GOOD GUY WITH A GUN! Comedy Album Out Now Starring Chris Sullivan
Kimiko Glenn and Rebecca Naomi Jones join the cast of the viral concept album's full release.
GOOD GUY WITH A GUN!, a musical comedy concept album that built an online following through viral clips and behind-the-scenes videos, is available in full today across digital streaming platforms. The album stars Chris Sullivan and Kimiko Glenn and was first announced in June by Playbill.
The decision to make the full album available everywhere at once was an intentional choice by Labes and O'Konis, who didn't want high ticket prices or a fixed stage production to be a barrier to the work.
'If you can't make it to a Broadway theater, you can still have a Broadway-level experience listening to this album,' said Glenn, who stars as Jenna, the liberal teenage daughter of an NRA lobbyist. 'The show is hilarious but will tug at your heart strings when you're least expecting it.'
In addition to Glenn, Sullivan, and Jones, the cast features an unbelievable list of film, Broadway, and TV actors including Anthony Rapp (Rent), Yvette Nicole Brown ('Community,' 'Curb Your Enthusiasm,' 'The Office'), Jason Alexander ('Seinfeld,' Merrily We Roll Along), Richard Kind ('Mad About You,' 'Curb Your Enthusiasm'), Kristen Schaal ('Flight of the Conchords'), and Emmy-winning actor Paul Walter Hauser.
Labes and O'Konis recruited friend/Musical Director/Executive Music Producer Hal Rosenfeld (The Greatest Showman, In The Heights, 'Only Murders in the Building,' Top Gun: Maverick, and Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street) to bring the project to full sonic life, and one by one, the cast signed on to the project, fully believing in the trio's vision.
'I've been blown away by Micah and Philip's work along with my incredible castmates,' said Sullivan, who plays Ron. 'Good Guy with a Gun! is the heir apparent to the musical, satiric throne.'
'In the face of rising fascism, brave political art is important!' said Brown, who portrays Ron's wife and Jenna's mother. 'Some are probably already imagining Good Guy with a Gun! is just a cheap laugh at the expense of conservatives, but it's not -- it's a surprisingly even-handed, heartfelt comedy. It reminds us that despite the divisive words of certain politicians, what unites us is much more important than what divides us.'
In an interview with O'Konis, The Los Angeles Blade calls Good Guy with a Gun! 'An endlessly catchy journey filled with as much dark humor as it is astute critiques of modern politics.'
About Good Guy with a Gun!
Set in Washington, DC, Good Guy with a Gun! tells the story of NRA lobbyist Ron Barkley (Sullivan) and his daughter Jenna (Glenn), who attends protests with her stoner boyfriend (Labes). When Ron is confronted at gunpoint by a disgruntled keyboard warrior (Rapp), he prays to God (Alexander) for help and receives it in the form of a magical gun that makes people conservative. Ron uses the gun to brainwash Jenna's friends, driving the two of them apart, and in response, Jenna prays for a magical weapon of her own– a megaphone that turns people liberal. Now Jenna has the chance to turn her dad into the person she's always wanted him to be.
About the Creators
Philip Labes (he/him) is a musician, actor, and writer whose work has garnered a fanbase of hundreds of thousands. After ten years of street performing in LA, Philip gained quick viral fame on TikTok, where he was spotted by Jason Mraz and invited to open on the Grammy-winner's North American tour. That experience was captured by documentarian Jeff Toye in collaboration with DreamOps Studios to create the new documentary, The Opener, set to a soundtrack of Labes' songs, executive produced by Mraz. His viral songs have generated tens of millions of views on TikTok and Instagram, and frequently reach the front page of Reddit and Tumblr. He has written for TV shows on the CW and digital, and acted in HBO's 'Watchmen,' 'Minx,' and the upcoming Duster from JJ Abrams.
Micah O'Konis (they/them) is a writer and musician based in Los Angeles. They co-created the award-winning musical comedy Good Guy with a Gun, which ran for two years at Second City and toured to San Francisco. Micah creates musical comedy with their spouse as Couplet, online and in-person at this year's Edinburgh Fringe Festival. Micah also writes and performs with 'Quick & Funny Musicals' at the Upright Citizen's Brigade monthly. Their music has been featured on FX, and their scoring accompanies the award-winning Cannes film Buster Baby, as well as a national tourism campaign for San Francisco.
Hal Rosenfeld (he/him) is a composer, music producer, percussionist, and orchestrator whose work can be heard in over 300 films, television shows, and video games. Hal has been involved with projects that have garnered Emmy, Grammy, Oscar, and Tony recognition, including The Greatest Showman, Fosse/Verdon, In the Heights, Fortnite, Only Murders in the Building, Top Gun: Maverick, and Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street (2023). He recently produced songs for Paramount's Robbie Williams biopic, Better Man, which became a #1 album in the UK, as well as songs for major label artists like Meghan Trainor, jschlatt, Elliot James Reay, Rosa Linn, as well as on albums that total millions of unit sales and over 1 billion Spotify streams, globally. Working outside of film and television, Hal has appeared with Ringo Starr, Lady Gaga, Laufey, Hozier, Yoko Ono, Jonas Brothers, Hans Zimmer, Kelly Clarkson, Andrea Bocelli, and Sting.
Good Guy with a Gun! credits Philip Labes and Micah O'Konis for Book/Music/Lyrics, and Hal Rosenfeld as Executive Music Producer/Musical Director.
Tracklist
In The Beginning… (Dialogue)
I'm The Good Guy
I Can't Talk To You
When Everyone Has A Gun
Protesters Gather (Dialogue)
Do The Lobby
Your Hot Boyfriend (Dialogue)
Liberal Love
Thanks For Dinner (Dialogue)
The Bad Guy
Do You Really Hate Me, Or Want To… (Dialogue)
Be Like Me
I Know It Sounds Crazy, But It's Real (Dialogue)
N-R-AMEN!
Tips From A Master Debater (Dialogue)
Good Guy With A Gun
He Sounds Toxic (Dialogue)
Semi-Automatically
Ronpublicans vs. Jennacrats
On The Day (The Second Amendment Is Wiped Away)
I'd Rather Be At Brunch (Dialogue)
I Like To…
The Democratic Party (Dialogue)
Liberal Guilt Trip
A Perfect Life (Dialogue)
Simple and Easy
I Thought You'd Be Grateful (Dialogue)
I Can't Talk To You (Reprise)
A False Dichotomy (Dialogue)
Heaven!
Was All Of This For Nothing? (Dialogue)
God Only Knows
What I Love (Dialogue)
The Other Side
This Just In (Dialogue)
Finale
Songs from the album, including the gospel number N-R-AMEN! performed by Rebecca Naomi Jones and the ensemble track On The Day (The Second Amendment Is Wiped Away), had already drawn more than 10 million views across social media platforms before the album's release, with N-R-AMEN! seeing streams increase by more than 2600% in its first week. The project was created by Philip Labes and Micah O'Konis.
