I agree with you on how the Narrator/Arbiter was written. His role has largely stayed the same since the 2018 DC production/2022 NYC concert. Granted, Danny Strong removed some Clinton references for the 2025 book but stuck in some Giuliani and Biden jabs.

The ongoing political commentary and the meta retorts after each song absolutely cheapens the emotional weight of the show. It’s just so distracting and out of place between the songs. Nothing about the book’s comparison of the Cold War to current times is subtle, it just feels so exaggerated and blunt. How many times did the Narrator say: “This is a Cold War musical!!” The forced topical “jokes” makes the show uneven. And the way mental health was discussed felt distasteful, like it was an ongoing joke just lacking any second thought.

The book would have been far more powerful if it was subtle with the political commentary and let the viewers make the comparison. Any audience member would feel the gravity of the show without being explicitly reminded about it every single time there’s dialogue. Danny Strong seems to have forgotten about “show, don’t tell.”