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Home , Andy Blankenbuehler, Ann Crumb, Big Fish (musical), Bobby Steggert, Cyril Ritchard, Gregory Hines

CAST NOTES

Footlight Features Creative Spotlights

MARYMARY BRIDGET DAVIES 32 KEVINKEVIN ADAMS 26 Living the Broadway Dream Lighting as Sculpture

BOBBY STEGGERT 5 ANDY BLANKENBUEHLER 14 Working With No Expectations A Lesson in Line and Form

TONY SHELDON 38 JOEJOEJOE DiPIETRO 54 The Boy From Oz A Student of Life

Lagniappe

BROADWAYBROADWAY-BROADWAY---BOUNDBOUND 48BOUND 48 REVIEW 22REVIEW 22

Beautiful: the Lizze the Musical:

Musical Is Lizzie the Sweeney for

Women?

INTERNATIONAL 58

Australia: BROADWAY’S VOICELESS 52 King Kong the Musical Broadway Pros Raise Awareness for Animals VOICE 44 Melissa Cross: THE STATE OF THE ARTS 68 The Zen of Screaming So, Politics, Society, and Religion Walk Into an Audition 8 Sheri Sanders: DEAR TRISH 51 How to Rock the Audition QUOTE OF THE MONTH 71

ON THE COVER: Photo by Monica Simoes

Backstage at the Broadway rock musical hit Rock of Ages

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Editor’s Note: What a wild month this has been! Since launching Magazine last month, the response has been tremendous. MTMag has welcomed subscribers from all over the world, including the USA, Canada, Brazil, Britain, New Zealand, Australia, and more. Incredible! Thank you!

Issues will be released between the 10th and 15th of the month, barring any unforeseen circumstances. If you don’t see your email with your link by then, check your spam folder first, and if it’s not there, feel free to contact me: [email protected].

I have received several queries about MTMag as a gift to young teens (12-13 years old). MTMag reports about life upon the wicked show business as it is. The real world of making it in the theatre is not a cartoon. It is tough. All subscribers are 18+ and should read every article before sharing the issue with a young teen.

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This month's issue, it is Rated 17+ because of the subject matter of rock musicals. So dive right in ... if you're 17+. Enjoy!

Musical Theatre Magazine Musical Theatre Magazine EditorEditorEditor-Editor---inininin----Chief:Chief:Chief:Chief: Trish Causey. Layout design: All content © 2013 by Trish Causey unless Vol. 1, no. 2 November 2013 Trish Causey. ContriContriContributingContributing Writer: Trish otherwise noted. Photos are attributed Causey. unless thought to be in the public domain. ISSN applied for. No infringement is intended. SpecialSpecialSpecial thanks:thanks:thanks: to all the press reps, & the www.MTMag.co MT pros who shared their time and wisdom.

Praise for the Premiere Issue of Musical Theatre Magazine!

Bobby Steggert

November November 2013 2013   MTMag.co MTMag.co Popular Broadway star and Tony Award- very personal, almost heart-wrenching tale of this young man [dealing with] the shame of being gay in a time and an event — nominated actor-singer, Bobby Steggert World War II — that was impossible to be himself. So to play can be seen on the Great White Way in someone with that big of a journey and play someone who was able to come out on the other end with so much strength, and self- ’s new musical . I knowledge, and self-awareness was an inspiration, honestly. That only had a few minutes to speak with him, character taught me a lot on how to live my life. so I picked his brain with quick precision.

To play someone T: Hey, Bobby! Thanks so much for doing this interview. I know you’re busy with Big Fish. I focus on the ‘Art and who was able to come Craft’ of Musical Theatre, rather than the celebrity aspect of it. I prefer the behind the scenes, the everyday journey of the artist. out on the other end

B: I like talking about that much more. with so much strength…

T: So, how did you get into musicals? That character taught B: I was in school choirs, which led to me being in professional choirs — I was very young. Then actually, the first thing I ever did was an opera. It was Amahl and the Night Visitors, which is a me a lot on how to Menotti Christmas opera. I found that I loved being on stage and portraying a character more than I did [just] singing, so that led me live my life. towards studying acting at NYU, and the rest is history. T: You sing such different styles. How do you vary your T: You’re not just a pretty voice. You were approach vocally? valedictorian of your high school class. You could have chosen a career that was more stable than the B: I’m not as confident a singer as you might think I am. There bohemian life of the struggling artist. are much better singers out there. But I always find the character’s voice through my focus on being an actor. If I can find the B: I blame my parents at lot for being as supportive as they are. resonance, the way in which they express [themselves], then often They’re incredibly supportive, and they wanted me to pursue times, the musicality comes second. I always know I’ve figured anything I was passionate about. That standard, for me, was really out a character when the singing becomes easy. I always start valuable. They told me to follow passion far before they told me to learning a score, and I’m shaky on it. When the breath connects follow financial gain or traditional success. and when the vocal expression becomes second nature, I know I’ve found a really key element to the character. T: You do a lot of new music and from emerging composers. Do you prefer new music over established shows?

B: They’re just different processes. My first experience on Broadway was . I also did . These are revivals, and your job in that case is to reinterpret [the role]. What I’m finding as I get older and more experienced is that to create a new role in a new musical is a more complex responsibility. You’re creating with the writers. The composers don’t quite know what the piece is yet. Often times, their writing the score on your voice, so you’re helping them discover the score. It’s a more multi- faceted process, so I tend to like it more because it uses more brain power and a little more creativity.

T: A few years ago, I interviewed a few of the lead cast from Yank! the Musical, but I didn’t get a chance to speak with you then. What was it like doing a show that T: You’re currently in Big Fish with and dealt with LGBT issues during World War II? . Did you feel any pressure being on stage with them? B: It was a really, really important experience for me, not only to learn how to lead a musical because up until then I’d been a B: Oh, god, no. They’re both amazing people, and the three of us character actor playing supporting roles. But it was a special show are very similar, actually. We’re all journeymen theatre actors. because it followed the grand traditions of Musical Theatre in the None of it is ‘fancy’ because we’ve been on a million TV shows or way that even The Book of Mormon does, but it is a very intimate, done a lot of movies. We’re just real theatre actors. Kate and I are

November 2013  MTMag.co very close; she and I played mother and son in Giant at the Public last year. So we’ve already explored the very specific relationship of mother and son — they were different characters, but there are elements we are definitely taking from that performance. Norbert is just a true gentleman and also an incredibly gifted performer. He’s sort of a wild beast — I mean that in the best way! He takes the stage unlike anyone. It’s an honor to be working with them, for sure. We’re really tight-knit — we’re a real family, and I think that definitely shows.

T: Life on Broadway — any advice for newbies?

B: It’s a hard life. It’s hard to get work — that’s the first thing. And it’s hard to sustain a career — that’s the second. The biggest advice I always give is to have no expectations for any of the external things you can’t control. That’s easy for me to say because I’ve had a lot of luck, but if I’d gone into this expecting a Tony nomination, expecting Broadway stardom, expecting to see my name on a marquee, I don’t think I would have gotten there. I really am focused on telling a story, and giving an honest performance, and being a team player. I’m not trying to toot my own horn, I just think it’s a necessity if you want to be happy in the business, if you want to be successful.

Of course, there’s pressure, but it’s better than sitting on your ass.

T: Do you have your sights on a dream role?

B: It’s that whole expectation thing. I’m not reaching anywhere. I’m really not. I’m just trying to be present in the circumstance. My dreams are more focused around working with other performers — there are people I dream of playing with. I dreamed, in the past, to work with Audra McDonald, and I got to do that. It’s the really great performers that I dream to just be on stage with.

T: Do you look ahead to the next job while you’re working on the current job? The reality is even well known actors have to pay rent and buy groceries.

B: I’m in a specific circumstance right now, in that I have about a year to not have to think about that. But you know, life is very fickle, so if the job looks like it won’t last, of course, I’ll start thinking about the next step. But as I get older, I try not to look much further than a couple months down the line. It’s a much healthier way to live.

T: Can you breathe and relax when you’re in a successful show? Can you enjoy the show?

B: Yes and no. I’m around a lot of people I trust. I have no control over ticket-buyers, but I do have control over trusting my collaborators. is just remarkable, so I put my trust in her. I put my trust in Andrew [Lippa] who has written me the most beautiful new song. And of course, there’s pressure and there’s a big risk, but it’s better than sitting on your ass.

