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, into opera. Mike Birbiglia, Sasheer Zamata, Stephin Merritt, Josh Hamilton, Lindsay Mendez, Lin-Manuel Miranda and others.
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Adrianne Mathiowetz / This American Life
The Radio Drama Episode
Note: The internet version of this episode contains un-beeped curse words. BEEPED VERSION.
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. (10 minutes)
This story is from Mike's “Thank God for Jokes” show.
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!
Comedian Sasheer Zamata stages a radio play, complete with sound effects and comedians Nicole Byer, Chris Gethard, and Frank Garcia Hejl. It’s a true story about a recent bus accident. (9 minutes)
High Schools Performing the Musical Lin-Manuel Miranda Wrote for Our BAM Show
Related
Act Three: A Can Of Worms
Act Four: Learning To Shut Up
Act Two: When The Telephone Is Your Medium
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