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.

Go See the Mess

Last night, I had the pleasure of seeing Cait Doyle's Hot Mess in Manhattan, and I do have to say that if you're a fan of new musical theatre, you should totally go out and support this show. Inspired by her cabaret show, Hot Mess the musical is a story written around a slew of original songs by up-and-coming musical composers collected for Hot Mess's cabaret shows. There's a lot of good stuff here: really affecting music by the likes of Nick Blaemire, Kerrigan and Lowdermilk, Michael Mahler, and Ryan Scott Oliver, an infectious cast with Cait Doyle at the helm, and a wonderfully personal undertone to the show that helps the themes of New York City disillusionment and survival hit home. Admittedly, the plot is a little thin, but it's a wonderful showcase to some brilliant music and performances. Also, the show is still in development, so go out and show your support as they continue to work it.

My fellow Crazytown-er Shoshana posted a cool interview with Cait today. You can also still get your tickets for the remaining performances here, and use the code newMTfan for $15 tickets.

Hot Mess Takes Manhattan

I've expressed my adoration of Cait Doyle and her cabaret show, Hot Mess in Manhattan, a few times on this blog, and I'm thrilled to say that Hot Mess will be taking to the Manhattan stage again in the near future, only this time as a full-length musical! Chock full of songs by up-and-coming composers (including the likes of Ryan Scott Oliver, Adam Gwon, Nick Blaemire, Salzman and Cunningham, Kerrigan & Lowdermilk), this semi-autobiographical tale is sure to debunk some Sex and the City myths with a realistic, entertaining portrayal of life in the big city. Cait is hilarious, and armed with some great original songs, this is sure to be a great show.

Performances start on August 30th, and the show will run until September 8th. You can purchase tickets here, BUT WAIT! Use the code newMTfan at checkout, and you can get tickets for $15 each! Save a little money, see a great show, and come back here and share your thoughts!

Lullabies of Broadway: Over the Moon

When I think of lullabies, I think of the tin song in a music box or the tune of a mobile, rotating in a crib. The kinds of bedtime songs I think of are nursery rhymes, kiddy songs to lull an infant into a state of submission. It would seem that as adults we have less of a need for lullabies-- but then I think to the fact that I still often need a song to carry me off to sleep, and I realize that they might be more relevant than I had originally thought.

To raise money for breast cancer research and support, Kate Dawson and Jodi Glucksman have co-produced the new album Over the Moon, a collection of 26 lullabies written by premiere theatre composers and recorded for the first time. Performed by Broadway stars, this collection boasts songs by the likes of Stephen Sondheim, Maury Yeston, Tom Kitt, Adam Gwon, Timothy Huang, and Marcy Heisler and Zina Goldrich. The amount of talent on this CD is unreal, and all the money goes to a good cause.

Last night was a concert celebrating the project and featuring 13 of the 26 songs sung live by some incredibly talented artists, including Marc Kudisch, Nikki M. James, and Marva Hicks. With every song performance was a projection of an illustration that can also be found in the picture and ebook versions of the album, which are all available for purchase from the project's website. For a sampling of some of the music performed last night, here are a couple of behind-the-scenes clips:

What I think I love most about this project in particular is how it brought the art of the lullaby back into the public consciousness. Thought they are deceptively simple, they serve a very important purpose-- what is it that we most want to hear before we go to sleep? What kind of comfort can we offer? Much like the mission of this project, lullabies seek to reassure us of the things we have and the life we've lived-- it's a reflection on love and time and a gentle wish into the future.

Songs You Should Know from People You Should Also Know

First of all, have you seen a show lately? If you're in New York and love musical theatre, there is a ton of exciting stuff going on right now/coming up, from Carrie (yes, Carrie the musical) to Ryan Scott Oliver and Matthew Murphy's 35 MM, from The Total Bent to the next show at the D-Lounge. If you're looking for a straight play recommendation, I haven't been able to stop thinking about Leslye Headland's Assistance at Playwrights Horizons and Paula Vogel's How I Learned to Drive at Second Stages. Of course, musicals have also been a huge part of my February, and while I know it's been a little while since I last posted on here, I promise there's a lot of exciting stuff to come (and more posts about some of the things I've seen this month).