Catch Bobby Steggert in Big Fish through December 29th. Get tickets on the website: http://www.bigfishthemusical.com

MTM

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Photo by Dirty Photography

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Anyone who has auditioned for a show knows the process can be nerve-wracking. It can be a horrible experience especially if you don’t feel prepared for the genre. For some of us, auditioning for a rock musical is tantamount to getting a root canal without anesthesia. To make the process easier, Sheri Sanders teaches a workshop and training method she calls “Rock the Audition”. Sitting down for an interview with Sanders is like hanging out with an old friend, and there’s no telling what topics will enter the conversation when talking about rock musicals. A firecracker rock-and-roll chick, Sanders is quick to point out her legit musical background. “I was a Musical Theatre performer — tried-and-true, legit Musical Theatre. Some of my biggest successes were doing legit Musical Theatre like Urinetown on tour and The Screams of Kitty Genovese, which was an opera, actually. But I did always listen to pop music, and somehow they vulnerability. It’s about expressing yourself in a free-spirited way began to meld together. I would say that Maltby and Shire were like you would if you were being sexual with somebody. It’s about big influences on me when I was a young person, and that to me being an impulsive, wild, private, sensitive, expressive you that you was pop Musical Theatre. Even though Les Mis is not rock-and- would want to be if you were being sexually intimate with another roll, all the instruments are rock instruments. I just started person. As opposed to what you would be normally with legit [catching] on to whatever that was for Musical Theatre — Les Mis Musical Theatre, which is, ‘I’m in a situation with another person, wanted a person sound rather than a proper sound. And and I have to handle the situation in a specific way to get what I since I loved popular music, it was very easy for me to cross over need.’ Sure, that happens in rock musicals, but for rock musicals as a performer and then eventually as a teacher.” it’s, ‘How do I gotta be to get this guy hot for me?’ So it does exist, but we’re pushing the envelope a little bit more. ‘How do I have to express myself physically in order for them to notice me in a sexual way?’ That does happen in some rock songs, and we do It is about sex. have to feel like we have that impulsivity and freedom of self- expression that comes with being a healthy sexual person.” It’s about intimacy. The rock music vibe displays a sense of freedom and joy that is not always obvious in other musical styles. One of the hallmarks of rock music is living in the moment and living with It’s about vulnerability. abandon, to which Sanders adds, “And letting the music affect you. ‘What does this music do to me? And can I live in what the music Rock music and sexuality go hand in hand. This was does to me in front of you?’ As opposed to trying to control it.” something I learned the first time I interviewed Sanders on my Allowing the music to take precedence, even over the singer, can radio show. As musicals have ventured into modern music to tell be humbling for a singer who wants to shine as the star. “It’s what stories that are relevant to modern audiences, the days of alluding the music does to you that’s the star.” to sex are long gone. Sex is out of the Musical Theatre closet. At this point in the conversation, I feel completely at ease “I love that you mention that,” Sanders remarks, “And I relating an experience I had a couple of years back while working don’t speak on that as much as I would like to, so I’m glad you on the Carole King song, “I Feel the Earth Move”. I explain to asked me about that. It is about sex. It’s about intimacy. It’s about Sanders that I was not connecting to the song while I was trying to

November 2013  MTMag.co sing it; like many singers, I fell into the trap of being more concerned with the notes. After some time away from the song, I felt impelled to give it another go, but I started with the lyrics first. As I read the lyrics — without hearing the music, I realized the song was about orgasm. The earth-shattering power of female orgasm. I remember being stunned that I had thoroughly missed this concept when I was focused on hitting the notes. This is when my earlier interview with Sanders, when she said rock music is all about sex, really hit home.

We have that impulsivity and freedom of self- expression that comes with being a healthy sexual person.

Sanders offers her input on my experience with Carole King’s song. “I think what you’re saying is so valuable because, one, it was written in a time when she was using her poetic nature to express something that was happening — which was women really were for the first time going, ‘I’m supposed to enjoy this, right? Because I’ve been having sex to make children. I’m allowed to have pleasure?’ This was such a huge thing at the time when she wrote it. It’s a liberation. And it’s so wonderful that you found that once you looked at what the song is about and not the technical [aspects]: where do I place this, how do I sing it, where does my vibrato go? Instead, you looked at what the song was about, and it became a different experience. I venture to say that a lot of people don’t even know that’s what it’s about. But you’ve interpreted it based on your understanding about you, your sexuality, and what the songwriter may have meant.” Sanders makes an important point. “Knowing what the song means does not guarantee that I sing it well, but it does change my perspective of how I want to sing the song.” Then she takes it one step further, “It’s knowing the song’s place in society and what it intended based upon how you live your life. And that’s pretty beautiful. I love that that happened to you.” What has happened to me is that I no longer know exactly where I fit in with Musical Theatre shows. At my age, I am having to rediscover my place in an artform that is still growing and expanding its own identity as well. “That really is a great place to be, actually,” Sanders reassures me. “You can find out who you are, and what your feelings are, and where you belong by listening to music and letting music affect you. I’ve identified myself as a human being and created a consciousness and an understanding about myself and other people by the singers I listen to. I feel like you found a piece of yourself and an understanding of yourself from listening to a Carole King song. Think of all the other things we can find out about ourselves and where we belong in the world if we really listen to all the different artists that influence us.” Sanders’ book and workshops, which she calls “Rock the Audition”, helps students prepare for living out their garage-band dreams on a theatrical stage. For singers who are accustomed to the Rodgers and Hammerstein, Sondheim, and musicals, Sanders has tips for transitioning to the in-your-face,

November 2013  MTMag.co November 2013  MTMag.co boisterous rock musical genre. music, and ergo rock musicals, the influence of the tumultuous “This is my favorite, best kept secret in the universe!” she rights movements of the 1960’s — civil rights, women’s rights, the says, unable (and unwilling) to contain her excitement. “It really American Indian Movement, the Black Panthers, et al — is evident has changed the lives of all of my students, and it doesn’t cost any in the unabashed rock anthems of freedom, free love, and social money, which is my favorite part. So many people study legit justice. “It’s exciting! And it’s healing, and it’s changing things,” Musical Theatre and classical music in college, and they can’t Sanders states enthusiastically. “To be able to say, ‘I am going to survive in the current marketplace because they’ve spent all their bring the history of what this world was like into the way I feel this money paying off their student loans. I don’t blame the teachers music,’ that’s what creates character, point of view, and texture on because they were not trained it, so they don’t know to teach it. the sound. As opposed to saying, ‘I have the libretto and the Now, they’re starting to get trained in it because I’m here,” laughs soundtrack to the musical.’ Sanders. “For those who are trained in legit Musical Theatre and “The soundtrack to the musical is the life of the music not in pop Musical Theatre, the only way really you can find out during that era, which is so vast in this particular time period, as which singers’ voices live in your voice is by listening to music.” they all are because eras and genres are not cut and dry. There are Finding those singers’ voices is easy with a little research always styles changing inside of them. From the British invasion and know-how. “For example, a legit Musical Theatre performer and rock-and-roll coming in, to the folk movement, and Motown who’s a soprano — who are the folky, rangey singers that you can passing through the Viet Nam War and making people more raw, tap into? Joni Mitchell, she has a vibrato and a lot of range. That’s and sexual, and gritty, and that turning into disco. Disco is a great place to start. Make a Joni Mitchell station on Spotify and Motown, but it’s sexier, and grittier, and freer, and looser — start studying the style of folk rock singers in the ‘70’s. Because because they’ve been through the Viet Nam War, and they’ve gone Joni Mitchell is a way in to somebody you can [identify] with. I through all that change emotionally. Motown grew funkier,” she don’t have a Janis Joplin voice, but I do have Joni Mitchell’s [type laughs. “So it’s about researching the time — go through a singer of] voice, so that’s a way in to the time period. We want to go back that sounds like you, so you can find a way in. Then be influenced to the late ‘60’s, early ‘70’s and start listening to style. How do the in terms of the textures on your voice by all the other people in that folk rock singers style their music? They are a little bit less rowdy era. Then explore the next era — explore disco; it’s the next era in than somebody like Janis Joplin; and legit [soprano] Musical time. Why did the drugs go from LSD to blow? Why were people Theatre performers, who are considered ingénues, are less rowdy. up dancing, and partying all night, and being dangerous sexually? So let’s go in where you are. Start studying the ‘70’s folk rock It’s because the Viet Nam War was too hard; there was too much singers: who are the singers, what are they expressing emotionally, loss, and fighting the fight became exhausting. To know that when how is the emotion traveling on their voices? When you start you sing a disco song, it’s all about feeling better: ‘I don’t wanna listening to these people and say, ‘Wow, I really love these songs,’ feel crappy anymore. I wanna feel better, and this music is gonna you can look this person up on YouTube for free.” lift me and make me feel good.’ So if you’re a legit soprano, you want to listen to Anita Ward who sings ‘Ring My Bell’ because she has vibrato on her voice, as opposed to singing ‘Funky Town’. It’s about figuring out who the singers are, going in through them, and So many people study not just singing a song they sing, but really learning about the life they were in, and then putting yourself in that life.” legit Musical Theatre Speaking of the overlap of genres, I tell Sanders about a definition of disco I once heard that said disco is a ballad sung over an upbeat rhythm. In looking at the sheet music for a few disco and classical music in songs, I had noticed that rhythm was actually “eight to the bar”. I mention to Sanders that “eight to the bar” is the same rhythm of college, and they “Boogie Woogie” and similar songs in the 1940’s that were meant to lift people’s spirits during World War II. Sanders replies, “I’d never heard that, but it is the same thing! It serves the same can’t survive in the purpose” of lifting people’s spirits. Since Sanders’ specialty is rock auditions, I inquire as to what are the worst mistakes singers make, and Sanders sighs, current marketplace. “There are so many of them. I’m the only person telling people what to do and what not to do. There are some great teachers out The voices are not the only part of the singers to study. there who have some consciousness of rock and pop. Some of “Watch videos of them performing: how do they express them are here in the city with me, and there are some teachers at themselves emotionally? How do they use their bodies? Where are universities who are adept at history and understanding these they? Are they at the Monterey Pops Festival? Are they at things.” But clearly, academia has a long way to go. Woodstock? What was Woodstock? Go online and research Sanders lists the most common audition mistakes from Woodstock and the Viet Nam era by finding out what was going on least to greatest. “In terms of big mistakes, the first one is not in the world, finding videos, and listening to the music. Now, I’m listening to popular musical and choosing a rangey tune that you’re thinking, ‘If I were there, if I were Trish, standing on stage at not connected to because you’ve heard other girls or boys sing it. Woodstock singing this song, what would this song do to me, and So bringing in a song like ‘Somebody to Love’ or ‘Gravity’ by how can I use this song to serve what’s happening politically, Sarah Bareilles, or ‘Alone’ by Heart, or ‘’ — socially, and emotionally to the people around me?” it’s rangey.” Worse yet, the performance is completely off. “When Bringing up the political aspect of rock music and rock you don’t listen to popular music, your voice sounds like a Musical musicals, Sanders brings up a topic near and dear to my heart: Theatre voice.” This will prove fatal for any singer hoping to activism. I have said numerous times on my radio show that a crossover into commercial music theatrical productions. thread of social awareness winds its way through the Musical Sanders’ experience behind the audition table proves Theatre canon, from Show Boat, South Pacific, and West Side invaluable when she says unapologetically, “So what they’re Story, to Hair, Cabaret, Rent, and now Kinky Boots. With rock hearing is, you picked a song that everybody sings and they don’t

