The following kinds of people should go to Broadway’s Next Hit Musical: live theater lovers, theater haters, musical lovers, musical haters, improv fans, people who like to laugh, and people who admire talent and creativity wherever they find it.

I’ve always loved improvisational comedy. Being funny takes a certain kind of talent anyway but to take other people’s ideas and, on the fly, turn it into something humorous is impressive. And then to simultaneously be on stage with other people who are playing off of that, coming up with their own on-the-fly moments, while working cohesively as a team? That, my friends, is real talent. Throw song creation and dancing in the mix? And the fact that nothing is repeated and it’s a new show every night? Mind. Blown.

That’s what Broadway’s Next Hit Musical has going for it. And that’s what gives it such broad appeal for all those kinds of audience members I listed above. There’s something for everyone.

The structure of the show starts with a musical introduction from Gary Adler, the night we were there, one of the two Music Directors. The emcee, Greg Triggs comes out, warms up the audience a little and primes us for how the show is going to go down.

The premise is that we’re the audience for the Phony Awards (rhymes with Broadway’s Tony Awards, get it?) where four musical numbers are performed, based solely on suggestions from the audience in the form of pieces of paper in a fish bowl on stage. These ideas may become the name of the song or portion of lyrics. Without missing more than maybe one beat, each of four performers explains the song we’re about to hear and the (fictional) Broadway show it is from. At the piano, Adler is taking notes as each performer explains their upcoming song which means that, while the singer is formulating what they’re going to sing about, Adler is formulating the melody and style of the song he’s about to play, each without consulting the other. Gosh darn it if they don’t get in a groove and make it (almost) sound as if it was well-rehearsed and sung night after night.

All four songs are presented by the crew with minimal costume changes and only pantomimed props and big physical comedy. The audience then gets to vote for their favorite by round of applause. The night we attended Broadway’s Next Hit Musical it was the song “Beer is a Vegetable” from the musical Mon Dieu about a Connecticut woman’s attempt to earn the one diploma given out per year from a Parisian culinary school. By just a negligible hair, that beat out a song, “DIA is So Far Away” about a man from Turkey visiting his new and annoying Colorado in laws, wishing he could escape them. But alas…DIA is so far away.

After the winner is announced, the performer gives their acceptance speech with the shiny award clenched in their grateful hands. The audience is then sent out for intermission while, get this, the team works fast and furious to create a full production of the musical containing the winning song. We return to our seats and the second part of the show is a dazzling array of an overture, brand new numbers and a reprise of the winning song. I mean, wow.

The cast varies, divvied up by sections of date during the run of the show. These folks need a rest after all their brilliance, which must be exhausting. When we saw the show, the performers were Deb Rabbai, Rob Schiffmann, Heidi Gleichauf and Pat Swearingen. Rabbai and Schiffman are co-Artistic Directors for the show and are also Co-Producers along with Triggs.

One of the more interesting aspects of these traveling improvisational comedy shows, such as The Improvisational Shakespeare Company which has played Denver multiple times, is that the actors are plunged into a new city for a few weeks, becoming temporary residents. To connect with the audience, they need to know some stuff about their city, not only to be “in” on certain jokes but to be able to understand what some of the suggested titles are referring to so they can play off the information. When the performers don’t know what the reference is, they ask and the audience explains, further bringing them into our fold. It’s kind of nice, like when a friend or relative moves to town and you want to show them the ropes. The cast leaves with a little bit of Denver with them always. Awwww, you guys!

You’ll leave Broadway’s Next Hit Musical saying “That was so fun,” “My stomach hurts from laughing so much,” and “How do they even do that?!” And you’d be right to say them all. The team is creative, quick-witted, super-talented, and full of energy. It’s the kind of show you may want to go to repeatedly because it’s NEVER the same show twice!

Broadway’s Next Hit Musical runs June 12-30, 2024 at the Garner Galleria Theatre inside the Denver Center for the Performing Arts. Visit the website for more information and to purchase tickets because that’s where you can be sure you’re getting legit ones.

-By Courtney Drake-McDonough, publisher and managing editor of InGoodTasteDenver.com