Spooky Season Series Selection Part 2 - Monsters: The Lyle and Erik Menendez Story

Austin Price, Editor in Chief  

In continuing my Spooky Season Series Selection, we have another series created by Ryan Murphy and Ian Brennan for Netflix. Today’s selection is the second season of the Monster series and focuses on a controversial and highly debated case. The disputation of this case was mainly due to the extensive media coverage and exploitation of all involved through the televised process. In a harrowing account of childhood abuse and the greed of the American Dream, comes the biased story of the Menendez brothers. Today’s Spooky Season Series Selection is Monsters: The Lyle and Erik Menendez Story.  

On September 19, 2024, nearly two years after the show’s debut, the second installment in the Monster anthology series hit the streams. The second series centers on the 1989 murders of José and Kitty Menendez. The murders were later determined to be parricides, as the couple was killed by their own sons, Lyle and Erik Menendez. Nicholas Alexander Chavez portrays the eldest brother, Lyle, while Cooper Koch embodies the younger brother Erik. Javiar Bardem plays the head of the house, José, and Chloë Sevigny accompanies him as José’s wife, Kitty.  

Monsters: The Lyle and Erik Menendez Story incorporates the Rashomon effect. The Rashomon effect is the phenomenon of the unreliability of eyewitnesses. It is used by the show’s creators, Ryan Murphy and Ian Brennan, to allow viewers to form their own interpretations of the story, by presenting key events through unreliable narrators. The narrators of the series are the brothers, Lyle and Erik, the leaders of the family, José and Kitty, Erik's lead defense attorney, Leslie Abramson, Erik's therapist, Dr. Jerome Oziel,  Dr. Oziel's mistress, Judalon Smyth, and Dominick Dunne, a journalist whose biased perception of the boys’ story was published in Vanity Fair.  

Monsters: The Lyle and Erik Menendez Story has received a plethora of criticism, mainly due to the overly sexual themes seen in the episodes. While childhood sexual abuse is one of the main aspects of the Menendez brothers' case, many argue that the explicit sexual content and portrayal of the characters discount the severity of the issue in the true story. Additionally, the show garnered controversy for implying an incestuous relationship between the brothers. This relationship has been denounced by both Erik and Lyle. However, Lyle later expressed gratitude for its depiction of child abuse, that gave a new light to his side of the story, and a better reasoning for his motive.  

The series has 9 full episodes, each of which bounces between featuring different viewpoints and accounts of those involved. The soundtrack, costumes, set design, and mannerisms of each episode clearly demonstrate the spirit of 1989, when the crime took place. Out of the 9 episodes, halfway through the series, at episode 5, is The Hurt Man.  

Directed by Michael Uppendahl and written by Ian Brennan, episode 5 is a one-shot episode that features the magnificent talents of Cooper Koch and Ari Gaynor. The episode centers on a conversation between Erik, played by Koch, and his lead defense attorney, Leslie Abramson, played by Gaynor. This conversation reveals Erik’s account of the atrocities committed by his father, while his mother, aware of the situation, neglected to protect him. In a haunting conversation formatted in a confessional style, Erik expresses the nightmares of his past. Leslie serves as a mentor, guardian, and safe space for him to finally relieve himself of the horrors of his childhood.  

The series has gained various opinions from the public. Some were swayed by the passionate performances of Cooper Koch and Nicholas Alexander Chavez. Their depiction of the brothers garnered an unexpected sympathy from the current generation. This is due to the current generation’s more inclusive and empathetic outlook on life, as well as our distrust of the legal system. With this outlook, Erik and Lyle’s stories were finally told to a captivated audience, bringing their supposed injustice in punishment and time served under scrutiny. As a member of Generation Z myself, I will say that the performances of Cooper Koch and Nicholas Alexander Chavez were heartfelt and raw and gave a voice to the unexpected victims of the story.  

Unlike the first season of the series, Monster: The Jeffrey Dahmer Story, season 2 is much more entertaining and is written for audience appeal. Monster: The Jeffrey Dahmer Story, was written in a no-nonsense way, clearly painting Dahmer as the villain, with no room for debate. Season 2 of Monsters: The Lyle and Erik Menendez Story, is a more Hollywood studded, glamorized version of true crime, blurring the line between hero and villain and skewing the perception of truth and reality.  

