The stage adaptation of Ayn Rand's novel "Anthem" started in previews this week Off-Broadway at the Jerome Robbins Theater. Playwright and composer Jeff Britting hopes the play also serves as a springboard for a "cultural conversation" about Rand's ideas and philosophy.

Britting, who adapted the novel for the stage and composed an incidental music score for the production, believes the story of two young people born in a totalitarian world where the word "I" doesn't exist will resonate with audiences...