Backstage Pass

This episode features discussions about Nico Juber’s Millennials Are Killing Musicals and Justin Mortelliti and Shannon Hunt’s The Ladies Man.

MILLENNIALS ARE KILLING MUSICALS (by Nico Juber) - Millennials Are Killing Musicals is an entirely original, irreverently funny, and heartfelt musical about the Millennial existential crisis, motherhood, and stereotypes that define a generation. Meet Brenda: a quirky, stressed-out, single mom who hates her job, longs to be a writer, and can’t help but compare herself to the seemingly perfect “Jake’s Mom” at school. Brenda is finally ready for love and creativity in her life when her #influencer sister Katrina shows up eight months pregnant, completely unprepared for motherhood. Torn between two men, juggling an opinionated mother and an increasingly unstable Katrina, Brenda must learn how to break her self-destructive patterns and live filter-free so she can achieve her dreams. Nico was also joined by her director Ryan O’Connor and her music director Ted Arthur.

THE LADIES MAN (by Justin Mortelliti and Shannon Hunt) - The Ladies Man centers around Julian, an Italian-American boy from New Jersey who deals with the struggles of coming out and coming-of-age while escaping the shaming guilt of a Roman Catholic family and religion; searching for love, faith, God and himself while healing the wounds of childhood that continue to run deep. With the help of his colorful, hilarious and fiercely loyal friends plus an arsenal of New Jersey attitude, Julian navigates his way into adulthood, learning to face and accept the truth of himself at all costs. 

Featuring performances from Amber Ardolino, (Moulin Rouge!, Hamilton), Andrew Chappelle (Hamilton), Casey Garvin (Mrs. Doubtfire, Miss Saigon), Asmeret Ghebremichael (The Book of Mormon, Dream Girls), Talya Groves (Mean Girls), Diana Huey (The Little Mermaid), Justin Mortelliti, Ryann Redmond (Frozen, If/Then), Jared Reinfeldt (HBO Max’s The Flight Attendant), Justin Showell (Hamilton), Brett Thiele (Escape To Margaritaville, Clueless) and Aidan Wharton.

Co-produced and edited by Hector Flores Jr. and Pauls Macs

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This episode features discussions about Christine Toy Johnson and Jason Ma’s Broken Ground and Bobby Daye and Monica L. Patton’s Love & Southern D!scomfort.

BROKEN GROUND (by Christine Toy Johnson & Jason Ma) - Taking place in 1912 on the cusp of a new era for China, Broken Ground tells the story of 18-year old Xuě Lán, as she sets out on the path created for her by tradition and her family to marry a young soldier. Still grieving the recent loss of her mother and twin brother and yearning to make peace with the new life before her, she seeks guidance from both Guān Yīn, the goddess of compassion, and the spirit of her mother. Transported to another space and time of an ancient myth via an embroidered story in NüShū, the centuries-old writing system created by and only for women, Xuě Lán connects to her mother’s wishes for her and discovers that she can indeed find happiness by both speaking her truth and honoring her destiny. ***This conversation was recorded in November 2020.

LOVE & SOUTHERN D!SCOMFORT (by Bobby Daye & Monica L. Patton) - When dowager Mrs. Catheine Dejoie, of polite Louisiana society, dies, she leaves the entire estate to her estranged granddaughter, Milla, but only if Milla comes home from her self-imposed, decade-long exile to bury Catherine. Milla reluctantly leaves her life in France and returns to her ancestral home, a sprawling postbellum Southern mansion, and to her mother, a faded alcoholic debutante undone by the burden of bearing the family’s legacy. With the help of the family’s cherished maid, the women begin to repair their relationship until the reconciliation grinds to a sudden halt when a long-held secret is uncovered.

Featuring performances from Nikki M. James, Ramona Keller, Anthony Wayne, Kennedy Kanagawa, and Jaygee Macapugay

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• Instagram and Twitter: @ctoyj

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• Instagram:@goldmountainthemusical

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This episode features discussions about Oliver Houser and Hunter Bird’s She Reached For Heaven and Adesha Adefela, Beau Lewis, and Ryan Nicole Austin’s Co-Founders.

She Reached For Heaven (by Hunter Bird & Oliver Houser) - On the outside, high school senior Jes Holt is doing everything she’s supposed to. On the inside, she’s never felt more alone and longs for something she can’t name. Set against the backdrop of the greatest drug crisis in our country’s history, She Reached for Heaven is an original coming-of-age story about the devastations of addiction, and one woman’s journey to choose life rather than escape it.

Co-Founders (by Adesha Adefela, Beau Lewis, Ryan Nicole Austin) - Co-Founders is the story of the two most unlikely partners in the history of Silicon Valley. Esata Thompson, a black female coder from Oakland, and Conway Delouche, a small town college dropout, take on the most competitive startup accelerator in the world - where the privileged make a killing while the people across the bridge grind to survive.

Featuring performances from Austin Dean Ashford, Ryan Nicole Austin, Jeb Brown, Gerard Canonico, Julia Harriman, Oliver Houser and Amber Iman

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• Instagram and Twitter: @adeshamusic

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• Instagram: @peeplittlebeau

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• Instagram: @msryannicole

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This episode features discussions about Amy Engelhardt and Marc Acito’s Bastard Jones and Sara Cooper and Lynne Shankel’s Perpetual Sunshine & The Ghost Girls. 

BASTARD JONES (by Amy Engelhardt and Marc Acito) - Bastard Jones is a sexy, smart, rollicking new musical comedy that combines a bouncy pop score with period farce. When charming, low-born Tom makes the mistake of wooing Sophia Shepherd, daughter of the pompous Reverend Shepherd, a chain of secrets, schemings and multiple bed-hoppings are set in motion. Based on Henry Fielding’s 1749 Brit lit satire Tom Jones, ths musical reimagines the young, irrepressible foundling Tom Jones as an electric guitar in a harpsichord world. 

PERPETUAL SUNSHINE & THE GHOST GIRLS (by Sara Cooper and Lynne Shankel) - Perpetual Sunshine & the Ghost Girls is an all-woman+ through composed musical theatre piece about the capitalist exploitation of workers’ bodies and rights in the face of a national public health crisis. Featuring an original 1920s-2020s mashup score, the show is based on the true story of the women who worked in the factories and were knowingly poisoned by the United States Radium Corporation, and who fought back, changing United States labor laws forever. Perpetual Sunshine & the Ghost Girls is a 2022 Richard Rodgers Award winner.

Featuring performances from Katelyn Baughman, Piper Bruce, Colette Caspari, Brian Davis, Amy Engelhardt, Audrey Hare, Don Howes, Autumn Key, Jessi Kirtley, Eden Mau, Claire Marie Miller, Alexa Lopez, Andie Peterson, Josh Raff, Evan Ruggiero, Lauren Senden, Bella Serano, Leila Shaye and Elena Wang

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• Instagram: @amyengelhardt

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This episode features discussions about Guillermo Mendez M, Guadalupe Sandoval, and Javier Vilalta’s Anjou: A Musical Horror Tale and Whitney Rhodes, Shenelle Salcido and Spencer Williams’ For Tonight. 

ANJOU: A MUSICAL HORROR TALE (by Guillermo Mendez M., Guadalupe Sandoval and Javier Vilalta) - Anjou: The Musical Horror Tale is a modern Mexican opera which recently had its English-language premiere. The musical is a cautionary tale set in 16t​h​ century France, revolving around the massacre of Saint Bartholomew in 1572. Fusing Renaissance-inspired melodies, modern orchestrations and Latinx-influenced tunes, Anjou turns a tragic moment in history into a riveting exploration of kindness and acceptance against a backdrop of injustice, prejudice, and ruthless ambitions. The writers were also joined by their director, Roberto Araujo.

FOR TONIGHT (by Whitney Rhodes, Shenelle Salcido and Spencer Williams) - When their parents die of a mysterious illness in their small Welsh village, surviving siblings Thomas, Haydon, and Nettie are forced to fend for themselves. Inspired by the Romani who once shared their home, Haydon heads off to Liverpool, guitar in hand, to find what he's been missing. There he meets a Romani woman who speaks to his wandering soul. With a riveting indie-rock/folk score, For Tonight explores the indelible power of home.

Featuring performances from Nathan Cockfroft​, Joey Cornish, Kevin Curits, Sam Ebenezer, Simon Gordon, Michelle Beth Herman, Gabriel Hyman, Taylor Iman Jones, Luke McCall, Jordan Allan Mills, Michael Perrie Jr., Jelani Remy and Adam Tabellija  

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This episode features discussions about Molly Beach Murphy, Jeanna Phillips, Alex Thrailkill, and Annie Tippe’s Cowboy Bob and Michelle Elliott and Danny Haengil Larsen’s Hart Island. 

COWBOY BOB (by Molly Beach Murphy, Jeanna Phillips and Alex Thrailkill) - You wouldn’t look twice at Peggy Jo. She was a good daughter, always tipped well at restaurants, but disguised as “Cowboy Bob” in a fake beard and a ten-gallon hat, she was the slickest bank robber Texas has ever known. Making her get-away in a sky blue 1975 Pontiac Grand Prix, she was a modern-day bandit stealing thousands and evading detection for more than a decade. With a score that's equal parts Riot Grrrl rage and Texas two-step twang, this tale of a small-town legend spurs a discontented chain-restaurant waitress to buck routine, take life by the reins, and let it ride.

HART ISLAND (by Michelle Elliott and Danny Haengil Larsen) - Just off the shore of New York City lies a sorrowful island that serves as a public burial ground for the lonely, forgotten, or impoverished of the city. Hart Island is an inspiring and emotional tale of an immigrant woman fighting for her child, and the unexpected compassion of a disillusioned inmate who is the only person who can help her. This hauntingly beautiful new musical observes two people on the fringe of society as they change each other’s lives forever.

Featuring performances from Natascia Diaz, Ashley Pérez Flanagan, Rodney Hicks, Gizel Jiménez and Grace McLean

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• Instagram: @thelonliestmonk

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• Instagram: @tippe_annie

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• Instagram: @saladsoftheresistance

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• Instagram: @dannyhlarsen

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This episode features discussions about David Dabbon, Gabriel Jason Dean and Jessie Dean's Our New Town and Emerson Mae Smith and Murphy Taylor Smith’s Elektric. 

OUR NEW TOWN (by David Dabbon, Gabriel Jason Dean and Jessie Dean) - In the aftermath of the deadliest shooting on a college campus in US history, surviving cast members of Thornton Wilder’s Our Town put together an unauthorized show as a way to reclaim their theatre space and heal their broken community. But when the event is stopped mid-performance, the cast and audience must decide between compliance or defiance. Our New Town is an immersive musical that puts the audience at the center of an American crisis. The writers were also joined by their director Theresa McCarthy (Titanic, Queen of The Mist) and theatre historian Howard Sherman (Writer of Another Day’s Begun: Thornton Wilder’s Our Town in the 21st Century). 

ELEKTRIC (by Emerson Mae Smith and Murphy Taylor Smith) - A pair of twins, one cisgender, one transgender, are reunited after a decade by a Gods-sent mission: murder their mother to avenge their father. They are dual heirs to the throne of Argos, a small militaristic city-state under the complete control of their mother, Klytemnestra. Elektra, who's dealt with her mother’s violent transphobia for years, is ready to kill. Orestes, returning home in secret from his studies abroad, is not so sure. Argos is crumbling at the end of a years-long war and the streets hum with violence and talk of prophets. Brimming with revolutionary fervor, Elektric is a radical, trans woman-centered retelling of the Oresteia.

Featuring performances from Gabriel Argate, Lila Cooper, Travis Harley, Madeline Kendall, Elise Killian, Julie Manning, Emily Moreno, Benjamin Sellers, Murphy Taylor Smith, Miles Wilke and William Wallace

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• Instagram: @msmurphysmith

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This episode features discussions about Jessy Tomsko’s In Emily’s Words and Eric Holmes and Nat Zegree’s Fly More Than You Fall. Tony Award nominated producer and New York Theatre Barn board Co-President Blair Russell is featured as a guest co-host on this episode.

