The Ceiling. Music, lyrics and book by Blake Allen. Based on the story The Ceiling by Kevin Brockmeier. Directed by Susan Aston.

One Night Only

Monday
October 5

Le Poisson Rouge

New York City

Doors 6:30 PM

Show 7:30 PM

2026

Purchase Tickets

A New Musical

Book, music & lyrics by Blake Allen.
Based on the story “The Ceiling” by Kevin Brockmeier.
Directed by Susan Aston.

The Story

About
The Ceiling

Based on Kevin Brockmeier's acclaimed O. Henry Prize-winning short story, The Ceiling is a poignant new musical that blends magical realism with emotional truth. As an inexplicable phenomenon descends upon their world, a husband and wife confront the growing distance between them, revealing how life's most profound changes often go unnoticed until it is too late.

Blake Allen's score gives musical voice to the story's intimate and increasingly surreal world, illuminating the characters' inner lives as the familiar begins to shift around them. Through music and lyrics, the adaptation expands Brockmeier's meditation on love, distance, and change into a theatrical experience that moves between the deeply personal and the extraordinary.

Featuring

Cast

Christine Dwyer

Melissa

Nathaniel Hackmann

Kevin

Jake Pedersen

Joshua

Elise Frances Daniells

Scarlett

Christine Arand

Bookkeeper

Dared Wright

Wesson / Gleason / Barkeep

Rori Nogee

Rachel

Cory Daniel Gibson

The Banshee / Silent Man

Samantha Schiffman

Bobby / Sheryl

Blake Brundy

Mitch Nauman

Creative & Production

The Company

Blake Allen
Book, Music, Lyrics
Kevin Brockmeier
Author
Susan Aston
Director
Bernita Robinson
Stage Manager
Traguna Productions
Producer
Popson Productions
Co-Producer & Literary Rep

The Score

Musical Numbers

Act One

  1. 1.

    Rising

    Orchestra

  2. 2.

    But There Is Sky Today

    All

  3. 3.

    Did You See?

    Joshua / All

  4. 4.

    Rich and Strange

    Scarlett / All

  5. 5.

    Later That Night

    Kevin / Melissa

  6. 6.

    Science is a Blessing…

    Scarlett / All

  7. 7.

    Oh, Melissa: Parts 1 & 2

    Orchestra

  8. 8.

    July

    Kevin / All

  9. 9.

    When Can Go to the Library…

    Joshua / Kevin

  10. 10.

    Listen

    Melissa

  11. 11.

    To Be a Mother / To Be a Wife

    Melissa

  12. 12.

    The Sky is Falling

    Book / Joshua / Bobby

  13. 13.

    New Orleans

    Scarlett / Girls

  14. 14.

    Train to Nowhere

    Rachel / Kevin

  15. 15.

    What Happened to My Summer?

    All

  16. 16.

    The Birds Went Away

    Joshua

  17. 17.

    What Would You Do When You Know…

    Kevin / All

  18. 18.

    O, Gibbous Moon

    Bookkeeper

Act Two

  1. 19.

    Intermezzo

    Orchestra

  2. 20.

    Brick By Brick

    Melissa

  3. 21.

    Smoothe As Obsidian

    Scarlett / All

  4. 22.

    Something’s Bound to Happen Soon

    Wesson / Kevin

  5. 23.

    Have You Seen My Umbrella?

    The Banshee

  6. 24.

    Lights From the Stars

    All

  7. 25.

    How I Wish

    Kevin

  8. 26.

    The Ceiling Has Descended

    All

  9. 27.

    The Grate

    Joshua

  10. 28.

    The Pleasure Suite

    1. a. What Would You Do?

      Girls / All

    2. b. At the Bacchenale

      All

    3. c. Dream Boy

      Girls

    4. d. Tomorrow, We Die

      All

  11. 29.

    It All Comes Tumbling Down

    All

  12. 30.

    One More Night

    Melissa

  13. 31.

    Farewell, My Love

    Kevin / Joshua

  14. 32.

    Finale

    Kevin

Continue the Conversation

Interested in
what comes next?

For inquiries regarding future presentations, producing opportunities, investment, licensing, or the continued development of The Ceiling, we would be glad to hear from you.

Contact the Production

Investment inquiries are welcome. Any offering will be made only through formal offering materials and in accordance with applicable law.

October 5, 2026 · New York City

THE CEILING

One-night developmental presentation at Le Poisson Rouge.

Tickets at LPR