November 2013  MTMag.co want to hear anymore, and then you’re singing it in a way they ‘What would I wear? How would I move? What would I sound don’t want to hear it.” Metaphorical mic-drop aside, she explains like if I were a recording artist during that time period? What was the reason for the disconnect, “You didn’t choose it because it happening in the world? Then bring it back to, ‘What show am I moved you emotionally. You chose it because it was rangey,” a auditioning for?’” She uses Jersey Boys as an example. “So I have common pitfall in legit music styles in which singers want to show to feel like I’m in a rock band, and I’m feeling and grooving this off high notes and vocal acrobatics. “In rock music, they don’t song; I love singing, and I’m performing in front of a live audience. give a crap. They’re just like, ‘Who are you? Can I see who you That’s how I have to take my Motown song or my song from the are? Who are you as a human being? And if I want to hear your ‘50’s or ‘60’s and live it in the era and the aesthetic that Jersey range after, I will go over to the piano and warm you up, and see Boys is. Because we’re going to want a different aesthetic if you’re what notes you have. I’ll ask you to belt something — I’ll ask for auditioning for Hairspray. Hairspray is a very character-driven it. But please connect first.” musical. In Jersey Boys, they’re not acting in the music; they’re performing in a live band on stage. Hairspray people are acting in the songs. So you have to not only live in the world of the time You picked a song period but know what show you’re auditioning for and know what that world wants.” that everybody sings Sanders comments that she does not personally know the casting director of Jersey Boys, but she has seen a number of people who have auditioned for the show; and they were given the and they don’t want following advice by the casting director: “‘Please don’t act out this material. Stand there like you’re singing into a hairbrush at home. to hear anymore, and Don’t act it.’ They walk away and go, ‘I don’t know what that means.’ And what she’s saying is absolutely correct. You can’t act that Motown song, but you can feel it and live it like a person who then you’re singing it in is in that world in that time, and live like a recording artist performing live on stage. That’s what she wants, but you don’t know that when you walk in to her. She has to tell you because a way they don’t want people don’t know. So then people come to me, and I fix it,” jokes Sanders. “I have four students in Jersey Boys right now. I teach to hear it. people how to do what [casting] people are asking for. Ideally, it’s a combination of know what world you’re living in, in terms of era; This connection isn’t limited to the singer and the song sing a song that feels like it’s in that time period, live it like it’s in but must also be established between the singer and the that time period, and be aware of the shows that fall under that time accompanist. “People don’t know how to communicate ‘feel’ to a period. And please acknowledge the show you’re auditioning for, piano player as opposed to tempo. When Adele sings, she has her and if you’ve never seen it, look it up!” To make her point, feelings; then when I listen to her feelings, I have my feelings. So Sanders queries, “Is there any information on it? Has there been a when you’re at the piano, explain to the piano player, ‘This is how production of it at the Poo-Poo Playhouse that you can see a the song feels, this is what feeling the song invokes in me. When YouTube video of? To give you some sense of something because you want to come in there like you know what you’re doing.” you can translate that — instead of, ‘This is what the tempo of the song is’ — if you can give the feel the song, then you can have your feelings because the piano player is then having their feelings because you told them what the song feels like so they get to feel it; Listening to music is then the people behind the table get to have their feelings. What happens when you don’t give the feel of the song, you don’t get to the only way you’re have your feelings, the piano player doesn’t have their feelings, and the people behind the table don’t have their feelings. If you do, then everybody has their feelings, and everybody wins. Because going to grow in that that is what popular music is about — it’s about feelings. “Adele is not ‘acting’ her rock song — as in, ‘The role of way to get the things Adele will be played by a plus-bodied woman with vocal issues and relationship issues.’ No, Adele is having her feelings about her life, and when you listen to her and sing her music, you have that you want. feelings about yours. And when you sing it, the people behind the table have feelings about their lives. It’s very much like the radio, Recalling her early years as an auditioner, Sanders but people don’t understand that. They try to act rock songs like remembers the way auditions and callbacks used to be an they’re Musical Theatre songs, and they’re not. You just have to exploration of a singer’s abilities. “I would sing something, and the feel it in front of people. You have to live the song in front of people would be like, ‘Sheri, you’re awesome. Come back people, not ‘act’ the song and explain the song.” tomorrow and try this new style; I’d be curious to see what you can A big part of knowing how to feel a song is knowing the do with this.’ Now, because of the American Idol-ization of impetus behind the song itself, the style of music and what Musical Theatre, people want you to give the result when you walk influenced the writers to pen the song in the first place. “My in the door. There’s very little time to nurture talent or see what biggest pet peeve is when somebody doesn’t do the research,” people have. You have to come in and go, ‘It’s this.’ If you don’t Sanders reiterates. Not doing extensive homework into the show’s do that, you really don’t get callbacks. We’re not all Adam time and place can backfire on a performer. Sanders says a singer Lambert. We do not all have this epic, gigantic rock voice. We will be lost in the material “if you don’t study the time period, if have other kinds of voices that were trained in legit, and we have you don’t find out what the life was like, and if you don’t think, got to get ourselves with the program.”

November 2013  MTMag.co reactions in the larynx, thereby affecting the quality of the voice, Stop placing! Janis but in rock music, that is exactly what you want — an edgy sound filled with emotion. An over-thought approach to singing is a hazard amongst legit singers, and Sanders invariably tells legit Joplin did not ‘place’. performers, “Stop placing! Janis Joplin did not ‘place’. Pink does not ‘place’. They train, but they’re not thinking about placement. Pink does not ‘place’. They’re thinking about what’s happening emotionally, and the voice that they need to say that in is they voice they sing it in. If you can think about putting energy behind music, as opposed to They train, but they’re belting, then you put juice or emotional fire under it; it gives the sound fire. To me, the exercises I would encourage singers to do not thinking about would be to find a song that makes them emotional and sing the song from different places emotionally: filled with joy, or wrecked emotionally, or like it’s the last song you’ll ever sing. Come from placement. different emotional places, and it’s going to start playing with your sound and quality and give you textures.” One of the recurring themes I keep hearing is performers Sanders hits the nail on the proverbial legit singers’ head need to be the perfect product at the audition because there is no when she states, “It’s letting go of control. You’re a vessel, and it’s time or money for exploring or experimenting with the performers’ coming through you. The body will do exactly what it needs to do, potential. Once you get to the audition for a Broadway show, a and you don’t have to worry about placing, gripping, holding, performer is practically expected to be the “it girl” or “it guy” when controlling — the body will offer you where everything needs to they walk in the door. Sanders sums it up: “The thing that helps be; your voice will be properly handled — if you just allow the you be ‘it’ is the research and the practice. Really listening to the feeling to come through and not try to force it or control it.” music, watching the videos, practicing, intuiting, interpreting, and Even if a singer never actually auditions for or sings in a really growing. Listening to music is the only way you’re going to rock musical, experimenting with the freedom and exploration of grow in that way to get the things that you want. You can study emotion while singing can with me if you want — of course, that’s wonderful, but at the end improve the vocal performance in of the day, listening to music, growing from listening to music, and the style the singer usually sings. having the different influences [matters]. Every different kind of Sanders reassures all of us, “It music that I listen to shows up on my voice, and I use it like a paint completely crosses over to legit.” palette. I call upon all these qualities I have on my voice to shape Hmmm, I feel the earth moving my material. So when you sing, the people behind the table can already. hear [the influences]. These are the things that step you up from being an ordinary person who is a Musical Theatre performer to MTM being somebody who excels in a genre where there’s no support.” For warm-ups for her singers, Sanders has some sage Get Sheri Sanders’ book: advice. To achieve an edgy rock sound, she explains her process. http://amzn.to/1byxBqV “When I tap into something emotional, that’s what affects my voice,” to give it that edgy sound. Keeping emotion at bay is the And check out her website: usual tactic for legit performers so as not to elicit physiological www.Rock-the-Audition.com

