A young gay man reunites with his grandfather and finds his voice in this lively musical

A cross between a memoir and a country-rock concert, “Beau the Musical” defies easy categorization. It’s also a coming-of-age comedy-drama, though playwright and lyricist Douglas Lyons hopes audiences will also find a deeper message about family and generational healing in his rollicking score.

“Sometimes we don’t understand people until we lose them,” he explained.

“Beau” is now playing at St. Luke’s Theater in New York, where it premiered after a much-discussed run at Theater 154 that concluded this summer. The off-Broadway musical follows Ace Baker (played by Matt Rodin), a singer-songwriter who returns to 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 raised by a single mother, Raven (Amelia Cormack), in rural Tennessee.

Valerie Terranova

Unbeknownst to his mother, Ace is coming to terms with his queer sexuality. He also suffers intense bullying at school, mainly at the hands of Ferris (Max Sangerman), who is hiding some of his own secrets.

Although his friend Daphney (Miyuki Miyagi) is a kindred spirit, Ace longs for a family connection. After learning that her grandfather, Beau (Jeb Brown), is still alive, she 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 tries to protect his grandson from the truth of his fractured relationship with Raven.

Lyons, a veteran actor who made his Broadway playwriting debut in 2021 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 on his own relationship with his grandfather, who lived in North Carolina, when describing the show’s plot.

“There is a generation of children who sort of skip their parents and connect more with their grandparents,” he said. “As [director Josh Rhodes] says, ‘Be someone’s boyfriend.’ Be the person who encourages, who takes someone under your wing.’ “You never know how much time you spend with someone, so enjoy every bit of life you have with them.”

Valerie Terranova

Sonically, “Beau” draws on James Brown and James Taylor with a touch of gospel, while its immersive, concert-like staging, in which the cast of eight actors also doubles as an improvised band, is reminiscent of “Rent” and “Once.”

The show is a stellar showcase for Rodin, who has regional and touring productions of Broadway hits under his belt and has been finding his stride in the New York theater scene. Brown, a 2025 Tony nominee for “Dead Outlaw,” is perfectly cast as the raspy-voiced Beau, who becomes a mentor to his grandson while dealing 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 Theater Festival staging, and in the 2022 film adaptation.

Valerie Terranova

“This is a nuanced queer character that 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 getting broader than ever before, which is fantastic.”

Brown added: “For people of my generation, it’s a reminder that even if you feel imperfect or have been disappointed in your decisions, the younger generation can still use the helping hand, the reaching out. I think a lot of people write themselves off when it comes to being a mentor figure because they feel like they’re falling short, but it’s always good to connect that way, generationally.”

After “Beau” concludes its run at St. Luke’s Theater in January, Lyons would like to see the show performed throughout the United States and even abroad. “There doesn’t have to be a specific lineage to the way these characters appear,” he said, adding that a Broadway run would also be a dream.

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Although Brown and Rodin are eager to continue “Beau” for the foreseeable future, both actors also feel that it would be perfectly suited for a regional audience, especially in the South.

“What excites me most is hearing more people perform this music and seeing them take on these roles,” Rodin said. “I have already seen videos of children singing [songs from the show] in his senior performances, so for me, it’s more about that.”