“The Apple Boys” is a charmer in four-part harmony

When I hear of a new musical being premiered, my mind goes back to musicals I’ve seen before — big, bold, brassy affairs with a huge colorful cast. So I was pleasantly surprised at the latest offering at the Bucks County Playhouse in New Hope, PA. It’s called The Apple Boys, and it is a surprisingly intimate and thoroughly delightful show well worthy of an audience’s attention.

The Apple Boys, with a book by Jonothon Lyons and score by Ben Bonnema, is set in Coney Island around the turn of the 20th Century. It follows the tale of Jack Chapman (Jelani Remy), the grandson of Johnny Appleseed, who is looking forward to running the family apple orchard when his uncle retires. When he receives a notice warning of foreclosure due to non-payment of rent, he forms a singing group named The Apple Boys with other Coney Island dreamers to raise the money. Jack’s musical partners are Warren (Josh Breckenridge), a boardwalk performer billing himself as the world’s strongest man; Hank (Emily Skeggs), a ride designer who has a new idea for a looping roller coaster; and Nathan (Teddy Yudain), who with his wife Ida dreams of success selling hot dogs.

The four actors play all the parts in the show, with men playing women and women playing men, utilizing props, hats, and costume pieces to portray different characters. Remy is hilarious as Nathan’s wife Ida; Yudain plays Warren’s challenger for the title of world’s strongest man; and Skeggs plays Jack’s doddering old uncle. The Apple Boys enter The American Ballad Contest, a barbershop quartet competition in Central Park. The humor may be corny and quaint, but it fits the era in which the show takes place and so never misses a chance to evoke laughter from the audience. There’s even an evil rival quartet, The Note Takers from New Jersey (ptooey!), who will stop at nothing to win the contest — unveiling their intentions in perfect harmony, of course.

This merry mess is presided over by director David Alpert, who has encouraged his cast to play for the broadest possible comedy with running gags abounding. In this he is aided by Music Director Sujin Kim-Ramsey, playing the on-stage piano, tossing out wry remarks to the rest of the characters, and on occasion donning a costume piece and playing a minor character or two to deadly humorous effect. Bonnema’s score is a valentine to the period, with songs both sentimental and tightly harmonic. Outstanding numbers include “Brothers in Song”, which opens and closes the show and epitomizes the bonds these four disparate men forge together; “My Own Two Hands,” Jack’s song of dogged independence; “Heaven by Train,” an example of one of the corny song lyrics that, when put to barbershop harmony of the period, became popular musical fare; and the “Competition Medley,” in which The Apple Boys portray themselves, The Note Takers, and all seven other quartet finalists at the Central Park contest, singing snippets of songs while popping hats on and off. 

The show’s set, designed by Adam Koch, is a whimsical memory of a past Coney Island neverland one wishes could have been true. It is brightly lit by Rui Rita, with a lively, evocative sound design by Beth Lake. Johanna Pan’s costuming is marvelously designed for the quick-change hijinks of the show.

The Apple Boys is a disarming show of bygone days and musical styles that tugs at the heartstrings, putting a broad smile on your face. It is not perfect — no musical on its debut is — but it is very promising and succeeds in leaving you happy at its conclusion. I recommend spending a spring evening rooting for the successes of The Apple Boys!

The Apple Boys is presented by the Bucks County Playhouse in New Hope, PA through May 25, 2025. For more information or to purchase tickets, go to bcptheater.org.