Our most ambitious live show ever! We pulled together a massive team of theater pros at the Brooklyn Academy of Music's Opera House—nearly 50 singers, actors, dancers and musicians. The result? Journalism turned into a Broadway musical (hear the cast album), into opera. Mike Birbiglia, Sasheer Zamata, Stephin Merritt, Josh Hamilton, Lindsay Mendez, Lin-Manuel Miranda and others.
The Radio Drama Episode
Prologue
21 Chump Street: The Musical
Lin-Manuel Miranda turns a piece of reporting we broadcast in 2012, into a 14-minute Broadway mini-musical, created by people who normally work on Broadway. (18 minutes)
The Original Cast Album of “21 Chump Street: The Musical” is now on iTunes, Amazon, and Spotify.
Of Mice and Men
Comedian Mike Birbiglia, his wife and his cat take a trip together and meet some parasitic zombie mice. Details of his “Thank God for Jokes” Tour (where this story comes from) are at birbigs.com. (10 minutes)
How Do You Slow This Thing Down
Joshuah Bearman tells a story that’s a sequel to his memorable episode about his mother and half-brother David. It’s done onstage as a play that’s structured like a radio documentary, with Josh Hamilton playing Joshuah, and James Ransone playing his brother. (17 minutes)
Song:
Bus! Stop!
Ira's Backstage Speech
Photos From "Live at BAM"
Related
Act Two: Punk In A Grey Flannel Suit
Act Three: Stiff as a Board, Light as a Feather
Act One: Front Row Center With Thaddeus Bristol
Staff Recommendations
Sissies
A family where the father was one kind of sissy and the son was another kind, and how the family was destroyed despite the fact that no one wanted it to be.
Kindness of Strangers
A locksmith tells the story of an act of kindness he committed, hoping for a small reward. That, and other stories of kindness in New York City.
