Before Hell’s Kitchen became synonymous with luxury high-rises, it housed St. Clare’s—a haven that was chronically underfunded, defiantly kindhearted, and open to anyone the rest of New York City turned away.

That raw, lost heartbeat of Manhattan takes center stage in BROKE, a genre-defying new musical presented by Animal Stone Productions. Running September 17–20 at Theatre 4 on Theatre Row (410 West 42nd Street), the production bridges a century through the lives of two trailblazing women: Katie Henry (Mother Alice), an Irish immigrant who founded the hospital during the Great Depression, and Nikki Owen, a paramedic who spent 25 years navigating St. Clare’s ambulance through the AIDS crisis, the crack epidemic, and September 11.

At the center of this world is composer Andy Teirstein. A student of Leonard Bernstein who has shared stages with Pete Seeger and Paul Simon, Teirstein brings an eclectic pedigree to BROKE. Below, the composer discusses mapping a century of New York history through global rhythms, translating trauma into melody, and finding the sonic pulse of survival.

A Century-Long Sonic Architecture

BROKE spans 1896 to the 2000s, shifting between immigrant traditions and urban decay. To reflect this evolution, Teirstein grounded the score in the city’s actual immigrant soundscapes.

• Folk Foundations: Katie’s early scenes feature driving bodhrán rhythms and traditional Irish fiddle tunes learned directly from pubs in Dublin and County Clare, anchoring her journey from rural farm girl to hospital founder.
• Urban Velocity: Contemporary scenes pivot toward sharp, asymmetrical meters, jazz-infused piano lines, and layered percussion inspired by West African and Cuban polyrhythms, capturing the urgency of 1980s emergency calls.
• Generational Dialogue: As fiddle shifts to classical violin and back again, the music bridges Katie and Nikki across time, reflecting how historical actions resonate in the modern metropolis.

Balancing Folk Intimacy with Symphonic Chaos

Navigating the transition from an intimate solo ballad to the siren-filled streets of Manhattan requires precise theatrical balance.

“I try to give the singer a melody that reflects who they are, which can be enormously expressive of a character’s inner world,” notes Teirstein. “While I love to give the instrumental ensemble a rich and complex underpinning to reflect the city and the wildness of the hospital world, I’m always mindful of the personal voice within the swirling urgency.”

Teirstein channels the conversational intimacy of Paul Simon alongside classical harmonic structures, framing Nikki’s internal reflections against the chaos of city sirens, crowded ER wards, and street sirens.

The Sound of Memory and Resilience

BROKE charts not only the hospital’s rise, but its eventual closure and conversion into luxury condos. Structurally, Teirstein maps Nikki’s trauma and memory using a “glistening web of notes”—a recurring motif representing thousands of emergency calls and the mental toll of frontline work.

In the wake of 9/11 and the hospital’s final days, the score comes full circle. The Irish motifs return, transformed into an urgent, unifying rhythm passed generationally from Mother Alice to Nikki—a testament to enduring resilience in a constantly shifting city.

Production Details