A cross between a memory play and a country-rock concert, “Beau the Musical” defies easy categorization. It’s also a coming-of-age dramedy, though playwright and lyricist Douglas Lyons hopes audiences will also find a deeper message about family and generational healing in its rollicking score.
“Sometimes we don’t understand people until we’ve lost them,” he explained.
“Beau” is now playing at St. Luke’s Theatre in New York, where it opened after a much-buzzed-about run at Theatre 154 that concluded this summer. The off-Broadway musical follows Ace Baker (played by Matt Rodin), a singer-songwriter who is back on the Nashville stage for a one-night-only performance.
As Ace shares the inspirations behind the songs on his latest album, the action flashes back to his pre-teen and teenage years, when he is being raised by a single mom, Raven (Amelia Cormack), in rural Tennessee.
Unbeknownst to his mom, Ace is coming to terms with his queer sexuality. He’s also intensely bullied at school, mostly at the hands of Ferris (Max Sangerman), who is harboring some secrets of his own.
Though his gal pal Daphney (Miyuki Miyagi) is a kindred spirit, Ace yearns for a familial connection. After learning that his estranged grandfather, Beau (Jeb Brown), is still alive, he runs away from home and attempts to forge a relationship against Raven’s wishes. To Beau’s surprise, he forms a bond with Ace even as he attempts to shield his grandson from the truth of his fractured relationship with Raven.
Lyons, a veteran actor who in 2021 made his Broadway playwriting debut with “Chicken & Biscuits,” began working on songs for “Beau” with musician Ethan D. Pakchar while appearing in “Beautiful: The Carole King Musical” a decade ago.
The Connecticut native drew heavily from his own relationship with his grandfather, who lived in North Carolina, when outlining the show’s plot.
“There’s a generation of kids who sort of skip their parents and connect more with their grandparents,” he said. “As [director Josh Rhodes] says, ‘Be somebody’s Beau. Be the person who encourages, who takes someone under your wing.’ You never know how long you have with someone, so soak up every bit of life you have with them.”
Sonically, “Beau” riffs on James Brown and James Taylor with a hint of gospel, while its immersive, concert-like staging ― in which the cast of eight actors also double as a jam band ― recalls “Rent” and “Once.”
The show is a stellar showcase for Rodin, who boasts regional and touring productions of Broadway hits to his credit and has been finding his stride in New York’s theater scene. Brown, a 2025 Tony nominee for “Dead Outlaw,” is perfectly cast as the gruff-voiced Beau, who becomes a mentor to his grandson while grappling with his own past.
Both actors have been working with Lyons on “Beau” for nearly a decade. Rodin also appears on the musical’s 2019 cast album, featuring actors from that year’s Adirondack Theatre Festival staging, and in the 2022 film adaptation.
“This is a nuanced queer character I haven’t seen before,” said Rodin, who is gay. “What I’ve experienced with the piece is that it gives people the space to embody their queerness in their own way. The spectrum is wider and larger than it’s ever been before, which is great.”
Added Brown: “For people of my generation, it’s a reminder that even if you feel imperfect or that you’ve been disappointed in your choices, the younger generation can still use the helping hand, the reaching down. I think a lot of people count themselves out when it comes to being a mentor figure because they feel they are falling short, but it’s always a good thing to connect in that way, generationally.”
After “Beau” concludes its run at St. Luke’s Theatre in January, Lyons would like to see the show performed across the U.S. and even abroad. “There doesn’t have to be a specific lineage, in the way these characters appear,” he said, adding that a Broadway run would also be a dream.
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Though Brown and Rodin are eager to stick with “Beau” for the foreseeable future, both actors similarly feel it would be perfectly suited for a regional audience, especially in the South.
“The thing that excites me the most is hearing more people take on this music and seeing them take on these roles,” Rodin said. “I’ve already seen videos of kids singing [songs from the show] in their senior showcases, so for me, it’s more about that.”
