WISH-LIST WEDNESDAY: 36 Questions

Returning to the idea of musicals that exist solely in audio form, this week we explore the first of what has become a growing separate "podcast musical" genre, which is specifically a musical that exists solely as an audio experience, however unlike with a concept album, the podcast musical has a discernible narrative that makes itself clear through the music alone. The musical in question is "36 Questions", which has music and lyrics by Chris Littler and Ellen Winter, and whose title and premise are a reference to Arthur Aron's idea of questions that can lead to love.

The musical follows Judith and Jase, an estranged husband and wife, who attempt to reconnect through means of these "36 questions that lead to love", as well as their son who appears towards the end of the final act; the contention between the two partly stems from Judith having used a fake name, Natalie Cook, for pretty much the entirety of their two year relationship, their attempt to rekindle their prior love comes in spite of her dishonesty. It was released as three 50-minute long acts, with the two leads played by original Hadestown fate Jessie Shelton, and Tony award winner Jonathan Groff as Judith and Jase respectively.

In spite of its absence of visual aids, the musical has been widely critically acclaimed for how it tells a story through song alone, a testament to the quality of its narrative, as well as the performances of its two leads Shelton and Groff. There have reportedly been hints of a film adaptation in more recent years, however these have not come to fruition, so perhaps there is every chance that it could be reimagined to the stage instead; I suppose only time will tell what future this bold, achingly beautiful audio musical will have...