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!

Trouble was that I forgot that love can make you sad...

Last week, I had the distinct pleasure of seeing Davenport Theatrical's developmental reading of new musical Date of a Lifetime, with lyrics and book by Carl Kissin and music by Rob Baumgartner. The musical, which follows a couple on speed date as they imagine their lives together, was a fun ride that seems to have come a long way in a relatively short amount of time. I'm excited to see where it goes and really enjoyed hearing people discuss their thoughts as the creative team continues to work on the show.

One of the things that struck me about the show was how beautiful the music was. I really loved the way it was constantly in conversation with the lyrics, punctuating jokes and building on itself with energy and wonder. Rob Baumgartner has collaborated with Heidi Helig on projects The Hole and Under Construction, the latter which features the following gorgeous song "The Man Who Isn't There" sung by Rob Baumgartner himself:

He also worked with Dante Russo on the family show Radiant Ruby, but the songs I've been playing most throughout this past week have been the beautiful songs of Rob's Adam Lives, which tells the story of a composer who leaves his home and wife to write a new single for pop star Jude Kane in New York. Watch the following songs from the show:

"Trouble Is" sung by Cait Doyle:

And "Pictures of the Border Signs" sung by Lindsay Mendez:

There's something really exhilarating about the way these songs explore romance and love -- examining both the thrilling and flawed moments of loving someone. The music isn't afraid to be quiet, to breathe, to contemplate, and most of all to feel the absence of someone or something who should be there. I love the way thoughts are broken down and deconstructed and pushed out into the world in moments that seem to take flight, and I highly recommend checking out all the music available at Rob's website.

Aren't we all a little crazy when it come to love?

I first heard of Drew Gasparini when I saw this video from Emma Hunton's concert at (le) Poisson Rouge where he smoothly finesses a cover of Damien Rice's "Volcano" (with the always lovely Emma):

So imagine my excitement when I found out that he also writes music. And it's good.

Two of his musical projects (with books co-written by Louis Sacco) Crazy, Just Like Me and Circles, both explore human relationships, examining love, hope and human connection and feature gorgeous songs that slow big moments and emotions, prodding and finding greater meaning in them.

A couple of my favorites from Circles includes "What Remains" (sung here by Jennifer Damiano and Matt Doyle):

"Two Little Lines" (sung by Anna Ty Bergman):

Drew is also a recent addition to NewMusicalTheatre.com, where you can download his sheet music for songs like the following "My Year" (sung by Alex Ellis) and the hilarious "The Text Message Song" (performed in Cait Doyle's Hot Mess in Manhattan):

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.

Hemming and Hawing

I was all set with an idea of what I wanted to post about today (thrilling revelations, I assure you)… until I came across these videos today from one of my favorite composers on the scene at the moment, Ryan Scott Oliver. I already had him on the brain after receiving an awesome Christmas gift of tickets to Rated RSO at Joes Pub in January, but recently uploaded, incredible videos, teasers for 35 MM, also feel like an unexpected present.

According to the information in these videos, "35MM is a multimedia 'musical exhibition' in which photographic images inspire music and lyrics, and inversely music and lyrics inspire photographs." The photographic inspiration comes from Matthew Murphy, and the songs that result from the collaboration of text/performance/image is absolutely stunning and uniquely twisted and gorgeous in a way that I only seem to find in RSO's work.

This song in particular really struck a chord with me, with its dark, haunting, but gleeful energy that is reminiscent of an Edward Gorey cartoon:



I've heard a few RSO songs that are meant to be stand-alone, but an aspect of his work that I've always been in awe of is the fact that his music is always so theatrical. I don't mean this in a way that implies that his songs are flamboyant or epic, but that they always move a story forward, seamlessly combining emotion and musicality with the practicality and enthusiasm of storytelling. I feel like his work is incredibly generous to book and back story, a truth that is evident in his contributions to musical web series "The Battery's Down" in the way that it defined Jake Wilson's character's story arc in two songs book ending the three seasons of the series, perhaps more than any of the plot twists in any of the episodes. There's poignancy and matter-of-fact wicked humor that runs through any of the works in his song book that implies strong characters and a whole world unto itself, a reason why I can imagine people latched on to "This is Your Life" from TBD's inception or why Cait Doyle's theme song for "Hot Mess in Manhattan" is so endearing.

If I had to describe Ryan Scott Oliver's work in one word, I would have to say: compelling. Not only in the sense that it's moving and encompasses many layered emotions, but also in the most literal sense of the word. His music is a call to action, a moment in motion, and it sweeps through a story as though music is the only way of expression in that instance. My most vivid example of this was when he closed his set at SPF's lounge concert this summer with "Song of the Dead Fairy," and within the first chorus, I felt compelled to clap even though no one else was. I held back, but then Ryan actually looked right over at our table and kind of gestured as if to say, "Why the hell not?" Needless to say, that's all it took to really get into it.



Also, as a last note, can I just comment on how amazing the combination of Ryan Scott Oliver and Alex Brightman is? I've seen Alex in a few readings and performances now, but there's something about the energy and sincerity of the way he approaches the genius twist of a troubled Peter Pan or a love-crazed student that really makes for a stellar performance.