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| General Gage reminiscing the family estate near London |
Alsup has always shown a knack for discovering theatrical devices that unlock difficult subjects, and Broadside may be her most inventive example yet. Rather than presenting history as a timeline of famous events, she finds unexpected perspectives and human relationships that make the past feel immediate. Even when navigating well-documented historical events with little room for invention, she uncovers fresh ways to tell the story without compromising the history itself.
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| Sam Adams printing for the Boston Gazette |
That approach is embodied in Cooper Kaminsky's thoughtful portrayal of General Thomas Gage. Kaminsky resists turning Gage into a stock villain, instead revealing a man attempting to preserve order while watching an empire slip beyond his control. His performance gains even greater depth opposite Olivia Kisicki's Margaret Gage. Together they create one of the production's richest relationships, portraying a marriage strained not by a lack of love but by competing loyalties to family, country, and principle. Their chemistry provides an emotional anchor amid the political upheaval.
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| Crispus Attucks fired on at the Boston Massacre |
Kelly McAllister's direction keeps the production focused on people rather than pageantry. The Revolutionary icons remain recognizable, but they are never reduced to monuments. They are husbands and wives, printers, poets, soldiers, and citizens wrestling with impossible choices. His longstanding creative partnership with choreographer Heather Westenskow is evident throughout the production. Westenskow's movement feels woven into the storytelling, bringing warmth, humor, and momentum to the ensemble while allowing the quieter emotional moments room to breathe.
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| Robert Paine prosecuting the British soldiers |
Perhaps most encouraging is Alsup's continued commitment to cultivating young Colorado artists. Rather than relying solely on established performers, she consistently entrusts emerging talent with substantial dramatic responsibility. Productions like Broadside become more than performances they become opportunities for the next generation of theatre makers to grow. Kaminsky and Kisicki are compelling examples of that philosophy in action, delivering performances that suggest bright careers ahead.
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| Sonsharae Tull holds up a Revere broadside |
Like any new musical, Broadside is still evolving. There are scenes that could benefit from tighter pacing and moments that will undoubtedly sharpen with continued performances. Yet those refinements feel incremental rather than fundamental. The storytelling, thematic vision, and emotional architecture are already firmly in place. By connecting the revolutionary ideas of the eighteenth century to the conversations of the twenty-first, Broadside demonstrates that history is not simply something we inherit. It is something we continue to write. That thoughtful perspective, combined with an inventive theatrical imagination, makes this one of the more promising new American musicals currently finding its voice.
