Original Off Broadway Cast, 2026 (Joy Machine Records) (4.5 / 5)  This recording represents a composer-lyricist who is stepping confidently into deeper, more mature artistic territory. Adam Gwon’s best-known previous work was his conversational and witty score for Ordinary Days, but here Gwon expands his emotional palette with a period piece, set in rural Pennsylvania in 1996, centering around Ricky Alleman, a closeted high school math teacher who risks his carefully compartmentalized life to coach a loner student for a statewide theater competition. The result is a quiet, deeply moving story about connection, identity, and the cost of staying hidden. The album opens with a simple, sweet number that instantly establishes the small-town setting, then settles into a delicate chamber score that favors character and emotional truth over big theatrical display. Several first-class, modern musical theater ballads are contained within the score; one of the strongest examples is “I’m Your Man,” featuring vibrant and tender, country-infused vocals by Jon-Michael Reese in the role of Ricky’s boyfriend. Matt Rodin as Ricky brings a nervous, mathematical precision to “Pieces, Together,” using Gwon’s plainspoken lyrics to chart his character’s inner anxieties. Eliza Pagelle as the theater-loving student, Sam Bucknam, is equally effective in “Other Lives,” offering a devastating performance that captures the painful reality of being a lonely teenager. Elizabeth Stanley rounds out the cast, playing a more conservative teacher caught between her religious beliefs and her friendship with Ricky. Unfortunately, although her big ballad (“I Don’t Ask”) has an interesting idea at its core, it ends up sounding a little trite. And Gwon occasionally reaches a bit too far in his lyrics, yielding mixed results such as the line “I would prefer committing hari-kiri / Instead of pining in Shakespearean.” But overall, backed by Michael Starobin’s lush and understated orchestrations, this score beautifully balances heartbreak with a welcome sweetness. The tight, 52-minute runtime of the recording does leave a few narrative beats feeling slightly abbreviated; still, the final result is a compact but deeply rewarding cast album that’s essential for contemporary musical theater fans. It’s a moving reminder of how art can change the world, even in the smallest of stories. — Forrest Hutchinson