PASSION, AMBITION AND ESCAPE, IN THE COLORFUL ARTISTIC UNDERWORLD OFF-BROADWAY.
Cammie, a dancer in her mid-thirties, has just landed her first part in a show since coming to New York City. Yet the tug of familial obligation and the guilt of what she sacrificed to be there weigh down her dancing feet. Her lover, Tom, an older piano player, came to the city himself as a young man in the 1980s with a story eerily in tune with Cammie’s own.
Through their triumphs and failures, both learn the fleetness of glory, the sweetness of new love, and how a dream come true isn’t cherished until it passes. The bright lights of the stage intoxicate, while degradation and despair lurk close behind the curtain. Their sagas are marred by two pandemics, AIDS in the 1980s and COVID-19 today, which ravaged the performing arts community, leaving a permanent scar on those who lived through them.
The poignant intersection of their stories reveals a love affair unbound by time, which reaches across decades through the notes of a piano’s remembered song.
“A heartfelt and moving love letter to New York City and its artistic community.”
–Geoffrey Owens
Early Praise for A Season in Lights…
“A Season in Lights is an intimate, heartfelt ballad to creativity and the passion of the artist. Phillips’ writing is lyrical as a love song and as uplifting as a dream. It is not only one of my new favorite books, but possibly one of the most important odes to New York City’s artists and the fragility of life since Rent.”
— Nicole Evelina USA Today bestselling author of The Guinevere’s Tale Trilogy and many other stories of strong women from history and today
“By drawing us into the glitz and glam of New York City’s creative scene, and by examining the gritty reality beneath the shine, Phillips taps all the senses while reminding us that, no matter what happens in life, the show must go on—especially for those who dare to dream. Want a sensual but poignant romp behind the curtain? This book delivers.”
Julie Cantrell, USA Today and New York Times bestselling author of Perennials
“A Season in Lights taps into the core of the soul of the New York City theatre community family – from the stage managers to the musicians and dancers, to the actors whose every heartbeat is dedicated to the performance of their art. Having myself been involved in local theatre and experiencing this thrill, not only upon the stage, but in the hectic confines of the green room behind it, and, sadly, witnessing the devastating impact of the Covid epidemic on theatre, I bow to Phillips’ perfectly captured portrayal of it. Break a leg, Gregory Phillips!”
Joe Palmer, author of A Mariner’s Tale
“Music and dance thrum in this poignant story about aspiring artists struggling to survive as part of New York’s subway class. Two would-be lovers at opposite ends of their dreams of making it on the big stage share a memorable but fleeting season filled with passion, love, friends, and family. Bursting with charm, this beautiful tale is chock-full of powerful subjects: depression, racism, HIV in the ‘80s, and the current Covid pandemic. It will touch your heart, make you want to dance, sing, and cry all at the same time.”
R. Scott Boyer, award-winning author of Bobby Ether and the Jade Academy and Temple of Eternity
“Written by a true creative, A Season in Lights paints a moving picture of artists, dancers and musicians. Gregory Erich Phillips weaves together the heartaches and lucky breaks of two main characters, Tom and Cammie, and their friends and families. The vignettes culminate with the impact of coronavirus on NYC, and ends with a surprisingly tender and uplifting finale.”
Carol Van Den Hende, award-winning author of Goodbye, Orchid
“Gregory Erich Phillips’ A Season in Lights is a heartfelt and moving love letter to New York City and its artistic community.”
—Geoffrey Owens, actor and director
“A unique, well-crafted tale adds to the lore and lure of life as an artist braving the challenges of the Big Apple. The pursuit of the performing arts and romance are set against the looming specter of today’s COVID-19 pandemic and the 1980s AIDS crisis. The author offers profound insights into the unpleasant realities of chasing a dream and wraps with an exquisite, soul-stirring conclusion.”
—Lafayette Summers, pianist, composer and singer