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It’s not that we don’t recognize Staten Island as a bonafide New York borough, it’s just that it is so utterly non-Manhattan that the mere idea of a musical about Staten Island in midtown tickles our funny bone.
After all, what can the show even be about? Will it be about the fact that Staten Island is the only borough that is not connected to Manhattan via the subway (there’s a free ferry!) or why it’s often referred to as the forgotten borough? Perhaps it’ll be an analysis of the major Italian population.
According to amNewYork, the Staten Island-set production actually “redefines what it means to be a resident of Richmond County and gives meaning to the absurdities of life on Staten Island.”
The production will be narrated by Jami Declerk as Chuck, “the dead groundhog who slipped out of mayor Bill de Blasio’s hands-on Groundhog Day” back in 2014 (who can ever forget about that?) and featured characters will include an aspiring actress from Manhattan named Ashley, a nosy neighbor who can't stop thinking and talking about her parking spot, an "oblivious" city planner and, of course, a borough-obsessed ferry crew member.
Will folks from Staten Island actually flock to another borough to be made fun of on stage? We’ll have to wait until next month to see. Here’s to hoping the area’s most celebrated resident, Pete Davidson, will make an appearance as well.
Staten Island! The Musical will delve into when it premieres off-off-Broadway at The Tank (312 West 36th Street by Eighth Avenue) for five shows only starting December 1. Tickets are currently on sale for a variety of dates right here.