Party at the TBG

NYMF is in full swing, and I am trying to get out there to cover some of the shows that weren't covered in the NYMF 5-question interview series. The first two shows, however, on my NYMF itinerary were mentioned here before: Man of Rock and Crazy, Just Like Me -- both of which are running at the TBG Theater at 312 W 36th St. The shows are, as you can imagine, quite different in music style and content, but both are very charming, funny takes on love.

There's a quote from The SF Bay Guardian that describes Man of Rock as the "thinking man's Rock of Ages," and I totally agree. With great 80s tunes that channel the chart-toppers of the decade, the show captures the spirit of glam, larger-than-life rock without needing to use other people's songs. And while the concept of turning a Restoration Comedy into an 80s musical could have easily stuck to a one-trick gimmick, Man of Mode slipped pretty seamlessly into this retelling, creating a John Hughes-worthy romantic story of a womanizing rocker who fall in love with a Connecticut socialite. The voices on these performers were amazing, and I loved how each person really embodied a different kind of 80s rock star.

Crazy, Just Like Me is a little less rock, but with great contemporary music telling this modern-day love story, it creates a unique plot that I haven't seen on stage yet. Simple in its construct but complicated by its lovable characters, Crazy tells the story of a man who realizes, through therapy, that he is in love with his best friend. The thing I probably loved most about the show, however, is that instead of playing up the soapy drama that could come from this situation, it instead becomes a character study of 3 characters and their attempts to control their impulses: Simon trying to understand his feelings for Mike, Mike trying to deal with his fear of commitment to his girlfriend Lauren, and Lauren trying to stop herself from questioning she and Mike's relationship. It's enough to understand that we're all a little crazy, but that finding someone who understands that is the most important thing to work through it.

So check out either of these shows at the TBG Theater! And if you see anything particularly good at NYMF, feel free to share! Also, check back for some more coverage over the next week; very excited to share more about some of the great shows being featured this year.

The 5-Question NYMF Interviews: CRAZY, JUST LIKE ME

Next up in our NYMF interview series is Drew Gasparini and Louis Sacco's Crazy, Just Like Me. Drew and this show has been mentionedhere on the blog before, and Crazy, Just Like Me will start its NYMF performances on Tuesday, September 27th. For a live preview of the music, you can check out the show's free event at New World Stages' TONY Lounge on Sunday, 9/11 at 9:30 pm, but in the meantime, Drew offered to answer his 5 questions about this NYMF production:

(Drew Gasparini singing "In Love With Crazy"
from Crazy, Just Like Me)

Me: How would you describe your show in one sentence?

Drew Gasparini: Really f***ing awesome.

Me: You guys have worked on a few projects together. How did you guys start collaborating?

Drew: I wrote the show in 2006, then met Louis Sacco in 2009. We met through mutual friends and he saw that Crazy, Just Like Me (which had already been produced a few times at that point) had more potential. We worked together on making the book for the show better and then started pushing the show as a team. He had great business sense, and I did not.But since then it’s been billed as “MUSIC AND LYRICS BY DREW GASPARINI” and “BOOK BY DREW GASPARINI AND LOUIS SACCO.”

Me: What inspired Crazy, Just Like Me?

Drew: Not to sound like a total cliché or a bore, but what inspired Crazy, Just Like Me was a really rough break up with my ex-girlfriend. And it all started when I was 19 which is a very impressionable age. I was so sad all the time I started writing songs to not only get me through my emotions, but also songs to make myself laugh… I mean… why else would anyone write a song called “Funky Fried Piece of Man Meat”. Haha. Obviously the show has different meaning now. As I’ve gotten older and grown with the show, I’ve learned a lot and have re-written the show to seem more relatable and really worked on voicing the characters of the piece.

(Keith White and John Krause perform
"Funky Fried Piece of Man Meat")

Me: What has the development process of the show been like up to this NYMF production?

Drew: Before NYMF, this show was (kinda still is) the little show that could. There was always enough people to like it for it to open regionally in San Francisco, L.A., Dallas, Nebraska, and even Australia…. But a New York audience is something very different and I’m happy that the show is finally in a place where we are accepted into the New York Musical Theatre festival. Before this it has opened in MANY cities. Been performed as a concert in Australia. Was featured in NAMT (National Alliance of Musical Theatre) songwriter showcase, was in the San Francisco Theater Festival, and has been a reading starring Matt Doyle in NYC. But now we are in NYMF… we could do well or NOT so well… but I think we’re in good shape.

Me: What are you most looking forward to about NYMF?

Drew: I’m just looking forward to working with the amazing team we have. We’ve all become fast friends and we are getting WORK DONE!!!! It’s exciting to get along with people who take the job seriously and really look out for the shows best interest. Our creative/production teams are stellar and the cast is remarkable. And Stephen Agosto (our director) has found a really great way to communicate with everyone which is making this process not seem like work, which is the ultimate goal. We’re having a blast. I’m also looking forward to seeing some other NYMF shows.

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):