Photo by David Wells

NovemberNovember 2013 2013  MTMag.co  MTMag.co

Being an all-around inquisitive person, I’m fascinated by celebrities in popular culture, and Blankenbuehler was in awe of people’s names, and I often ask my guests the origins of their name the raw athleticism and technical abilities of the male dancers. “I if it is unique. When interviewing Tony Award-winning saw the Bolshoi once, and I marveled at the men’s jumps; and as a choreographer Andy Blankenbuehler, I could not resist delving into teenager, I completely idolized Baryshnikov. Something in me said his nomenclature. I could never possibly do that; it was such a gargantuan “I’ve asked around, but I’ve gotten conflicting answers.” achievement that I thought even if I worked all the time and I was Blankenbuehler confesses, “I was going to change my name, but I really good, could I ever be a superstar? No. In my head, I only couldn’t think of anything to change it to. So I kept it, and it’s saw the end result; I didn’t see all the other possibilities that there actually worked out okay. I couldn’t spell it until I was in the third could be if I weren’t a Baryshnikov.” grade, but my son is in kindergarten, and he can already spell it. It’s amazing.” I have always liked linear Like many Musical Theatre artists, Blankebuehler started in the performing arts at a young age. “I come from a very artistic storytelling; and I’ve always family. I grew up in Cincinnati, and I have two older sisters. I took classes at the art school, and they took dance class. It was just liked commercial theatre — like Mike’s story from — my mother would sit in the waiting room and do her crochet,” he laughs. “I started when I things that have big emotional was three, and they eventually dropped out, and I stayed. I danced all through my childhood, but I was never really passionate about swells, and plotlines, and it. I have a pretty mathematic brain, so I was pretty good with form and remembering the structure of things. But I didn’t love it until I characters you recognize and was in high school and I did a couple musicals, and that really gave me ‘the bug’. So I started dancing really hard when I realized that, grab onto. amongst the theatre people, I was so much better of a dancer than everyone else — they weren’t dancers; they were people who just “The bottom line was, the storytelling of the concert loved doing theatre. So I found a niche and felt special — the same [dance] world never really thrilled me, and the modern world of thing all adolescents go through about needing to find themselves concert dance confused me, actually. I studied modern a little bit through something.” when I was a dance major in college, but it wasn’t interesting to For those of us coming of age in the 1980’s, the dance me. I have always liked linear storytelling; and I’ve always liked world was dominated by Russians who had defected to the United commercial theatre, commercial art — things that have big emotional swells, and plotlines, and characters you recognize and States. At this time, ballet dancers and choreographers were major

November 2013  MTMag.co grab onto. Now I have an appreciation for concert dance because first big show that I booked here. It started a path that was there are intricacies and emotional storytelling that are complex, instrumental because from there, Robbie and Kathleen put me in and you can reinterpret them in many different ways. But I think, another Equity project, and I went on and did another project with for most of my life, I didn’t necessarily want to interpret things in Kathleen and Scott Ellis. From there, I did a project with Scott many different ways; I wanted to know what story I was on, and Ellis and Susan Stroman. Literally, one person led me to another then I wanted to cherish it in my own way. I didn’t need to person, and then 10 years later, I’ve had a very exciting Broadway interpret in my own way; I just needed to feel independently about career.” it. I found that in theatre. Like everyone, Blankenbuehler had some trials along the “In high school, it was a social thing. I went to an all- way. “I had injuries that really taught me a lot. And a lot of bad guys school, and I felt like I hadn’t found my stride. I was good at timing — I’ve made a career out of bad timing. But maybe that everything, but I wasn’t great at anything. I went to a dance school bad timing was on purpose because I started choreographing where I was always the only boy; so even though it was great being probably sooner than I ever would have because of things that the only boy around all these girls, it didn’t feel cool or hip, and it weren’t going the way I wanted them to go in my performing didn’t feel like I was making a difference. Then I did Godspell my career. But I was very lucky to have an exhausted performing sophomore year of high school, and I loved being around the social career, so I didn’t start a choreography career wishing I could have setting. I loved where everyone loved it and had a common vision, had something else.” and there was a momentum about it that was intoxicating. I loved the social aspect of it, making new friends; I started dating someone in the show. It was cliché high school theatre, like ‘Glee’,” he jokes. “I started dancing more, but I dropped all my other extracurricular interests. We did Joseph…, and I choreographed the whole show; so it was the very first thing I ever choreographed. And coincidentally, I’m directing and choreographing a huge national tour this year of Joseph…, so it’s full circle.” Following high school, Blankenbuehler was accepted into universities for architecture and design, but he had a change of heart. “I backpedaled my senior year and said, ‘No, I have to dance.’ So I reapplied to schools after the deadlines happened, and I was accepted into FMU, which is a great school.” Attending college as a dance major on a full scholarship, Blankenbuehler was no longer the only guy in the dance classes. “I grew tremendously because of it. It was the first time I was around other men in class and being challenged in any way. I have to say, I didn’t love the concert dance aspect of it — it was a concert department — because I was theatrical to the core. Whenever we’d do student showcases, I’d pull out tap pieces and doing theatrical things. I was definitely the black sheep in the department.” The next A theatrical dancer to his core, Blankenbuehler grew up summer, he got work at a major theme park in Orlando. “I loved it. on movie musicals that spanned the genre from the Golden Age of It was like slave labor, it was five shows a day in the sun, for Hollywood to the 1980’s dance flicks. “All I knew was Gene literally no money, and I totally loved it. Kelly, , Gregory Hines, Baryshnikov, the movie “It was a big learning moment for me because I started to musicals — that’s all I knew.” Speaking of Gregory Hines and process how cartoons are drawn with outlines. If you have an Baryshnikov, I mention to Blankenbuehler that White Nights was animated character, there’s a tiny black line around them. one of my favorite films growing up, to which he replies, “I’m not Whatever that style of cartooning is mirrored a style of theatricality exaggerating, when I won my Tony Award, I went backstage and — different boldness of cartoon-iness, the show business, or the they have a webcam where you can thank everybody that you subtlety of non-show business things. I started to learn about the didn’t get to thank. And I thanked White Nights. It was huge in my impact that your performance can have on stage. It was like a career. Then when I did Heights Off-Broadway, we did it in college course in choreography.” His work at the theme park got Baryshnikov’s space, and word came back to me that, in his words, him noticed, and he was offered a position at their Tokyo theme that he thought the choreography was amazing. I lost it! And park, where he worked for a year. “After that, I moved to New when I was 18 years old, Gregory Hines called me once, and I met York City and entered the rat race,” and supported himself with him in person, and it was a crazy event for me.” money had saved while in Tokyo. “That was a really big deal in my career because most performers move here right after college, and they’re waiting tables and babysitting, and their careers slip Contemporary theatre takes away in their first year here. They get out of shape; they stop training. They can’t go to auditions; they can’t prepare for the pressure off any rules, so auditions. And I didn’t have that hurdle. I’ve never taken a job that wasn’t in show business.” people think I’m a Blankenbuehler’s preparation artistically and financially before he arrived in New York paid off once he was in the city. contemporary choreographer, “That first year, all I did was take class and audition for anything but I’m not. and everything. After four months in , I got offered the first major regional production of A Chorus Line after it had Blankenbuehler is honest about himself. “I’m a very closed on Broadway, which Robbie Marshall directed and Kathleen driven person. I wanted to do things my own way. I wanted to do [Marshall] assisted on. I got my Equity card there, and it was my

November 2013  MTMag.co things on my own. I probably could have skipped a lot of bad Blankenbuehler uses as an example of lessons if I would have done things like assistant choreographer.” traditional technique masked within the modern dance moves. One person who helped shape Blankenbuehler’s line-driven “The girls had to do a lot of partnering, so if they didn’t have ballet aesthetic was choreographer Chris Chadman, who assisted Bob technique, they weren’t going to be in the show. Even though and choreographed the 1992 revival of , when you watch the show, you don’t really see ballet technique; which was Blankenbuehler’s Broadway debut. “The choreography but when the girl spins around the guy’s head and all of a sudden is was unbelievable; it was very much of that [animation] thing of down in the dip, that’s ballet technique. The way you see being outlined and specific. It was all very clean. You could see technique is completely dependent on the emotional story you’re the music. You could literally see the punctuation of the dynamics telling. So if you’re telling a hard-hitting story that takes place on in the music. So I quickly learned that what spoke to me and what the pavement in New York City, there are going be hard edges to I was good at was staccato movement. I am not a lyrical dancer. things and a rawness of things. So everybody has to have good Even when I dance lyrically, there’s always a staccato attack to technical training, whether that technical training is jazz-based — things. I dance fast and then create pauses. In the pause, hopefully because that is a technical artform, it’s just parallel, or if it’s ballet. I’ve captured successful storytelling and body language. I feel like But if you’re a wonderfully trained dancer in ballet technique, but In the Heights was the thesis of that idea. It was based on creating you’re not versatile, you’re never gonna work in the theatre. Very form that has storytelling in it, but it was an exercise in holding rarely are we allowed to look like a dancer on the stage. We have positions. We were always hitting these shapes quickly and then to look like a street kid or a sailor. Hardly ever, except for a show pausing, sometimes going into slow motion. It wasn’t the slow like 42nd Street, are we supposed to look like a dancer. To do that, motion of the show that was important, it was the filmic quality of you have to learn to mask your technique, and that is dependent on how you can create a close-up without a camera. good choreography and the ability to capture a character in a “In the Heights was successful in continuing that idea for situation.” me, but in projects since then, I’ve been slightly successful and slightly unsuccessful in learning how to adapt that theory to Capturing a character can be difficult for the creatives as different styles of movement and different styles of music. With well as the performers. Blankenbuehler shares one experience with contemporary material, it’s easy because there are no rules. “choreographer’s block” and the unexpected inspiration that Contemporary theatre takes the pressure off any rules, so people cleared the way to be able to work. “I had a very difficult time think I’m a contemporary choreographer, but I’m not. I’m a starting . I was doing prep for weeks and weeks and weeks. traditional choreographer. I just haven’t had the right show to It was really time to start making up steps, and I could not start the show that. Also it’s easier to choreograph a contemporary show opening number. Four days of eight-hour days, walking in circles, because the rules are much more liberal, and that’s a very freeing I couldn’t choreograph four counts. I was sitting where I am right thing.” now, in my studio overlooking 8th Avenue, and there was an ant

