Songs for a New World is a work of musical theater written and composed by Jason Robert Brown The show employs four performers who do not literally play the same characters throughout the show but who do have consistently developing character arcs nonetheless. It is far more than a revue or song cycle but it's not a standard narrative book musical. Composer Jason Robert Brown has said of his show, "It's about one moment. It's about hitting the wall and having to make a choice, or take a stand, or turn around and go back." The music is heavily influenced by a broad range of musical genres, including pop, gospel, jazz and classical music. Some of the songs reference well-known historical and fictional characters, including Mrs. Santa Claus, Christopher Columbus, Michael Jordan, Magic Johnson and Betsy Ross.