Despite the multiple controversies, Monsters: The Lyle and Erik Menendez Story achieved global commercial success, debuting as the number one series on Netflix worldwide, the most-viewed streaming content on the Nielsen Streaming Chart, and the third most-watched Netflix series in the second half of 2024. Critics and academy members praised the performances of the actors involved. At the 77th Primetime Emmy Awards, it earned 11 nominations, including Outstanding Lead Actor in a Limited or Anthology Series or Movie for Koch. For the 82nd Golden Globe Awards, nominations included Miniseries or Television Film for Koch, and Best Supporting Actor – Series, Miniseries or Television Film for Bardem.  

With the incredible success of the first two seasons of Monster, the series was again renewed for a third season, Monster: The Ed Gein Story which was released on October 3rd, 2025. It stars Charlie Hunnam as murderer and graverobber Ed Gein. Tune in again next week for the third installment of Spooky Season Series Selection for analysis of Monster: The Ed Gein Story, along with more productions by Ryan Murphy.  

Monsters: The Lyle and Erik Menendez Story is available to stream on Netflix.  

Spooky Season Series Selection Part 1 - Monster: The Jeffrey Dahmer Story

Austin Price, Editor in Chief  

Spooky season is upon us! That means it’s time to pop some popcorn, curl up under a plaid blanket, and light a pumpkin spiced candle while watching a relaxing tv show. If you’re like me, this relaxing show involves gruesome crimes, obscene murders, and intense trials. As a spooky season enthusiast and true crime nerd, I understand the excitement of diving into a new series focused on some of the most horrific events imaginable. And so, to feed both my October loving soul, and satisfy my true crime craving, I am creating the ultimate list of TV series perfect for spooky season, all based on real events and true stories. Come with me as I provide you with the best content to consume as the leaves change and the costumes are purchased. Each installment of this series will highlight one of my favorite TV series that fits the macabre and mystery of spooky season. First up, we have Monster: The Jeffrey Dahmer Story.  

On September 21st, 2022, Netflix, Ryan Murphy, and Ian Brennan partnered to bring an unfiltered and raw look into the disgusting and perverted nature of one of America’s most notorious serial killers, Jeffrey Dahmer. Evan Peters stars as the infamous cannibal and has received countless accolades for his performance. The show was initially conceived to be a limited series, with the first and only season planned to follow the life and crimes of Jeffrey Dahmer. However, it was later renewed for a second and third season.   

Monster: The Jeffrey Dahmer Story is one of the most visually upsetting and intense depictions of Jeffrey Dahmer’s life. I have listened to countless podcasts and read tons of articles regarding his life, but I will say that Ryan Murphy brought the disturbing nature of Dahmer’s personality, and the repulsive nature of his crimes to the screen in a nightmarish way. As a lover of true crime, it takes a lot for me to actually recoil and truly be terrified by a case. However, I could not watch this series in one go, because of the realistic depictions of Dahmer’s confessions.  

Evan Peters is a genius in the titular role, and metamorphosizes into one of the most deranged and appalling serial killers in American history. His performance was recognized when Peters won the Golden Globe Award for Best Actor – Miniseries or Television Film.  Watching the TV drama gives a feeling of poison in one’s consciousness, as it carefully follows and exposes the crimes and actions of Dahmer, without holding anything back. Ryan Murphy approaches the Dahmer story without fear of repercussions and does not limit his exposure of Dahmer's life to being culturally sensitive and politically correct. While this approach has been criticized by many, I found it to be refreshing. The media is constantly monitoring and censoring aspects of true crime. While I understand this approach is done to respect the sensitivity of viewers, I’d argue that consumers deserve to truly be immersed in the hideous reality of killers to fully understand the severity of their crimes, and to fully emphasize with victims.  

Sharing the spotlight with Peters is Niecy Nash, who’s portrayal of Glenda Cleveland, Jeffrey's neighbor, resulted in the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Limited or Anthology Series or Movie. Nash’s character gives an often-suppressed side of the story, as an African American woman whose concerns over Dahmer’s behavior were repeatedly ignored by police. In this narrative, Nash brings awareness to the many victims of Dahmer that were considered minorities, and that did not initially receive the same levels of commitment and respect by authorities as some of his other victims did.  

Monster: The Jeffrey Dahmer Story includes 10 full length episodes, following the timeline of crimes committed by Dahmer, and glimpses into the ending result of his behavior and court records regarding his accusations and charges. The show immediately made its way into all forms of digital media. The season rose to the number one spot on Netflix in the first week of its release. In the second week of its release, Netflix announced that Dahmer was its ninth most popular English-language TV show of all time, with 56 million households having viewed all 10 episodes.  