November 2013  MTMag.co farm of people walking down the street, and I’m like, ‘I’m going to thinking ensemble first instead of story first. I still want to treat the Starbucks. So I went across the street to Starbucks, and I’m in line, ensemble well. I want to give them material they’re proud of. I and I’m pissed off because some tourists in front of me don’t know want to give them material that, at the end of the day, they feel like the difference between a tall and a small coffee. I’m getting really they contributed to the show. Though, sometimes, I shoot myself agitated, and I realize I’m leaning forward: same arm, same leg. in the foot by making that the story, when the story almost always And I look out the window, and people are pushing past each other comes through the principal. So that’s my own thing I have to sideways; a lot of the people were walking same arm, same leg work through. because they were actually turning sideways to fit through people. “I’m not a chair choreographer,” he states emphatically. All of a sudden, I walked away from Starbucks; and I walked “I’m still in the trenches. I still take care of my body, and I still upstairs and choreographed the opening number. dance everyday. I try to dance everything in the studio. But there “The choreography became about the shift of the are lots of things I can’t do anymore and ways of movement I can shoulders to fit past somebody. In the city, on a busy commute, we understand and experiment with but I can’t really nail. So I’m don’t make eye contact; we’re just like ants — [we] go on our way. dependent on my assistants, and I’ll say, ‘How does this turn feel to Until I realized what the moment was, no choreography was going go from here down to the floor.’ And they figure out the ins and to come to me. It was going to look like dancing as opposed to it outs of its, and they’ll say, ‘That’s fine.’ Sometimes, obviously it’s looking like real people. I think the show was successful in that, labored, and I know that’s not going to happen eight times a week. when people were in an office, they looked like people who had It’s a big deal for me to not have injured dancers in my shows. I deadlines in an office; when they were grumpy commuters, they quit my career injured. It’s going to be hard, but that’s fine. I looked like that.” don’t want repetitious movement where everybody in my show has to have hip surgery. “Bring It On! was a little different because that was Show business is hard. Making volatility — like broken fingers from catching girls. In some projects, it’s like a sporting event, and you can’t get around a Broadway musical is hard. [injuries]. But I’m proud that in most of my shows there have never been chronic injuries or volatility that’s ended dancers’ You always run out of time; you careers. That’s a big deal for me. But that’s because I love dancing. I’m still in it.” always run out of money.

Using art as an example, he elaborates on the creative You’re flying all the time. process. “If you’re going to have a beautiful drawing, you have to have a sharp pencil. You can’t have a three-inch wide piece of Now, that comes with charcoal and think you’re going to do a fine-line sketch. That’s exactly what technique is. We’re going to end up looking like a dysfunction, problems, injuries raw drawing, but you have to do it with a well-sharpened pencil. Without that technique, you won’t be able to do it. So for shows … it comes with so many like Heights and Bring It On!, the final product looks raw, but it takes a lot of versatility and a lot of intellect. The versatility and restrictions; but for a year of the technique have to become assumptions. We have to assume that anybody who wants to be on the ‘big stage’ is going to have your life, you weren’t human. that. And it takes somebody with the brain power to understand the differences. On the subject of dance injuries, I’m reminded of one of “I was lucky when I was performing because the people I ’s most difficult shows, Dancin’. I mention to was working with, like Stroman, saw my brain was turned on. Blankenbuehler that I had heard it ranked as the Broadway show They gave me opportunities and responsibility because they knew I with the most reported injuries, and he remembers dancing that was going to take what they gave me and process it in a smart way. same choreography in the tribute show Fosse. “We did all that So those are the kinds of performers I look for. Show business is movement in Fosse, and we did it with more than twice as many hard. Making a Broadway musical is hard. You always run out of people. I believe they had 14; we had 30 people in Fosse. We time; you always run out of money. I need people who can pick up were doing half as much [dancing], in theory. They were non-stop. the slack and who are going to take my thought and run with it. In a way, it was exciting because they were on the edge. They That’s just the way it works.” were Olympians. There was a recklessness about being in the heat of the moment that people can sustain. Movin’ Out was a tough Injuries are common in dance, but perhaps more so from show. The only sad element in my performing career is that I never the strenuous amount of dancing required of Broadway dancers. I did Movin’ Out. I felt like I finished on the wrong show, and I just had to ask Blankenbuehler’s perspective on how to create always regretted not being able to do that show. When I looked at choreography that is danceable eight shows per week but also everybody in the show, they were burning it out. To me, that’s the thrilling for the audience. “That’s a big part of my mission pinnacle of accomplishment: when you burn your gas tanks out; statement, actually,” he replies. “Part of the reason I started you’re flying all the time. Now, that comes with dysfunction, choreographing so young was because I was a little discontented on problems, injuries, every morning being in ballet class, having to stage. I felt as an ensemble dancer, which I loved being — I didn’t sleep, not being able to do this, not being able to do that, it comes want to be the principle; I wanted to be in the ensemble — that we with so many restrictions; but for a year of your life, you weren’t weren’t often enough asked to be integral in the storytelling. My human. mission became how can movement but also the ensemble’s participation be integral in the show. Masculinity and the stigma about boys or men taking “Part of my problem has been that, for the first part of my dance was a huge factor as to why there were rarely any boys in my choreography career, when I make a big mistake, it’s because I’m ballet classes as a kid. According to Blankenbuehler, “I would

November 2013  MTMag.co “Bring It On!”

November 2013  MTMag.co November 2013  MTMag.co have to say that stigma is almost entirely gone. I’m sure there are the theatre, in many cases, you’re supposed to see what you’re still situations [like that]. For boys dancing, there’s always going hearing and what you’re feeling. It’s all a cohesive picture. So if to be some pain in the ass kid who is close-minded and give them a I’m hearing a guttural expression of life, I expect to see it.” To hard time. But that’s no different than somebody might be a little illustrate the point, he shares how he was inspired by a couple of on the nerdy side who plays on the team. There’s such kids when he was working on In the Heights. “I came out of the visibility now, like the hip-hop movies, ‘So You Think You Can grocery store, and there were two kids. One was sitting on the Dance?’ Most people look at those accomplishments and think, mailbox, and the other kid is on the street, rapping about what ‘Oh my god, that kid’s flying like a basketball pro.’ Twenty-five happened that day. He was free-styling, just talking about his day years ago, when you said dance and men, people were like, ‘Oh, in rhythm, dancing to it. Cars were honking; taxis were beeping. you wear tights?’ No one knew what tango was, there was no hip- Literally, he was talking to the beat of the city in a way that was hop, crumping, even swing dancing had been forgotten. The finger rhyming. I thought, ‘That’s the city. That’s life.’ That’s what you got pointed to the tights. ‘O, you dance. You dance with a bunch expect to see when you hear an emotional telling that is accurate, of girls.’ But now, when you hear dance, you think Jay Z, Justin the audience is put at ease when they’re seeing what they’re Timberlake, you think these guys that are bad-ass. And so, I have hearing. They don’t process it consciously; when they’re asked to straight friends who say, ‘If I could come back, I’ll come back as a process it consciously, they’re actually not moved by it male dancer,’ because you’re the coolest guy, you walk with emotionally, I think. The long answer to your question is I’m glad confidence, you’re around beautiful women, there’s energy that’s hip-hop is here, and I hope people take it seriously because I think exhilarating. And I think that’s changed [the perception] a lot.” it is really inspiring. Hip-hop doesn’t need to be abrasive; that’s what people often need to understand. It’s like when people say, ‘Oh, I didn’t think I’d like rap!’ Well, rap’s not always about For boys dancing, there’s breaking windows and spray-painting walls. Sometimes it’s an expression of simple things, easy things, light things. Whatever the always going to be some pain moment is, you express it.”

in the ass kid who is close- minded and give them a hard What happened with is … we found our way too late. time.

Blankenbuehler points out that television dance There’s an old show biz axiom that goes, “Never work competitions have their good aspects and their bad, but he is quick with kids or animals,” but Blankenbuehler did both with the current to point out the benefits of dance having such a wide-reaching Broadway revival of Annie the Musical. This particular show forum for exposure. “In the educating of the public, I think it’s proved to have plenty of growing pains for him as a choreographer. definitely good. It’s not only about the stigma of men dancing, it’s “I’ve worked with kids a lot, and I have kids,” he says. also the education of what dance accomplishes. To see a two-step, I think I’m good at creating momentum and a great environment. I to see a tango, to see all these dances — no one knew what these can be strict at work. But something happened in Annie that I dances were. Ten years ago, the general regional audience had no realized too late was that — I knew this — but it reminded me that idea what these forms were. Now, there’s a brand new appreciate they’re not capable of the same interpretation as an adult. I’ll be for craft, and that’s really exciting. honest, I learned it too late, so it’s not in the show the way I wanted it in the show. You must choreograph geometrically and As a voice teacher, I have had people ask me if rap is rhythmically in a way that the story comes out no matter what their actual music, to which I reply, “Yes,” so I could not resist asking mood is. No matter if they’re full-out or not full-out, or if they’re Blankenbuehler if hip-hop has officially entered the Broadway so advanced as kids that they can interpret a lyric, you have to musical as a legit dance style. “I’m working on a new piece called make it work in a fool-proof way. You have to set it, and you have ‘Only Gold’, and every style in the world is in this show. to drill it. Because they haven’t been doing it forever. Somebody said to me, ‘What style is it?’ I said, ‘It’s not. It’s “If I’m doing an adult show, I can make a change on a whatever the music says.’ If the moment is lyrical, the movement preview rehearsal, and they’ll do it that night, and it’s going to be is lyrical. If the moment is staccato and angry, it may be a little good. It’s not going to happen that way with kids. They’re going hip-hop-y. Hip-hop musical language is an amazing storytelling to have to drill it for many days, and then you can decide if it works device: there’s a guttural expression of lyric; it’s lyric matching or not. What happened with Annie is, we did that too late. We rhythm, which in the theatre is key. It’s based out of the African found our way too late. So for me, my contribution wasn’t vibrant drum, swing dancing, and all those things that are at the core enough because I didn’t get it to a point where I could drill it early emotional. With African drumming, if somebody doesn’t enough. I did another production with kids called Fly, which is a understand death, they play a drum groove that helps them mourn. adaptation. All the Lost Boys are between 9 and 12. That’s become part of our culture, so when you hear that kind of a From day one, I was like, ‘This is the way it is.’ Every time the groove, you feel the weight of mourning; it’s built into our choreography was interpretive, I cut the piece of choreography. I subconscious. Hip-hop music is an extension of that. Hip-hop made it linear, a clearer physical storytelling, so that even if they music, and thus the rhythm that the lyrics follow, captures were completely off their game on a certain day, you would still see something that is deep-seated in our emotional core. It’s not the idea. So I had to take the brunt of the storytelling on my presentational. It’s really guttural. It’s a great storytelling advice.” shoulders and not think they were going to make it better than what Blankenhuehler then speaks of fellow Tony Award I’m giving them. I also set the choreography and drilled it. Instead winner Lin-Manuel Miranda, the writer of In the Heights. “I’ve of experimenting for several weeks, I just laid it out there with had an amazing time working with Lin-Manuel, who’s an amazing them, and it was a big improvement. It allowed their vocabulary to be much more detailed and their contribution to the show, writer of theatre, and he just loves hip-hop. I’ve learned that it’s “Bring It On!” easy to do storytelling to music of that energy. Thus, I believe in inevitably, more successful.”

November 2013  MTMag.co and being critical, or seeing ’ Broadway and it I learned a lot of lessons last changed my life — not just as a dancer; choreographically, it unsettled me. So feeling like that, I’m a choreographer. year. I’m not going to college “A lot of dancers went the route of assisting, so they find a camp that feels right for them. In many ways, I regret not doing to learn how to choreograph a that. What ends up happening is they grow bigger: they become a is director/choreographer, then they do a movie. They move up… number for kids. This my from somebody saying, ‘I’m not available, but you should look at college course, it just happens my associate.’ It’s a graduating process.” Blankenbuehler moved up the ladder his own way, one to be a Broadway musical. show at a time, burning the candle at both ends. “About halfway through my Broadway [dancing] career, I started doing double- Having worked with children myself, I had wondered duty, and it was exhausting. By the time I opened Fosse in New how kids process information — why are they so different to teach York, I was teaching at Broadway Dancer Center several days a when they look like small versions of adults? Research has proven week, so I had free studio space because I was teaching there. So that the child brain is very different from the teenage or the adult I’d do the show at night, then get up way too early in the morning, brain; the child brain is more adept at processing concrete concepts and I’d dance for two hours at Broadway Dance Center to prepare and has difficulty with abstract and spatial concepts until the my choreography for class. I was flying away on my days off to set hormonal changes that begin with the onset of puberty. Working dance pieces at dance schools to make extra money and also to with children is completely different than working with adults. work on my choreography. I did that for 10 years. I realized I “I knew that, but I didn’t really take it in when I did didn’t have enough time or focus to be the performer I wanted to be Annie,” admits Blankenbuehler. “I have hundreds of hours of or be the choreographer I wanted to be, so I had to pick one. For video of me where the steps are really fun and interesting, and me, I was plagued with injuries, but I could have still danced for every time I did it, I’d have to throw it away. Nothing worked. I’ll many years. I made the decision to shift gears. One thing that’s be honest, I had a hard time last year. I learned a lot of lessons last important in life, and in show business, especially, is parlaying year. With what I do for a living, I have to learn on a huge momentum. If you fall out of favor and then you try to reinvent platform. I’m not going to college to learn how to choreograph a yourself, that’s going to be a lot of work. But if you’re at a height number for kids. This is my college course, it just happens to be a and you say, but I also can do this, they’ll look at you. Broadway musical.” “If you’re in a hit Broadway show, as a dancer, and you Broadway is also huge business, and with that comes audition for a new show Broadway show, they’re going to be like, critics. “I’m thrilled to be getting opportunities, but people come ‘Let’s hire that person; they’re in the hit Broadway show!’ But if after you. People came after me critically. I’m still growing and you stay in the Broadway show for five years and you’re not learning; I’m wanting to take chances and be better. But auditioning, and you go up for the new Broadway show, you’re just sometimes when we’re on our way to being better, we make in the chorus call. You’re not special. A lot of people let their mistakes in front of thousands and thousands of people. career end, and then they think they can start a new career. I don’t “Bring It On! was the first show I directed. I thought the think that really works.” show was very successful, but it was completely unsuccessful in business. I got a Tony nomination for the show; the show got a You can’t use dance just Tony nomination; and I’m at the for a show that closed six months earlier. Emotionally, it was difficult because I as a recreational exercise if did that one right! And it’s not around,” he says with a half-laugh. “The business is emotional. It’s a grueling thing we’re in, in show you want it as a career. You business…. There’s a tremendous pressure in making something out of nothing…. In some ways, it feels like there’s a right and have to train the things wrong answer, then in some ways, it feels like there are a million possibilities.” you don’t enjoy.

Blankenbuehler offers some tips on training for young I didn’t have enough time or dancers who want to tackle Broadway. “For all dancers, and for men especially, remind yourself that you can’t just have fun. When focus to be the performer I you’re in your teens and twenties, you can’t use dance just as a recreational exercise if you want it as a career. You have to train wanted to be or be the the things you don’t enjoy. You have to take ballet class. Even if choreographer I wanted to be, you want to be a hip-hop dancer, you need to do all these other things. Will you ever be able to pay your rent as a hip-hop dancer? so I had to pick one. You may have to take a movie job, you may have to do this, or do that. The idea of getting jobs is different from the idea of having a One decision that many dancers contend with is when to career. A career is about longevity and versatility. When dancers hang up the shoes of being a professional dancer and transition into are young, they have to train, train, train, train. They have to take teaching or choreography. “It’s different for everybody, but you’re tap class. They have to take voice class. They have to do a choreographer, or you’re not a choreographer,” Blankenbuehler everything to get as many skills as they can. Once they’re in the states flatly. “I don’t believe you can say, ‘Oh, I’m done dancing door, then they excel because of what they’re good at. But you now, should I be a choreographer?’ I’ve been choreographing have to get in the door first.” since I was a teenager, whether it’s on my own in my bedroom, or a He also has a few pieces of helpful advice for men on show in high school, or seeing a Broadway show as a 25-year old how to maintain their masculinity as a dancer, to help avoid the

November 2013  MTMag.co stigma of male dancers. “Young men have to be reminded that they’re going to be playing parts. If you’re in West Side Story and you’re the tough kid in the gang, take hip-hop, or karate, or lift weights to form you into [these] things; that’s part of the gig. It doesn’t mean denying who you are, it’s understanding that sometimes you play a part. You morph your body into something else. You’re acting.”

