The York Theatre Company continued its 2017/18 Season with the New York Premiere of the rousing new musical Unexpected Joy, with book and lyrics by Tony nominated Bill Russell (Side Show) and music by Janet Hood (Elegies for Angels, Punks, and Raging Queens).

Family. Love. Understanding. Unexpected Joy is the story of three generations of female singers, long-held family tensions, and a week together where change is in the air. In modern-day Cape Cod, Joy, a baby boomer and proud hippie, is holding a memorial concert for the other half of her popular musical duo, Jump & Joy. When her conservative daughter and her rebellious granddaughter arrive from Oklahoma, the sparks fly as one family seeks to find the common ground in their different values, dreams, and goals.

Unexpected Joy tackles tolerance, family ties, and the battles we fight to create our own identity. This new musical is a heartfelt and hilarious story that weaves folk-rock, pop, and blues in uniting a family that hasn’t experienced true joy together for decades.