Songs from the powerful musical about a terminally ill young woman’s ultimate choice premiere at a sold-out event.

After a pandemic-related delay, the Goodbye New York album, performed by the production’s all-Broadway cast and band, premiered at Feinstein’s/54 Below in the heart of New York City’s theater district on May 8. “The night far exceeded our expectations,” said lyricist Evan McCormack about the sold-out event, which garnered a glowing review the very next day. “Honestly, we’ve never seen 54 Below so quiet. So engaged. So riveted. They were hanging on every word. It was as magical as live performance gets.”

Compassion & Choices served as one of the album’s executive producers, helping to promote the project and providing technical guidance on script details. “Through art, we can reach and connect with people in powerful ways. We can help people understand and interpret the human experience, shine a light on an injustice that needs to be addressed, and ultimately inspire reform,” said Compassion & Choices President and CEO Kim Callinan, who attended the premiere.

Goodbye New York follows two young people, Olivia and Will, who knew each other long ago and meet by chance for a single magical day of romance, a beautiful moment in the city that the composer and lyricist had come to love. With the help of book writer David Don Miller, McCormack and composer Andrew Beall had outlined much of the musical in October 2014, when they read about Brittany Maynard in the Washington Post, a month before her death. Evan and Andrew were profoundly moved by Brittany’s story. “I don’t know if I would have supported medical aid in dying earlier in my life,” Evan offered. “But now that I understand what it is all about, I can’t imagine not supporting this option. It is such a personal decision.”

The Goodbye New York Original Concept Album is also now released for download or streaming. “This is a major step in our journey toward Broadway,” says McCormack. “It is with profound gratitude that we’d like to thank everyone at Compassion & Choices. The outpouring of support for this album has been nothing short of astonishing. We can’t wait to continue our relationship as we pave our path to the biggest stage the world can offer!”

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