Slam Frank — Two Hosts, Two Verdicts on Off-Broadway’s Most Divisive Musical

In this episode of “Half Hour,” we discuss Slam Frank, the satirical musical now in its second Off-Broadway run at the Orpheum Theatre. Few shows split an audience like this one. Some people walk out, some call it a ten out of ten, and plenty leave unsure whether they were supposed to laugh at all. Whether you’re deciding if it’s for you or won’t make it downtown before the limited run ends, this conversation gives you the full picture.

With music and lyrics by Andrew Fox and a book by Joel Sinensky, Slam Frank follows an ultra-progressive theater company staging The Diary of Anne Frank as an Afro-Latin hip-hop musical. We talk about the show-within-a-show framing, its satire of theater culture, how it compares to The Producers, and why we walked to the subway in silence before landing in two different places on it. We also get into Sam LaFrage’s direction, Esosa Oviasu’s choreography, a score that nods to Hamilton, the live camera work, and performances from Olivia Bernábe as Anne and Amelia Louise Barr as Margot. We close with whether this show belongs on Broadway or should build its home Off-Broadway.

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