True crime musical 'Like Father' makes world premiere in Atlanta
Atlanta theatre opens true crime show
The musical "Like Father" makes its world premiere at the Alliance Theatre on the Hertz Stage in Atlanta.
ATLANTA, Ga. - A teenage girl's deepest secret – that her father is a notorious serial killer – comes to light in the new musical "Like Father."
Created by Atlanta native Jacob Ryan Smith and featuring a book, music, and lyrics co-written by Smith and Caroline Pernick, the show is making its world premiere now on the Hertz Stage at Atlanta's Alliance Theatre.
"The evil plan was always to debut this on home turf," laughs Smith. "So, to be here is very exciting!"
"Like Father" centers on a teenager in Dahlonega, Georgia whose father is a notorious serial killer — a secret that’s revealed through a hit podcast. The fallout from that revelation forces 17-year-old Chris and her mother and stepfather to face issues they’ve long kept buried, and to confront the public’s obsession with true crime.
"I watched this [program] where a very notorious serial killer's daughter gave an interview, and my mind ignited," says Smith of his inspiration for the show. "So, in beginning to storyboard this thing and figure out what was the story I wanted to tell about this young girl experiencing this kind of betrayal from the most important person in her life, I started looking out and needing to find the perfect writing partner."
That perfect partner was Pernick, who says working with Alliance Theatre has been a dream.
"The Alliance really spans all decades and audiences, and I think for a show that's kind of about family – about spanning decades and audiences – to be in a space and with a team that believes in that so wholeheartedly, is really, really special," says Pernick.
Prior to its world premiere here in Atlanta, "Like Father" won the Open Jar Studios Broadway Shark Tank and was a semi-finalist at the National Music Theater Conference at the Eugene O'Neill Theater Center. The current production is directed by Alliance Theatre’s co-artistic director Tinashe Kajese-Bolden is being produced on the Hertz Stage, the Alliance’s 200-seat black box theatre. Performances are set to continue through November 15th.
For more information on "Like Father" — including showtimes and ticket info — click here. And click the video player in this article to check out our interview with Jacob Ryan Smith and Caroline Pernick.
The Source: This is a FOX 5 Atlanta original report, based on Paul Milliken's interviews with Jacob Ryan Smith and Caroline Pernick.