Musical Theatre Music Videos: A Q&A with Annie Simpson

Hey, all! Here we are in 2014-- where did the time go?

With the new year come lots of new beginnings and hopefully a lot of great new theatre. One of my biggest resolutions this year is just that I want to create, to make more stuff, whether it be art, writing, or putting my work out there into the universe. On a similar wavelength, performer Annie Simpson recently got in touch with me about a new project she's working on: making good old fashioned music videos for new musical theatre writers' songs. With the pilot project being a video for Pasek and Paul's "Lying There," I was curious to know how Annie and her collaborator, Terrance Jackson, would approach other musical numbers and what place they hoped their videos would have in the musical theatre universe. Here's what Annie had to say:

Me: Where did the idea to make Musical Theatre Music Videos come from?

Annie Simpson: Like most musical theatre nerds, I spend a lot of time watching every theater related video I can get my hands on. One of my very best friends, Terrance Jackson, and I spend many nights on YouTube admiring what other artists are out there doing! Some of the greatest, most riveting, and heart-filled music belongs to musical theatre and yet, few people besides "theater people" ever experience it. Terrance and I want to change that. There are too many beautiful stories in musicals that some people will never even know about. That's when we realized that some sort of action needed to be taken. We started to wonder what would happen if we combined really great storytelling in music videos with the music of musical theatre? Perhaps if there was a someone who wouldn't be interested in sitting down and listening to a musical theatre song, they might be willing to watch a music video. If they were impacted by the music video, maybe they might want to watch another one or go see a live show someday. Musical theatre has done so much for my life and I want others to have that opportunity as well.

Me: How did you decide to do "Lying There" as your inaugural project? What was the process like concepting and shooting the video?

Annie: It all started one evening when Terrance and I were trying to decide what to do for the rest of the night. We are on tour right now and had a cancellation of a show we were scheduled to do the next day due to weather. Terrance and I are kind of like golden retrievers who can't sit still for very long at a time. One thing we have in common is a strong desire to create. We are always looking for new artistic endeavors that will challenge us! "Lying There" from Edges kind of found us. We both adore Pasek and Paul and love "Lying There". We listened to the song together and knew immediately it was perfect for our inaugural project. We were off to the races and the whole project was completed in less than 24 hours. We began by recording my voice on an accompaniment track at about 12:30 AM that night. We got up the next day and started to brainstorm how to storyboard this video. We decided midway through the storyboard process to cut straight to filming. "Lying There" is so beautifully crafted that the story we wanted to tell was jumping out at us and we were thinking too much and getting in the way! Our awesome friend, Barrett Guyton, was on board to make an appearance in this video and we totally improvised just about all of the footage. We would play the song in the background and let it speak to us. Terrance is an incredible director and was amazing at taking whatever impulses Barrett and I had and figuring out how to best capture those on film. Then we began the editing process which was surprisingly difficult. We had so much great footage that it was hard to decide what to keep and what to get rid of. It's amazing how if you seek to serve the piece of art you are creating, it will end up guiding you to exactly what it needs to be. And I hope that we were able to do that for this video!

Winter Hibernation Must Watch List

Hey, guys! It's been a little while, but I hope you're all enjoying the holidays. I've personally been incredibly busy preparing for the end of the year, but luckily there has been some great end-of-the-year musical theatre goodness to send 2013 off in style. On the roster of things you can do to celebrate Christmas with musical theatre, there's the tried and true Joe Iconis Christmas Spectacular coming up. Tonight, there's also this concert at the D-Lounge featuring holiday songs by BMI alumni, and Bill Finn's Ridiculously Talented Composers and Lyricists You Probably Don't Know But Should at 54 below.

If you're like me, however, and haven't had time to experience some of the great winter concerts and events in person, there is still great music to enjoy from your home. Here are some of the things that are getting me through this winter:

I couldn't be more happy for my friend, Sam Willmott, who won ASCAP's 2013 Harold Adamson Award this year. He performed recently at the Kennedy Center as a part of the ASCAP Centennial Celebration concerts, along with Amanda Yesnowitz and Deborah Abramson and hosts Pasek and Paul. Watch the whole concert here, and above is Sam's song "Recession Kind of Christmas" because, well, tis the season.

