Small Ball, Big Swing
Philadelphia Theatre Company Steps Up for New Musicals
My 40‑year‑old son doesn’t care about musicals. Not remotely. But a few weeks ago, he called me up, buzzing with excitement — not about Guys and Dolls or Hadestown, but about Small Ball, the new musical at Philadelphia Theatre Company. He’d heard about it not from a theater newsletter or an arts blog, but on a podcast devoted to the Philadelphia 76ers.
“Are you going to meet Daryl Morey?” he asked. (As it turns out, I didn’t.) What followed was a passionate 10‑minute download about the Sixers, Morey’s stats‑driven approach to basketball, and the curious fact that the team’s general manager was now somehow involved in a musical.
He still didn’t come to the show. But he cared that the show existed — and in this city, that’s saying something.
Philadelphia is a sports town, and Small Ball leaned into that truth in its marketing. Even though the subtitle called it “an offbeat musical,” the promotional emphasis on Morey’s involvement — and the idea of a basketball musical — signaled to audiences that this was no ordinary night at the theater. It was something different.
🏀 A Big Swing in a Small World
Small Ball reminded me, perhaps unavoidably, of Here We Are, the final Sondheim musical I wrote about recently. Both defy gravity; both embrace surrealism. But while Here We Are uses its strangeness to reveal existential truths, Small Ballcelebrates peculiarity for its own sake — from a six‑inch tall basketball team in Lilliput, to a coach named Phil Jackson, to relationships that unfold off‑court and off‑stage.
There’s inventiveness here, and real heart in the relationships — especially between coach and wife, and among Lilli, her teammate Michael Jordan, and the other Existers. Yet the absence of a staged championship game — among other abstruse choices — often leaves the show feeling charmingly odd rather than hauntingly purposeful.
And yet — and this is important — I’m still glad it exists.
🎭 Two Musicals, Two Models of Support
This season, Philadelphia Theatre Company produced not one but two new musicals. That alone is cause for celebration. In a city where most major institutions program safe revivals or well-tested imports, PTC has positioned itself as a home for work that defies easy categorization.
What’s striking is how different the two productions were — not just in subject matter, but in origin.
Night Side Songs, with words and music by brothers Daniel and Patrick Lazour and direction by Taibi Magar, is a haunting 100‑minute musical about illness, mortality, and caregiving. A project of PTC in association with American Repertory Theater, it premiered in hospital settings and community spaces across the city before a fully staged run at the Suzanne Roberts Theatre. Drawing directly from interviews with real caregivers and health professionals, the show transcended performance to become a form of collective empathy. Its impact was immediate: it resonated with hospital staff, moved audiences to tears, and earned glowing coverage. And now — in an extraordinary vote of confidence — it’s set to be produced next season by Lincoln Center Theater.
Small Ball, in contrast, arrived with a different kind of momentum. It had two previous productions — in Houston and Denver — both supported by Daryl Morey, who serves on PTC’s board. Morey believed in the project enough to co‑produce it, and the show has clearly become something of his “baby.”
And that’s worth celebrating.
We need more champions in musical theatre — patrons with vision and the conviction to support work that’s unexpected, risky, and off the beaten path. It’s easy to play it safe. It takes courage to say yes to a piece whose oddness dares you to watch it anyway. Morey did that. PTC did that. Philadelphia did that — and the city is richer for it.
🤝 A Vision Worth Building On
That’s why this moment feels like more than just a one-off. It feels like the start of something.
At MusiCoLab, we've been cultivating space for new musicals in Philly: readings, workshops, creative gatherings. We've seen the thrill of discovery — and we've learned how much artists thrive with the right support. But workshops are only the first chapter. The next chapter is production — and that's where partnerships matter.
Philadelphia Theatre Company has shown what bold, thoughtful programming looks like: Night Side Songs, rooted in community and meaning; Small Ball, improbably likable and imaginatively off‑center. These two shows represent complementary models: the organic and the patron‑driven, the inwardly reflective and the outwardly experimental.
What if we could hold both in balance? What if MusiCoLab and PTC, together, could elevate Philly as a place that develops and produces new musicals worthy of national attention — musicals that are unapologetically original, emotionally rich, and deeply connected to their inception?
I believe that vision is not only possible, but already in motion.
🚨 Coming Soon: Red & Black
This August, MusiCoLab will present a developmental workshop of Red & Black at the Louis Bluver Theatre at the Drake, with performances on Wednesday, August 20 and Thursday, August 21 at 7 PM.
Written by Nick Hatcher, Sheridan Merrick, and David Thomas and directed by Lindsay Smiling, Red & Black is a compelling portrait of an urban Black family confronting racism, violence, justice, and the search for healing in contemporary America. The piece began as part of our Spotlight Series, and was selected for this full-length workshop based on its power, originality, and relevance.
🌟 Join the Momentum
If you believe — as we do — that Philadelphia can become a true powerhouse for the development and production of new musicals, here’s how to be part of it:
Attend the Red & Black workshop in August and support this team of extraordinary Philadelphia artists. (Tickets here.)
Stay connected with MusiCoLab through our website, mailing list, or social media.
Spread the word — to artists, educators, arts leaders, and audiences who care about original musical theatre and the stories we need now.
This is how new musicals happen: through passion, partnership, and the courage to try something new.
Let’s keep building — together.
Coming Up Next:
Next week, I’ll be exploring a fascinating thread running through some of musical theatre’s most notorious works — why we so often find ourselves rooting for characters who behave badly. From The Producers to Little Shop of Horrors, and from Sondheim to my own new musical Lawless, I’ll reflect on what this says about the power of musicals to challenge, complicate, and connect us. Stay tuned!