What if your favorite holiday movie became a musical—and you were the one stuck inside it?

On this episode of NEW@NAMT, host Jean-Paul Yovanoff and co-host Skye Cone Ivey sit down with writer Lara Filipto talk about Love of a Lifetime, her original musical love letter to the wonderfully predictable world of TV holiday movies—and one of eight musicals selected for NAMT’s 38th Annual Festival of New Musicals. Think Christmas-carol-inspired music, meet-cutes, big feelings and a leading lady just trying to survive the holiday season.

Lara shares how a holiday movie hyper-fixation sparked the idea for the show, why the familiar formulas of the genre can be both comforting and surprisingly emotional, and how she set out to create something that works as both parody and genuine love letter. She also talks about writing a score filled with the kind of memorable, hummable songs she hopes can live beyond the musical itself.

The conversation also explores Lara’s life as a multi-hyphenate artist, the joy at the center of Love of a Lifetime, and her desire to create exciting new roles for women over 40 while building a show that can work for producers, performers and audiences at every scale. NAMT Festival Consultant Alisa Hauser joins the conversation to share why the musical stood out during this year’s Festival selection process and what she hopes comes next for the piece.

A holiday movie parody with a lot of heart, an original score and just enough existential dread.

Love of a Lifetime
Book, Music & Lyrics by Lara Filip

Learn more about the 38th Annual Festival of New Musicals, October 22–23, 2026 at New World Stages, at namt.org/festival.

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More about LOVE OF A LIFETIME:

https://namt.org/musicals/love-of-a-lifetime/

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https://www.instagram.com/lol_themusical