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.

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: