Before Central Park, there was Seneca Village- a vibrant, multiracial community of African Americans, Irish immigrants, and abolitionist allies. This new musical unearths their untold story.

At the center is Andrew Williams, a freedman and shoeshiner who built his home—and a life—for his daughter Ezibel, a teacher. Their neighbors include Clare O’Connell, a fiery Irish midwife fleeing famine; her son Peter, a young carpenter with dreams; Albro Lyons, an abolitionist and boarding house owner; and Rev. Epiphany Davis, a new arrival with a painful past and hope for redemption.

Together, they weather prejudice, poverty, and the looming threat of displacement as whispers of a new “Central Park” stir from city elites. While the community celebrates birthdays, gardens, courtships, and baptisms, developers and politicians plot their removal behind Union Club doors—disguising racism and greed in the language of “progress.”

Through stirring songs and hard truths, the musical draws a painful parallel between the past and present, culminating in the village’s erasure under eminent domain. In a powerful final monologue, Andrew breaks the fourth wall, asking: What’s changed? It’s a call to remember, to reckon, and to kneel.

More than a musical, Seneca Village is a resurrection. It brings voice to those literally buried beneath Central Park and demands audiences confront the ongoing cost of "progress." With its blend of lush harmonies, biting satire, and historical excavation, this is a show that stays with you long after the final note.