What started as a casual remark to friends about “Empire Records’” potential to become a great musical turned into a dream opportunity for Zoe Sarnak when her agent offered her the chance to write the score and lyrics. Sarnak immediately said yes: This wasn’t just another project, but a personal journey to reimagine a film deeply connected to her childhood memories.
Sarnak, an award-winning composer and lyricist, brings the world premiere of “Empire Records: The Musical” to life at Princeton’s McCarter Theatre Center this month. Opening night is Friday, September 13, and the show runs through Sunday, October 6.
Sarnak, a Princeton High School alumna and the daughter of two professors, grew up just a short distance from the very stage that will debut her latest project, a musical adaptation of the beloved 1990s cult-classic film “Empire Records.”
For Sarnak, it’s a homecoming and a reflection of her artistic journey.
In an interview, Sarnak discussed how as a teenager she was a serious soccer player and an academic standout, later attending Harvard to study molecular and cellular biology. Despite her academic achievements, music was always at the core of her identity.
“I was always a musician, but I think it took me a while to understand that I could do that as a job,” Sarnak said. She started writing music at a young age and played guitar from age seven, but a battle with stage fright kept her from performing publicly.
“Growing up, I did choir and band and played in the jazz band at Princeton High,” Sarnak recalled. “But I was more of a composer than a performer.”
Writing music was her passion, a love that began to blossom fully when she decided to switch her career goals while at Harvard. Sarnak discovered her passion for musical theater in her senior year when she composed her first musical as part of a senior thesis.
“I had taken so many electives in the music department that I qualified for a secondary concentration in music,” she explained. “So I decided to write and compose a musical, and with the help of my advisor, a composer who also wanted to learn about musical theater, I wrote the first draft during the summer before my senior year.”
“I was working in a lab at Harvard Medical School that summer, and on my breaks, I’d go across the street to a piano practice room to write. That’s how it all started,” Sarnak recalls.
That musical, “The Quad,” about four friends navigating college life, was produced at Harvard and marked a turning point for Sarnak.
“The musical getting produced really changed my life because people came and said a lot of nice things about it, calling it professional caliber and suggesting I could potentially make a career out of it.”
For Sarnak, this was the moment she realized she could pursue her love for music full-time, leading her to move to New York and dive into the world of musical theater.
After years of dedication to composition, Sarnak now stands as one of the most prominent names in contemporary musical theater, with productions across prestigious venues including Second Stage, New York Theatre Workshop, and the Geffen Playhouse.
According to McCarter Theatre, “Empire Records,” a 1995 film, was a cultural touchstone for the ’90s generation. It tells the story of a group of misfit employees who band together to save their beloved independent record store from a corporate takeover. Full of rebellion, rooftop dances, and the free-spirited essence of 90s counterculture, the film struck a chord with audiences then — and continues to resonate today.
The decision to adapt it into a stage musical was a natural fit, and when McCarter Theatre reached out to Sarnak for the project, she couldn’t say no.
“The movie came out when I was about eight years old,” Sarnak recalled. “But I had an older sister, so I was watching ‘Empire Records’ at a young age. It really connected with me — those quirky, rebellious characters and that special record store environment. I felt so lucky to be around that world, even as a young viewer.”
The film’s music and its spirit were foundational to Sarnak’s own musical influences.
“I grew up listening to alt-rock bands like Radiohead, Smashing Pumpkins, Nirvana, and Green Day,” Sarnak said. “The ’90s were such a rich time for music, and this project lets me dive deep into that soundscape — something that’s incredibly nostalgic for me.”
Sarnak’s collaboration with” Empire Records” screenwriter Carol Heikkinen, who penned the musical’s book, has been essential to bringing the story into the present day while staying true to its original spirit. “We outlined the entire show together,” Sarnak explained. “We talked about the parts we wanted to update, discussed every song spot, and really focused on making this version of the story our own.”
Heikkinen’s familiarity with the characters made the collaboration smooth. “She knew the characters so well that adding in new jokes or scenes felt seamless,” Sarnak said. “There are moments in the musical that aren’t in the film, but they feel like they could’ve been because they capture the spirit of the original so well.”
For Sarnak, the music needed to reflect the era while serving the emotional depth of the characters.
“I would sit down and think about what mental space each character was in,” she explained in an interview with McCarter Theatre Center. This in turn would shape the style of music that Sarnak created for each moment within the show. The result is a diverse score that blends the gritty angst of grunge rock with the more introspective, singer-songwriter elements of ’90s alt-rock.
“Part of making it feel more present and visceral is having music that moves your body when you’re in the space with them,” Sarnak said in the McCarter interview. Sarnak expressed how musicals let the viewer dive deeper into a character’s heart and mind in a way movies might not, and that’s something she really wanted to explore.
Sarnak isn’t embarking on this creative journey alone. She is joined by a team of trusted collaborators who have worked with her on other productions, including director Trip Cullman and choreographer Ellenore Scott, both of whom were part of her critically acclaimed musical “The Lonely Few.”
“Trip is a dear friend, and we’ve worked on multiple musicals together, so we really have a shared language by now,” Sarnak said. “And Ellenore — she just understands how my music moves. That’s essential when creating something as dynamic as ‘Empire Records.’ We’ve also got an amazing music director, Dan Green, and music supervisor, Brian Perry, who are both incredible at what they do.”
The cast includes Broadway veterans like Lorna Courtney (“& Juliet”) as Corey and Damon Daunno (“Oklahoma!”) as Rex Manning. “We are beyond thrilled to have this amazing team and incredible cast here in Princeton,” said McCarter’s artistic director, Sarah Rasmussen, in the theater’s casting announcement. “Their talent and chemistry are going to bring the timeless story of ‘Empire Records: The Musical’ to brilliant new life.”
The announcement also reminded readers that the theater, a two-time Tony Award-winning venue, is renowned for its legacy of premiering innovative and bold new works, from Thornton Wilder’s “Our Town” to William Inge’s “Bus Stop.” With Empire Records, the theater upholds its tradition of championing groundbreaking productions that speak to audiences across generations.
“‘Empire Records’ resonates across generations, from vinyl enthusiasts to AirPods addicts,” said Martin Miller, McCarter’s executive director. “We all have something, someplace, or someone that we’d fight like anything to save. That spirit is infectious, and it’s the driving force of this terrific show — plus, with this amazing cast, it’s just so fun to watch.”
For Sarnak, the show’s premiere is not only a professional milestone but also a personal one. “When you have collaborators in the room that you trust, it lets you take risk, and it makes you feel more open to doing something that puts you outside of your comfort zone,” she said in an interview with McCarter. “I think that is how amazing art gets made.”
Set against the backdrop of a record store on the brink of a corporate takeover, “Empire Records” captures the optimism and angst of 90s youth culture. The musical is a nostalgic tribute to an era when music was the heartbeat of youth rebellion.
“Record stores, concerts, theaters — there’s something so special about people coming together to experience music in person,” Sarnak said. “That’s what Empire Records captures — the magic of those moments.”
Empire Records: The Musical, McCarter Theatre, 91 University Place, Princeton. Through Sunday, October 6. 609-258-2787 or www.mccarter.org.
