A musical entitled “Idol: The Musical” is moving to an off-Broadway engagement on Manhattan’s 45th street this July.  The musical, about a group of teens who idolize former American Idol contestant Clay Aiken will begin a test run at the 45th Street Theatre on July 5th.  The off-Broadway engagement will be produced by Todd Ellis and will be produced by Bill Boland.  “Idol: The Musical”, which has a book by Boland and music written by Jon Balcourt, recently had a run of performances up in Syracuse, New York.

The press notes for the musical describe it as such:

Idol: The Musical is “a satirical musical comedy that focuses on the outrageous and delusional fan base of the hit television show. The musical takes place in Steubenville, Ohio where a group of dork-like students are preparing for their high school graduation after which they are determined to drag themselves out of the dregs of the middle-of-nowhere.  There are eight of them; all belonging to the same cult-like club that meets daily in a barn that doubles as a shrine to Clay Aiken. They are actively ridiculed by the rest of Steubenville; a humiliating situation that doesn’t deter their quest for all things Clay. They are victims of A.D.D., Ritalin, their misguided obsessions and their innocent longing for their elusive ’15 minutes.’”

If you ever wanted any proof at how unfathomably big American Idol is in our culture today (as if you need any), the existence of a musical based on the worship of a former contestant (who really isn’t all that famous) is enough to gage its magnitude.  Idol: The Musical, on first glance, seems like a good idea for a show.  It is unclear (to someone who hasn’t seen the show) what exactly their take is on American Idol.  They could very well bash it throughout the proceedings.  If any of you readers have seen the show, please comment below and tell us about Idol: The Musical.

-Oscar Dahl, BuddyTV Senior Writer 


(Source: PlayBill)
(Image Courtesy of FOX)

Oscar Dahl

Senior Writer, BuddyTV