36 Questions, similar to last week’s musical, is something I’ve never quite heard of before. Unlike most musicals, this show was done in the form of a podcast. The “show” follows two characters, Judith Ford and Jase Connolly, attempting to fix their crumbling marriage with a set of 36 questions meant to make strangers fall in love. Judith admits at the beginning of the show that she has lied to Jase for the two years they’d been together, creating a fake narrative for herself in an attempt to create a better life for herself. In turn, though, Jase found out, creating a ripple and significant distrust between the two that Judith is determined to fix.
The fact that this musical is entirely auditory with no true visual aspect to it is extremely impressive. The two performers involved in this show, Jonathan Groff and Jessie Shelton, do an incredible job of portraying emotions with only their voices. Although I love being in-person during shows to feel the energy in the room, I can almost feel the actors’ energy through my headphones. Being able to show emotion efficiently with only audio is not something many people are capable of, which just shows the professionalism Groff and Shelton had to possess to pull off a show like 36 Questions.
Aside from the auditory acting, the fact that this is the first podcast musical to be conceived is really interesting. 36 Questions, from what I’ve been able to find, is relatively unknown. Despite it being an interesting concept that hasn’t been written before in a musical sense (to my knowledge), there isn’t a huge amount of hype surrounding this show. I feel like it should be more well known, mostly because it’s extremely accessible. For people who don’t have the time or money to go to a live show, a free auditory show with no requirement to sit and listen is incredibly helpful. For me personally, it’s just as entertaining as sitting and watching a show in a theatre. With it being near impossible to produce physical shows right now due to the pandemic, the thought of more podcast shows being released seems super exciting. I’m honestly crossing my fingers that more shows get developed with an actual lack of visuals in mind (although, maybe with closed-captions so those who are hard-of-hearing could enjoy the show as well).
Now, aside from the actual concept and execution of this show, the songs themselves are beautiful. Despite there not being any ensemble or chorus, Groff and Shelton’s voices flow together gorgeously. There’s something about Groff’s slight gruffness paired with Shelton’s sweet lilt that makes the two actors fit perfectly, even when the emotions are meant to be the exact opposite of each other. The way they work together makes the musical even more enjoyable and makes it easy to sit through the three acts. Not only that, but the way they interact together almost makes it sound like an unscripted podcast. They just sound like two ex-lovers trying to rekindle an old flame, with natural tension and flowing emotions between two people who have been torn apart.
Something about 36 Questions feels personal and hits just a little too close to home for reasons I can’t quite explain. Primarily, the raw emotion reflected in Jessie Shelton’s voice in the third act makes me feel connected to her. Even though her character messed up big time, I feel empathetic for her; Judith truly loves Jase and regrets her decisions that ultimately led to their separation. The performance on Shelton’s end really makes you feel for this character who is relatively manipulative and in the wrong, which isn’t something most performers would be able to do.
36 Questions is a beautiful show taken on in a challenging format and executed phenomenally. I can say that the producers did an amazing job of doing the work to make sure that the show was executed properly and with enough grace to make the target audience really feel something. I thoroughly enjoyed listening to this show and liked following the plot that developed over the course of two and a half hours. I can definitely see myself listening to this show again and would recommend it to anyone who is willing to go on a slight emotional rollercoaster. The performances put on by Jonathan Groff and Jessie Shelton are phenomenal, the pair working together to create a heart-wrenching but intriguing show. Beautifully written and original, 36 Questions is for any theatre lover who is open to listening to a show emphasizing the auditory aspects of musicals.