Following the gigantic success of an anthological look on Dahmer’s story, Netflix announced on November 7, 2022, that it had renewed Monster as an anthology series, with two further editions based on the lives of "other monstrous figures". These figures would later be revealed to be Erik and Lyle Menendez for Season 2, and Ed Gein for Season 3. Stay tuned for upcoming installments of Spooky Season Series Selection as both of these series will be covered and included.  

Monster: The Jeffrey Dahmer Story is available to stream on Netflix. 

Netflix Series, Cobra Kai, Shows the Power of Friendship

Schuyler Kropp, Staff Writer 

The show Cobra Kai is based off of the events in the movie The Karate Kid. It was made in 2018 by Josh Heald, John Hurwitz, and Hayden Schlossberg in hopes for the Karate Kid saga to live on. The show begins thirty four years after Karate Kid. The dojo name “Cobra Kai” is taken from The Karate Kid, and there are many returning faces including John Kreese, Paul Dugan, and Terrance Silver. This show explores many different forms of relationships and how they can teach us to be better people.

Robby Keene is the main character in season one. Miguel Diaz is the main character in season two. They become friends throughout the show as you get to know the differences and similarities between Miguel and Robby and how their bond is formed. They both want the same things, but have different paths to get there. At first, they don’t like each other because Robby is jealous that Miguel starts to have a father figure to look up to. Throughout the seasons, they have their problems, but they grow up and move together towards achievable goals that bring them together. 

In one memorable event from the season two finale, Miguel ends up in a coma because Robby kicked him off a high staircase. However, later in the show Robby and Miguel fight again and resolve their conflict. Eventually, they find common ground after the fight and become best friends. They are able to unite because they both didn’t have male role models growing up. I feel like the lessons that are being taught to the viewers are that people can have conflict at first, but it is important to know and understand their side of the story. This also shows that the two people who once didn’t get along can always move on from the past, and grow into more mature people.

Another character, Tory Nichols is also similar to Johnny Lawrence. Both of them miss father figures, and resort to isolating themselves. Tory and Johnny never really got to know who they really were as they both grew up without knowing who their biological father is. Many have speculated online about rumors of Mike Barnes possibly being Tory’s father. I disagree, but I think her father could be either Dutch or an unknown man. Both Dutch and Tory had difficult lives and both ended up in juvie. That is revealed when Johnny’s buddies from high school mention that he was up in Lompoc County.

While learning under Sensei Johnny Lawrence, Miguel starts to become close to a girl named Samantha, and eventually starts a relationship with her. They find things in common and they share chemistry together as their relationship grows stronger each season. Miguel struggles in this relationship because Sam feels like she doesn’t know and understand him anymore after a few weeks. They eventually break up and Miguel gets into a short relationship with Tory Nichols to try something new in an attempt to get over Sam. Tory points out that this is unfair for her. Eventually Miguel returns to Sam when she finds an octopus necklace in the dojo and realizes that Miguel still likes her more than a friend. They get back together again because they spent some time on their own trying to find out more things about themselves but they end up realizing that they love each other romantically. This shows how willing Miguel was to communicate and understand his love for Sam from the very beginning of the show, all the way to the end. Their relationship can show us how to communicate in romantic relationships, and everyone should be able to do this in their own lives.

Throughout season one, Robby gets hired at LaRusso Auto and works there helping a character named Daniel fix and sell cars. Daniel later becomes a father figure for Robby. Both of them had demons in their past and fought them. Daniel sees the potential he had in himself and decides to help Robby use it in his life. Robby struggles against his opponents in tournaments. Robby knows the sorts of struggles that he faces are inevitable. He makes lots of mistakes throughout every season. but he wants to take responsibility to show Daniel that they are alike in many ways. Daniel learns how to trust himself throughout this father-son relationship as he helps Robby. There are times where they argue, but they eventually put their differences aside to come back together. Robby and Daniel are very much alike and they have always found ways to win in various situations.

Many people struggle with bullies in their life. Yet, in the end, it is always important to remember what you’ve been taught. Even if that is fighting for your purpose or love. I have most certainly dealt with a whole lot of bullying and I do not like it. It is because of bullying and the things I dealt with in my early life that I began to watch this show Cobra Kai. I feel like if I get better at fighting for what is right, then maybe I could pass down my knowledge as a sensei one day. While I hope that everyone lives their lives full of happy memories and experiences, they should also be ready for unfortunate events to happen. However they can overcome those difficulties by remembering to spend the most time you can with the people that you love and care for.

