Broadway’s Next Hit Musical. Photo by Nick Carter

In Broadway’s Next Hit Musical, the Garner Galleria’s upcoming improvised musical comedy show, a band of master improvisers create musical numbers based on audience suggestions. These spur-of-the-moment showstoppers then compete for the coveted Tony – ahem – Phony Awards. The winning song is then fleshed out into a full musical production with a plot, characters, and a grand finale.

Since the production’s inception, the cast has improvised hundreds of songs and musicals. To inspire future audience suggestions during the Denver run, each cast member selected a favorite improvised musical from recent memory.

Improviser: Rob Schiffmann; Co-Artistic Director, Co-Producer, Performer
Song Title: The Electric Fire-Breathing Unicorn Experience
Musical Title: Hazed!

Story Synopsis: Hazed! is the story of a young pledge who is very eager to get into a prestigious fraternity. However, when he is asked to do a ritual that simply goes TOO FAR, he has to decide between what he wants and what he believes. He ends up changing the entire fraternity system, and a few hearts and minds along the way!

Improviser: Heidi Gleichauf; Performer
Song Title: My Wife Left Me Because Her Cooking Makes Me Fart
Musical Title: Borscht

Story Synopsis: This was an odorous love story of a couple, pulled apart by flatulence, set in an undefined European town (probably Russia). The song was fun, the accents were horrible, and bears were mentioned more than once. What more can you ask for?

Improviser: Jamie Spataro; Marketing Manager Extraordinaire
Song Title: My Babysitter Gave Me Too Many Cheeseburgers
Musical Title: Vegan Lovers

Story Synopsis: Vegan Lovers is a story of two vegan activists that meet during a beef protest, fall in love and have a baby. They try to deflect an awkward babysitting experience when their child’s babysitter brings over a box of cheeseburgers for dinner.

Improviser: Greg Triggs; Emcee, Co-Producer
Song Title: I Hate Cats
Musical Title: Why is Andrew Lloyd Webber Trying to Kill Me

Story Synopsis: Easily one of the most memorable choruses we’ve ever had. It was the ultimate game of theatrical stakes revenge. A literal game of cat and mouse as the lead character ducked out of Andrew Lloyd Webber’s death traps. I’d give anything to see it again.

Improvisor: Deb Rabbai; Co-Artistic Director, Co-Producer, Performer
Song Title: Unicorn Tears and Butterfly Hearts
Musical Title: The One in Tights

Story Synopsis: A story about a princess who falls in love with a man who wears tights. The evil sorcerer of the town is also in love with this man who wears tights and places a curse on him that if he should fall in love with someone other than the sorcerer, he will be put to sleep. The princess must find two ingredients to bring to the sorcerer in order to awaken him. Otherwise, her love will be asleep forever.

DETAILS
Broadway’s Next Hit Musical
June 12-30, 2024 • Garner Galleria Theatre
TICKETS