Outside the Box is a musical comedy web series that originally premiered in 2011, created by writer-director Bruce Kimmel. After being unavailable online for eight years, the series returned to public attention, showcasing its unique concept of a fictional musical theater company that produces absurd and inappropriate musicals.
The Series
Outside the Box features a very outré musical theater group who create musicals that are, quite simply, wrong in every conceivable way. Each episode features an entirely new cast, save for one recurring character, the director of the group, Stephen Findle. The show is a parody of musical theater, exploring ridiculous and misguided musical adaptations.
The series was shot on location in New York and Los Angeles, with each episode written and directed by Bruce Kimmel, who also composed the songs, while the Outside The Box theme was created by Grant Geissman, composer of Two-And-A-Half Men and Mike and Molly.
Season two premiered on November 25, 2012, and features six brand new episodes that aired exclusively on BroadwayWorld.com as part of their lineup of original programming.
Euan Morton's Episode
In season two, episode two, Tony nominee Euan Morton gets a call from Stephen Findle, the artistic director of the Outside the Box Theater Company. They're doing a new musical and they want Euan to star. The episode followed the series' established format of presenting a star with an opportunity to appear in an increasingly ridiculous musical production.
Also starring Sami Staitman and Emma Degerstedt, the episode featured Morton's comedic performance in the show's characteristic style of applying musical theater skills to absurd material. Like other episodes in the series, viewers were left to wonder whether Morton would accept the mysterious role and what the proposed musical might be.
At the time of his participation, Morton was already well-established in the musical theater world, with Tony and Drama Desk Award nominations for his breakthrough role as Boy George in Taboo, and appearances in numerous other Broadway and Off-Broadway productions including Sondheim on Sondheim.
Featured Performers
Sami Staitman
Sami Staitman is an actress and singer from Southern California. She has performed in musicals at Regional Theatres and Civic Light Operas and was a recurring guest vocalist at Bruce Kimmel's Kritzerland Cabaret series.
Emma Degerstedt
Emma Degerstedt is an American actress and singer, known for her role as Maris in the Nickelodeon series Unfabulous. She has also appeared in stage productions including 13 and Gypsy.
The Creative Team
Bruce Kimmel
Bruce Kimmel is an actor, writer, director, composer, and Grammy-nominated CD producer who created Outside the Box as a vehicle for satirizing the musical theater industry. Since 1993, he has been a producer of theater music on CD, including a Grammy-nominated revival cast album of Hello, Dolly!
Kay Cole
Kay Cole served as choreographer for the series. She is best known as the original Maggie in A Chorus Line, where she delivered one of Broadway's most memorable performances. Her involvement brought legitimate Broadway choreography credentials to the satirical series.
John Boswell
John Boswell served as musical director for the series and was Kay Cole's musical partner on her debut solo album "Souvenir." His involvement ensured that despite the comedic content, the musical elements of the show maintained professional standards.