IN EMILY’S WORDS (by Jessy Tomsko) - In Emily's Words, a new musical about the power of the human imagination, tells the story of English novelist Emily Brontë as she is writing her magnum opus: Wuthering Heights. Emily’s imagination knew no bounds, and in spite of having seen very little of the world, she was able to craft a sweeping melodrama that has left a legacy nearly 200 years after her death. Emily Brontë fought through adversity and illness, achieving agency in a time when women were denied it. Yet while she paved the way for female writers, Emily never lived to see the success of her own labors. Hers is a story of resilience, strength, and the greatness that can be achieved when the immense power of imagination is unleashed. Jessy was also joined by her director Avital Asuleen.

FLY MORE THAN YOU FALL (by Eric Holmes and Nat Zegree) - Fly More Than You Fall introduces a young girl, Malia, who deals with the tragic news of her mother’s diagnosis in the only way she knows how – through her writing. Malia crafts a tale of a young bird with broken wings who embarks on the journey of a lifetime, continually weaving in and out of Malia’s real-life struggles to navigate grief, puberty and growing up in the middle of nowhere.

Featuring performances from Johnathan Christopher, Diana Huey, Rachel Lauren James, Mehret Marsh, Nico Oliveri, Stephanie Jae Park and DeAnne Stewart. 

Connect with Jessy Tomsko:

• Instagram and Twitter: @jessytomsko and @inemilyswords

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• Instagram and Twitter: @ericholmesdir and @flymorethanyoufall

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This episode features discussions about Tyler Tafolla’s Seasons and Matt Dahan and Kelly Lynne D’Angelo’s Starry. 

SEASONS (by Tyler Tafolla) - The new song cycle Seasons is about six friends who will go through the milestone moments and seasons of their lives over the span of six years. The story is told through the eyes of Max who so desperately tries to keep his small family of six friends together. He discovers that life doesn't always work out the way we plan it, and that friends drift apart. Max and his friends come of age as they find out why seasons must change.

Seasons will re-release its celebrated concept album fully remastered with Broadway Records and Theatre Barn Records on Friday, January 28th and you can listen wherever music can be streamed. The album release concert will occur on Sunday, January 30th at Feinstein’s/54 Below featuring stars of Jagged Little Pill, Be More Chill, The Prom and more. Tickets can be purchased at 54below.com 

STARRY (by Matt Dahan and Kelly Lynne D’Angelo) - The new musical Starry tells the story of brothers Theo and Vincent van Gogh. Inspired by thousands of letters and told with a riveting contemporary pop-rock score, the iconic painter and his brother embark on a journey together to find the power of expression.

Starry’s viral concept album was remastered and re-released by Broadway Records in 2020 and can be streamed across all platforms. 

Featuring performances from Matt Dahan, Kelly Lynne D'Angelo, Megan Kuramoto-Monroe and Tyler Tafolla

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This episode features discussions about Bryan Blaskie and Laurie Hochman’s Nothing To See Here and Avi Amon, Ty Defoe and Nolan Doran’s The Lesson. 

NOTHING TO SEE HERE (by Byan Blaskie and Laurie Hochman) - In the summer of 1925, the struggling town of Dayton, Tennessee hosted a trial that claimed national headlines and divided the country — the Scopes Monkey Trial, the first major anti-Evolution court case. Nothing to See Here is the story of Frank Robinson, the man who built the trial as a publicity stunt for his town, and May Robinson, his wife who longs to save her family from falling apart in a seemingly Godless town. Of course, notorious reporter H.L. Mencken is there to spin their story — and to uncover what the truth behind the trial really is. 

THE LESSON (by Avi Amon, Ty Defoe and Nolan Doran) - The Lesson is a fantastical reimagining of a chance encounter between a revolutionary Beethoven and a more-established Mozart, whose worlds - and hearts - collide in Vienna in 1787. The show is set in an alternate universe that melds the future and past into an entirely new, queer, fun, and political space. A hybrid of theatre, film, concert, and dance party, The Lesson is a meditation on the purpose of artistic expression, the influence of family on who we are, and the control of information and ideas by the government. 

Featuring performances from Milo Alosi, Jonathan Christopher, Bradley Dean, Heath Saunders and Forest VanDyke

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