“The musical highlights of the evening came...in the form of two original compositions, the first by Brianna Kothari Barnes, who accompanied herself on guitar while singing "Ghost" from her musical Rathskeller - it was a performance and a song so incredible as to inspire one to run right out and get a copy of the cast album, only it's not out... YET. The second ...was the song "What If" from the new musical Walking With Bubbles. It was played on guitar by Walking With Bubbles composer/lyricist Brianna Kothari Barnes and sung by the show's book writer, Jessica Hendy...It left this reporter anxiously awaiting the new musical's first production.”
-Stephen Mosher, BroadwayWorld
BRIANNA KOTHARI
BARNES
The granddaughter of a Hindu Indian immigrant, daughter of an ex-preacher, and sister to an LGBTQ+ brother - Brianna is inspired to write about big questions. She’s drawn to themes surrounding spirituality, existential questions, meaning, and mental health. Brianna’s ability to span multiple genres from Contemporary Musical Theater to Singer-Songwriter to Folk Rock give her a unique edge as a Composer/Lyricist for the Musical Theater stage. She’s interested in projects and stories that center a female point of view, push the status quo, and leave the audience with a fresh sense of hope.
WALKING WITH BUBBLES
MUSIC & LYRICS
ABOUT
As Jessica, a Broadway actress and single mom, and her son “Bubbles”anxiously await their playdate in Central Park, they are approached by a homeless man. This is their extraordinary true story. Hendy’s intimate first-person narrative invites audiences into her seemingly perfect New York City life from center stage as a Broadway leading lady into the depths of a volatile mental illness. At times earth shattering, at times humorous, yet ultimately cathartic, this one woman musical with music and lyrics by Brianna Kothari Barnes explores how far a mother will go for her son, her family, and ultimately herself.
DEVELOPMENTAL HISTORY
WALKING WITH BUBBLES had its first Industry Presentation on May 19, 2022 at Open Jar Studios. It was accepted into Forestburgh Playhouse’s New Works Festival, “IN THE WORKS ~ IN THE WOODS” for a presentation on September 11, 2022. Additional Industry Readings, produced by Tom & Michael D’Angora, were presented at The AMT Theater in NYC in October 2022 and February 2023.
The D’Angora’s along with Scott Coulter, Jill Wilkinson, and Vibecke Dahl Delapolla produced a 6 month run of the show Off-Broadway at The AMT Theater in 2023. Creator and star, Jessica Hendy, was nominated for a Drama Desk Award for Best Solo Performance and won The Off-Broadway Alliance Award for Outstanding Solo Performance. The Cast Album is currently available on all streaming platforms.
PRESS
RATHSKELLER: A MUSICAL ELIXIR
BOOK / MUSIC / LYRICS
ABOUT
A mystical dive bar somewhere between heaven and hell, Rathskeller is the place John Casey finds himself when he wakes up after a fatal accident. When the mysterious Bartender and her ruckus rock-n-roll bar staff explain the rules of their den of darkness, John is left with a choice - to face the seven deadly sins that landed him on their stool or stay in Rathskeller for eternity.
In a time when nuance has become a dirty word, this new musical dives into the gray area, highlighting the complex circumstances, relationships, and choices that make up every human’s story. Tackling themes like addiction, ambition, grief, and mental health with a powerhouse punk rock score - "Rathskeller: A Musical Elixir" asks the audience to make a decision that could reveal something about themselves and the culture they find themselves in. How many rights justify a wrong? Can one mistake change everything? What does anyone deserve?
DEVELOPMENTAL HISTORY
Brianna Kothari Barnes was commissioned by Dame Productions to write the Book, Music, and Lyrics for Rathskeller: A Musical Elixir. The show’s first workshop production premiered in NYC at The New Ohio Theater in 2021 and won Best Musical and Best Choreography in BroadwayWorld’s Off-Off Broadway Awards. Brianna’s score was a 2021 recipient of The NYC Women’s Fund for Media, Music, and Theater Grant through The Mayor’s Office of Media and Entertainment and New York Foundation for the Arts which funded a Concept Album that is now available on all platforms. Rathskeller: A Musical Elixir was accepted into the SheAtlanta Festival in Atlanta, GA in 2023 and is being produced by Zeider’s American Dream Theater in Virginia Beach in the Spring of 2024.
LET THERE BE LIGHT
BOOK / MUSIC / LYRICS
ABOUT
Let There Be Light is an award-winning story-song cycle created by Brianna Kothari Barnes. Featuring a dynamic folk-rock score and characters based on real interviews, Let There Be Light uncovers the nuanced questions that anyone impacted by The Church (for better or for worse) find themselves asking. It received awards for Best Musical and Best Score at The New York Theatre Festival in 2018.
Barnes’s acoustic sensibilities as a songwriter are right in line with contemporary music; her theatrical training helps, too. But the most powerful thing for me in her new work, LET THERE BE LIGHT, was Barnes herself and her direct, frank discussion of what’s wrong with Christianity in 2016...It's the most relevant, sincere and moving thing I’ve heard… in a very long time.”
-Kirk Sheppard, The Sappy Critic
THE PRESENCE: A NEW MUSICAL
BOOK / MUSIC / LYRICS
ABOUT
Gabriella has an imagination unlike any other little girl in her small town. Her colorful, vibrant faith and fascination with a mysterious, mystical Presence stand in stark contrast with her family's rigid, black-and-white religion. But when tragedy strikes, Gabriella finds herself questioning if it was all just child-like make believe. Weaving in and out of the present and past, The Presence follows a woman's journey from the imaginative wonder and magic of her childhood to the doubt and frustration of shifting beliefs in adulthood. Highlighting themes of mental health, grief, and reconciliation, The Presence uncovers and honors the wrestle of one woman’s relationship with what lies beyond the stars. Through a series of conversations and unlikely friendships, it amplifies the complex mental and emotional depth of a woman’s perspective on matters of belief, doubt, and the messy middle place of faith. To the tune of folk-rock anthems and soft pop melodies, this work will have the audience second-guessing what they considered holy and humming to the tune of hope—even in the midst of the unknown.
In Development.
Follow @thepresencemusical to stay updated!
Listen to “A HOLY PLACE” from THE PRESENCE featured on HIEROPHANIES: MANIFESTATIONS OF THE SACRED