It feels like EVERYONE on Twitter was a-twitter about the 54 Below concert of Hit List, the fictional fringe musical from the short-lived TV show Smash. This concert reunited 3 of the original cast members and creative team from the show, including songwriters Pasek and Paul, Joe Iconis, Drew Gasparini, and Andrew McMahon. Above is Jeremy Jordan singing "Caught in the Storm," and you can view more here.

For anyone who might think the magic of Disney has dimmed over the years should be pleasantly surprised by The Mouse's latest movie, Frozen. Not only is the movie itself charming, but it also features the immense music-writing talents of Kristen Anderson-Lopez and Robert Lopez and performer extraordinaire Idina Menzel. Need proof? Watch the video above for the sequence for the song "Let It Go."

Stay warm, guys! See you in the next year.

The End of Summer Playlist

Things have been pretty busy for me lately, and I unfortunately haven't been show-going as much as I would like. Still, even when I can't make it to the theatre, it's always nice knowing that I can always go to trusty Youtube to get a fresh musical theatre fix. Therefore, I thought I would share some of the latest videos/performances that have gotten me through the summer:

Santino Fontana and Jessica Hershberg singing Adam Gwon's "Fine"

Nothing like the chemistry of a real couple to keep this always-bouyant tune afloat.

Nick Blaemire and Charlie Rosen's Broadway Big Band doing a How to Succeed Medley

I said it before, and I'll say it again. Like buttah.

Jane Horrocks singing "Cabaret" from the Donmar Warehouse 1994 production

A new, star-studded revival has been announced of Cabaret, but I would be curious as to whether or not Michelle Williams would be able to deliver this kind of cathartic, fresh hell.

Kristin Chenoweth and Sarah Horn singing "For Good" at the Hollywood Bowl

Yes, I know Kristin Chenoweth has pulled this Wicked-duet-with-an-audience-member during concerts before, but this woman has a seriously wonderful voice. Just a lot of love here.

Pasek and Paul singing "Some Kinda Time" from Dogfight

Yep... still wearing this CD out.

Annie Golden singing Joe Iconis's "Spin Those Records"

Orange Is the New Black was the summer sensation, but an Annie + Joe collab is always sensational.

Andrew Rannells singing Hedwig's "The Origin of Love"

The big news is that NPH will be tackling this iconic role, but this song and performance are pretty close to perfection.

Arielle Jacobs, Max Chernin, Charles A. Franklin, Kerri George, and Noah Zachary singing Ryan Scott Oliver's "When the Music Ends"

Gahhh so much talent on one stage.

A Banner Year: Three Cheers for Pasek and Paul

I remember I used to watch clips of Benj Pasek and Justin Paul's song cycle, Edges, from my dorm room in Georgia my Freshman year of college, a turbulent time in my life when I found myself stuck in a college town but in desperate need of new life experiences and challenges. "Monticello" was a lifeline for me, and it's been a real joy over the years to see the show continue to change, get a professional production, and help Pasek and Paul carve out spaces for themselves in the theatre world.

This past year (even these past couple of months) have been especially exciting for Pasek and Paul, as their work has not only had some major productions in 2012, but is now getting recognized in awards season. Next week, the duo will be celebrating the release of the cast recording of Second Stage's production of Dogfight at Joe's Pub-- though the album is already available for digital download and is well worth the early grab. I, sadly (and brokely), missed the Second Stage production (which just recently won the Lucille Lortel Award for Best Musical), but man, is Sh-K-Boom preserving some good stuff with the recording of this album. All the performers are top notch-- with Lindsay Mendez's voice a clearly ringing standout throughout, and the songs are ebullient and smart. If this is the future of musical theatre, the kids are alright. I dare you to watch the preview video below with a sample of "First Date/Last Night" and not get hooked.

Pasek and Paul are also up for a Tony for their score for A Christmas Story, which is thrilling. Also, their nomination made this wonderful little Q&A possible.

And last, but hardly least, Pasek and Paul song have been tearing it up on the notorious Smash.

So big congrats go out to Pasek and Paul-- and if you haven't had a chance to check out their music, you gotta get on it! There's no excuse anymore. They're out there killing it, and I couldn't be happier for their success.

