Off Book: The Improvised Musical

Off Book: The Improvised Musical is a musical theatre podcast hosted by Jessica McKenna and Zach Reino. The show improvises a new musical every episode based on their guests' introduction. The show headlined at the 6th annual SteelStacks Improv Comedy Festival.

Off Book: The Improvised Musical

Background

Zach Reino and Jessica McKenna met in 2011 at the Upright Citizens Brigade Theatre in Los Angeles, California.[1] They created a podcast called Off Book, the Improvised Musical Podcast with Zachary Reino and Jessica McKenna. During each show, Jessica McKenna, Zach Reino, and a guest improvise an entire narrative musical while Scott Passarella plays the piano.[2] Each week the musical is started out by their guest, and the rest of the show is based on the guest's introduction.[3] Sometimes the guests do not have a background or experience with singing.[4] The podcast was produced by Earwolf, but in 2021 the show moved to Art19 Media.[5]

Live events

The show was performed live on October 4, 2018 at the Dallas Comedy House in Deep Ellum.[6] On October 5, 2018, the show performed live at Station Theatre's Trill Fest located in Houston, Texas.[7] The show was performed live at the Charlotte Martin Theatre in Seattle during Bumbershoot on September 1, 2018 [8] The show was performed live at the London Podcast festival in 2019.[9] The show was performed at the Kansas City Improv Festival on August 16, 2019.[10] The show headlined the 6th annual SteelStacks Improv Comedy Festival on January 25, 2019 in Bethlehem, Pennsylvannia.[11][12]

Reception

Roger Levesque gave one of their live performances four out of five stars in the Edmonton Journal.[13] Tom Rainey praised the live episode titled "Forecast: Puberty Live! (With Nicole Byer and John Gemberling)" in Vulture saying that "the charm, charisma, and serious improv skills on display helped blow the roof off".[14] The podcast was included on IndieWire's list of best podcasts in 2018 and 2019.[15][16]

References
  1. Khatchatryan, Astgik (December 3, 2018). "O.C. Duo Team Up for "Off Book: The Improvised Musical Podcast"". Orange Coast Magazine. Hour Media Group, LLC. Archived from the original on December 21, 2022. Retrieved December 21, 2022.
  2. Bulnes, Rebecca (August 7, 2017). "The SportsAlcohol Podcast Reviews the Gems and Duds of 1997's Summer Cinema". The A.V. Club. G/O Media. Archived from the original on December 21, 2022. Retrieved December 21, 2022.
  3. Mallenbaum, Carly (August 2, 2017). "Podcast Pick: 'Off Book' Improvises a Musical Every Episode". USA Today. Gannett. Archived from the original on December 21, 2022. Retrieved December 21, 2022.
  4. Simonson, C. J. (February 16, 2018). "Podcast of the Week: Off Book". Crossfader Magazine. Archived from the original on December 21, 2022. Retrieved December 21, 2022.
  5. Hill, Brad (January 27, 2021). ""Off Book" Departs Earwolf to Art19, for Hosting and Exclusive Ad Sales". Rain News. Archived from the original on December 21, 2022. Retrieved December 21, 2022.
  6. Gallagher, Danny (October 4, 2018). "Off Book Podcast Hosts Jessica Mckenna and Zach Reino Make Up Musicals on the Spot". Dallas Observer. Voice Media Group. Archived from the original on December 21, 2022. Retrieved December 21, 2022.
  7. Shuttee, Vic (September 26, 2018). "Improvised Musical Podcast Off Book Hits Trill Fest Without a Net". Houston Press. Archived from the original on December 21, 2022. Retrieved December 21, 2022.
  8. Sommerfeld, Seth (August 29, 2018). "'Off Book': Silly Story Singing Sans Script—The Broadway-Worthy Hijinks of 'Off Book: The Improvised Musical' Podcast Come to Bumbershoot". Seattle Weekly. Sound Publishing. Archived from the original on December 21, 2022. Retrieved December 21, 2022.
  9. Austwick, Martin (July 20, 2022). "Helen Zaltzman and Martin Austwick: The 10 Funniest Things We Have Ever Seen (On the Internet)". The Guardian. Guardian Media Group. Archived from the original on December 21, 2022. Retrieved December 21, 2022.
  10. Mackie, Michael (August 3, 2019). "Ha-larious Podcasters the Zach and the Jess Are Coming to the Kansas City Improv Festival". In Kansas City Magazine. KC Media. Archived from the original on December 21, 2022. Retrieved December 21, 2022.
  11. Moser, John J. (January 2, 2019). "Stars of Comedy Central, Hit Podcast to Headline 6th SteelStacks Improv Comedy Festival". The Morning Call. Alden Global Capital. Archived from the original on December 21, 2022. Retrieved December 21, 2022.
  12. "SteelStacks Comedy Festival Returns". The Bucks County Herald. January 23, 2019. Archived from the original on December 21, 2022. Retrieved December 21, 2022.
  13. Levesque, Roger (August 13, 2021). "Fringe Review: Off Book: The Improvised Musical". Edmonton Journal. Postmedia Network. Archived from the original on August 14, 2021. Retrieved December 21, 2022.
  14. Rainey, Tom (December 19, 2018). "The Year in Comedy Podcasts: From the End of 2 Dope Queens to the Beginning of Conan O'brien Needs a Friend". Vulture. Vox Media. Archived from the original on January 3, 2023. Retrieved December 21, 2022.
  15. Greene, Steve (December 14, 2018). "The 50 Best Podcast Episodes of 2018". IndieWire. Penske Media Corporation. Archived from the original on December 24, 2018. Retrieved December 21, 2022.
  16. Greene, Steve (December 16, 2019). "The 50 Best Podcast Episodes of 2019". IndieWire. Penske Media Corporation. Archived from the original on April 7, 2022. Retrieved December 21, 2022.
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