The musical theatre writer Adam Gwon discusses the new Original Cast Recording of his musical All The World’s A Stage (Joy Machine Records, 2026), with Joseph Planta.
Text of the introduction by Joseph Planta:
I am Planta: On the Line, in Vancouver, British Columbia, at TheCommentary.ca.
As I tell Adam Gwon, in the conversation that follows, it was the song “Fine” from his musical Ordinary Days that I likely first came across his work. It must have been one of the many performances that one can see on YouTube that introduced me to his music and lyrics. It’s an oft-covered song because it’s funny and it tells a story, like a lot of Mr. Gwon’s songs. Last spring, All the World’s A Stage had a run off-Broadway. It had been commissioned by Keen Company. Today, the full album of the Original Cast Recording is released by Joy Machine Records, and features songs from the show that the New York Times described as “disarmingly powerful,” and as “charming, specific and appealing.” I’ll ask Adam about the show that he also wrote the book for, that earned Drama Desk Award nominations for Outstanding Lyrics, and Outstanding Orchestrations. The show is set in small-town America in the 1990s, where a gay high school teacher has to maneuver carefully depending on the wherever he finds himself at the moment. His carefully comparmentalised life starts to unravel, and the desire to make connections and yet be true to oneself in polarised times, makes the show timely and universal. Here’s part of one of the numbers in the show, “Saturday Night in a Small Auditorium,” that not only gives us a sense of Mr. Gwon’s work, but the scene that is set as the show begins. Adam Gwon is the acclaimed musical theatre writer whose works include Ordinary Days, The Boy Detective Fails, Cloudlands, Bernice Bobs Her Hair, Cakeoff, String, Scotland, PA, and Witnesses. Visit www.adamgwon.com for more. We spoke earlier this week with Adam joining me from New York City. Please welcome to the Planta: On the Line program, Adam Gwon; Mr. Gwon, good morning.
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