Through Pathway, ShowSearch and Musi-Cal, FNAM is proud to have showcased dozens of musicals at every stage of development. Several have continued their journey to local, regional and off-Broadway theaters.
DARLING GRENADINE
by Daniel Zaitchik
DARLING GRENADINE is a seriocomic musical about Harry, a fanciful jingle composer, and his precarious relationship with his girlfriend Louise, his brother Paul and his Labrador Retriever (…also named Paul). With a rich contemporary score, and a wink to the classic MGM musical, DARLING GRENADINE explores the friction between romance and reality, bitter and sweet, and presents something magical, moving and boldly new.
Songs from DARLING GRENADINE were first presented at Musi-Cal in the Spring of 2015. The show continued its development at the Johnny Mercer Writers Colony at Goodspeed Musicals, and at the National Music Theater Conference at the Eugene O’Neill Theatre Center. The show received a developmental production at Goodspeed’s Norma Terris Theatre, followed by a staged reading in January 2018 at the Roundabout’s Underground Reading Series. DARLING GRENADINE premiered at the Marriott Theatre in Chicago in Summer 2019, and opened off-Broadway at the Roundabout Underground on February 10, 2020. The show closed in March 2020 due to Covid-19.
EMOJILAND
by Keith Harrison and Laura Schein
EMOJILAND is an ensemble piece about a diverse community of archetypes who take one another at face value: a smiling face dealing with depression; a princess who doesn’t want a prince; a skull dying for deletion; a nerd face too smart for his own good; a face with sunglasses who can’t see past his own reflection; a police officer and construction worker who just want to work together. When a software update threatens to destroy life as they know it, Emojiland confronts the most fundamental question a society – and a heart – can face: Who are we? And who matters?
Songs from EMOJILAND were presented at Musi-Cal in Summer 2015, Spring 2017 and Spring 2018. EMOJILAND was presented at the New York Musical Festival in 2018 and opened Off-Broadway at The Duke on 42nd Street on January 19, 2020. The show closed in March 2020 due to Covid-19.
PASSING THROUGH
by Eric Ulloa and Brett Ryback
Set amidst the rich sounds and diverse tapestry of the American landscape, PASSING THROUGH tells the incredible true story of a young man’s journey on foot from Pennsylvania to California who collects stories as he goes. But when his trek reveals an unresolved family crisis, he must use the lessons he’s learned to finally confront his past. It’s a uniquely American musical about the healing power of fellowship and forgiveness.
PASSING THROUGH first presented songs at Musi-Cal in the Fall of 2016, and again in the Fall of 2019. PASSING THROUGH had a workshop production at Goodspeed’s Norma Terris Theatre in the Summer of 2019.
A.D. 16
Music & Lyrics by Cinco Paul, Book by Bekah Brunstetter
From the writers of DESPICABLE ME and THIS IS US comes a new musical, A.D. 16, which imagines what would happen if a young Mary Magdalene got a crush on the boy next door—teenage Jesus. With a book by Bekah Brunstetter (Cake, Be a Good Little Widow) and music & lyrics by Cinco Paul (Bubble Boy), A.D. 16 boasts an R&B-flavored score that evokes the best of TLC, Tony! Toni! Tone!, En Vogue, Prince and others. A touching and hilarious coming-of-age story, A.D. 16 asks the question: what if your first crush was REALLY perfect?
Songs from A.D. 16 were presented at Musi-Cal in Summer 2016 and Spring 2017. The show was presented in-concert at 54 Below in NYC in Fall 2017, and went on to the NAMT Festival of New Musicals in Fall 2018.
INTO LIGHT
by Jimmy Marino
If you had the chance to speak with the love you lost, what would you say? When a man wakes up to find his deceased significant other in his bedroom looking alive and well, the two of them have a chance to reconcile and move forward. INTO LIGHT examines love and loss through the lens of this final conversation. Set to a touching score, this ten-minute musical has been performed around the country.
INTO LIGHT was first presented at FNAM’s ShowSearch in 2017, and won in the college-age category. Adapted into a short film in 2019, it was an official selection in the California International Shorts Film Festival and the Pasadena International Film Festival where it garnered praise for its intimacy, hopefulness and honesty.