Playing a Game of Catchup

Hey, all! I know there's been a lot of radio silence on the blog lately; unfortunately, some of my other writing projects have been taking up a lot of my time and I haven't had a chance to really dive into the musical theatre scene yet this year. One of the biggest things on my plate was working on putting together a reading of my own work, The Memory Queen, which I'm happy to say went well last week. It was a great experience, though something that originally made me feel like this:

Made me also feel like this right beforehand:

Still, I survived and learned a lot and will hopefully be on the scene again blogging for you. That being said, there's a lot of new musical theatre stuff going on right now on the interwebs that has been doing my job for me. Here are some links to check out:

• On Crazytown, Michael Ruby has started an interview series with a bunch of great new composers.
• On NYTimes.com, Lynn Ahrens, Joe Iconis, and Marcy Heisler write songs about Mayor Bloomberg in celebration of Encores! Fiorello!
• Kerrigan and Lowdermilk had their first West Coast show! Watch songs from the concert here.
• Smash this season will feature songs from Drew Gasparini, Pasek and Paul, and Joe Iconis. Read about them here, and see "Broadway Here I Come" from the first episode of the new season.

NYMF/ASCAP Foundation Songwriters Showcase

I have to admit that I am still feeling the aftershocks of awe after attending last night's NYMF/ASCAP Foundation Songwriters Showcase.

As I've been attending these NYMF shows, I've been going to most performances alone, which is something that I appreciate but sometimes makes me miss having a companion, mostly because I love exposing my friends to musical works they normally wouldn't go out of their way to see. However, last night was one of the few nights I was truly happy to be experiencing alone; because though I would have loved to expose someone else to the sheer talent of some of these writers in a such a warm environment, I reveled in the fact that I got to just let the music and the discussion sink in, not having to worry about whether or not someone else was enjoying it as much as I was--just engaging in the whole experience uninterrupted.

The showcase was hosted by Stephen Schwartz and featured songwriting teams Kooman and Dimond, Valerie Vigoda and Brendan Milburn (also known as 2/3 of band GrooveLily), and Pasek and Paul. I was aware of these writers' work before this evening, but there was something about getting to see an event focused entirely on their music -- where it comes from, what the process of writing is, how collaboration crystallizes into a final product -- that was absolutely magical. Not to mention getting to see these wonderful writers really appreciating one another was so moving in its own way. Here are some highlights (at least in my opinion) from the discussion:

• Though the panelists were all songwriting teams and had the common thread of meeting in college, I loved how varied they were in their approaches to their writing. Kooman and Dimond began their work together writing music for Carnegie Mellon students. Valerie Vigoda and Brendan Milburn are married. Pasek and Paul apparently fight a lot throughout the writing process. It was nice to see everyone's dynamic with his or her partner.

• Most of the writers did not actually go to school for musical theatre writing. Pasek and Paul got their start as musical theatre performers at UMich, Valerie Vigoda was a singer/songwriter (Sarah McLachlan with a violin, she joked), and Michael Kooman was originally in the school of music (not theatre) at Carnegie Mellon.

• Stephen Schwartz apparently thought of having a CD called "Murdered Darlings," which would be comprised of cut songs. There was a lot of talk about murdered darlings last night, in fact, hitting home the idea of theatre being a process of revision and seeing what works and letting go of what doesn't.

• When Kooman and Dimond start a show, Christopher usually writes the book first, and then they work on the music. As a playwright, I thought this was a fascinating approach.

• Valerie Vigoda is going to have a one-woman show that is going to rock your socks off. She performed the opening number, and I just had my mouth hanging open by the time it was done. Also, note to self, if you learn an instrument, let it be the electric violin.

• There are some major A Christmas Story fans out there; granted, many audience members were associated with the show, but any mention of Pasek and Paul's musical adaptation garnered loud cheers.

I have to say that I was captivated throughout the evening. I wanted to post video performances of every song available that was sung last night on the blog to even give the tiniest indication of what it was like. But instead, I will only post one -- as it represents a moment in the evening that I found incredibly profound and moving.

In the middle of the program, every songwriting team presented a second song, usually preceded by some kind of introduction. Kooman and Dimond explained that their next song was an intensely personal number -- one that was written in 24 hours, spurring on one of the biggest creative arguments they'd ever had, and that even made Andrew Lippa cry. Seems like a pretty big set-up for song, right?

And then Michael Kooman took to the piano and sang this song, "Lost in the Waves," which is performed below by Anderson Davis:

When it ended, I was in shock. There was something about it-- the piano, the lone voice, the crispness of lyrics in the silent Peter Norton Space. For the entirety of the song, I was transported into another place, and when it was over, realizing where I was was almost shocking. I sat there, gobsmacked, trying to adjust back to the event. And the most beautiful part of the whole thing? When Stephen Schwartz turned to Brendan Milburn so that he and Valerie could present their song, the look on Brendan's face was the exact same as mine.

I was so thankful when he took a minute to digest the performance, when he was genuinely short on words in the aftermath of that song. There was something great about seeing in other people, not to mention other terrific writers, the passion and love that I feel for these works.

NYMF is now into its second week-- what a way to begin it.

All About the Process...

So the inspiration for this blog comes from how much joy I've gotten over the last month listening to the BMI Workshop Songbook podcasts here. And there are many reasons why I absolutely love these. First of all, the Broadcast Music, Inc. workshops help cultivate talents that continually contribute new, exciting works from new composers. Second, this collection of podcasts features the talents of 20 writers/songwriting teams, with composers and lyricists like Andy Monroe and Jack Lechner, Maury Yeston, Tom Kitt and Amanda Green, Barry Wyner, Joy Son and Jill Abramovitz, Michael John LaChiusa, Beth Falcone, and Jeff Blumenkrantz. With all this creative talent, there's a wealth of vocal talent from the likes of Neil Patrick Harris, Cheyenne Jackson, Victoria Clark, Gavin Creel, and Christine Ebersole. Perhaps my favorite parts besides all the music are the great interviews, which are really more like conversations about the craft of creating a musical. And through these conversations, a lot of interesting ideas are raised in many of the podcasts, from the difficulty of obtaining rights to adapt popular source material to how 9/11 created a sense of community in one of the classes. If you enjoy the music, you can also buy the Songbook on CD here.

In speaking of process, I revisited Kerrigan and Lowdermilk's Freshman Experiment website the other day and am continually amazed by the scope and ingenuity of this venture. Through two college Freshmen's blogs, Kerrigan and Lowdermilk created songs based on their subjects' experiences, almost all of which are now fan favorites. Through the blogging done by all parties, it's also easy to chart the evolution of the songs as lyrics are tightened and ideas are formed.

For another great resource for hearing about a journey of a show through grassroots promotion, check out MTI ShowSpace's Vault for videos from Pasek and Paul as they discuss the process of creating and getting productions of their song cycle Edges, much of which was done while they were still in college at University of Michigan. It's a fascinating story of how they were able to bypass the Off-Broadway dream by taking the show on the road on a non-equity bus tour and managed to get a slew of college performances long before their first professional production.

And to top off this theme of songwriting and creation comes more Jason Robert Brown blogginess. In this two part blog, JRB gives examples of some lessons he goes over with USC students, from a list of examples of different musical theatre songwriting techniques to how to construct a cheesy disco melody.

New Musical Theatre... and beyond

Last night's newmusicaltheatre.com launch concert was like an incredibly tight compilation of six of your favorite band's greatest hits. Pasek and Paul, Adam Gwon, Kerrigan and Lowdermilk, Nick Blaemire, Ryan Scott Oliver, and Joe Iconis all channeled their superb brand of music and lyrics through a slew of awesome performers, creating an impressive soundscape of where young musical theatre is heading. Many of the songs featured on this blog were performed and there were many familiar faces, but the beautiful thing about this concert was the way all the music fit seamlessly together, while still having a distinct voice behind each piece. I watched Matt Doyle move from a romantic drunken piece about an encounter in New York City to inhabiting a seductive vampire preying on Emma Hunton's dreamy idealism of the undead. I smiled at Kelli O'Hara's back and forth with husband Greg Naughton after having been almost moved to tears by her recollection of a romance gone by. The music was transformative-- powerful voices that demand to be heard.

And what is most profound, perhaps, is the whole reason behind the concert. There's something incredibly reassuring about the idea that all of these artists can come together and form an alliance with one another, working towards a common goal. Because while even amongst just the original six songwriters and songwriting teams, each person has a diverse background whether their work has made it to Broadway, won awards, has earned them teaching positions, has toured the country, or has been recorded to CD. All of these voices unite to bring a dialog directly to the fans--to provide those in the community with great songs to be performed and shared, in a forum where these young composers can profit and communicate directly with the customer. I think it's encouraging, and I think that combining all this music only makes the works stronger and shine far brighter.

Many of the songs performed last night have had a video on here before. But here are some highlights that include new songs:

The opening number starring the cast from the night:


"Twisted Teeth" by Ryan Scott Oliver, performed by Emma Hunton and Matt Doyle:


"Fine" by Adam Gwon, performed by Kelli O'Hara and Greg Naughton:


"Ready to Be Loved" by Pasek and Paul, performed by Nikki James:


Also, be sure to check up on the New Musical Theatre website often... word on the street is that a bunch of new composers will be added in the next week or so, including Jeanine Tesori, whose song was the closing number of the night.

Pure Joy

This is too amazing not to post:



Iconis? Pasek? Gwon? And Lowdermilk? Singing Nick Blaemire's "Good Old Glory Type Days"?

Okay, maybe a little rough around the edges. But I think it's good proof that "If It Only Even Runs a Minute," a show that ran at the Laurie Beechman a couple weeks ago, brought about some pretty memorable performances.

A Little Sheet Music

If you've enjoyed some of the composers I've profiled so far through the blog, I highly recommend checking out this relatively new site, New Musical Theatre, a place where you can order sheet music directly from many of the composers I've talked about. All you have to do is find your music, pay online, and then download/unlock your sheet music right on your computer.

With many of these composers, I've seen more of a grassroots approach to promoting shows and material, and I fully support this site's outreach to people who would like to perform their work. So, if you're in the market for an audition piece or just want to gather around the old keyboard and belt out some tunes for your friends (...or your cats, who am I to judge?), then head on over and do a little shopping.

After all, who wouldn't want to belt out a little "Blue Hair" by Joe Iconis at a recital:



Or drown your sorrows by doing a rendition of "Like Breathing" by Pasek and Paul:



Or inappropriately serenade your teacher with "What I Wouldn't Do For You" by Ryan Scott Oliver:

Really What's the Point If We're Just Coasting

Though their days at UMich aren’t long behind them, songwriting team Benj Pasek and Justin Paul have managed to make quite a splash in the musical theatre community in a relatively short amount of time. While still at UMich, they managed to write song cycle (which has received a slew of performances across the country in college and professional theaters) called Edges about four young adults coming of age as they navigate relationships, newfound responsibility, and their need for connection. One of the most inspired productions so far has been with a fabulous cast consisting of Steven Booth, Farah Alvin, Colin Hanlon, and Whitney Bashor (not to mention Gordon Greenberg directing!) at Capitol Repertory Theatre in Albany, along with a subsequent Midwest premiere at the Stephen Sondheim Center for the Performing Arts in 2008.

Having seen this music evolve over the years through countless youtube videos and clips, I have to say how impressed I am at how much their music has matured over time. While their music has always been incredibly skillful, the tightness of their lyrics, the beauty of their music, and the progression of emotion throughout these songs only seems to get better. It also helps that they have wonderful conduits that really reach into the music and pull out soul-grabbing performance with enthusiasm and attitude that make these characters pop. There are a few videos from Edges available from Pasek and Paul’s youtube channel, but my favorites are undoubtedly this humorously frank performance of “Monticello”:



And the hilarious-turned-shockingly-poignant “Along the Way”:



Surprisingly, a piece of theirs whose memory brings a smile to my face was their work for last year’s 24 Hour Musicals event, where they wrote a few songs for a ridiculous story about three doctors (also brothers) who realize the woman they are about to operate on was their old flame. Led by an all star cast consisting of Cheyenne Jackson, Jesse Tyler Ferguson, Roger Bart, and Scarlett Strallen (also with a book by Rinne Groff), you can enjoy the wit and pure joy of their music, which was surprisingly written in less than 24 hours.

Part 1:


Part 2:


The duo also has written songs for the delightful children’s show, Johnny and the Sprites, and have had a couple concert appearances in recent months. More than anything, I am thrilled that their next project is an adaptation of the classic film, Dogfight, in which a group of marines attend a “dogfight,” a party in which they each compete to bring the ugliest date. With an intriguing plot and what I presume to be an insightful score to match, I think this could really be something special as a commission for Lincoln Center Theater. Then again, I feel like this clip really speaks for itself: