Houston's Alley Theatre has unveiled five of the shows that will make up the 2020–2021 season. Included in the lineup is the world premiere of Noir, a new musical by Duncan Sheik and Kyle Jarrow, about a lonely and heartbroken man who becomes obsessed with eavesdropping on the couple that lives next door.

Inspired by early radio plays and the classic film genre, Noir will be directed by Darko Tresnjak for a run scheduled January 21–February 21, 2021. The new musical features music by Sheik (Spring Awakening), a book by Jarrow (The SpongeBob Musical), and lyrics by the duo. Their earlier musical, Whisper House, is set to have its Off-Broadway premiere at 59E59 Theaters next month.

The Alley's season will later feature a second world premiere, Liz Duffy Adam's Born with Teeth. Directed by Rob Melrose, the new play imagines a meeting between Kit Marlowe and William Shakespeare in the back room of a pub—"to collaborate on a history play cycle, navigate the perils of art under a totalitarian regime, and flirt like young men with everything to lose." Performances will run April 2–May 2.

The other shows announced are Sandy Rustin's Clue, based on the screenplay by Jonathan Lynn with additional material by Hunter Foster and Eric Price, to be directed by Brandon Weinbrenner (July 24–September 6), Charles Dickens' A Christmas Carol - A Ghost Story of Christmas, adapted by Michael Wilson and directed by James Black (November 19–December 30), and Ken Ludwig’s Baskerville: A Sherlock Holmes Mystery, to be directed by Eleanor Holdridge (March 12–April 4).

Noir will be presented by special arrangement with Broadway producers Robert Cole, Mary Beth O’Connor, and Carl Moellenberg.

The full 2020–2021 season will be announced in March.