RECORD BREAKING

The 2021/22 season saw the next exciting partnership between Ghostlight Records and Two River Theater with the release of the Love in Hate Nation Original Cast Recording, as well as a landmark listening milestone for the Be More Chill Two River Theater and Broadway cast recordings—with over half a billion streams worldwide!

Two River Theater’s commitment to cultivating today’s theater talents is primarily expressed through our commissioning program, supporting the development of world premiere projects and helping to bring them to the stage. The success of these albums supports the musicals’ future life, as well as Two River Theater’s global name recognition as a home for great new theater.

The Be More Chill Original Cast Recording featuring the cast of the 2015 world premiere production launched a passionate global fanbase, helping to spur the sold-out Off-Broadway run in 2018 and landing Joe Iconis a Tony Nomination for Best Original Score for the 2018 Broadway production. Two River’s Original Cast Recording of Be More Chill was the #4 most streamed cast album of the 2010’s, coming in behind only Hamilton, Dear Evan

Hansen and Wicked Be More Chill has spread around the world, with acclaimed runs in London, a 2022 production in Tokyo, and subsequent tour across Japan.

The Love in Hate Nation album was released February 2022 to high expectations, with fans of composer and creator Joe Iconis clamoring for this empowering and irreverent punk rock love story. The album includes two bonus “B-Side” tracks: the song “Jezebel” and a special new recording of the album cut “Masochist” by The Smith Twins, who have each played the role of Kitty Minx (Emerson Mae Smith at Two River, and Murphy Taylor Smith during the show’s Penn State University run).

Love in Hate Nation has music direction and vocal arrangements by Annastasia Victory, and music supervision and orchestrations by Charlie Rosen. The album is produced by Joe Iconis, Ian Kagey, and Charlie Rosen, with Michael Hurst/Two River Theater and Kurt Deutsch serving as executive producers. Two River would also like to thank Tom Hessman, Barbara and Joseph Hollander, Samuel G. Huber, Joanna and Brian Leddin, and Joan Rechnitz for their generous support of this album.