Last night, I attended the World Premier of A Transparent Musical. Joey Soloway (book, with MJ Kaufman) and Faith Soloway (music) were actually part of the creative team on the tv show Transparent, which is the source material for the musical. A big draw for me was Rupaul’s Drag Race contestant and Broadway performer, Peppermint. Years ago, I saw her in Head Over Heels on Broadway.
We found the music surprisingly solid with one particularly fun breakout number “The Secret to a Marriage”, brilliantly performed by Tony-nominated Liz Larsen. Towards the end of the show, there is a beautiful double duet “Quartet” that stunned us. “Das Lila Lied, ” which was sung in a particularly impactful part of the show, is a song borrowed from the 1920s and is regarded as the first gay anthem.
Much like the show, Transparent is about a father coming out as transgender, but it’s also very much about how the family responds to this revelation and their own stories. Running at almost 3 hours, I would probably recommend slimming down some of the subplots.
It’s certainly not a perfect show, but it’s fun and has some depth. I’m glad I got a chance to catch it.
A Transparent Musical is playing at the Mark Taper Forum in Los Angeles until June 25th 2023.