Telling a beat-full, funny, thoughtful, modern story truly encapsulating the spirit of the Bay Area, American Conservatory Theater’s “Co-Founders,” long in development, couldn’t be a more perfect world premiere hip-hop musical right now.
Set in the recent past and near future, the thrilling tune- and tech-filled show follows the journey of young Black coder Esata (Aneesa Folds) as she hangs with friends, tries to keep her mom from selling her Oakland house to developers, and hacks her way into a tech accelerator in hopes of launching her digital animation app, a sweet avatar of her deceased father.
Writers Ryan Nicole Austin, Beau Lewis and Adesha Adefela smartly meld the geeky tech elements into a accessible tale. Likewise, the excellent rapping is easy to understand, even for old ACT subscribers not enamored with hip-hop.
Even better, the clever, locally themed words to the hip hop numbers flash on a big-screen backdrop, which, throughout the show, is filled with great videos setting the scenes. Thursday’s opening night audience was delighted at the outset, as West Oakland BART appeared, and soon after remained patient when the show was stopped to fix technical problems.
The pause didn’t matter, nor did it detract from projection system designer Frédéric O. Boulay and video content designer David Richardson’s awesome work, including amazing depictions of Esata’s “Dadvatar” (Tommy Soulati Shepherd), smart phone video calls and streams of computer programmed characters. The tech brilliantly complements, rather than detracts or overtakes, the action.
Same goes to the show’s delightfully balanced score, which wonderfully includes R&B, jazz, gospel (and nothing resembling show tunes). In “The One Percent,” Folds seemingly channels Whitney Houston.
Effectively directed by Jamil Jude and choreographed by Juel D. Lane, the small cast of eight seems larger. Co-writers Austin and Adefela, from Oakland (natch!) are spot-on, respectively, as Esata’s wise, hustling friend and equally wise mom; Jordan Covington raps enthusiastically with Esata’s friends; Roe Hartrampf delights as a goofy white virtual reality entrepreneur and Esata’s collaborator; Keith Pinto is the sly white tech CEO; and Deanalis Arocho Resto shines as the tech startup program facilitator.
Kudos, too, to the musical crew, led by Victoria Theodore, with beats by Will Randolph V. The great band includes conductors-keyboardists Ben Covello and Sean Kana, and associate director Tish Diaz.
“Co-Founders” is that rare contemporary musical where audiences will leave the theater wanting to hear the songs again, in this case the fun history hip-hop in “Valley to Vallejo,” the dynamic “Xcelerate,” the super-fun dance tune “Pivot,” the soulful “This Is the Bay.”
ACT, which faulted in 2011 with the lackluster premiere musical “Tales of the City,” based on Armistead Maupin’s beloved books about life in San Francisco, is on the rise now. Earlier this year, it hit with the charming satirical musical “Nobody Loves You,” and now again, with “Co-Founders,” a modern valentine to the Bay Area.
It’s also a joyful celebration of life and music for everyone.
“Co-Founders” continues through July 6, 2025, American Conservatory Theater’s Strand Theater, 1127 Market St., San Francisco. Tickets are $25-$130 at act-sf.org.
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