SLAM FRANK, The Bold New Musical Satire That’s Already Dividing the Internet
Begins a run at Asylum NYC This Fall
What happens when a progressive community theater troupe decides that “now is not the time to center privileged, straight, white Europeans (who happened to be hiding from Nazis)”? The answer is Slam Frank, a genre-defying musical satire that’s igniting debate long before opening night.
STAGE TIME, in association with SLAM FRANK LLC, is pleased to present this fearless and controversial new work SLAM FRANK featuring a razor-sharp score by Andrew Fox (orchestrator/arranger of Starkid: Homecoming, SONDHEIM IN THE STYLE OF…) and a book by Joel Sinensky (Daisy Jones & The Six, Wicked, and Roadies). Directed by Sam LaFrage, the production that begins performances on Wednesday, September 17 at 9:30 pm has already sold out the first two weeks of its September run at Asylum NYC (123 E 24th St, NYC), with performances scheduled through October. Tickets are $60-120, https://asylumtix.com/asylumnyc/SLAM
Inspired by a real 2022 Twitter thread asking, “Did Anne Frank ever acknowledge her white privilege?”, Slam Frank takes aim at the intersection of art, absurdity, and identity. The show reimagines Anne Frank’s life through a self-aware lens of overzealous inclusivity: Anita Franco is now a pansexual Latinx girlboss with a hip-hop diary flow; Peter Van Daan is a non-binary dancer struggling against gender norms; and Mister Van Daan, the lone cishet male, is literally worse than the Nazis.
And you, the audience, have the privilege of witnessing it.
CONTENT WARNING: Everything.
WHY IT MATTERS: Slam Frank has already gained viral momentum on social media without a marketing budget and has sold out performances in advance. The project was explicitly rejected by major development programs, most notably being disinvited from the BMI Musical Theater Workshop.
Despite this (or perhaps because of it), Slam Frank has amassed a surprisingly broad coalition of fans—from diversity advocates to anti-woke provocateurs, from Israeli survivors of the Nova Massacre to several of the internet’s most-followed anti-Israel streamers.
In short, Slam Frank may be the most divisive show in New York. And that’s exactly the point.
SLAM FRANK plays the following schedule through Sunday, October 11:
Wednesdays at 9:30 p.m.
Thursdays at 9:30 p.m.
Fridays at 9:30 p.m.
Saturdays at 9:30 p.m. (Saturday October 4 there is an additional 2:00 p.m. performance)
Tickets are $60-120, https://asylumtix.com/asylumnyc/SLAM Tickets may also be purchased in-person at Asylum (*if available) a half hour prior to the performance.
Running Time: 95 minutes
Website: https://www.diaryofslamfrank.com/
@SlamFrankMusical on Instagram
Please note: This is a developmental production. We are not currently seeking reviews, but welcome members of the press interested in covering the broader conversation around the show. We ask that no spoilers—especially the final twenty minutes—be included in any early coverage.
BIOGRAPHIES
STEVEN BRANDON (PRODUCER) Hailing from Australia, Steven was a successful theatre producer before moving to LA where he sold a comedy pilot to ABC Family and was staffed on the CBS sitcom “Friend Me.” Steven co-wrote and directed Lost: The Musical in 2014 and its remount in 2019. He also co-wrote and produced the LA, San Diego, and Off-Broadway runs of Shame of Thrones: The Musical. Steven produced the
successful Los Angeles and Off-Broadway runs of Lewberger and The Wizard of Friendship, and most recently produced and directed the world premiere of The Jewish Priest, The Gangster, & The Magician at the Hollywood Fringe Festival.
ANDREW FOX (CONCEPT, 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 and writer, and the founder and Artistic Director of Ragtag Theatre Company. Winner of the Best Performing Arts Company (KidsPass Parent’s Choice Award), Ragtag Theatre Company is a group of diverse artists dedicated to creating fresh and inclusive theatre for families. His productions of Rapunzel and Cinderella have toured the East Coast and after a sold-out limited engagement run, Cinderella received the Off Broadway Alliance Award for Best Family Show. His work has been called “New York’s most over-the-top take on Cinderella!” (Time Out New York) and “A Must-See” (Out Magazine).
Both Rapunzel (OBA nominee for Best Family Show) and Cinderella (OBA winner) ran Off-Broadway at the SoHo Playhouse, McGinn/Cazale Theater, and Theatre Row, and have been produced by 11 companies and universities in 5 states. His newest play, Snow White, had its first workshop at Playwrights Horizons, and in 2019, Barrington Stage Company presented the World Premiere of his Hansel and Gretel, with music and lyrics by Lewis Flinn (Lysistrata Jones).
Sam served as the Assistant Director and Drag Consultant on the musical adaptation of Douglas Carter Beane’s To Wong Foo slated for Broadway, and currently directs at Pace University. In 2023, he co-founded the Devised Theatre Ensemble at Barrington Stage Company, which produces brand-new original musicals every year.
ALEX LEWIS (ACTOR/PRODUCER) portrays Peter Van Daan in Slam Frank. He’s best known for his viral comedy band Lewberger which tours comedy clubs and theaters around the world, and ran a sold-out off-Broadway show in 2023 titled The Wizard of Friendship. Alex has produced and starred in several musical comedies, including Dear Jerry Seinfeld and Stranger Things The Musical, and can be seen in films and television shows, including Lincoln Lawyer on Netflix, Dexter, Valley Girl, and more.
JOEL SINENSKY (BOOK) was the recipient of a Humanitas “New Voices” Grant, a Nicholl Fellowship, and was a 2024 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 great shows that never aired. He is repped by CAA and Artists First.
STAGE TIME LLC is a nightlife production company redefining what live entertainment means in New York City. Founded by Broadway actor PJ Adzima, STAGE TIME blends the glamour of Broadway, the grit of downtown variety. Anchored by its hit variety show Stage Time with PJ Adzima, the company curates one-of-a-kind events that spotlight the most exciting and diverse performers across genres, uniting siloed scenes to make new-age vaudeville entertainment.
STAGE TIME seeks to find the best in live entertainment to build original shows and events that unite audiences, build community, and wake up the city that never sleeps.
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