Last year, plans were announced for a new musical featuring the classic songs of Foreigner. That musical will premiere in April 2026 at Tilles Center for the Performing Arts on Long Island University’s Post campus in Brookville, New York. Now, new official details about the production have been revealed, including the dates for the show’s debut run.
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The show is titled Feels Like The First Time – The Foreigner Musical. It looks like 11 performances will be presented, beginning with a sold-out event on April 17 and running through April 26. The production was the result of a partnership between Foreigner, the Tilles Center and Long Island University’s Post Theatre Company.
Tickets for the shows went on sale to the general public on Friday, February 13. They can be purchased at TillesCenter.org/FLTFT.
As previously reported, Feel Like The First Time will be directed by veteran Broadway performer Adam Pascal. His acting credits include Rent, Aida, Chicago, and more. The production will feature a company of 26 performers, most of whom are Long Island University students. In addition, select professional actors will to play adult roles in the show.
The musical’s creative team also includes book writer Stephen Garvey, orchestrator and arranger David Abbinanti, and choreographer Lorna Ventura.
In September 2025, Foreigner’s current lineup played a special acoustic show at Tilles Center to raise money for the production. Original lead singer Lou Gramm was on hand to host the fundraiser. The musical was developed during a fall 2025 workshop that included LIU students.
Comments About the Musical from Foreigner’s Manager and an Original Member
Founding Foreigner keyboardist Al Greenwood will be in attendance at the opening-night performance of Feel Like The First Time.
Greenwood said in a statement, “The songs of Foreigner and a Broadway-style musical fit well together. Our songs tell stories and they complement the story of this musical rather well. It’s beyond exciting for me to see the songs we created years ago come to life in another art form. I am thrilled with the show Adam and the LIU team have created and I know our fans will be too.”
Added Foreigner’s manager, Phil Carson, “We’re excited to collaborate with the next generation of theatrical artists at LIU to reimagine these iconic songs for the stage. Feels Like The First Time – The Foreigner Musical celebrates music that has connected generations, and this partnership gives it an energetic new life in a theatrical setting.”
More Details About the Musical
Among the many classic Foreigner tunes that will be featured in Feels Like The First Time are “Cold As Ice,” “Waiting For A Girl Like You,” “Urgent,” “Hot-Blooded,” and “I Want To Know What Love Is.”
The musical is set in 1985. It tells the fictional story of a suburban family whose lives are disrupted when they win an MTV sweepstakes. A rock star named Simon Bash visits their home for a weekend and performs at a private backyard concert.
As the family prepares for Bash’s visit, some of their neighbors vie to use the rock star’s impending presence to benefit their lives. Things take an unexpected turn, though, when Bash stumbles off his tour bus.
A press release about Feels Like The First Time further explains that “the musical tells the story of three families whose lives need to get rocked in order to take risks, mend old wounds, and rediscover what love really means.”
Pascal said in a statement, “This new show represents everything I love about making theater—great music, fun storytelling, and meaningful collaboration. Partnering with Foreigner, Tilles Center, and LIU Post Theatre Company to develop a brand-new musical in an academic setting creates a rare and powerful environment where artists and students are building something together from the ground up.”
Feels Like the First Time – The Foreigner Musical was produced in conjunction with Long Island University’s just-launched New Works Initiative. The program was established by Tom Dunn, who is Tilles Center’s creative producer and executive and artistic director, as well as Dean of LIU’s College of Arts and Design. According to the press release, “The initiative serves as an incubator for developing and refining new theatrical works by both emerging and established writers.”
(Courtesy of Tilles Center for the Performing Arts)
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