Hanging in the New Musical Theatre Greenroom

Looking for some great reads about writing new musical theatre? One of my favorite websites and the source for all new musical sheet music, NewMusicalTheatre.com, now has a blog, which features guest posts by the many writers featured on the site. Want to know how Drew Gaspirini confronted a group of gossipy new musical critics in a coffee shop? Or what Adam Gwon learned about musical writing from Project Runway? Check it all out here.

Have any plans tonight?

Now you do! If you live in New York City, tonight is PACKED with musical theatre goodness that is begging to be seen.

• You've got John Znidarsic's Songbook Concert Series at the New York Public Library for the Performing Arts at Lincoln Center at 6:00 p.m., which will be featuring the music of Beth Falcone.

• There's Are You Working on Something New? at Don't Tell Mama at 7 p.m., which will feature music from Gary Apple, Adam David Cohen, Mark T. Evans, Patrick Gallagher, William TN Hall, Jake Honoroff, Timothy Huang, Dave Hudson, Eric Kubo, Emmy Laybourne, Paul Libman, Jim Merritt, Andy Roninson and Katya Stanislavskaya.

• Check out the songs of Mishaela Faucher in her show Blame It On The Booze at NYTB D-Lounge at 7:30 p.m.

• Make your way to the Canal Room for an awesome double header. Kerrigan and Lowdermilk open with a set at 7:30 as a part of their their You Made This Tour, to be followed by a concert from NewMusicalTheatre.com writers, including songs by Michael Friedman, Gaby Alter, Sam Carner & Derek Gregor, Bobby Cronin, Drew Gasparini, Jonathan Reid Gealt, Paul Gordon, Michael Kooman & Christopher Dimond, Joshua Salzman & Ryan Cunningham, Jeff Thomson & Jordan Mann, and Will Van Dyke at 8:30 p.m.

• And to top off your night, Joe Iconis' Things to Ruin will be back and badder than ever at (Le) Poisson Rouge, kicking off their latest 4 performance run at 10:00 p.m. (...and more on my excitement for this later!)

So what are you doing? Get out there and enjoy some new musical works!

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!

Little Updates...

I'm currently in the process of moving, so in the midst of that inevitable chaos, I just wanted to check in with a few minor updates worth checking out.

First of all, this is kind of last minute news, but tonight (May 10th) is the York's NEO6 benefit, where many musical theatre stars will be performing the works of emerging musical theatre composers including Barry Wyner (writer of recent Calvin Berger), Kooman and Dimond, Alan Schmuckler, and many more. Tickets are a bit pricey, but if you have some money to burn, I'm sure it's going to be a fun event.

There seem to be a slew of benefits/galas tonight, but my evening will be spent at the Playscripts 10th Anniversary Gala, which is being put on with BC/EFA. I'm looking forward to a night of excerpts from a couple of Playscripts plays, along with some musical performances from Drama Desk nominee Michael Friedman (from his work with The Civilians), Mark Baron and Jeffrey Jackson's music from Off-Broadway Frankenstein, Tom Kitt and Amanda Green's music from High Fidelity, and Nick Blaemire's Glory Days.

Also, check out newmusicaltheatre.com, which has recently added Marcy Heisler and Zina Goldrich to their roster of amazing artists. Buy a copy of "Taylor the Latte Boy" or "Alto's Lament" -- if not for an audition or showcase, then just so you know the right lyrics and notes when you're singing in the shower.

If you have some time to read a fun blog post, I also highly recommend Ryan Scott Oliver's breakdown of performing the "kiss measures" in his song "Halfway." The highlight is definitely his second-by-second analysis of the tensions between Alex Brightman and Jay A. Armstrong at their Kennedy Center concert.

On that note, having just seen the deeply affecting, strangely uplifting film Short Bus, I figure I would leave you with a video of the incomparable John Cameron Mitchell singing "Origin of Love" from Hedwig and the Angry Inch:

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.

New Musical Theatre update

With the launch concert quickly approaching, I am thrilled with the slew of new artists whose work is sold and featured on newmusicaltheatre.com. New members since the original six are: Jeff Blumenkrantz, Paul Gordon, Salzman and Cunningham, Jonathan Reid Gealt, Gaby Alter, Michael Friedman, Kooman and Dimond, Jeremy Schonfeld, and Georgia Stitt. All of these new composers are incredibly talented and are offering a rather exciting variety of works. It's really wonderful for such a large group of amazing creative people to come together on one site. If you have money to burn, go spend it on some sheet music!

The other update I have for you is about New Musical Theatre artist Ryan Scott Oliver, who recently started a blog. With rantings and insights about writing and art and everything in between. Despite the fact that his tirade on the existence of the word "alright" sparked the nerdiest debate during lunch at my office, there's a lot of really interesting musings in here-- if anything, giving a glimpse into the mind of a music genius.

Odds and Ends

So I'm currently on vacation, but still wanted to pop in to give some updates on some of the composers I've mentioned on this blog. Perhaps most significantly (to me anyway) was the announcement of this concert: The New Musical Theatre Launch Concert at Le Poisson Rouge. This concert, on April 26, will feature a slew of the writers/composers mentioned on this blog: Nick Blaemire, Kerrigan and Lowdermilk, Joe Iconis, Adam Gwon, Ryan Scott Oliver, and Pasek and Paul. It's an all-star line-up, and the theatre geek in me is so excited that I'm trying not to gush as I mention this event.

Also, for some "bloody" updates on shows recently mentioned/reviewed on this blog, Bloody Blood Andrew Jackson has officially opened to rave reviews -- many of which can be found here (gotta love StageGrade). Bloodsong of Love is also in full promotional swing, with a kazoo party in Union Square today and a post-show concert after tomorrow night's show. Apparently the show is sold out until Friday, but if you manage to get a $15 "splash zone" ticket or a $10 rush ticket, a free supernova drink, you've got the best deal in town.

Lastly, I just want to end on some gorgeous videos from Nick Blaemire's latest Songbook concert at Lincoln Center (wow, it would have been nice to be in the city for this):

David Hull (who recently made for a wonderful heartthrob in recent production of Calvin Berger) singing "New Home":


And Preston Sadleir singing "The Weather":

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: