Exclusive: Cast and Creatives on Must-See New Musical Film BROTHERHOOD

BroadwayWorld spoke with cast and creatives at the Salt Lake City red carpet premiere of BROTHERHOOD: A CINEMATIC MUSICAL, an emotional, must-see film now playing in movie theaters in select cities.  Mexican immigrant Fabián loves this country, and though he’s working hard to reach the American dream, it’s slipping through his fingers.  His neighbor Jon is struggling to connect with him, but when unexpected events turn life on its head, he digs deep and discovers empathy to understand.

The deep character development of the film is driven by 16 phenomenal original songs from writer/composer/director Ross Boothe with DNA from pop, Latin and contemporary Broadway music.  Think a combination of the movie musicals A WEEK AWAY, IN THE HEIGHTS, and DEAR EVAN HANSEN.

Although a few elements occasionally veer a bit trite or sentimental, the simple yet impactful storyline, powerful performances, and thrilling music could easily reduce you to tears several times before it ends.

“I'm going to present a very human experience, punctuated with music that's designed to help you feel things about who human beings are and how much we all matter,” said Boothe.  “For me, music is all about opening up our hearts as an audience to receive a message that matters and a message that can literally bless and change our community.”

“Music has a very unique way of speaking to our souls,” said Casey Elliott (LAMB OF GOD: THE CONCERT FILM), who plays Jon. “It's so smart, really, of Ross to write this as a musical because the songs are beautiful, the songs are fun, and they have really important messages and principles that I think will resonate with people.”

“I think it was very smart of him to make it into musical because music is a universal language, you know, and it touches you in ways that other mediums can't,” said Mauricio Martínez (ON YOUR FEET!), who plays Fabián.  “Of course, I'm a musical theater person, so it's easier for me to relate. But I think it was very smart because this story needs to be very heartfelt. It needs to get through, and I think a very particular way to get through to people is through music.”

“It's amazing songs and these amazing vocals and the amazing story within a story inside these songs that just elevates it to another level,” said co-executive producer Daren Smith.  “Ross, myself, the cast and crew—we are fans of musicals. Can't tell you how many people said, ‘I've always wanted to work on a musical,’ and they've never been able to. So you have that inherent love of musicals in the people that are making the movie.  I mean, the way that the music elevates the story, it's just pretty incredible.”

Both Martínez and Elliott independently named “Venimos,” sung by Fabián, as their favorite song in the score.  

“It takes you on a journey and describes what it's like to be an immigrant, what it's like to leave your country, your homeland, and to come to this new home, but without forgetting where you come from,” Martínez said.  “And it’s very moving.  It’s very epic.”

“I just love the theatrical journey that song takes,” Elliott said. “I feel like it's probably one of the most musical theatre songs in the movie.”

“He has a beautiful song, too, that he sings in the church,” Martínez added, referring to “How to Love You,” sung by Jon.

“The message of it is so beautiful,” Elliott said. “The way it was staged in the film, so beautiful.”

“In the spirit of the great musical theatre masterworks, I love the idea of establishing themes and revisiting them and reimagining them,” Boothe said.  “The main theme of this score is ‘Two Worlds Next Door.’ It's first sung by Jon and Fabián and their two teenage kids. That's the first time we hear it in the show, and it kind of punctuates the first moment that these two men connect in any kind of way. But then that theme, that melody, that lyrical idea recurs quite a few times through the life of the score, and each time it's imbued with kind of another layer of what it means. So by the time we hear it for the last time, and it's the end of the movie, it has so much weight, and it's grown and become so much more.”

“Ross has this really cool ability to tell the story through song, to where you're actually hearing the vulnerability, you're hearing their heartache or their struggles or the joy or the culture come through, and it's pretty incredible that you can do that so many different times in so many different genres in this movie,” Smith said.

“I'm really just excited for people to see it, you know, and to hear what people think about it,” Elliott said. “I think what will happen is people will go not really knowing what to expect, and then they'll leave really excited about sharing it with their friends.”

Quotes have been edited for conciseness and clarity.