The Connector
Closing: March 17, 2024The Connector - 2024 Off-Broadway History , Info & More
MCC Theater
511 West 52nd St New York, NY 10019
From Tony Award-winning composer JASON ROBERT BROWN (PARADE) comes a timely new musical about two talented young journalists on increasingly diverging paths. Set in the late 1990s amid a rapidly changing media landscape we meet a fast-rising journalist, Ethan Dobson, and an assistant copy editor, Robin Martinez, at the revered magazine The Connector. In a world that values the next big sensation, Ethan’s writing prowess and ambition force him to confront how far he’ll go for the ultimate scoop and Robin to consider how far she’ll go to stop him.
With a book by JONATHAN MARC SHERMAN, THE CONNECTOR will feature Brown leading the band at each performance and reuniting with THE LAST FIVE YEARS and SONGS FOR A NEW WORLD director DAISY PRINCE.
The Connector - 2024 - Off-Broadway Cast
FEATURED REVIEWS FOR The Connector
The Connector Review: Truth or Consequences
6 / 10
If there’s a red pen waiting for The Connector, perhaps it should underline the challenges of telling a tale with a twist that most of the audience will see coming from miles off. (The creative team hasn’t been shy about giving the game away in interviews either.) Indeed, you may wonder if there’s merit in an edit that, by spilling the beans earlier on, spent more time in trying to make sense of Ethan’s unraveling rather than simply hurtling toward it. Perhaps, but The Connector’s momentum is already pretty addictive, thanks to the electric collaboration of the writers and director Daisy Prince, who brought the concept to Brown shortly after helming his off-Broadway musical The Last Five Years in 2002. Prince keeps Robin and Ethan’s officemates constantly in motion and always on stage, either typing away at their desks or observing the action with intense curiosity, offering backing vocals while perched on piles of manuscripts that tower on either side of the stage. And Brown’s score, livelier if less sweeping than those for Parade and The Bridges of Madison County but more clever and compact than anything else he’s written, keeps moving too. Where he most excels as a composer, in soaring vocal lines that gaze down on nomadic grooves laced with sizzling piano licks, is the perfect landscape for a show like this. (He also conducts the show’s entire run from the keyboard.)
Review: Fake News Makes Musical Headlines in ‘The Connector’
4 / 10
Following a book that lurches from satire to workplace drama, Brown’s score surfs various idioms, none of which really stick. There are stretches of ’90s power pop (reminiscent of Jonathan Larson), bossa nova, Hamilton–style hip hop, and an overblown sequence set in Israel (or which Ethan claims happens in Israel) where klezmer rock gives way to a Bo Diddley beat. Brown is too strong a composer not to produce intriguing melodies and colorful orchestration and arrangements, but few songs emerge from dimensional people with conflicts we can care about; it’s mostly abstract notions of language, truth, or sexist power structures. Having contributed major works such as Parade and The Bridges of Madison County, plus the beloved two-hander The Last Five Years, Brown deserves a better foundation for his talents.
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Video: Watch Scott Bakula Sing 'The Whole World Changed' from THE CONNECTOR
by Chloe Rabinowitz - March 14, 2024
by Chloe Rabinowitz - March 14, 2024
Watch a clip of Scott Bakula singing in The Connector at MCC Theater! Learn more about the show and see how to purchase tickets.
Video: Watch the Set Come Together for THE CONNECTOR
by Nicole Rosky - March 5, 2024
by Nicole Rosky - March 5, 2024
How does a set come together? Well it certainly takes more than 60 seconds... but in this video, watch as Beowulf Boritt's design for The Connector is built in just one minute.
Original Cast Recording of Jason Robert Brown's THE CONNECTOR Will Be Released This Spring
by Stephi Wild - February 14, 2024
by Stephi Wild - February 14, 2024
Concord Theatricals Recordings will release the original cast recording of MCC Theater’s world premiere production of Jason Robert Brown's The Connector.
Photos: Peter Dinklage, Ben Platt, Joel Grey & More Celebrate THE CONNECTOR Opening Night
by Bruce Glikas - February 7, 2024
by Bruce Glikas - February 7, 2024
MCC Theater's The Connector officially opened February 6. Check out photos from opening night here!
