ARTHUR LAFRENTZ BACON (Music) is a composer, songwriter, and keyboardist whose work spans pop, rock, film, and musical theater. He most recently co-wrote Billy Joel’s hit single “Turn the Lights Back On” and co-composed the score for the Sundance-acclaimed documentary Kokomo City (Magnolia Pictures/Showtime). He has written songs for Joey Lawrence, Marion Raven, and Latin supergroup CD9. As a head writer at LOOK & Co., Arthur composed music for many TV and radio spots, winning two Clio Awards for Best Original Music. On NBC, he was a member of the house band for The Caroline Rhea Show, playing with bandleader, acclaimed guitarist Carlos Alomar, as well as legendary trumpet player Chris Botti. He composed the musical Bleeding Love (NAMT Festival, Fredericia Theater), which was a top-performing arts podcast in 2020. Other musicals include Salvage (O’Neill NMTC finalist), Wasp Woman, and Billy Sleepyhead. Born into a musical family in Westchester, NY, Arthur started studying piano at age 10 with renowned jazz pianist Lou Stein. He a member of the BMI Lehman Engel Musical Theatre Workshop.

JASON SCHAFER (Book, Lyrics & Original Screenplay) wrote the acclaimed indie hit Trick (Fine Line Features), which premiered at the Sundance Film Festival. In addition to being a staff writer and co-producer for Showtime’s GLAAD Media Award-winning Queer As Folk, he has written for Warner Bros., Paramount, ABC, and Fox Television. Works for the stage include Bleeding Love (NAMT Festival of New Works; Richard Rodgers Award finalist; serialized on the Broadway Podcast Network), I Google Myself (Theatre Askew – GLAAD Media Award nomination) and Notes on the Land of Earthquake & Fire (Paula Vogel Playwrighting Award; FringeNYC Playwrighting Award). He holds a B.A. in Music Composition from UCLA (Carol Burnett Award) and an MFA from NYU’s Department of Dramatic Writing. He is on the faculty of the Humanities Department at LaGuardia Community College, where he is the Film & Television program director.

Kayce Denise in the Out Front Theatre production. (Photo by Sydney Lee.)

“A lighthearted joy! Trick! is very satisfying!”
– Atlanta Journal Constitution"The showtunes slay in Trick’s musical makeover!”
– Queerty“Charming, sweet, and romantic!... Must-see theater!... The songs in Trick! are very strong… But [Kayce] Denise’s absolutely stunning delivery of a masterpiece ballad called ‘Cash-Only Sing-Along Piano Bar,’ detailing the rise and fall of her relationship and the need for safe spaces for queer people, caused a standing ovation in the middle of the opening performance. Seriously, y'all, this song is worth the ticket price all by itself.”
– ArtsATL“Spunky and delightful!... Bacon’s mix of musical theater/pop works well for a story like this, with some genuinely great stand-out songs in the bunch, and the cast sells this quirky queer love story with heart and humor.”
– Georgia Voice“There have been musicals adapted from successful movies for years, often with mixed results, and it’s not a trend Queerguru has actually liked… Until now.”
– Queerguru

Trick! The Musical was conceived as a classic Broadway book musical—on a delightfully modest scale. Think Little Shop of Horrors, Avenue Q, Fun Home, The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee, and Falsettos: big-hearted, entertaining, and built to dazzle on a (relative) dime. Trick! The Musical hopes to join the ranks of small-but-mighty musicals that started off the beaten path, and—much like the young songwriter at the center of Trick!— went on to make a “Mark.”It also carries a proud tradition. Beginning in the 1970s, a small wave of Off-Broadway musicals began telling openly gay stories onstage. These scrappy, ahead-of-their-time entertainments weren’t just groundbreaking in content; they laid the foundation for the LGBTQ+ musical theater canon to come. Often staged in offbeat or fringe venues, these early shows weren’t always polished—and they weren’t exactly big-budget spectacles—but they sang boldly about queer love, lust, and identity at a time when few dared.Trick! The Musical celebrates their spirit—honoring the past while spotlighting what it means to be queer today. Part vintage Broadway, part downtown drag bar, Trick! The Musical is sweet and sexy, heartfelt and campy—and more than ready for its spotlight.

ARTHUR LAFRENTZ BACON (Music) is a composer, songwriter, and keyboardist whose work spans pop, rock, film, and musical theater. He most recently co-wrote Billy Joel’s hit single “Turn the Lights Back On” and co-composed the score for the Sundance-acclaimed documentary Kokomo City (Magnolia Pictures/Showtime). He has written songs for Joey Lawrence, Marion Raven, and Latin supergroup CD9. As a head writer at LOOK & Co., Arthur composed music for many TV and radio spots, winning two Clio Awards for Best Original Music. On NBC, he was a member of the house band for The Caroline Rhea Show, playing with band leader legendary guitarist Carlos Alomar, as well as legendary trumpet player Chris Botti. He composed the musical Bleeding Love (NAMT Festival, Fredericia Theater), which became a top-performing arts podcast during the 2020 lockdown. Other musicals include Salvage (O’Neill NMTC finalist), Wasp Woman, and Billy Sleepyhead. Arthur studied piano at Juilliard Pre-College and SUNY Purchase, and is a member of the BMI Lehman Engel Musical Theatre Workshop.

JASON SCHAFER (Book, Lyrics & Original Screenplay) wrote the acclaimed indie hit Trick (Fine Line Features), which premiered at the Sundance Film Festival. In addition to being a staff writer and co-producer for Showtime’s GLAAD Media Award-winning Queer As Folk, he has written for Warner Bros., Paramount, ABC, and Fox Television. Works for the stage include Bleeding Love (NAMT Festival of New Works; Richard Rodgers Award finalist; serialized on the Broadway Podcast Network), I Google Myself (Theatre Askew – GLAAD Media Award nomination) and Notes on the Land of Earthquake & Fire (Paula Vogel Playwrighting Award; FringeNYC Playwrighting Award). He holds a B.A. in Music Composition from UCLA (Carol Burnett Award) and an MFA from NYU’s Department of Dramatic Writing. He is on the faculty of the Humanities Department at LaGuardia Community College, where he is the Film & Television program director.