BroadwaystarsAriana DeBoseandBonnie Milliganhit the recording studio.
The Academy Award-winningWest Side Storyactress, 32, and theKimberly Akimbostar, 38, teamed up to record the 11 o’clock number for the new musicalFemale Troubles, which aims to take the stage in 2024.
“It’s been so timely for a long time, but yes, it is [now] more timely than ever,” Green tells PEOPLE of the musical, which is set in 19th-century England and tells the story of two unwed women, Elinor Benton and her Lady’s Maid, who become pregnant and are seeking an abortion.
Female Troubles Musical/YouTube
“We like to describe it as Jane Austen meetsBridesmaids, but about women’s reproductive freedoms,” Green explains.
In “A Woman Knows,” DeBose and Milligan sing about making a decision that feels right for them. “What the song says is that whatever choice you make is fine as long as you get to make the choice,” says Green.
Though DeBose and Milligan — friends of the songwriters — are not officially part of the production’s cast, Green says thatFemale Troublesis aiming for a large-scale production next year.
The piece has been in development for six years — long beforeRoe v. Wade, the landmark Supreme Court decision of 1973 that granted women the right to an abortion in every state, was overturned.
“The overturning ofRoe v. Wadewas not something that was in my playbook,” Green admits, adding thatFemale Troublesis a story about friendship and freedom.
Advocating for abortion rights is something that DeBose is particularly passionate about. Last year, the actress told PEOPLE she thinks it’s important to “hear peopletalking about abortion,” adding: “These situations make us human. They don’t make us any less.”
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She said, “It did and does still feel like [what] I said onThe Tonight ShowwithJimmy [Fallon]: I do feel a little bit like I’m atwar with my countryor my country is at war with me, in a way.”
DeBose added, “Everybody wants the choice to be able to own guns, right? So what is the difference between owning a gun and being able to make a choice for your body? You want to be able to choose whether or not you got a vaccine? I understand that. I want the ability to choose whether or not my body births a child.”
source: people.com
