The Visitor, based on the 2007 movie by Tom McCarthy, made its world premiere at The Public Theater last fall, featuring music by Pulitzer Prize, Tony, Emmy, and Grammy winner Tom Kitt, lyrics by Pulitzer Prize and Tony winner Brian Yorkey, and a book by Yorkey and Kwame Kwei-Armah.
In this episode of Genesis of a Song, composer Kitt details the creation of The Visitor's "Drum Circle." “I was looking for music that was going to feel openhearted, that it was landing in something that felt like a discovery,” he says. Watch the video above to hear the inspiration behind the song.
Craft Recordings and Concord Theatricals dropped the original cast recording of The Visitor June 24. The 21-track album is available for streaming on digital platforms.
The album features the voices of Jacqueline Antaramian, Robert Ariza, Anthony Chan, Alysha Deslorieux, Delius Doherty, C.K. Edwards, Will Erat, Brandon Espinoza, Sean Ewing, Albert Guerzon, Crystal Joy, Marla Louissaint, Ahmad Maksoud, Sahar Milani, Dimitri Joseph Moïse, Ariel Neydavoud, Takafumi Nikaido, David Hyde Pierce, Pauli Pontrelli, and Katie Terza.
Featured in the band are Inna Dudukina, Greg Joseph, Harvey Valdes, Alexanda Eckhardt, Alan Hewitt and Hajnal Pivnick. Sean Patrick Flahaven and Kitt served as the album's producers. It was recorded, edited, and mixed by Ian Kagey, and mastered by Oscar Zambrano.
The musical follows Walter, a white college professor, who meets Tarek, a Syrian drummer, and Zainab, a Senegalese jewelry maker. Tarek and Zainab are struggling to stay in America, bringing to light the experiences of undocumented individuals who seek to make the United States their new home.
The Visitor features orchestrations by Tony winner Jamshied Sharifi, music supervision by Meg Zervoulis, music direction by Rick Edinger, and associate music direction by Emily Whitaker. The Public production was directed by Tony winner Daniel Sullivan.
