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Fox News: The Musical premieres this week in North Hollywood. The new, Kickstarter-funded show lampoons Fox News while encouraging the audience to come together and examine the way we interact with the news and the world around us. The story follows a young liberal journalist named Hope who finds herself working at the network and tries to climb its corporate ladder. While there, she encounters media bias, the patriarchy, and the struggle faced by any journalist trying to leave a strong impact. It's a full-length rock musical that lovingly lampoons older musical styles while remaining accessible to all audience members, regardless of their musical knowledge.
Writer Eric Phillips had been working on the show for over a year. Last summer, he brought on composers and lyricists Joanna Castle Miller and Bradley Brough. As the three of them wrote about sexual harassment and the possibility of fake news bringing people into power, the 2016 election and Fox News' controversies unfolded around them—what began as a timeless musical later morphed into an eerie reflection of our new reality. The musical avoids mentioning anyone real by name, and remains true to the world of the show, but it undoubtedly offers the chance to reflect on America's real-time dilemma of navigating such a partisan landscape.
The cast comes with backgrounds in sketch, improv, live theater, and musical performance, so they're bringing a deep skill set to the words and music that Phillips, Castle Miller, and Brough have created. The show makes a point to develop each lead and ensemble character. As a result, no one storyline or point of view is privileged over another. This allows anyone to enjoy the show, regardless of the type of media they consume.
Fox News: The Musical runs Thursday to Sunday at the Secret Rose Theater located at 11246 W Magnolia Blvd, North Hollywood, CA 91601. Tickets are $20 and can be purchased here.
