.png)
When it comes to musical theatre these days, so many shows look and sound like other things. It’s so rare when something comes along that shakes up the norm, filling a gap that many may not have even known needed filling. That’s exactly what Interstate does.
Interstate, with book and lyrics by Melissa Li and Kit Yan, is a self-proclaimed “Queer Asian Musical,” two communities that are still grossly underrepresented in all forms of media, but combined into one community makes something unprecedented on any mainstream stage.
Li and Yan wrote the musical based on their own story. Li is a lesbian singer-songwriter, and Yan a transgender spoken-word artist. Together they formed the band Good Asian Driver. This is nearly identical to the fictional band in the musical, Queer Malady, featuring lesbian singer-songwriter Adrian, and transgender spoken-word artist Dash. The musical follows the band on their first tour of the U.S., facing obstacles that challenge their loyalty, their friendship, and their feelings for each other.