So to go back in time for a bit, I wanted to revisit an awesome night of songs by new writers that I saw about two weeks ago. Entitled "Songs You Should Know," Libra Theatre Company presented a night of new and rarely sung tunes by amazing composers: Brad Alexander, Sam Carner and Derek Gregor, Joshua H. Cohen and Lavell Blackwell, Bobby Cronin, Adam Gwon, Caleb Hoyer, Joe Iconis, Russ Kaplan and Sara Wordsworth, Pete Mills, and Will Reynolds. The evening was hosted by the wonderful Jennifer Ashley Tepper and Jeremy Morse, and there was a lot of great banter throughout the evening between each of the amazing musical performances. Here are some highlights:

When asked who he would like to star in a show with someday, Jeremy Jordan shared that he wants to be in a musical where Mandy Patinkin sings him a lullaby. (Above, he sings "If the World Looked Like You" by Will Reynolds.)

J. Austin Eyer sang Will Reynold's beautiful "Like That For You" that left my jaw on the floor.

Blair Goldberg told the audience about how she got a massage alongside Dick Latessa before taking the mic to sing a great Adam Gwon song ("So Over").

Not only did Melanie Field kill this song ("Lullaby" by Russ Kaplan and Sara Wordsworth), but Russ Kaplan also floored everyone when he revealed the song is from a new musical based on a woman who assumes her daughter's identity.

You can check out more clips at Libra's Youtube channel, and even then there are a lot of other songs that didn't make it up there (including a song by Joe Iconis about a Naked Korean Girl... sad you missed out now, aren't you?). What the night cemented for me, at least, was the sense of community among new artists, both writers and performers, and it was really sort of magical to be a part of that. The audience really enjoyed every minute, and I can't agree more that all of these songs, people, and shows should be known by everyone.

Kleban Prize Ceremony Performances

Recent Kleban Prize recipients, Adam Gwon (for lyricist) and Michelle Elliot (for librettist), were honored at a private ceremony last month. See performances of songs from Gwon's Ordinary Days and Elliot's Cloaked (written with Danny Larsen) from the reception in the below video courtesy of Broadwayworld.com:

Composers Singing Composers

About a month ago, composers Gaby Alter, Joey Contreras, Drew Gasparini, Jonathan Reid Gealt, Adam Gwon, Ryan Scott Oliver, Brian Lowdermilk, and Zoe Sarnak took the stage at (Le) Poisson Rouge in an event called Composers Sing Composers. I've mentioned before how, as much as I love hearing talented performers KILL new writers' work, I always have a soft spot for hearing songwriters sing their own songs. But hearing other composers sing the work of their peers is also fascinating, to both see their interpretations and hear what they add to the arrangement. Also, many songwriters are performers themselves with stellar voices that mine amazing moments from any song.

Here are some personal highlights from Composers Sing Composers (though you can watch more at BwayWatcher's Youtube channel):

Zoe Sarnak singing "Run" by Joey Contreras:

Adam Gwon singing "Someone" by Drew Gasparini:

And Gaby Alter, Joey Contreras, Ryan Scott Oliver, Drew Gasparini, Brian Lowdermilk, Jonathan Reid Gealt, Adam Gwon, and Zoe Sarnak singing "Mrs. Sharp" by Ryan Scott Oliver:

But aside from songs just from that evening, here are other favorite performances of composers singing composers:

Jonathan Reid Gealt singing "The Ahrens Flaherty Menken Song" by Will Larche:

Christy Altomare singing "This is It" with lyrics by Gordon Leary and music by Julia Meinwald:

Katie Thompson singing "Say Goodbye" by Scott Alan:

Joe Iconis singing "Meet Me In The Park" by Chris Blisset and Matt Uremovich:

And last, but never least, Nick Blaemire singing "Alaska" by Adam Gwon:

Gifts that Keep on Giving

So while the holidays are rapidly approaching, I still thought I would do a quick post with some gift suggestions for a musical theatre enthusiast, whether they are a composer, writer, or just fan of the genre.

The most talked about theater gift this season is undoubtedly Stephen Sondheim's masterpiece, Finishing the Hat, which I am currently in the process of reading. Anyone interested in the theater will enjoy the anecdotes, and any writer will absolutely see the value in the beautifully laid out lyrics and Sondheim's comments on them. It's a really gorgeous book, and both its content and respectful packaging really make this perfect for any book collection.

