Sometimes good musicals simply refuse to die. Sooner or later, with a little bit of theatrical karma taking effect, they resurface with a new lease on life. In 2003, I wrote very enthusiastically in Back Stage about the zany and melodic "Jesus' Kid Brother," when it premiered at the intimate Hudson Mainstage Theatre in Hollywood. I adored the rousing pop/rock score (including jaunty songs like "Leper in the House") and called the show "a deliciously irreverent spoof." I also wrote, "there's scarcely a second to come up for air between laughs."
This lighthearted Biblical riff about the travails of JC's underachieving young brother was written by two high-achieving siblings, Brian and Mark Karmelich (shown above, left to right, respectively), who collaborated on the book and score. The duo shared a Los Angeles Drama Critics Circle nomination for the score, and other LADCC nominations for the show included production, direction (Jules Aaron) and choreography (Brian Paul Mendoza).
It was again produced in the L.A. area in 2006 in a less accomplished staging at a larger venue, the International City Theatre in Long Beach. But it remained clear that the material was something truly special, and the show deserved to survive and thrive in new productions. Astonishingly, that had never happened--until now.
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