Helianthus began as a song cycle called Forty Minutes which was released online in May 2020. After a zoom call with old Phantom of the Opera cast mates right at the beginning of the shutdown, Kaitlyn and Emma brainstormed ways they could reflect the unprecedented times we are living in and how the two of them could write a piece for digital performance while Broadway is dark. They ended up writing Forty Minutes, a tapestry piece, where each song told the story of a different person coping with COVID 19. The digital reading was released on May 1st as an exclusive for Playbill.com benefitting the BCEFA COVID 19 Emergency Assistance Fund.
“While on tour, Grimsley (also a librettist) and Davis (a composer and lyricist) had always talked about collaborating, but the Zoom call ignited an idea for Davis. ‘She called and said, ‘Is there a way for this to be a medium for performance or a conduit for performance?’’ Grimsley recalls.”