The Musicals of Tomorrow

This episode features discussions about Zack Zadek and Peter Duchan’s Love, Rosie and Peter Hodgson and Kathleen Wrinn’s The Bridge.LOVE, ROSIE (by Peter Duchan & Zack Zadek) - Rosie and Alex meet at eighteen. They’re from different worlds, a gulf of misunderstanding between them, but they share a passion for music—and for each other. Two interconnected lives are tracked over the course of 30 years, asking the question: what is a love story?THE BRIDGE (by Peter Hodgson and Kathleen Wrinn) - The Bridge is an epic new musical based on the love story that built the Brooklyn Bridge. When Emily Roebling’s husband falls mysteriously ill and is unable to continue as Chief Engineer, Emily must do the impossible: secretly take her husband’s place as Chief, in an era half a century before women were allowed to vote. With a genre-defying score as vibrant as New York City itself, The Bridge explores the forces that unite and divide us. It is a story of mistakes and forgiveness. Of great sacrifice and even greater hope. Of finding a way forward, across the uncrossable. Together.Featuring performances from Zack Zadek, Peter Hodgson, and Kathleen Wrinn.Co-produced and edited by Hector Flores Jr. and Pauls MacsConnect with Zack Zadek:Instagram and Twitter: @zackzadekConnect with Peter Hodgson:Instagram: @phodgson11Connect with Kathleen Wrinn: Instagram and Twitter: @inittowrinnit Connect with New York Theatre Barn: Support us: nytheatrebarn.org/give Twitter: @nytheatrebarn Instagram: @newyorktheatrebarn  Facebook.com/nytheatrebarn nytheatrebarn.org Joe’s personal Instagram: @bisforbarros Jen’s personal Instagram: @jensandler Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This episode features discussions about Kira Stone’s Salem and Truth Bachman and Zhailon Levingston’s Shapeshifters.SALEM (by Kira Stone) - In Salem, Susannah, Bridget, Miriam, Martha, Rebecca, & Mary are held hostage in a modern day courtroom for their collective trial by judge and jury. We marvel at the mass hysteria, we deliberate, and we ultimately are a part of deciding the fate of these six women. Follow the twists, switchbacks, and real-life discoveries that are made as we speculate: Why did this happen? How did this happen? And, heaven forbid, could it happen again now? Kira was joined by her director Sarna Lapine.SHAPESHIFTERS: A QUEER COMIC BOOK MUSICAL (by Truth Bachman and Direction & Development by Zhailon Levingston) - High school bully and comic book genius, Mel, discovers a hidden plane of existence called Queer Time, simply by drawing scenarios with pen and paper. In Queer Time, Mel joins the ranks of an underground network of Queer and Trans superheroes called The Shapeshifters. As Mel and the Shapeshifters sprint toward uncertain futures, this tribe of queer heroes must rely on community to persist, resist, and survive their living nightmares.Featuring performances from Truth Bachman, Basit Shittu, Antonio Cipriano (Jagged Little Pill) and Kira StoneCo-produced and edited by Hector Flores Jr. and Pauls MacsConnect with Kira Stone:Instagram: @kirabethstoneConnect with Truth Bachman: Instagram: @truthbachman Twitter: @BachmanTruth Connect with Zhailon Levingston: Instagram and Twitter: @zhailonConnect with New York Theatre Barn: Support us: nytheatrebarn.org/give Twitter: @nytheatrebarn Instagram: @newyorktheatrebarn  Facebook.com/nytheatrebarn nytheatrebarn.org Joe’s personal Instagram: @bisforbarros Jen’s personal Instagram: @jensandler Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This episode features discussions about AriDy Nox’s and Brandon Webster’s Metropolis and Mêlisa Annis and Jamie Floyd’s The King’s Wife.METROPOLIS (by AriDy Nox and Brandon Webster) - Metropolis is an epic tale that follows the Harmonizer-android-unit turned space-time-continuum anarchist Fari as she is wrenched