The world premiere recording of the shards of an honor code junkie, an American opera written by award-winning composer and musician Blake Allen, has been streamed over 2 millions times on Spotify, exactly 4 months since the album's release.
An American opera oratorio meets storybook album, the shards of an honor code junkie is an autobiographical story of a homosexual Mormon that embarks on a journey of self-love while challenging Brigham Young's staunch eight Honor Code Rules, unhinging demons of drugs, sex, and suicide in a victorious coming-of-age story.
Distributed by No Reverse Records, the shards of an honor code junkie merges together script and score in a thirty-track tour de force that outlines the Honor Code Rules, and the consequences of abuse, retaliation, mental anguish and removal from the school if they are determined broken by peers or administration. With Broadway's most celebrated voices, Allen invites listeners into his experiences as a Mormon student at the prestigious university and being raised in an extremely religious household under a parent's watchful eye. Navigating the shame of sexuality, drug use, depression, and the loss of a close friend to suicide following their own shame, the work champions progress, acceptance, kindness and love-tenants that are part of the Mormon faith but missing from the fabric of BYU's student culture. The release comes amidst recent controversy within the institution after rescinding an amendment to the code that seemingly accepted "homosexual behavior".
A work that was originally conceived during Allen's residence at the Banff Centre in Alberta, Canada, with an AEA reading in 2015 and a 2017 staged concert in New York City, the produced record features Tony Award nominee
Alison Fraser (The Secret Garden, Romance/Romance),
Michael Lowney (La Cage Aux Folles),
Teal Wicks (The Cher Show, Finding Neverland, Wicked),
Kristy Cates (Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, Finding Neverland, Wicked), J Harrison Ghee (Mrs. Doubtfire, Kinky Boots),
Hannah Cruz (Hamilton 1st National Tour), singer and actress
Tori Scott, and opera soprano Cree Carrico, supported by ensemble voices Drama Desk Award winner
Kuhoo Verma (Plan B, Octet, Big Stick), Isaac Phaman Reynolds,
Josh Daniel (Book of Mormon), Ron Tal, and "RuPaul's Drag Race" season 12 contestant Brita Filter.
Zi Alikhan served as script consultant.
For more information, please visit
BlakeAllen.org.
