Because while Richs show might be known for its overflowing guest list,the Bengsonsare the shows lynchpin.
All Inwas inspired by the Magnetic Fields 1999 classic69 Love Songs,and the Bengsons perform select tracks onstage.
But the folk duo are also in charge of every other sound in the show, too.
Abigail and Shaun BengsonEmilio Madrid*
Even when were not singing, the band is underscoring all the stories.
So it feels like were the water floating [them] through, Shaun says.
Our work is to support the emotional journey of the show and give little outlets for big feelings.
And the songs kind of let that erupt for a minute in between, Abigail adds.
Thats a pretty sweet gig.
For his part, Rich tellsRolling Stonethe Bengsons are out-of-this-world talented and the nicest virtuosos that youll ever meet.
As an album,69 Love Songsis so influential for so many different people.
We met and got married three weeks later.
Its such an intimate way to get to know somebody, especially since we were both musicians.
Book of Love was the song that our older child fell asleep to for years and years.
And its also the way [Stephin Merritt] writes.
All of his songs are about characters and feel like these micro stories that are part of larger ones.
It was really beautiful and important to me to honor him.
And as it was ending, we were like, We dont know what were gonna do next.
A big void, thats how it was feeling at the time.
And I knew it was a gift from my brother.
Simon Rich and John Mulaney and Alex Timbers really love each other.
Its us with no armor and its incredibly vulnerable.
That kind of work feeds me, but it does take a lot.
Its pretty amazing and wild to get to be a part of this.
Its not all on our backs.
We get to be in support of these beautiful comedians and these wonderful stories and songs.
So its like a treat in that respect.
We never do covers.
For better or worse, weve just never done that.
So it was actually a huge metabolic shift to sing someone elses work.
Luckily, we love the work so much.
What if they boo because we sound so different?
I hope they dont think we ruined their masterpiece.
Its a total privilege to sing those songs.
Abigail: Oh, my God, well miss them forever.
Shaun: They are playing characters, but really theyre telling stories.
Not better or worse, just just different.
Abigail: Its like really healthy polyamory.
And our building got sold, so we had to move 10 days before we started this.
Abigail: Thank you for the gasp.
It was sad and scary and hard.
But its added to the quality of this whole thing feeling like landing on another planet.
That was a beautiful, strange dream.
Shaun: Its a moon-landing kind of quality.
Whose idea was that?Shaun: Fred is a beautiful musician.
Hes a drummer and a multi-instrumentalist.
So Alex and Kris talked about how we could feature this.
I love things that are smart and dumb, and I feel that this qualifies.
How has your musics relationship with optimism evolved?Abigail: Thats such a beautiful question.
I dont know that Im an optimist, but I am totally committed to life.
And I choose me, and I choose to continue.
The thing I believe that we can do together is create a moment of joy.
I really believe that when were all in a room together, we can do that.
And I suspect that that is our clearest, best road to liberation.