across space and time. With the Apocalypse hot on her heels in the past and the future, Fari keeps finding herself at the center of world-defining moments. But will she be able to withstand the upheaval? Or will she crack under the pressure?THE KING’S WIFE (by Mêlisa Annis and Jamie Floyd) - The King’s Wife is a new musical that uniquely re-tells the relationship between Catherine of Aragon and Anne Boleyn, the first two wives of King Henry VIII of England. While historical accounts paint these women as bitter enemies, The King’s Wife (using historic clues) flips the script to tell their tale differently. It’s an untraditional period piece with a dark, progressive vibe, and a moving, hopeful story about female friendship and the detriment to the world when great women aren’t allowed to rise. Mêlisa and Jamie were joined by their producers Jennifer Kranz and Abigail Solomon. Featuring performances from Cory Barrow, Jamie Floyd, Taylor Harris, Tyler McKenzie, Max Morter, Caleb Spainhour, Marthaluz Velez and HK WallCo-produced and edited by Hector Flores Jr. and Pauls MacsConnect with AriDy Nox:Instagram and Twitter: @aridynoxConnect with Brandon Webster:Instagram: @brandomitable Connect with Mêlisa Annis: Instagram and Twitter: @melisaannisConnect with Jamie Floyd: Instagram: @jamiefloyd Twitter: @jamiefloydmusic Connect with New York Theatre Barn: Support us: nytheatrebarn.org/give Twitter: @nytheatrebarn Instagram: @newyorktheatrebarn  Facebook.com/nytheatrebarn nytheatrebarn.org Joe’s personal Instagram: @bisforbarros Jen’s personal Instagram: @jensandler Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This episode features discussions about Nevada Lozano’s Ramona and Douglas Waterbury-Tieman’s Johnny & The Devil’s Box.RAMONA (by Nevada Lozano) - Based on the classic novel by Helen Hunt Jackson, Ramona tells the story of an orphan girl growing up on a Mexican hacienda in Southern California in the 1850s. She falls in love with a Native American ranchero, and together they journey across the new U.S. state in search of a place to call home. With a blend of American, Native American and Mexican musical styles, Ramona is an epic love story set during one of the most violent, tumultuous times in American history.JOHNNY & THE DEVIL'S BOX (by Douglas Waterbury-Tieman) - Johnny & The Devil’s Box tells the story of Johnny Baker, a young man who believes he’s the best fiddler that ever was, and aims to prove it. However, another fiddler who haunts the hills of North Georgia disagrees, the Devil himself. Now, Johnny must contend with the threat of the law, the hypocrisy of the church, young love and tempting fame as he navigates the balance between responsibility and pride. Johnny & The Devil’s Box proclaims the immense power of music to heal broken communities and relationships when we put aside our pride and join hands in jubilant song and dance. Douglas was joined by his collaborator Annabelle Fox, music supervisor Scott Wasserman, and dramaturg Annika Chapin.Johnny & The Devil’s Box: The Concept Album is available now.Featuring performances from Annabelle Fox, Amanda Robles (BSC’s Into The Woods), Shereen Pimentel (West Side Story) and Douglas Waterbury-Tieman (The Robber Bridegroom, SeaWife)Co-produced and edited by Hector Flores Jr. and Pauls MacsConnect with Nevada Lozano:Instagram: @nevadalozanoConnect with Douglas Waterbury-Tieman:Instagram: @jdwtiemanConnect with New York Theatre Barn: Support us: nytheatrebarn.org/give Twitter: @nytheatrebarn Instagram: @newyorktheatrebarn  Facebook.com/nytheatrebarn nytheatrebarn.org Joe’s personal Instagram: @bisforbarros Jen’s personal Instagram: @jensandler Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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 MacsConnect with Nico Juber: Instagram: @stuffnicolikes  Twitter: @nicolj Connect with Justin MortellitiInstagram and Twitter: @justmortConnect with Shannon Hunt: Instagram: @shannonhuntmusic Twitter: @shannonhmusic Connect with New York Theatre Barn: Support us: nytheatrebarn.org/give Twitter: @nytheatrebarn Instagram: @newyorktheatrebarn  Facebook.com/nytheatrebarn nytheatrebarn.org Joe’s personal Instagram: @bisforbarros Jen’s personal Instagram: @jensandler Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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 MacapugayConnect with Christine Toy Johnson:Instagram and Twitter: @ctoyjConnect with Jason Ma:Instagram:@goldmountainthemusicalConnect with Bobby Daye: Instagram : @Bobbydaye Twitter: @BobbyDaye2 Connect with Monica L. Patton: Instagram : @neogeishaforever Twitter: @neogeishaforeve Connect with New York Theatre Barn: Support us: nytheatrebarn.org/give Twitter: @nytheatrebarn Instagram: @newyorktheatrebarn  Facebook.com/nytheatrebarn nytheatrebarn.org Joe’s personal Instagram: @bisforbarros Jen’s personal Instagram: @jensandler Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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 ImanConnect with Oliver Houser: Instagram: @oliverhouser Twitter: @oliver_houser Connect with Hunter Bird:Instagram: @hunter_birdConnect with Adesha Adefela:Instagram and Twitter: @adeshamusicConnect with Beau Lewis:Instagram: @peeplittlebeauConnect with Ryan Nicole Austin:Instagram: @msryannicoleConnect with New York Theatre Barn: Support us: nytheatrebarn.org/give Twitter: @nytheatrebarn Instagram: @newyorktheatrebarn  Facebook.com/nytheatrebarn nytheatrebarn.org Joe’s personal Instagram: @bisforbarros Jen’s personal Instagram: @jensandler Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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 WangConnect with Amy Engelhardt:Instagram: @amyengelhardtConnect with Sara Cooper: Instagram: @_saradioactive Twitter: @sarachnoid Connect with Lynne Shankel: Instagram: @shanktunes Twitter: @LynneShankel Connect with New York Theatre Barn: Support us: nytheatrebarn.org/give Twitter: @nytheatrebarn Instagram: @newyorktheatrebarn  Facebook.com/nytheatrebarn nytheatrebarn.org Joe’s personal Instagram: @bisforbarros Jen’s personal Instagram: @jensandler Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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  Connect with Guillermo Mendez M.: Instagram: @memorias.mendez and @anjouthemusical  Twitter: @anjoumusical  Connect with Guadalupe Sandoval: Instagram: @lupitasandovalactriz and @anjouthemusical Twitter: @anjouthemusical Connect with Javier Vilalta:  Instagram: @javiervialta Twitter: @javiervialta and @anjouthemusical Connect with Whitney Rhodes: Instagram: @ladywhitrho and @fortonightmusical Twitter: @For_Tonight_ Connect with Spencer Williams: Instagram: @spencertwilliams and @fortonightmusical Twitter: @composerspencer and @For_Tonight_ Connect with New York Theatre Barn: Support us: nytheatrebarn.org/give Twitter: @nytheatrebarn Instagram: @newyorktheatrebarn  Facebook.com/nytheatrebarn nytheatrebarn.org Joe’s personal Instagram: @bisforbarros Jen’s personal Instagram: @jensandler Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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 McLeanConnect with Molly Beach Murphy: Instagram: @mollybeach Twitter: @mollybeachmurph  Connect with Jeanna Phillips:Instagram: @thelonliestmonkConnect with Annie Tippe:Instagram: @tippe_annieConnect with Michelle Elliott:Instagram: @saladsoftheresistanceConnect with Danny Haengil Larsen:Instagram: @dannyhlarsenConnect with New York Theatre Barn: Support us: nytheatrebarn.org/give Twitter: @nytheatrebarn Instagram: @newyorktheatrebarn  Facebook.com/nytheatrebarn nytheatrebarn.org Joe’s personal Instagram: @bisforbarros Jen’s personal Instagram: @jensandler Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices