David Javerbaum and Bob Cohen began collaborating on an original piece of musical theatre in 1996. The two were both children of the New Jersey suburbs — David from Maplewood, Bob from Fair Lawn — and, following the maxim "Write what you know," they began work. Their musical Suburb took shape in workshops at Musical Theatre Works (MTW), where in June of 1997 they performed a staged reading of their first five songs. Over the next two years, David and Bob wrote twelve more, continuing to develop the piece at both MTW and the NYU Graduate Musical Theatre Alumni Workshop.

In 2000, Suburb won the prestigious Richard Rodgers Development Award, which helped fund a workshop production at the off-Broadway York Theatre, directed by Jennifer Uphoff Gray. This workshop led to the show's critically-acclaimed premiere at Buffalo's Alleyway Theatre. Following that success, the York Theatre Company staged its own critically-acclaimed production during the 2000-2001 season, earning Best Musical Nominations from the Lucille Lortel Awards, the Outer Critics' Circle, and the Drama League. With a cast of eight and a score that can be performed with piano-only or with a five-piece band, Suburb can be produced in any sized theater. Its abundant humor, endearing characters, rich music, witty lyrics, and timeless themes give it a universal appeal.