The period of crisis and rebirth that can arrive at age 33 is often called the Jesus Year. For Matthew's father, it manifested in a sinking feeling that he might not live to see his four young sons grow up. So, he began writing them a letter - life lessons ranging from sex to communication to spirituality - that was found after his death, when Scott was only 13. For Scott, the letter became a cherished guide to growing up while he navigated intimate relationships, his professional career, anxiety, and the early years of fatherhood to two sons of his own. In December 2021, Scott - who had by then taken Broadway by storm in a string of hits that included Sondheim on Sondheim, Jersey Boys and An American in Paris - wove his father's letter, anecdotes from his own life and a collection of classic pop and Broadway songs (from Paul McCartney and Billy Joel to William Finn and Stephen Sondheim) into a deeply funny, profoundly moving, and rousing one-man show with direction by Joe Calarco and music direction by Vadim Feicthner.

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“At just about sixty minutes and full of songs from pre-existing source material, THE JESUS YEAR is technically a cabaret.  But Matthew Scott didn’t create a cabaret, he wrote a play, and the story that it tells is raw, real, and replete with entertainment value and life lessons, tied up with a bow on the stage of 54 Below.  Through honesty, humor, and exquisite writing and acting, he took the art form of cabaret to new places, creating and presenting MY FAVORITE SHOW OF THE YEAR.” Read the review HERE.

Stephen Mosher, Broadway World - The Best of 2023 And The Last Four Years

“Matthew Scott has the winning double-barreled combo of looks and voice that compel you.” 
Peter Marks, Washington Post

Heartfelt and achingly personal, singer-actor Matthew Scott's sharing of memories and feelings about his own father's life and death (28 years ago)–and about becoming a father himself–is an avalanche of love and emotion. The Jesus Year... is replete with palpable familial affection and connection, a sense of carpe diem, plus smiles and tears.

Rob Lester, Talkin’ Broadway

“In The Jesus Year, you’ll curl up with each song as with a good book. And in a world that seems always to be spinning out of control, each observation is like an indispensable survival guide, a step-by-step instruction manual on how to be a son, a father, a husband, a fully-formed human being. His story, his show, and his songs, like all the best art, are not merely the grace notes of life, but the very stuff and truth of love that, thanks to this recording, we can all learn by heart.” 
Rick Elice (Co-writer of Jersey Boys)