Being, as he says, a traditional choreographer, certainly Blankenbuehler has a dream show, right? Not exactly. “West Side Story…. I don’t know that that’s my favorite movie or my favorite musical, but it is momentous to me in its accomplishment. I loved www.coresinging.org the idea of Singin’ in the Rain as a kid, but I don’t actually love the movie or the musical, but my career probably happened because of it. I was never the kind of person to worship one thing; I worshiped moments.” With a flash of inspiration, he says, “You know what movie musical I loved? That’s Entertainment. Because it was all those moments put together. When I saw those men dance in Seven Brides for Seven Brothers, I was beside myself. It pushed me to accomplish things, and maybe that movie is why I was good in Guys and Dolls. I think that’s the way our world works — little kernels that inspire us and we hold on to them for a very long time.” Blankenbuehler then remembers an experience he had while attending an opening of a show in Los Angeles. “I met somebody who was in Seven Brides… and somebody who was in the movie Guys and Dolls. And I said, ‘You don’t know me, but you’re the reason I’m here.’” For the record, his favorite movies just happen to be non- musicals: Shawshank Redemption and Cinema Paradiso. “I’m a sentimentalist,” confesses Blankenbuehler. “It’s all about heart for me. I’m a romantic, and those really inspire me.” But back to what might be his dream show to direct or choreograph, it seems the stroll down memory lane has reminded him of one show in particular. “I’d like to take a stab at Guys and Dolls. I don’t think there’s any revival that I could say is my ‘dream’ because the ones I love were done so well. It’s a strange sense of bravado to say I could do West Side Story better because I don’t think I could do West Side Story better.”

Looking to the past is not where Blankenbuehler gets his inspiration, however. “I’m really into new theatre and exploring how integrated movement can be with singing and speaking. My dream for the past 20 years has been to create something absolutely from scratch — write it, contribute to the design, direct it, choreograph it. That’s where my focus is these days. Even though I’m paying for my life and my family’s life by choreographing shows — which I love, the end-all-be-all for me is if I could retire and die having done five or six amazing musicals that I conceived. That’s my dream. That doesn’t mean I’m credited as the bookwriter; it means that I had an idea that was a great musical and smart people came on board to help me do it. I’m doing my first one right now, and hopefully it makes a difference.” He hopes to inspire dancers, “One day, 25 years from now, somebody will say, instead of White Nights, it was that show Andy Blankenbuehler http://amzn.to/1gSaNGt made.” MTM

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Note: When listening to a cast album for review, I only go by the information offered in the music itself and in the liner notes of the booklet. My review is based on what I experience while listening to the album straight through.

Rock music and power vocals collide in this new take on an old tale. According to the liner notes for the concept album of Lizzie the Musical, Lizzie Borden was a “Victorian punk rock rebel”. The purpose of the album seems to be to introduce aspects of the infamous double murder case that are not in common knowledge. With only four singers, the two-act musical pulses thanks to the hard rock score that presents Lizzie as audiences have never heard her.

Lizzie’s music is full-throttle electric guitar-driven rock, grunge, punk, and metal geared toward stage 21st century storytelling style. theatricality and balanced by quiet piano and acoustic guitar With a complicated credit listing of who wrote ballads, exposing the secret thoughts swirling inside the what, the score was created by Steven Cheslik-de-Meyer, fractured mind of this most infamous 19th century media Alan Stevens Hewitt, and Tim Maner. The show was sensation, Lizzie Borden. presented at the National Alliance for Theatre’s 2010 Similar to Bloody, Bloody Andrew Jackson, the festival and further developed at Village Theatre in Issaquah, writers used rock music to lift the historical Lizzie Borden Washington. The concept album is released by Broadway from the confines of the stuffy Victorian age and resuscitate Records. the story in the form of a palpitating score with What is widely known about the Lizzie Borden unapologetically strong roles for women. Similar to Spring murder case is summed up in the children’s rhyme: Awakening and American Idiot, the score pulls no punches in regard to use of colorful language or touchy subject Lizzie Borden took an axe matter unsuitable for polite society. Gave her mother forty whacks, The subject matter as well as some of the language And when she saw what she had done, makes the album unsuitable for listeners under the age of 15. She gave her father forty-one. The score explores the rumors of Lizzie’s father’s incestuous

tendencies toward her and how it affected her mentally and emotionally. The murders on that summer day in 1892 are Yet, the liner notes of the album point out that she “gave her described in graphic detail, and the third song in Act II is mother 20 and her father got 10, maybe 11.” With only an titled, “What the Fuck Now, Lizzie?!”, utilizing liberal use hour of jury deliberation, Lizzie was acquitted of the charges of the popular curse word and clearly placing the show in and set free.

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The story is told through the voices of four when she sings, “Oh, that I had wings, like a dove / I would characters: Lizzie Borden sung by Carrie Manolakos, her fly away and be at rest.” sister Emma Borden sung by Storm Large, Bridget Sullivan What clearly comes across is the Borden sisters’ who acts as an “angel/devil in Lizzie’s ear” as sung by loathing of their stepmother, the woman who married their Carrie Cimma, and “muse” Alice Russell sung by Ryah father after their mother died. An already tense situation, Nixon. matters are brought to the brink when their stepmother As a concept album, we, the listener, do not have convinces their father to change his will. Later, in the song all the information we would have if we were seeing the “Why Are All These Heads Off?”, Lizzie is informed that show on stage. This concept album would benefit with a her father has killed all her pet birds, decapitating each of scene breakdown and a bit of direction at the beginning of them with an axe. She laments, “The taste for blood is on each song, as it is not always clear what the backstory is for my tongue and has been rising up for years.” This sets the each song or to whom the character is singing. stage for the murders we have all come to know and that still Complicating matters, the liner notes indicate that the writers shock and fascinate people to this day. created some characters for a theatrical purpose and changed “This Is Not Love” is one example of Lizzie’s the names of others. I can only go by what I hear on the turmoil in the Borden household. The role of Lizzie is album and what I read in the liner notes, and I’m sure that if expressively sung by Carrie Manolakos, building into a I had access to the dialogue of the script some of the powerful belt emoting the inner scream of a girl being confusion would be cleared up. I, for one, wish more sexually abused by her father and pushed aside by her information about the characters and the plotline were in the stepmother. Coming across a Book of Household Poisons, liner notes since we are getting information with which we Lizzie wonders if the book can offer a perfect recipe for a are not familiar. Act II has more recitative narrative written “perfect little death” for Mrs. Borden. into the actual songs, so they are recorded; however, they Several of the 28 songs could be stand-alone rock were not printed out to be read in the booklet. A similar showstoppers, and there is enough variation in musical styles narrative treatment would have been helpful in Act I in to keep the score interesting yet maintain its definite hard setting up the characters and the plotline. rock genre. The lyrics are not as deftly spun as in a Perhaps Lizzie’s entire emotional upheaval is Sondheim musical, but they serve the purpose. The summed up in the sixth song, “The Soul of the White Bird”, instrumentation ranges from electric guitar, bass, and

November 2013  MTMag.co synthesizer to piano, cello, harmonium, music box, djembe, the “anything goes” platform of Musical Theatre. The and percussion. Musical Theatre genre needs more musicals that feature full- When listening to the album, influences from throated singing from strong female belters and character several rock music styles plus Musical Theatre are easily singers. Having an all-female cast is just icing on the rock picked out. For instance, songs such as “Sweet Little Sister” musical cake. have a strong rock arrangement fronted by clear, kick-ass, If you love rock musicals, add Lizzie to your powerful female vocals you would expect from the Wilson playlist. It will sit perfectly between American Idiot and sisters’ iconic rock duo, Heart, or Pat Benatar. Sweeney Todd. The primary value of Lizzie the Musical is that it provides strong and compelling roles for four women, each Support Musical Theatre. Get this album on Amazon: of whom gets to shine either as a power rock belter or as a http://amzn.to/HVhnx6 character singer/actor. In this way, the Lizzie concept album is a winner thanks to the amazing voices of its all-female cast, who offer both crystal clear power vocal acrobatics as well as soft, tender emotional delivery when needed. It will be interesting to see how this dynamic changes if the show moves to a prominent stage in which the writers may be tempted to add other characters, particularly male characters. When transferring to a main stage for a full production, I can only hope that the show takes a cue from the Greeks and leaves the blood and gore offstage, or as in Sweeney Todd, keep it to a minimum. Keep the show focused on why Lizzie did what she did. (Side note: After listening to the whole album and taking in what I felt from it, I did do a quick search on the old Google and discovered that Lizzie has had several concert staged readings in 2013.) I am by no means a metal or punk rock aficionado, and I do not usually listen to music such as this. However, enough of the rock music interpretations are familiar to my ears and pique my Musical Theatre sensibilities that I could listen to the Lizzie album a couple of times through. The tumultuous upheaval of Lizzie’s psyche could only be realized through the explosive nature of rock music set upon MTM

