A limited engagement of What to wear returns to BAM’s Harvey Theater from Jan. 15–18, 2026, marking the first remount of the production in 20 years.
BAM announced the full company lineup, including music icon and multi-Grammy winner St. Vincent, who will appear as a featured performer. Principal vocalists include Sarah Frei (Soprano 1), Sophie Delphis (Soprano 2), Hai-Ting Chinn (Mezzo), and Morgan Mastrangelo (Tenor). The vocal ensemble features Weiyu Wang, Kaileigh Riess, Leilah Rosen, Kira Dills-DeSurra, Jordan Jones, and Zen Wu.
Dance Captain devika wickremesinghe leads the movement ensemble and includes Lindy Fines, Hallie Chametzky, Lilly Lorber, Annika Mankin, Celeste Goldes, Addie Levandowski and Chloe Claudel.
Written by avant-garde theater legend Richard Foreman and composer Michael Gordon, What to wear is described as a raucous, surreal post-rock opera, a hallucinatory unraveling of beauty, seduction and transformation. With creative direction by Big Dance Theater co-founders Annie-B Parson (American Utopia, Lazarus) and Paul Lazar (We’re Gonna Die), this revival explores what emerges when beauty fades and something more transcendent takes its place.
The production is a collaboration between BAM, Beth Morrison Projects and Bang on a Can, honoring Foreman’s groundbreaking theatrical style and Gordon’s musical innovation. Bloomberg Philanthropies serves as the season sponsor.
"This revival of What to wear, a seminal artwork, in collaboration with Beth Morrison Projects, PROTOTYPE, and Bang on a Can is the type of project that truly excites and defines us," says BAM's Artistic Director Amy Cassello. "Not only are we working with an array of incredible creative partners, but to present this experimental masterpiece in its original form through the voices of next-gen artists is beyond thrilling."
The creative team includes set design by Richard Foreman, lighting by Joe Levasseur and sound by Garth MacAleavey. Associate direction is by Lizzie DeMent, choreography by Rebecca Miller Kratzer, costumes by E.B. Brooks and music direction by Alan Pierson. Stage management is by Jason Kaiser, with Caren Celine Morris as assistant stage manager.
Tickets start at $35 and are available at BAM.org or through BAM Ticket Services at 718-636-4100.
