Hurray for the Riff Raff’s Alynda Segarra has announced a musical adaptation of their 2017 album The Navigator. Segarra developed the play with writer, director, and actor C. Julian Jimenéz. A works-in-progress presentation will be staged on June 9 and 10 at Joe’s Pub in New York City. Tickets are available for preorder now. 

In a statement about the adaptation, Segarra said:“When I wrote The Navigator, it was written as a soundtrack to the story of my character Navita Milagros Negron. And when I recorded it in 2016, I had a first draft of the accompanying play in my back pocket but I had no idea how I could make the vision become a reality. Now years later, I am so proud to be partnering with C. Julian Jimenez to heighten this project.”

Segarra and Jimenez tell a tale about Navita, a 17-year-old street-punk, who faces a decision to leave behind everything she has ever known. Now she is unable to recognize her own familial history. Will she leave it all behind? What will this new world look like in her eyes?

The updated version of The Navigator will feature the album’s original songs, newer content, and a different narrative. Hurray for the Riff Raff’s latest album was last year’s Life on Earth. Recently, Segarra released the album’s deluxe edition, which included two new songs. “Resistance Rockers” and “Let Her in the Sky” were both made during Life on Earth rehearsals. 

Hurray for the Riff Raff will also be performing at Chicago’s Pitchfork Music Festival on Sunday, July 23.

Photo Credit: Sharon Alagna