Written by Laura Bailey, All Photos by Laura Bailey
A new rock and roll musical, The Radio’s Playing, will make its world premiere at Hole in the Wall Theater in New Britain this December. The show, which blends laugh-out-loud comedy with heartfelt drama, is the result of a collaboration between Connecticut playwrights Scott Stephen Kegler and Bill Arnold.
The Radio’s Playing tells the story of Bobby Alexander, a successful but troubled singer-songwriter who struggles to balance the pressures of his career with his personal life. As Bobby races against time to meet looming deadlines set by his demanding agent, he finds himself pushing away those closest to him, including his ex-wife, Ramona, and daughter, Emma. The show explores themes of ambition, mental health problems, love and redemption through a blend of original rock music and poignant storytelling.
“As a writer attending rehearsals of a new work, I’m struck by how amazing this cast is,” Bill Arnold said. “I’m impressed with the smart direction, love and dedication that Christina provides as a director. It means the world to me to hear this cast sing these songs that I wrote, some as long as ten years ago and some more recently. The love that the actors put into rehearsals is incredibly moving.”
The musical captures the complexities of Bobby’s life as he becomes consumed by his work. His isolation reaches a breaking point when he receives a package from his daughter, Emma, containing a radio that plays a song she wrote for him. The hauntingly beautiful melody becomes a turning point, helping Bobby rediscover what truly matters.
Patryk Mathieu (left) and Jeanie D. Tuzzio (right) rehearsing original songs from the show. | Laura Bailey
Left: Laura Jeannine Sarrazin performing an original song from the show. Right: Patryk Mathieu and Kate Micari rehearsing a scene. | Laura Bailey
“I think it’s watching someone work towards a goal that they aren’t necessarily going to accomplish, but they want it so badly that they push everything else away,” said actor Kate Micari. “You watch the main character face the consequences of that and accept himself and put pieces of himself that have shattered to accomplish this goal back together.”
Director Christina Giannelli spoke about the emotional weight of the production, particularly in the final scenes.
“My favorite scene comes at the end when Bobby reconnects with his daughter,” said, Giannelli. “If there is anything that would pull me out of a dark space or get me motivated, it’s my children and the love I have for them. Getting to portray that on stage is special to me. Seeing a show really blossom before your eyes is an amazing experience.”
The Radio’s Playing Composer Bill Arnold (left) and Director Christina Giannelli (right). | Laura Bailey
Left: Patryk Mathieu rehearsing the final scenes of the show. Right: Musicians rehearsing Bill Arnold’s original songs. | Laura Bailey
The 10-person cast includes Connecticut-based actors Patryk Mathieu, Ed Bernstein, Whitney Rogers, Kate Micari, Jeanie D. Tuzzio, Laura Jeannine Sarrazin, Kate Stango, Tim Adams, Jess Fontaine, and Dennis Hull. The musical’s production team also includes music director Carolyn Fisher and producer Caleb Warner. Mathieu, who plays Bobby, noted a personal connection to the character.
“Bobby is sort of the embodiment of who I already am,” Mathieu said, “as a person because outside of acting I’m a musician, I have a band, (Duly Noted) and we’re coming out with new music. This story of being under pressure to come up with something new and unique and thoroughly creative is something that I can relate to a lot.”
One of the standout moments in the show for Mathieu is the song “Defective Man,” which he describes as a powerful exploration of failure and self-doubt.
“The song is about being a failure, about not knowing if you can succeed or if you’ll just continue to be a failure no matter how hard you try. There are some great high notes; when I hit them, it makes me feel so good. I like getting to really explore new music and have fun with it vocally.”
Actors Whitney Rogers (left) and Kate Stango (right) rehearing dialogue. | Laura Bailey
Left: Cast members Jess Fontaine, Kate Stango, Dennis Hull and Tim Adams singing. Right: Ed Bernstein rehearsing a scene. | Laura Bailey
The Radio’s Playing will run Fridays and Saturdays at 8 p.m. from Dec. 6 through Dec. 21, with a Sunday matinee on Dec. 15 at 3 p.m. Tickets are $25 for general admission, $20 for students and seniors. A “pay what you can” night will be held on Dec. 13 to make the show more accessible to those on a budget.
Arnold, who also designed the set, drew inspiration from a studio where he recorded albums about thirty years ago.
“The set is reminiscent of the studio I did a bunch of records in the 90s. There was a big observation area where the engineers could look down on the musicians.”
Despite the personal influences, Arnold stated that the show is not autobiographical.
“There are a lot of qualities that the main character, Bobby, and I don’t share,” Arnold said. “There are a few things that I pulled from experiences, but the characters are not based on me. Scott Kegler wrote the script; all of that great dialogue was done by him. It meant the world to me to collaborate with Scott.”
The Radio’s Playing opens Friday, Dec. 6, at Hole in the Wall Theater, located at 116 Main St. in New Britain. For tickets and more information, visit https://hitw.org.
Laura Bailey can be reached at lbailey@bristoledition.org
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