The Creation of Broadside the Musical

Broadside the Musical began with America's approaching 250th birthday. Composer, lyricist, playwright and librettist April Alsup wanted to explore the American Revolution without simply retelling the familiar story of battles and Founding Fathers. The inspiration came instead from the single sheets of printed paper that carried news, political arguments, songs, satire and propaganda through colonial America. Broadsides were the social media of the Revolution. That idea became the foundation for a musical set in Boston between 1769 and April 1775, a story about the war of words that came before the war itself.

Going to Boston

Research moved beyond books when Alsup traveled to Massachusetts to walk through the places where the story actually happened. The Paul Revere House revealed the artisan and family man behind the legend. Faneuil Hall and Old South Meeting House helped bring Boston's political gatherings to life. Standing at the site of the Boston Massacre made the confusion of that night more tangible, while exploring the Green Dragon Tavern and Edes & Gill reinforced the importance of taverns and print shops as places where revolutionary ideas spread. The journey continued to Lexington and Concord, including the Hancock-Clarke House, Hartwell Tavern and Battle Road. Following the road toward April 19, 1775 helped shape the musical's ending, the moment when years of words finally gave way to war.

Finding the Characters

The research revealed people far more complicated than their familiar historical images. Paul Revere became an engraver and propagandist as well as a midnight rider. Samuel Adams' pseudonyms; Vindex, Populus and Candidus found their way into the theatrical language of the show. Mercy Otis Warren brought together politics, satire and theatre, while Dr. Joseph Warren and Margaret Kemble Gage offered very different perspectives on the approaching conflict. Phillis Wheatley eventually became the show's Beggar, opening and closing the musical. As a poet who arrived in Boston enslaved and later had to prove that she had written her own work, Wheatley provided a powerful voice for a musical about words, influence and who gets to control the story.

Music, Story and History

Alsup developed the music, lyrics and libretto together, allowing historical discoveries to influence songs and songs to reshape the story. Period music including “The Liberty Song,” “British Grenadiers” and “Free America” became part of the score alongside original compositions, creating a musical world inspired by the taverns, print shops and meeting halls of eighteenth-century Boston. Historical research remained important throughout development, with support and expertise from Edes & Gill, the Paul Revere House, Revolutionary Spaces and the Dr. Joseph Warren Foundation.

Creating the World of Broadside

By early 2026, the musical was moving from research and writing into production. Working with costume maker Kathy Page, the team developed eighteenth-century costumes using historical patterns, fabrics and reproduction details while keeping them practical for a company that needed to sing, dance and travel. The set was built around three principal locations: Edes & Gill, the Green Dragon Tavern and Griffin's Wharf. Crates, barrels, lanterns and broadsides created a flexible Boston that could move quickly through six years of history. At the center was a theatrical common printing press, designed and built specifically for the production. Even the show's promotional poster became part of the experiment, a real broadside printed on a Vandercook letterpress using a combination of traditional printing and a modern 3D-printed relief plate.

Building the Company

Director Kelly McAllister, choreographer Heather Westenskow, music director Tanner Kelly, stage manager Jacob Frye and a fifteen-member company of actors and musicians brought the musical to life. As rehearsals progressed, Broadside continued to change. Songs were shortened, scenes refined and harmonies developed as the company discovered what worked once the musical was finally on its feet. In July 2026, Broadside the Musical opened at Vintage Theatre in Colorado. For the first time, the music, costumes, common press, Green Dragon, Griffin's Wharf and years of research came together in front of an audience. Vintage became another important part of the development process and preparation for what came next.

From Denver to Edinburgh

Only weeks later, the company packed the production and traveled to Scotland for the 2026 Edinburgh Festival Fringe. At Greenside @ Riddles Court, the company brought Revolutionary Boston into the intimate Willow Studio. There was something particularly fitting about presenting a musical about America's separation from Britain back across the Atlantic during the country's 250th birthday. Critics praised the ensemble, harmonies and live music, with one reviewer noting that the arrangements recalled the tavern rooms and meeting halls of the period. Another suggested that with further development and a longer running time, Broadside had the potential to become “the next fascinating musical about early American history.”

The End of a Chapter, Not the Story

The final Edinburgh performance brought the first major chapter of Broadside the Musical to a close. What began with an idea about America's 250th birthday had led from historical documents to the streets of Boston, from Battle Road back to Colorado, through costume shops, set construction and a printing press, onto the stage at Vintage Theatre and finally across the Atlantic to Edinburgh. And the development continues. At the heart of Broadside remains the idea that started it all: information has power. Who creates it, who controls it and who passes it along can change history. Before there were feeds, there were broadsides. Before there were bullets, there were words.