As mentioned in past posts, Sh-K-Boom has come out with some really amazing albums this past year from many of the composers mentioned in this blog. New releases include Joe Iconis' Things to Ruin and cast recordings for Adam Gwon's Ordinary Days and Michael Friedman's Bloody Bloody Andrew Jackson. New releases on the way include CDs of work by composers Will Van Dyke, Jonathan Reid Gealt, and Scott Burkell and Paul Loesel -- so you can pre-order any of those as well. Also, remember the code EMERGING10 will still get you 10% off your order on the website at checkout until 12/31!

If you have an actor/singer to shop for, get them some sheet music through NewMusicalTheatre.com. Also soon to be available is the first book of Ryan Scott Oliver's music, which is now available for pre-order here. Or go the extra mile and get tickets to the RSO launch party at Joe's Pub on February 7 for a special someone, and every ticket will get you a free copy of the book.

Another nice gift can come in the form of an experience. I love to buy my friends tickets to shows, and what better to get you in the holiday spirit than getting seats for Joe Iconis' Christmas Spectacular next weekend? Also coming up? A Will Van Dyke concert at (Le) Poisson Rouge on January 17. Quality time and a show? Everyone wins!

A big day for cast recordings

Hey guys! Today is the official release day for the cast recordings of Ordinary Days, Bloody Bloody Andrew Jackson, and the digital release of Things to Ruin: The Songs of Joe Iconis. If you're buying these albums, take advantage of the discount EMERGING10 on the Sh-K-Boom website.

Also, to mark the occasion, I have an Ordinary Days CD to give away. Just be the first to email me at emergingmt@gmail.com the rest of the lyric to this song by Adam Gwon from Ordinary Days:

"Fine, I'll bring the red and you'll bring the white, that way..."

(Hint: the answer is in one of the performance videos posted in a past blog post.)

I'll notify the winner by email. Happy listening!

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 Beautiful Mess

Rated RSO the other day reminded me that I've been meaning to do a plug of the beautiful and talented Cait Doyle's cabaret show Hot Mess in Manhattan. The 2009 Best Debut MAC recipient, Cait did a hilarious rendition of the theme song RSO penned for her titled "The Mess" at the concert on Monday:



But besides this, her show features songs written specifically for her by countless talented composers from around the city. Doyle delivers each song with care, humor, and her unique personality. The frankness with which she addresses the audience is engaging, and the songs only help to enforce her varied stories that range from the heartfelt to the ridiculous.

Songs from past shows include the panoramic "Union Square" from Gaby Alter:



The heartbreakingly earnest "A Lifetime" from Julianne Wick Davis:



And a New York neuroses filled "Running" from Adam Gwon:



Check out other youtube videos with other guests and composers at her youtube channel. Also, go to her upcoming shows on February 5th and 20th by making a reservation for the Duplex here.

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:

We met, of all places, in front of Gristedes...

One of the most pleasantly surprising theatre-going experiences of the past year undoubtedly was Roundabout intern-turned-produced-composer/writer Adam Gwon’s Ordinary Days. A musical exploration of four New Yorkers as their lives intersect in moments of connection and chaos in their everyday lives, Ordinary Days was a feverish jumble of neurotic ramblings, witty one-liners, and carefully guarded secrets for fear of vulnerability. There were a lot of times where the show felt strangely disconnected, but there were several moments, tiny glimpses, where everything came together in a moment of truth that would close up just as quickly as it revealed itself. This made the show a very true and admirable representation of a day in the life of a New Yorker—one part chance, one part anarchy, one part pure human need and love.

Gwon has a lot of projects under his belt, and I’m sure we’ll be seeing more of his work in the near future. His adaptations, in particular, are exciting to me (but that’s also because I love Edith Wharton—who I consider to be the most canonized trashy romance novelist of her time—and his musical adaptation of Ethan Frome makes my heart swell nerdily). But the reason I bring him up and highlight Ordinary Days in particular is because I recently found this video:



Performed my Lisa Brescia, who played the character Claire at the Roundabout production, this video is of the song “I’ll Be Here,” a heartbreakingly gorgeous song that comes near the end of the show. Lisa’s clear, emotionally open delivery paired with the brilliantly crafted lyrics and music recreates the moment I had in the theater… and yes, I will admit I teared up like a baby and had to discreetly wipe my eyes without the old guy sitting next to me noticing.