Click here to watch Cobra Kai

The Silver Screen is the Star of Sunset Boulevard at the St. James Theatre

Eamon Lujan, Guest Writer

I want to preface this review by saying I did not hate this production, and I fear everything I say next is going to make you think I hate it. I don’t hate it; I desperately need to see this weird show again to better understand it. It is a unique piece of theatre, unlike anything I have ever seen in my life and that’s perhaps why I sound so negative, because I don’t have a good frame of reference for understanding a production like this. If you can, I encourage you all to go see Sunset Boulevard. 

The show I saw was during the week Nicole Scherzinger, the lead actress, was out, and Mandy Gonzales played the titular character, Norma Desmond instead. She is currently billed as a guest star in the show, performing every Tuesday night and any other time Nicole is out. At the performance I attended, all roles played by Emma Lloyd were played by Abby Matsusaka instead. I sat in the front right mezzanine, Row A.

Sunset Boulevard is a revival of the classic Andrew Lloyd Webber musical adapting the even more classic 1950s movie of the same name. This production is directed by Jamie Lloyd, who has been making quite a name for himself lately. Andrew and Jamie have become particularly good business partners, perhaps an intense psychic connection due to the shared name. Jamie is also slated to direct an upcoming revival of Evita on the West End this summer, as well as directing Andrew’s new musical The Illusionist. 

This production of Sunset Boulevard originally premiered on the West End at the Savoy Theatre for a limited run. It has since transferred to Broadway with the same, original cast from its debut. The musical features Andrew Lloyd Webber’s orchestrations and a book and lyrics by Christopher Hampton. In my opinion, a revival should be trying to introduce some new element, and should give us a reason to put this show on stage again. Sunset Boulevard absolutely fulfills that requirement, being a new reimagining of the musical, and one of the boldest steps forward in theatre at large.

The musical follows the same plot as the movie. Joe Gillis, a down on his luck screenwriter, ends up at the residence of Norma Desmond after a police chase. Norma Desmond is a former silent movie star who now lives alone in a luxurious mansion with her butler, Max Von Mayerling. She believes she is still the greatest star who has ever lived and employs Gillis to edit an incoherent and self-serving script she has dedicated her life to writing. She intends this to be her return to the screen, to the millions of fans who have always been waiting for her to return. Slowly, she pulls Gillis further and further under her control, before he meets a grisly end at her hands. (Side note: I don’t quite consider this a spoiler because both the movie and musical open on him being dead and narrating the story. In the musical he pops out of a body bag, and in the movie he all but says “I bet you’re wondering how I got here” as he floats in a pool). 

Previous productions have had very lavish sets, using Norma’s mansion as an excuse to go in a very maximalist direction. Jamie Lloyd has done the opposite, making this a very minimalistic version. There is absolutely nothing onstage except fog and lights. All characters wear plain black and white clothes. The star of the show is a 23-foot-tall LCD screen that lowers from the ceiling and shows the audience a live feed from cameras onstage. Suddenly, the actors’ faces are blown up for us to see with incredible detail. Everything on the screen is still filmed in black and white, keeping with the style of the movie and the aesthetic presented on stage. Credit for the Silver Screen, and the accompanying video design and cinematography goes to Nathan Amzi and Joe Ransom, who I applaud for bringing something so complex and bold to the stage.

The cameras are centered inside large apparatuses the actors and camera crew use to hold them steady. Think large square steering wheels, with the camera being situated where the horn would be. Joe Gillis, played by Tom Francis, actually does hold it like a steering wheel when he starts his car chase with the cops. After twenty minutes of jazzy music and fun choreography, the screen is lowered for the first time. Actors moving behind Francis give the impression of movement, as wind is blown into his face. Suddenly, a title card drops: “Sunset Boulevard, directed by Jamie Lloyd”, followed by a full opening credits sequence. It is a production concerned with movies, quite literally trying to put a movie onstage in a way I’ve never seen before.

Gillis then slinks into Norma’s mansion, and she makes her slow entrance as the orchestra plays her gorgeous, soaring theme. Norma Desmond is normally played by Nicole Scherzinger, most known for her work with the band The Pussycat Dolls. I have seen people herald her performance as a once-in-a-lifetime role, something that is simply unmissable. Nonetheless, I missed her as we went the week she was scheduled to be out. Mandy Gonzales acts as her standby, and they were smart to market her week as a “big event”, a reason for people to come back to see the show. I have a hard time imagining how Nicole would have been much better than Mandy, the minimalism of this show gives them very little to work with. Despite that, Mandy has managed to construct a grand character. I fear this is where much of my confusion with the show began. 

Norma has always seemed old and senile, but Mandy plays her with something of a youthful energy. She stares into the camera and makes dramatic faces, akin to what people would do in a TikTok sketch. I think she is trying to be one of the “fellow kids”, acting like she is still a 20 something star, even though that is no longer the case. She is acting like she’s still in a silent movie and looks insane doing so while every other character gives carefully crafted film performances when in front of the camera. I believe it is true that good art often needs to be digested, something you discuss on the way home from the theatre. However, I also don’t want to pay money to be confused in a theatre. This production walks a fine line between art and confusion, and I fear at times it leans a little too far into confusion. 

After Mandy sings “With One Look”, I suddenly felt trapped in a worse version of “Think of Me” from The Phantom of the Opera for forty-five odd minutes. Leitmotifs continue to be replayed so often it feels repetitive rather than artistic. Characters walk around the stage slowly and talk in a strange, dream-like manner. How many times can a woman possibly sing about giving the world “new ways to dream”? I was downright sleepy in the first act, I wished we could go back to the upbeat jazzy sounds of Hollywood the show started with. The end of act 1 picks up a little, but I had not been convinced what I was watching was actually “good” yet.

Act 2 contains all the real drama, even if the story feels truncated. It begins with an incredible sequence where Tom Francis sings the title song while he walks down seven flights of stairs and out onto the streets of New York, before he returns to the stage to finish the song. We only see him on the screen as the camera operator Shayna McPhearson follows him, often having to walk backwards. It is full of fourth-wall breaks and references to the movie itself and actors’ lives. 

David Thaxton admires a picture of Mandy Gonzales in his dressing room, we see Norma point to the gun she’ll use later, and Francis sings the words “Sunset Boulevard” while standing under the marquee of Sunset Boulevard. The plot picks up pace significantly, as Gillis navigates a burgeoning relationship with fellow writer Betty Schafer, and begins to understand how dangerous it is to be in Norma’s grasp. His demise is perhaps one of the most visceral depictions of violence I’ve seen (or rather, heard) onstage. He is shot, and the stage goes dark as we hear his cries of pain and agony as Norma begins to tear into him. 

When the lights come back on, Norma has blood running down her mouth and soaking her black slip. She is alone onstage, and it is dead silent as an unseen camera zooms in on her face as she utters her famous line: “I’m ready for my closeup, Mr. Demille”. After the curtain call, the screen begins to play a closing credits sequence, and I was struck with the fascinating feeling that I was walking out of a movie theatre. 

Quite frankly, if I had not watched the original movie before I saw this show, I don’t think I would have been able to follow anything that was happening. The minimalist set is interesting but robs us of context. Norma’s mansion is of the same magnitude as Schwab's Drug Store and Paramount Studios, all of which are presented as just an empty stage. A lot of the plot feels gutted, there isn’t a creeping sense of dread as Norma’s fingers tighten further around Gillis’ autonomy. There is a love side plot between Joe Gillis and Betty Schafer that is given adequate space to breathe in the movie, but is left compressed in this stage adaptation. When Norma begins to break from reality, the ensemble comes out dressed in her black slip and starts convulsing on the ground as the screen flashes red. I dare say this production is incomprehensible without knowing the movie first. The spectacle is grand, but the plot has suffered as a result.

Tom Francis’ performance as Joe Gillis is fine, and I wish Grace Hodgett Young had enough real time onstage as Betty Schafer for me to say much about her performance. Jamie Lloyd seems to have directed her and many others to walk slowly across the stage and speak like they’re in a dream, which is a shame. Young was recently seen in the West End transfer of Hadestown, where she played Eurydice. She’s very engaging on the cast album they recently released, and I wish I got to see her in a better role. 

David Thaxton plays Max Von Mayerling and I feel as though he may have had the best performance in the show. His voice is deep and booming, he is always shown on the screen so his intimidating face looms over Gillis. When he walks and speaks slowly, it feels calculated rather than strange. However, I’m excited to see what he does next!

