a MY SO-CALLED LIFE musical!

After spending two decades in Hell, central character Ryan White transfers to Heaven and is shocked to learn his new celestial neighborhood has its own penalties: he's ordered to go back to school. In fact, everyone under the age of 18 is forced to attend Eternal High. In teacher Christa McAuliffe's class, White meets an unusual group of former earth-bound, but well-known students, including Edward VI, JonBenet Ramsey and Anne Frank. (Frank becomes the Angela Chase to Ryan White's Jordan Catalano.)

My So-Called AfterLife @ The Annoyance Theatre & Bar 

Thursdays @ 8 p.m. / runs until 4.18.13 / $8

THIS LOOKS AWESOME. I recently wrote about TV shows being the next generation of musical inspiration. My So-Called Life was one of the shows I listed as a good fit for a potential musical. I'd been envisioning a more serious take rather than a spoofy one, but both ideas could work well. The idea behind this musical is undoubtedly bizarre & seems very removed/loosely inspired by the show itself; but I'm betting it makes sense in the context of the actual show. It reminds of of Gorilla Tango Theatre's Attend The Tale of Danny Tanner, which married Full House & a vengeful, Sweeney Todd-esque storyline. It was also an equally bizarre basis but somehow really worked. I can't see how My So-Called Afterlife would be any less perfect.