The Merboy Next Door: A New Musical in Concert

What if your voice could control everyone around you — but you still couldn’t figure out where you belong?
Set in 2003, The Merboy Next Door is a new queer coming-of-age musical comedy about Finn, a guarded 17-year-old in foster care who moves in with two gay foster dads and discovers that his singing voice has extraordinary powers. Add supernatural sea mythology, early-2000s teen-movie nostalgia, competitive swimmers, and a spectacularly ill-advised high-school production of Moby Dick, and you’ve got a funny, heartfelt story about family, identity, trust, and finding home.
Written by Jonathan Larson Grant recipient Joel B. New, directed by Elliott Mattox, with music direction by Gillian Berkowitz, this one-night-only concert presentation features a cast of New York musical theatre performers.
The approximately 90-minute performance will be followed by a conversation with Emily Collins, LCSW, of You Gotta Believe, exploring themes of foster care, permanency, and family.
Monday, November 16, 2026, at 7:00 PM
Jamaica Center for Arts & Learning (JCAL)
161-04 Jamaica Avenue, Jamaica, Queens
Tickets: $20 plus fees
Tickets and information: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/the-merboy-next-door-a-new-musical-in-concert-tickets-1993022091727
This event is made possible (in part) with public funds from the Queens Arts Fund, a re-grant program supported by the New York City Department of Cultural Affairs in partnership with the City Council and administered by New York Foundation for the Arts.