Off-Broadway's SLAM FRANK announces cast for Orpheum run

GFOUR PRODUCTIONS ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ STAGE TIME
​STEVEN BRANDON ​ ​ ANDREW FOX ​ ​ ALEX LEWIS ​ ​ JOEL SINENSKY

Proudly Present the Off-Broadway Premiere of

New York Times Best Comedy of 2025, "Gleefully Provocative”

“The most important new show around.” — Ben Brantley, former New York Times critic

“The closest thing off-Broadway has to an episode of South Park.” — TheaterMania

“Bold, triggering, brilliant. Exactly what satire is meant to be.” — Israel Times

“The best use of theater expression in a long time.” — Theatre Beyond Broadway

“A special treat!” – Drift Magazine

SLAM FRANK

The Anne-Frank Afro-Latin Hip-Hop Musical

Music and Lyrics by ANDREW FOX ​
​Book by ​ JOEL SINENSKY

Starring OLIVIA BERNÁBE, AMELIA LOUISE BARR, JOHN ANKER BOW, AUSTEN HORNE, ALEX LEWIS, ​ ROCKY PATERRA, JAZ ZEPATOS, WALKER STOVALL

Music Direction by ALEX HARRINGTON
​Choreography by ESOSA OVIASU

Directed by SAM LAFRAGE

Performances Begin September 17

Opening October 4 - November 30, 2026
​ORPHEUM THEATRE

TICKETS ON SALE AT SLAMFRANKMUSICAL.COM

NEW YORK, NY — Tuesday, August 11, 2026: GFour Productions, Stage Time, Steven Brandon, Andrew Fox, Alex Lewis, and Joel Sinensky are pleased to announce the complete cast of Andrew Fox and Joel Sinensky’s SLAM FRANK, choreographed by Esosa Oviasu, music directed by Alex Harrington, and directed by Sam LaFrage. Fox conceived, composed, and co-wrote the show with Sinensky, drawing from real statements and online discourse that reimagines Anne Frank’s story through an intersectional, multiethnic, genderqueer, Afro-Latin hip-hop lens. Previews begin on September 17 and continue through November 30, 2026 will open Off-Broadway at the Orpheum Theatre (126 2nd Avenue, NYC) on October 4, 2026. ​

The cast includes most of the originating ensemble from the developmental run: Olivia Bernábe as Anita (Anne), Alex Lewis as Peter, Austen Horne as Edith, Rocky Paterra as Otto, John Anker Bow as Mr. Van Daan, Jaz Zepatos as Mrs. Van Daan, Walker Stovall as Asst. Stage Manager and introducing Amelia Louise Barr as Margot. ​ Understudies include Olamide Asanpaola, Ashlyn Combs, Matthew Krob, Isabella Orosco and Keegan Sells.

Inspired by a 2022 viral Twitter thread that asked, “Did Anne Frank ever acknowledge her white privilege?”, SLAM FRANK imagines what happens when a progressive theater company asks themselves that same question, applying the rules and tropes of progressive theater to The Diary of Anne Frank. Transcending all taste and decency, they transform Anne Frank’s true story into an intersectional, multi-ethnic, genderqueer, decolonized, anti-capitalist, hyper-empowering Afro-Latin hip-hop musical.

The result is one of the most talked-about, argued-about, and laughed-about productions—part satire, part reckoning, all conversation-starter.

Critics have called SLAM FRANK one of the boldest theatrical experiences of 2025. Former New York Times critic Ben Brantley praised it as “the most important show around,” applauding its fearless theatricality. Zachary Stewart of TheaterMania raved, “If you love the theater and want it to once again be a safe space for dangerous thought, the best thing you can do is buy a ticket to SLAM FRANK and laugh your ass off. I promise, it won’t be difficult!”

The production features scenic design by Adam Koch, costume design by Sarah Lockwood, and lighting design by Jamie Roderick. Gage Baker is the sound designer, Zack Lobel is the video designer, Nicholas Ferarri is the associate video designer, Devin Orr is the props designer, and Nikita Chernin is the stage manager. Production Management by Stuart Metcalf, General Management by Evan Bernardin Productions, Company Management by Carlwell Redmon, Casting by Karie Koppel, Marketing and Publicity by Katie Rosin/Kampfire.

BIOGRAPHIES

ANDREW FOX (Music, Lyrics) In 2020, Andrew co-wrote The Last Magic Negro with Jamil Ellis, which was as successful as you’d expect a show with that title to be. Orchestrations include Starkid: Homecoming and Twisted: The Untold Story of a Royal Vizier. Andrew produced the SONDHEIM IN THE STYLE OF... visual album, and the viral video “A Thousand Giant Steps”, which has more views than it deserves.

SAM LAFRAGE (Director) ​ is an award-winning director, writer, and Artistic Director of Ragtag Theatre Company. His productions of Rapunzel and Cinderella have toured the East Coast, with Cinderella winning the Off-Broadway Alliance Award for Best Family Show after a sold-out run. Time Out New York hailed it as “New York’s most over-the-top take on Cinderella!” while Out Magazine called it “A Must-See.” Both Rapunzel (OBA nominee) and Cinderella (OBA winner) ran Off-Broadway at the SoHo Playhouse, McGinn/Cazale Theater, and Theatre Row, and have since been produced by eleven companies and universities in five states. Additional credits include: Snow White (Playwrights Horizons), Hansel and Gretel (Barrington Stage), Dome (Pace University), Sassy Cinderella (Sharon Playhouse), Jack and the Beanstalk (Barrington Stage), and The Substance (Laurie Beechman). He served as Assistant Director/Drag Consultant on Douglas Carter Beane’s To Wong Foo and teaches Devised Theatre at Barrington Stage Company. Sam is currently the director of the Off- Broadway hit SLAM FRANK, which Ben Brantley of The New York Times called “the most important new show around.”

JOEL SINENSKY (Book) was the recipient of a Humanitas “New Voices” Grant, a Nicholl Fellowship, and was a fellow with the Almanack Screenwriters Colony. Over more than a decade in Hollywood, he has worked on numerous high-profile productions, including “Roadies” for Showtime, “Daisy Jones & The Six” for Amazon, and the “Wicked” films for Universal Pictures, as well as selling and developing some really great shows that never aired. He is a co-writer of YEAR ZERO, a comic book anthology produced by Chapo Trap House, and is currently developing a new project with Bold Films. He is repped by Artists First.

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