Episode 111: Escape Into Musicals, with Laser

A robot throws a “Normal Human Party” in this illustration of Teaching a Robot to Love

Musicals transport us to another world through song and dance — but how can we use their otherworldly power to tell stories about robots and monsters? To find out, we talk to playwrights MJ Kaufman and Reina Hardy. Plus Laser from the Doubleclicks tells us about their new musical, Teaching a Robot to Love!

Notes, citations, & etc.

Teaching a Robot to Love is a new musical co-created by Laser from the Doubleclicks

You can watch a performance of Teaching a Robot to Love online for a limited time

Follow Laser and the Doubleclicks on Twitter

Here’s Laser’s Kickstarter page

Check out playwright Reina Hardy’s website and New Play Exchange page

Follow Reina on Twitter and Instagram

Playwright MJ Kaufman also has a website, a New Play Exchange Page, and a page at NewDramatists.org

Follow MJ on Instagram and check out their IndieGogo page

Annalee and Charlie Jane had formative experiences with the movies Xanadu and Can't Stop the Music

Stage musicals had roots in stuff like Vaudeville performance, pantomimes and burlesque, but also comic operas by people like Gilbert and Sullivan and Harrigan & Hart

In the 1960s, Broadway musical budgets skyrocketed and productions tried compete with rock ‘n roll

Our god-king is Kenny Ortega, the man behind Xanadu, Newsies, High School Musical, The Descendants, Julie & the Phantoms and much more.