A new musical about a teenage girl whose father is arrested as a serial killer, only to have a true-crime podcast tear her new life apart, has opened on the Hertz Stage at the Alliance Theatre in Atlanta. “Like Father” runs through November 15, with an official opening night set for Friday, and it marks the latest world-premiere production to land at the Midtown performing arts hub.
A Coming-Of-Age Story Wrapped Around a Podcast Scandal
As reported by FOX 5 Atlanta, the musical makes its world premiere at the Alliance Theatre on the Hertz Stage, an Alliance Theatre venue. The Alliance Theatre is located at the Woodruff Arts Center. The story follows 17-year-old Chris, who relocates to Dahlonega, Georgia, after her father is arrested as a serial killer, only for a popular podcast to expose her family's secrets, according to Rough Draft Atlanta. The show is directed by Alliance Jennings Hertz Artistic Director Tinashe Kajese-Bolden, whose credits include the Alliance's world-premiere production of “The Preacher's Wife.”
The production was created by Atlanta native Jacob Ryan Smith alongside co-writer Caroline Pernick, the outlet notes. The pair's origin story has its own hook: Pernick first recognized Smith in New York after spotting him from his daily songwriting project on Instagram, and the two connected on Tinder before becoming creative partners. Smith also collaborated on the production with commercial producer Madison Thompson, an Atlanta-native actress known for roles in “Ozark” and “Euphoria.”
The Cast and a Pre-Show EP
The world premiere stage cast stars Sophie Pollono in the lead role of Chris, joined by Charity Angél Dawson, Hannah Elless, Benjamin H. Moore, Frankie Rodriguez, and Billy Harrigan Tighe, per the Alliance Theatre. Casting was handled by Kevin Metzger-Timson and Frankie Ramirez of Tara Rubin Casting alongside Alliance casting director Jody Feldman.
Ahead of the stage premiere, producers released a concept album titled “Like Father: The Bloody Good EP” on August 3, featuring recorded tracks by Broadway stars James Monroe Iglehart, Ramin Karimloo, and Eleri Ward, the theater's materials show. The EP was orchestrated and produced by Tony Award nominee August Eriksmoen. Before reaching its mainstage premiere, the show had already built an industry résumé: it won the inaugural Open Jar Broadway Shark Tank pitch competition in April 2023 and was named a semi-finalist at the Eugene O'Neill New Music Theater Festival, according to Playbill. That pitch competition allowed writing teams to present original musicals directly to prominent Broadway producers in exchange for rehearsal space and backing.
Why a True-Crime Musical Now
The show's critique of ethical dilemmas in true-crime entertainment arrives as the podcast genre commands an estimated global audience of more than 250 million listeners as of 2026. The story centers on how sensationalized crime podcasts affect real family members left behind in the wake of tragedy, giving the musical's fictional premise a very real-world resonance for Atlanta audiences steeped in the genre.
To engage the local community around the show, the Alliance Theatre hosted companion events this month, including a live variety show hosted by Atlanta comedians Mark Kendall and David Perdue, along with a post-show talkback featuring Wisecrack podcast host Jodi Tovay. Those free post-show “Afterwords” discussions are open to ticket holders at the Hertz Stage.
A Cultural Hub Under Pressure
The Alliance Theatre sits inside the Woodruff Arts Center campus at 1280 Peachtree Street NE in Midtown, sharing the complex with the High Museum of Art and the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra, as Hoodline previously reported. The High Museum is scheduled to mark its 100th anniversary on the same Midtown campus on October 18, 2026.
The Alliance's world premiere of “Like Father” is an original musical, reflecting the theater's investment in new work.
