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Music Theatre International just announced the licensing availability of The Connector, featuring a book by Jonathan Marc Sherman, music and lyrics by Jason Robert Brown, and conceived by director Daisy Prince.
Set in the late 1990s, at the office of The Connector, a legendary New York City-based magazine, Ethan Dobson, a young writer, and Robin Martinez, an assistant copy editor, dive into the competitive culture of journalism and discover what they’re willing to sacrifice for success. Frustrated with stagnation at their publication, Ethan and Robin vie for the praises of their boss, Conrad O’Brien. When Ethan’s first published story becomes an overnight success, his ambition soars to new heights—only to fly too close to the sun.
“The Connector is the kind of show I’ve always hoped to write, and the most satisfying collaboration of my career,” says composer-lyricist Brown. “By pairing a story that speaks with such specificity to our own time and polarized culture with characters whose ambitions and disappointments break my heart, this show was able to spark some intensely passionate music and tap deep wellsprings of creativity that I hadn’t been able to access in a long time. These vivid, yearning characters that Sherm brought to life represent so much of my spirit, my heart, and my hope for the future, and I think the music is a bold step forward in my work.”
“With The Connector, we set out to make a musical exploring the difference between facts and truth and good stories, set in the world of New York City journalism back in a long-gone era,” adds book writer Sherman. “Being invited to join Jason and Daisy for their third musical collaboration was a dream come true. The show we premiered in 2024 at MCC with an extraordinary cast and crew was exactly the show we wanted to make. Daisy’s staging was breathtaking, and Jason topped himself with his astonishing score, which simply leaves me awestruck. While I hope our collaboration will be equaled in my future, I can’t imagine it will be topped.”
The Connector tackles ever-present issues, such as journalistic integrity, discrimination, plagiarism, and a media landscape hungry for our attention spans. The Connector had its world premiere Off-Broadway at MCC Theater in 2024. Previews began January 12, 2024, with an opening night of February 6, 2024, and a closing night of March 17, 2024. The original production was nominated for 8 Drama Desk Awards and 7 Outer Critics Circle Awards, among others.
“The Connector explores ambition, influence, and the cost of connection in a media-driven world, asking how far we’ll go to be seen, heard, and truly understood,” said Drew Cohen, President and CEO of Music Theatre International. “Jason and Jonathan created a musical in which story and score are inseparable, blending sharp social commentary with emotional storytelling. We can’t wait to see how theatres everywhere will spark connection on their stages.”
Licensing and additional information about The Connector can be found here.
About Music Theatre International
Music Theatre International (MTI) is one of the world’s leading theatrical licensing agencies, granting theatres from around the world the rights to perform the greatest selection of musicals from Broadway and beyond. Founded in 1952 by composer Frank Loesser and orchestrator Don Walker, MTI is a driving force in advancing musical theatre as a vibrant and engaging art form.
MTI works directly with the composers, lyricists and book writers of these musicals to provide official scripts, musical materials and dynamic theatrical resources to over 100,000 professional, community and school theatres in the US and in over 150 countries worldwide.
MTI is particularly dedicated to educational theatre and has created special collections to meet the needs of various types of performers and audiences. MTI’s Broadway Junior® shows are 30- and 60-minute musicals for performance by elementary and middle school-aged performers, while MTI’s School Editions are musicals annotated for performance by high school students.
