew Keenan-Bolger ("Newsies"), showed the couple going about their day-to-day lives in New York and was created in support of Ugandan students who may be affected by their country's rigid anti-gay laws.
Gould, who began writing "Beautiful" while serving in the Peace Corps in the Islamic Republic of Mauritania, said that bringing cast members to Uganda, where much of the musical is set, was a no-brainer.
"It's such a singular, unique, gorgeous place and we thought that having the cast there would deepen their performances," he said. "It was the most incredible trip of our lives."
Originally titled "Witness Uganda," "Invisible Thread" is loosely based on Gould and Matthews' experiences as aid workers in Africa. Directed by Tony Award winner Diane Paulus, the musical centers on Griffin, a 20-something Manhattanite who finds his life changed in unexpected and profound ways once he leaves New York to volunteer for an African charity.
The show nabbed the Richard Rodgers Award for Musical Theater in 2012, and the 2014 production at Boston's American Repertory Theater played to sold out audiences and received ample critical buzz, with The Boston Globe calling it "a joyous, wrenching experience."
Previews for "Invisible Thread" begin at New York's Second Stage Theatre on Oct. 31, with an opening night set for Dec. 2. Head here for more details.
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