In this spoken‑song excerpt, the narrator introduces the number 9 People’s Favorite Thing, a song that encapsulates a creative credo: it is better to make a show that a few people love deeply than a mediocre show that pleases everyone. The speaker references past Broadway risks—On the Town, Grease, Tenderloin, The Ring—to illustrate how daring choices can lead to lasting impact. A humorous church‑bazaar anecdote about Rice Krispie Treats serves as a metaphor for niche success, emphasizing the idea that a small, passionate audience can grow organically. The piece outlines a vision of the show’s evolution from nine devoted fans to a wider audience, culminating in a cast‑album recording that will remind the creators of their original intent.
Chapters
has differed from any other show on Broadway. This song, called "Nine People's Favorite Thing," features the four characters singing about how they'd rather make a show that a few people love than a show that everybody only kind of enjoys. We can neither follow our instincts, take advice from every joker. We can neither be distinct, nor wind up merely mediocre. But not Not me. Not me. When we set out to write this musical, we said we'd write a show that we'd want to see. We knew we'd never please everyone. Remember that day at Christine's? You said to me, you said to me, I'd rather be 9 people's favorite thing than 100 people's 9th favorite thing. 9 people's favorite thing than 100 people's 9th favorite thing. Yeah, you're right, Chelsea, let's not compromise. Let's keep making something we've never seen. A risk was taken with On the Town. Look what happened. Betty and Adolph burst onto the scene. A shout out to Carmen and Grease. And when Bock and Hornig were writing Tenderloin, they were taking a risk to write a show about a horse. When Kander and Ebb were working on The Ring, I'd like to think at some point, John looked at Fred and said, I'd rather be 9 people's favorite favorite day, then 100 people's 9th favorite day, 9 people's favorite day, then 100 people's 9th favorite day. When you came to me the first draft of the show, I'll admit I was a little bit pissed off, but I'm not giving up on you guys until all of us have learned to knit on the bus and truck. On the bus and truck. And who sits 4 chairs and a keyboard and makes a Broadway musical for a dumb If only that keyboard were a paper-doll recorder chair. What we find is only more chairs. For our apartment's only 4 chairs. Ah, ooh, ah, ah, ooh, ah. I am 8 years old in Ohio. It is time for the annual church bazaar. Cake baking contest. I am going to be the big star, but I don't want to make a German chocolate and the 7 layers are never complete. So I show up with pride this morning with such a parade of Rice Krispie treats. Oh, push them aside, say that they are too strange to compete. And sure, most of the judges Or the red velvet? But one picks the Rice Krispie Treats. Let our show be the Rice Krispie Treats. Under 13, 9 people's favorite thing. Then 100 people's 9 favorite things. 9 people's favorite things. Then 100 people's 9 favorite things. Those 9 people will tell 9 people, and they'll have 18 people loving the show. And 18 people could grow into 525,600 people all loving our show. And maybe someday, if we're lucky enough, we'll all be in the studio recording our show. And 10 years from now, when we play the cast album, this track on the CD will remind us why we'd rather be here.
