Jukebox: The Musical

Over the years, the Broadway Close-Up series has featured selections from  musicals-in-development, including discussions with their creators; salutes to established composers and writers of musicals, including interviews and scenes from their shows; evenings of songs grouped by theme; and tributes to the greats (see, for example, the upcoming Party at the Princes'). And now Broadway Close-Up has presented its first original jukebox musical. Or perhaps it should be "original" jukebox musical. But, then again, how original can a jukebox musical ever be?

Sean Hartley

The one-night-only Jukebox: The Musical satirized jukebox musicals by being a jukebox musical devoted to, well, jukeboxes. Written, assembled, and narrated by Sean Hartley, producer of the Broadway Close-Up series, it was wry, silly, and a great deal of fun. The paper-thin plot concerned two inventors trying to develop the first viable jukebox; descriptions of some of the failures were exactly as goofy as they needed to be.

The show featured an excellent cast, A.J. Shively, Allison Blackwell, Nick Cearley, Elena Ricardo, and Gabrielle Stravelli, all of whom had ample opportunity to strut their stuff. 

***

The problem with reviewing one-night-only shows is, of course, that's it's always too late to recommend them. I can, however, suggest that you check out the two remaining evenings in the Broadway Close-Up series:

Party at the Princes’: November 13, 2023

The Writers’ Room: December 4, 2023

Wendy Caster