Academy

Book, Music, & Lyrics by John Mercurio 

Conceived & Developed by Andrew Kato

At St. Edward’s Academy, two seniors make a harmless bet on whether they can influence an unsuspecting freshman to break a few rules to succeed. But when the transaction goes recklessly out of control, the boys become entangled in a fight for their own academic and personal survival. Inspired by Goethe’s Faust, Academy is a pop chamber musical about boys learning to become men—and remaining true to themselves.

“All this show needs for the big time is a set and a larger theater. And the set is optional.” 
– Anita Gillette, NY TIMES 

“…a freshness and compassion unmatched by anything other than Spring Awakening.”
– Bill Hirschman, One of the top 10 shows for 2010, SOUTH FLORIDA THEATRE REVIEW 

“Take perfect staging, dynamic direction and a group of young men whose voices ring gloriously through an auditorium and one can only give Maltz Jupiter Theatre a grade of “A” for its unique world premiere musical set in a prep school, Academy…There is little doubt that other theatres all over the world will want to produce this show. It has a universal message about “honor” that will spread well beyond our border.”
– Ron Levitt, FLORIDA MEDIA NEWS, ENV MAGAZINE 

“South Florida, get in your cars and drive to Jupiter with your college and/or high school students for a journey and lesson in morality. It’s well worth the cost of gas and ticket price…[They] might just have created a new Broadway smash hit. The pop-contemporary musical score is the award winner of this show. The lyrics and melodies will be recieved well by our youth and have already inspired young audiences from New York to South Korea.”
– Richard Cameron, MIRACLE THEATRE EXAMINER

New studio recording:

Recorded live at DIMF in Korea: