Hamilton's Jonathan Groff In New Musical Podcast Based On 36 Questions Study

The three-act musical, written, directed, and composed by Chris Littler and Ellen Winter, is based on the 1990s study of the same title, in which psychologist Arthur Aron composed 36 questions designed to foster vulnerability, and, in theory, love, between two strangers. In 2015, the internet exploded with success stories after a New York Times article popularized the study.

In the podcast, Gross and Shelton star as a Jase and Judith, a couple struggling to save their marriage by working their way through those very questions. The musical deals with questions of identity, love, lies, and the ways in which couples present themselves to others and to each other.

Bronkie and Akers initially dreamt up 36 Questions two years ago, just before the release of Limetown, as a concept for an indie film.

“I don’t know exactly what it is about the questions, but when I first read them back in 2015 — along with everyone else—they felt inherently narrative,” Bronkie said. He imagined that the narrative adaptation would be "beguiling and mysterious and intimate, but more than anything, well lived in.”

After the success of Limetown, the producers knew that the podcast was a viable medium, and began to think of 36 Questions in terms of a podcast.

“And then Skip came waltzing in with this musical conceit, and that scared the hell out of me, so I knew it was the right thing to do.” Akers said. He explained that as the podcast is such a new medium, there is still a great deal to be explored and progress to be made.

“In podcasting, there’s still a lot to figure out and a lot of challenges to overcome. We want to be a part of pushing the medium forward.”

The musical, which draws influence from everything from Hamilton and Regina Spektor to the Before Trilogy and Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, is split into three installments, set for release every two weeks beginning July 10.

This first act is available here.