New Broadway Babies: Bound for Broadway XIV

When I got an invite to attend the 14th Bound for Broadway concert, I was dying to go after seeing a line-up that included new works by the likes of Dan Elish, Salzman and Cunningham, and Adam Overett. Unfortunately, work prevented me from attending, but I sent in my good friend and impeccably theatre-savvy friend John O'Connor to scope out the show and send back a full report. Below are his thoughts.

Constantly trying to keep abreast of new musical being developed, I was surprised I had never been aware of Bound for Broadway, this year presenting their 14th concert of new musicals. Looking over their roster of past years, it seems at least one musical from each presentation has gone on to a major production that year. While this year’s five musicals had no clear standout, it was certainly be interesting to see where each goes from here.

"It's Only a First Date" from a performance at Urban Stages

First, host Liz Callaway introduced the writers of Nine Wives: Dan Elish (book and lyrics) and Douglas J. Cohen (music and lyrics). The men talked about meeting in the mailroom of Lincoln Center Theater and how the musical is adapted from a novel Dan wrote of the same title. The musical tells of Henry Mann who must find a date to his best friend’s wedding and the nine girls he dates on that journey. Looking to have the cast be three people, Henry, his best friend, and an actress playing all of the women, the musicals sounds like It could be a very funny, touching piece. The songs we heard, “She’s My Wife” and “It’s Only a First Date” were enjoyable – fairly straightforward songs with a repetitive structure. The strong performances from Adam Kantor and Sarah Stiles really showed the comedic potential the material has.

Raising "The Kid"

If you live in or around New York City, I highly recommend getting down to Theatre Row and seeing The Kid. Based on the autobiographical book by sex columnist Dan Savage, writers Michael Zam (book), Andy Monroe (music), and Jack Lechner (lyrics) manage to write an incredibly touching story about a gay couple struggling through the adoption process. This musical was touching, hilarious, and really a wonderful story about relationships and family, examined through a lens that is rarely explored. The process of adopting a child already sets up huge, interesting conflicts and plot twists, and this particular piece spearheads the journey with strong leading characters who you really grow to root for. Terry and Dan are a very real couple, whose dynamics as they progress from a one night stand to loving parents are a joy to watch. The fact that Dan is also a sex columnist really frames the story nicely, and the narration of the story through Dan in a column-like manner works well for the work and also provides back story without being overly expositional. One thing that really helps move things along is the music. The tunes are easily digestible, a good amount even memorable, and wholly accessible. The lyrics flow with relative ease and there are some really nice harmonies/overlapping songs that beautifully show the complicated elements and conflicting views that arise from this emotionally charged situation. With an all-star cast with Broadway favorites Christopher Sieber, Ann Harada, Susan Blackwell, and Jill Eikenberry, the musical is packed with energy and heart. Not only do I look forward to more great things from these writers, but I also hope for a long life for this show.