Review Roundup: Jason Robert Brown's THE CONNECTOR Opens At MCC Theater
by A.A. Cristi - February 6, 2024
by A.A. Cristi - February 6, 2024
MCC Theater presents The Connector, a new musical. From Tony Award-winning composer Jason Robert Brown (Parade) comes a timely new musical about two talented young journalists on increasingly diverging paths. Read the reviews!
World Premiere of Jason Robert Brown's THE CONNECTOR Extends for a Final Time at MCC Theater
by Chloe Rabinowitz - February 6, 2024
by Chloe Rabinowitz - February 6, 2024
MCC Theater's The Connector, a new musical with a book by Jonathan Marc Sherman, music and lyrics by Tony Award winner Jason Robert Brown, conceived and directed by Daisy Prince, and choreographed by Karla Puno Garcia has been extended. Learn how to purchase tickets!
Photos: Get a First Look at Jason Robert Brown's THE CONNECTOR at MCC Theater
by Chloe Rabinowitz - January 25, 2024
by Chloe Rabinowitz - January 25, 2024
Get a first look at photos of Jason Robert Brown's The Connector at MCC Theater!
Interview: Jessica Molaskey Talks Reuniting with Jason Robert Brown and Daisy Prince for New Musical THE CONNECTOR
by Chloe Rabinowitz - January 10, 2024
by Chloe Rabinowitz - January 10, 2024
BroadwayWorld spoke with Jessica Molaskey, one of the stars of the new Jason Robert Brown musical, The Connector. Learn about the show here!
The Connector FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
How long has The Connector been running Off-Broadway?
The Connector opened at the MCC Theater on Tuesday Feb 06, 2024 and has now been running for 1 month.
The Connector History
Other Productions of The Connector
| 2018 | Regional (US) |
Powerhouse Season Workshop Regional (US) |
| 2024 | Off-Broadway |
MCC Theater Off-Broadway Premiere Production Off-Broadway |
The Connector - 2024 Off-Broadway Awards and Nominations
Note: Award winners will appear on a background
| Year | Ceremony | Category | Nominee |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | Drama Desk Awards | Outstanding Costume Design of a Musical | Márion Talán de la Rosa |
| 2024 | Drama Desk Awards | Outstanding Direction of a Musical | Daisy Prince |
| 2024 | Drama Desk Awards | Outstanding Lead Performance in a Musical | Ben Levi Ross |
| 2024 | Drama Desk Awards | Outstanding Lighting Design of a Musical | Jeanette Oi-Suk Yew |
| 2024 | Drama Desk Awards | Outstanding Lyrics | Jason Robert Brown |
| 2024 | Drama Desk Awards | Outstanding Music | Jason Robert Brown |
| 2024 | Drama Desk Awards | Outstanding Musical | The Connector |
| 2024 | Drama Desk Awards | Outstanding Projection and Video Design | Jeanette Oi-Suk Yew |
| 2024 | Outer Critics Circle Awards | Outstanding Book of a Musical (Broadway or Off-Broadway) | Jonathan Marc Sherman |
| 2024 | Outer Critics Circle Awards | Outstanding Direction of a Musical (Broadway or Off-Broadway) | Daisy Prince |
| 2024 | Outer Critics Circle Awards | Outstanding Featured Performer in an Off-Broadway Musical | Jessica Molaskey |
| 2024 | Outer Critics Circle Awards | Outstanding Featured Performer in an Off-Broadway Musical | Hannah Cruz |
| 2024 | Outer Critics Circle Awards | Outstanding Lead Performer in an Off-Broadway Musical | Ben Levi Ross |
| 2024 | Outer Critics Circle Awards | Outstanding New Off-Broadway Musical | The Connector |
| 2024 | Outer Critics Circle Awards | Outstanding Score (Broadway or Off-Broadway) | Jason Robert Brown |
| 2024 | The Lortels | Outstanding Featured Performer in a Musical | Jessica Molaskey |
| 2024 | The Lortels | Outstanding Projection Design | Jeanette Oi-Suk Yew |
Videos