Sunset Boulevard is currently selling tickets up to July 6th, but I doubt it is going to close anytime soon. With the production easily grossing a million dollars a week, operating costs are being covered fully right now. The show will almost certainly not tour. The set is simple, but the logistics needed to do the walk at the top of act 2 in different cities is downright impossible. They could tour without it, but I fear the show would be much, much worse off without a crucial selling point. 

The show is facing stiff competition to win Best Revival at the 2025 Tony Awards. They will have to battle the already successful revival of Gypsy starring Audra McDonald (across the street at the Majestic Theatre), a revival of The Last Five Years starring Nick Jonas, The Lincoln Center’s greatly anticipated revival of Floyd Collins, and Pirates! The Penzance Musical, a reimagining and renaming of the original. Nicole likely puts on a nomination worthy performance, but she’ll be fighting Audra McDonald and Idina Menzel and we still have ten musicals coming out before the Tony eligibility period ends in April. We will see in June whether the Tony voters think Sunset Boulevard is high art or a confusing reinterpretation of a classic, but the production already seems to know the answer.

It Works! A Review of the Tour of Back to the Future: The Musical at the Buell Theatre

Eamon Lujan, Guest Writer

Back to the Future: The Musical is a new adaptation of the classic movie. With a book by Bob Gale, music and lyrics by Alan Silvestri and Glen Ballard, and direction by John Rando, this timeless tale has hit the stage at full speed.

I attended this show twice while it was in Denver. The first was a part of our family’s season subscription. At that first performance, we had the full principal cast and sat in Orchestra C, Row AA, Seat 9. The second time I saw it with a group of friends and had the full principal cast but a new Marty McFly than the one I had previously seen transferred to the West End production. I sat in Orchestra D, Row D, Seat 7.

Back to the Future: The Musical follows the movie to a T, with only slight changes or omissions. I was quite skeptical coming into the show, figuring it’d be good fun but ultimately another forgettable movie-to-musical adaptation. I couldn’t have been more wrong. It works! 

Back to the Future: The Musical is bombastic, strange, and campy. Much of this is achieved through incredible tech work, with many moving parts that come together to create convincing illusions. The most important thing is that they have recreated the DeLorean time machine and put it onstage. This thing can actually drive around the stage and has a fully detailed interior. Credit goes to scenic and costume designer Tim Hatley, who managed to design and bring this beast to life. 

While it can drive around, the effect is really sold through Fin Ross’ video design and Chris Fisher’s illusion work. The car is sandwiched between a downstage see-through scrim and a screen in the background. Here we see videos of the world zipping by the DeLorean, creating an incredible feeling of speed I haven’t really seen on a stage before. It is a particularly effective piece of technical work that sells the scene well despite it being a simple setup. It also displays the logo when you first arrive in the theatre, with error warnings popping up reminding you not to take photos as phones did not exist in the 80’s and it will mess with the space-time continuum. 

While we are on the topic of technical work, I want to applaud the lighting design by Tim Lutkin and Hugh Vanstone. It does not intrude on scenes where it is unnecessary, but it makes great use of the proscenium which lights up in a futuristic circuit-like pattern when the car is speeding by. Towards the end of the show, when the storm begins to pick up, bright white lights flash at the audience to simulate lightning.

At our first performance, Marty McFly was played by Caden Brauch. He has since left the touring production to instead play Marty on the West End and has been succeeded by Lucas Hallauer. Caden’s interpretation of Marty felt unique, he wasn’t weighed down by what Michael J. Fox did in the movies. His Marty seemed to be playing it cooler than Fox’s. There is a specific line that I feel illustrates the point well. When Fox says “You built a time machine... out of a DeLorean?”, he sounds exasperated and confused. When Brauch says it, he is in awe, with a hint of “right on dude” in his voice.

Our second performance had Lucas Haullauer, who previously understudied the role. Almost anything I could say about Caden’s performance I could say about Lucas’, they both play a very cool and suave Marty. I prefer how Lucas plays out moments with Lorraine and the few moments Marty does get genuinely panicked, his voice shoots up and the persona comes down. I feel Caden had better chemistry with George, his disappointment in how lame his dad is being almost painful. There are moments where he says nothing, just staring at his dad as you see the hope being extinguished behind his eyes. Neither of them gave a “better” performance, I think they both are doing a lot of the same things but playing into different strengths.

Don Stephenson played Doc Brown and his performance was one of the greatest things I have ever seen a person do onstage. I couldn’t make out many of the words he was saying due to his strange cartoon voice, but his vibes and aura were captivating. He moved about the stage in a herky-jerky manner, speaking with the cadence of a mad scientist. Stephenson says “flux capacitor” like Doofenshmirtz says “evil-inator”. There was a point where he made an expression where he stretched his mouth in opposite diagonal directions, a face so impossible he surely must have detached his jaw from the whole side of his skull. He looked like an animatronic with rubber skin stretched so far it was about to tear away. He’s almost what I imagine Doc Brown would be like if an 80’s Back to the Future cartoon had ever been made, similar to the Beetlejuice cartoon. A goofy caricature of a mad scientist, a zany personality that could sustain an episodic series.

Michale Bindeman plays George McFly, Marty’s father, and is a delight to watch anytime he’s onstage. He is a very tall and lanky man and uses it to his advantage, walking around in an awkward and bow-legged manner. One of the best moments that showcases this brand of comedy is during “Put Your Mind to It”, a song where Marty is teaching his dad how to be cool. Marty dances with swagger and style, and his father flails his arms around as he attempts to replicate the moves. There is a key point towards the end of the show where he gains confidence he never had before, and it is fun watching how his character transforms. He is still gangly and awkward, but he stands tall and stops being hunched over all the time.

Zan Berube plays Lorraine, Marty’s mother, who has the onerous task of making the audience believe incest is funny. She is successful at this endeavor, as she is quite overtly horny and Marty has to dodge her wild attempts to get him into her bed. To add some essential context for those who have not seen the movie, Marty accidentally interferes with his parents meeting for the first time in the past. Instead of his mother nursing his father back to health after he falls out of a tree, Marty falls and his mother becomes affectionate towards him. It is ridiculous how infatuated Zan is with Marty, and it is ridiculous how this is a primary obstacle that needs to be overcome so Marty isn’t erased. Perhaps it is the fact it is all so ridiculous that makes her performance work so well.

The whole show lives in its own ridiculous and campy world. When Doc begins to sing, a group of women come out and act as backup singers. Marty asks where all these girls came from, and Doc says “I don’t know! They just appear whenever I start singing!”. A whole chorus of ensemble members appear later during “Future Boy”, and Doc awkwardly shoos them out of his house when the song comes to a sudden halt. Act 1 ends with a spectacularly choreographed chase sequence through the high school, with Marty and George scaling lockers and leaping over tables. There is so much happening onstage during that sequence, so much to look at. It’s a spectacularly fun show.

The music is the weakest part of this show, despite the promise of the name attached to it. Alan Silvestri composed the music for the original movies and came back to create the score for this musical. When the Back to the Future theme is being played, recreating iconic moments from the movie, there is some real magic happening on that stage. That said, Alan is not a musical composer. 

There are a lot of times where it feels like the music is not meaningfully moving the story forward or developing the characters, two essential traits of any good musical theatre song. The first four songs are duds, making it feel like we were stopping the show to sing a song. The best was “Hello, Is Anybody Home?”, where Marty wonders how he ended up with such a lame family. It’s fun seeing how much his family sucks. The show at this point is sitting at like a 7/10, maybe 6 if I’m feeling uncharitable. Then right after that song, the DeLorean comes swerving out of the darkness and the show instantly rockets up to a 9/10. Everything after that point is just ridiculous, campy, fun. It maintains that energy until the very end with a curtain call performance of Huey Lewis and the News’ “Back in Time”. Back to the Future: The Musical is absolutely not high art, but boy is it a real fun ride.

Tensions Flare in Stereophonic at the John Golden Theatre

Eamon Lujan, Guest Writer

Stereophonic is a new play written by David Adjimi and directed by Daniel Aukin with original songs by Will Butler. It debuted at Playwrights Horizons, a theatre that fosters new work by playwrights hoping to break into the business. The play became the most nominated play ever at the 2024 Tony Awards with 13 nominations, beating the previous record of 12 held by Jeremy O. Harris’ Slave Play. While it did not win every nomination, it did win Best Play, Best Direction of a Play, and Best Sound Design of a Play. Will Brill won the award for Best Featured Actor in a Play for his role as Reg, and Sarah Pidegon won Best Featured Actress in a Play for her role as Diana. The show we saw had the full principal cast, although Sarah Pidegon and two other original cast members, Tom Pecinka and Juliana Canfield, had left the show by this point. 

The play follows a band trying to record their next album after their first received international acclaim. They’ve recently become quite well-known, and the pressure of fame weighs heavily on them. We watch the band, their producer, and assistant with a kind of fly-on-the-wall view. 

Early we see the seeds of discontent being sewn within the band, seeds that blossom into anger and resentment as they spend longer and longer in the recording studio. We are often without context as to what time of day it is, until one of them complains that it’s 3 AM and they’re at take 34. At one point, Grover, their producer, hears something loose in Simon’s drum. Fast forward and they have spent 6 days trying to get rid of the rattle sound. It takes them a full year to record the album, a slow and torturous time for our characters, but not for the audience, despite the show holding four acts and a runtime of three hours and fifteen minutes.

The greatest praise I can give to this play requires some context. The day I saw Stereophonic was the day we flew into New York. I woke up at 5 AM to catch a 7 AM flight, landed at LaGuardia at 1 PM, took a hellish ride on the Q70 bus to the Jackson Heights-Roosevelt Avenue/74th Street-Broadway subway stop, took the 7 Train into Times Square, spent far too long trying to check in to our hotel, caught a 5 PM show of Oh, Mary!, left the Lyceum at 6:20 PM, rushed to grab coffee somewhere, and was finally seated right at 7pm to see Stereophonic. 

Despite the long and arduous travel day, my attention never wavered during Stereophonic. It is a captivating piece of theatre; I found myself quickly invested in these characters despite knowing them for so little time. Part of this is due to Enver Chakartash’s wonderfully 70’s costume designs, and Robert Pickens and Katie Gell’s hair and wigs, adding the touches needed to complete the characters’ looks. It firmly establishes a time, setting, and attitude for everyone onstage. Other little touches like prop cigarettes and joints bring it all together. Those props were lit with a real lighter onstage and they produced real smoke the audience could smell. The other part of what grabbed me so quickly were the performances. 

Prior to seeing the show, I had heard some naysayers on the internet claiming the show had lost its “je ne sais quoi” since the three original cast members left the production. The new members “couldn’t capture the energy” or whatever. However, the cast I saw was electric. They embody the play’s deeply naturalistic style, just people having candid conversations about life and work and tensing up when ill-tempered characters enter the recording studio. I cannot imagine how the performances could have been better beyond nitty gritty preferences on character interpretations. 

Special shoutout to Eli Gelb who played Grover, the primary sound engineer. Grover is a chill man who unravels at the seams slowly as he is enveloped by the hellish working conditions the band put him through. Perhaps I connected with him because he feels like he’s part of the audience, watching everything unfold helplessly and trying to stay out of it. When Eli came out for bows, I had a hard time believing that Gelb was the man who played Grover and not just Grover himself. 

Will Brill is also brilliant, rightfully deserving of his Tony Award. He starts the show particularly inebriated, and we watch his slow journey to sobriety as he reckons with the fact sobriety alone cannot solve all his issues. Early in the show, there’s a particularly amusing moment when Reg goes on an incoherent stoned rant about houseboats and the “secret war” happening between rich houseboat owners. It is a wonderful bit of acting from Brill, and had sold me on the validity of his Tony win long before he even started to have his character arc.

The real cherry on top is getting to hear the band play music live. The foreground of the stage has the soundboard and acts as a “hangout” area, and the background is a full recording studio area. Ryan Rumery’s sound design gives a distinct quality to the actors’ voices when they are speaking on the recording microphones, giving an extra layer of authenticity to the whole thing. 

The music in this show is really, really good. The most gripping and magical moments of the show come from watching a take finally come together, waiting with bated breath to see if the band can nail it this time, and sharing a sigh of relief with the characters when they do in fact nail it. I think perhaps the only critique or gripe I have with this show is the ending, or rather the feeling I was left with as it ended. There was so much drama and tension and yelling and when it ended, I asked “well, what was it all for?”. It doesn’t feel like it leads to a neat conclusion, but I feel perhaps that’s the point. You can stream the album they made (really just a cast album for the show), and it hits differently after seeing everything that made the music possible. It feels almost tainted, and even though the music is bopping, you can’t justify the pain people went through to make it.

The show officially closed on January 12th, but I am so glad to say it will be going on tour! Playbill reports that the tour will begin in October at the Paramount Theatre in Seattle. Recently, The Denver Center for the Performing Arts (DCPA) has been featuring touring one play per Broadway season, so I have very high hopes it will be in Denver in the next two years. The DCPA 2025-2026 season will be announced sometime in March. Alongside that, it is going to transfer to the West End at The Duke of York Theatre, with performances beginning in May of this year.