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by Trish Causey

Born in Texas, mild-mannered Tony Award-winning So I started lighting my own sets for theatre using the strategies lighting designer Kevin Adams talks with a breathy smoothness of these light and space artists. People whose work I greatly where a drawl might once have been, hinting to his Southern admired — directors and solo performance artists, started upbringing. “I left when I was 21,” he sighs, “but I was born calling me and saying, ‘That thing you’re doing with light in there and raised there.” He sighs a lot, whether for dramatic that show, that’s how I see my show. You have to come light effect (or comedic), but his intelligent, dry wit shines through. my show.’ I’d say, ‘I’m a trained theatre designer, but I’m not Lighting was not Adams’ entrée into theatre, in fact, really a lighting designer. I’m figuring this out on my own and he says, “I came to lighting quite late in my life, actually. In I don’t know what I’m doing.’ And they were so generous, high school, I really wanted to be in plays, and I was in plays, they’d say, ‘That’s okay, just come try this, and if it doesn’t but I couldn’t be in every play. But I had this very nice, gentle work, that’s okay.’ So I started lighting other people’s sets.” drama teacher, who gently guided me out of acting and into set One thing led to another, and Adams became an in- design. I liked architecture and the idea of constructing things demand designer on several fronts. “In the late ‘80’s, early for shows, so I took to it very quickly. I started designing sets ‘90’s, I lit a lot of performance art,” says Adams. “There was for plays in high school. Then I went to the University of Texas quite a performance art scene in this country at that time. So I and studied set design. I had no interest in lighting — it was learned by doing, actually, by trying all kinds of things. Then I not on my radar at all. I was a serious, dedicated set designer. finally moved to New York in ’96 just to be a lighting designer, Then I went to the California Institute of the Arts and got my and the city was very kind to me and very welcoming. It turned Masters in set design and production design for film. I moved out very well.” to Hollywood and worked as a set designer and production With such an eclectic lighting design résumé on top of designer for years.” his academic set design skills, I asked Adams which is better: An avid art lover, Adams often found inspiration in going to college for lighting or getting on-the-job-training? the visual arts. “I always went to galleries and museums, and I “Before every college in this country was training people to do started seeing a lot of work by space and light artists from the that, that’s what people did.” The apprentice route to mastering ‘60’s and ‘70’s. I saw their work in museums in Los Angeles. a craft is an age-old tradition in the arts. Adams uses an

November 2013  MTMag.co example, “They started out as dancers — or guys went over to around the performer to make different scales of picture — you the theatre department because that’s where all the girls were. can make all that go away and make the performer isolated in People who are a generation old than me did not go to school to darkness or you can have a big complicated picture that the be designers. A lot of them fell into it from other [jobs] like performer exists in. A lot of what I just told you is influenced stage manager. Now everyone is so predetermined in what greatly by set design. Also, what I’m known for is using found they’re going to be; everyone is so trained,” he sighs. equipment like light bulbs and florescent tubes and neon, or I’m interested in the technical side of lighting and how using traditional theatrical equipment in a sculptural way so that lighting can be used to create emotion. As soon as I ask, it acts as scenery, like in Spring Awakening, Next to Normal, Adams rattles off information; his previous sitting-on-the-porch and Passing Strange. There’s a lot of use of light bulbs and façade vaporizes as he begins to talk shop. “Through cueing florescent tubes or neon that are always present, so whether and atmosphere. Color and effects can make an emotional they’re on or not on, they’re acting as a sculptural element or landscape that the performers exist in through scale and picture- scenery.” making.” Speaking of the different types of lighting, I inquire if part of the cool factor of lighting design is the groovy toys he gets to play with. Adams sinks back into his laissez-faire What I’m known for is breathiness, now that the lesson is over. “There’s so much coming out every week now — so many lighting companies using found equipment around the world, and so much new energy efficient technology — a lot of it we haven’t even seen in New York yet. It’s still … or using traditional filtering down to theatre.” He perks up again, “There are a lot of new LED products that are really cool, and some really cool theatrical equipment in flat-panel technology that’s like an iPad that produces a huge amount of light that can be different colors.” a sculptural way so that New advancements in technology is always fun to play with, but is it really better than old-school lighting? “I’m not much of a tech person,” replies Adams. “Ultimately, it it acts as scenery. depends on how good your idea is, how clear and strong your idea is, and how you then use equipment to back that idea up. Adams continues, sounding like a professor teaching a If that idea involves tons of new technology, then it’s great; if it class, and I struggle to keep up with my note-taking. “The doesn’t involve any, that’s great. When you’re getting into performer exists in a big picture; and the big picture is usually spectacles for rock-and-roll and pop music, then that [lighting] framed by the proscenium, so everything inside that frame is a is exciting.” picture. With lighting, you’re always picking out what inside Then I ask what is his favorite part of lighting a show, that picture is seen and what isn’t seen. You’re composing and he sighs, “It’s all kind of a drag — it’s all kind of hard,” he pictures through light with all the elements that are there. chuckles. “It all makes me nervous, frankly, because when you When the performers are a part of that, you light all these things finally get into the theatre, you have a limited amount of time to

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November 2013  MTMag.co November 2013  MTMag.co create something. That’s the most interesting time — teching a show. I always like the first time the doors open and people see the show everyone’s made, and you get a sense of what things work and what things don’t work, especially in commercial theatre. In subscriber theatre, people buy tickets to a show, and they’re not sure what they’re going to see. But in commercial theatre, people buy tickets to things they want to see. It always interests me to see who’s showing up to this experiment you’re making and their reaction to it. Whether lighting a rock musical or lighting a Rodgers and Hammerstein show, the goal is universal. “It’s all the same problem-solving. There’s a much larger leeway in pop/rock work because more spectacle is expected or can exist with that kind of music. That kind of active, assertive music can support a larger spectacle. Every show is basically the same problem- solving just in different scales. Whatever the [show] can support is what you give it.” Even a one-person show in which he is lighting Tony Award winner Patti LuPone follows that same basic rule. “Again, it’s all the same kind of problem- solving. You’re making an environment that supports the emotional world of that performer, and scale. You give that show whatever it can support.”

You help each other get to the end of it all. It’s a collaboration.

Adams keeps his skills sharp by constantly learning and absorbing information. “I’m always going to galleries and museums and reading about artists and artists’ lives and how to make it work, how to live with a creative person, to live daily with making things, and how artists handle that in various ways. I like to look at photographers’ work, new and old, and architects’ work, all kinds of work that involves image- making.” Ironically, he is not as influenced by theatre as one might expect from a theatre professional, and he has a very good reason for that. “I don’t see a lot of theatre because it’s so expensive, and I’m always so tired,” he jokes, sighing. “I’m influenced by theatre in that I do it and I work with people who do it, but photographers and artists are things I look at everyday.” A busy designer who works in opera as well as theatre and performance art, I couldn’t help but wonder if Adams has every disagreed with a director or had a bad experience on a show. “I’ve been very lucky not to have those situations,” he replies. “Usually, directors will have really strong ideas when I don’t have an idea, and so I’m thrilled when they have an idea; and I’m glad to take it!” he says proudly. “The directors I work with are smart and they usually see if their or my idea is working, then you go from there. I’m thrilled to have anyone’s idea.” Sharing ideas reinforces the collaborative aspect of working in Musical Theatre: getting input from others is part of the job. “If you’re lucky, you understand about 85 percent of your task. That’s a good day when you can figure out that much. Particularly on a new musical where there are so many things to figure out, you need people around you to help you get

November 2013  MTMag.coNovember 2013  MTMag.co to 100 percent. There were things in Spring Awakening — a couple of scenes, I did not know how to light, and Michael Mayer, the director, helped me figure it out. I figured out 85 to 90 percent of the show, but I’m only human. Now, it’s the same for him. There was one scene he did not know how to stage. I watched him stage it every way he could figure out, and I said, ‘Why don’t we try this….’ And it immediately worked. You help each other out. You help each other get to the end of it all. It’s a collaboration.”

Frankly, I’d rather be in Jesus Christ Superstar than design it.

With such an extensive career in both set design and lighting design, could he possibly have a dream show he’s always wanted to work on? Adams’ dry wit once again comes into play. “I used to have a dream show, and every time I’d say it, someone else did it, and I wasn’t involved. So I don’t say it anymore.” He continues with a laugh, “I think all my dream shows are the ones you’re interested in as a kid, but now I’m too tired to explore those shows.” He quickly switches gears from his chronic tiredness as he reveals a secret love for one show in particular. “Frankly, I’d rather be in Jesus Christ Superstar than design it. I’d play any fucking part in that show. Honestly, I’m ready to go on stage right now, I know that show so well.” Adams has worked on several projects this year including the Blue Man Group, a Broadway play, and a major production of Rigoletto. “I always wanted to work in the , and I did that this year, and that was pretty cool.” Looking ahead to 2014, Adams is back to work on rock musicals. “I’m doing Hedwig and the Angry Inch [on Broadway] in the Spring, and we’re sending the American Idiot tour back out.” He adds, “I’m looking at other things outside of New York and going to Tokyo next year. I’m extremely selective about what I do, and I’m looking at things outside of New York now.” So what makes him say yes to a project? “I have such drag queen tastes,” he coos unapologetically. “If it’s a weird idea for a show — and I know it’s not going to be a good show — but this idea’s so dopey, I’ll do it. If the idea of the show is interesting, and the people writing the show are interesting, and the director and designers are interesting, if all those things align, I’ll say yes.”

See more examples of Kevin Adams amazing work on his website: http://www.ambermylar.com

MTM

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Janis Joplin was known for her pipes, so any singer who rock and soul movement, and the other branch was Motown. It was dares to emulate her must be a singer to the core. Enter stage left, cool because you could see who each artist’s predecessors were Mary Bridget Davies is now conquering Broadway eight times per musically, and it all really made sense. To see that I had many of week belting out Joplin’s bluesy showstoppers in A Night With the same influences as Janis, I wasn’t surprised, but it made me feel Janis Joplin. good, like I was on the right track.” Without shame, Davies admits that singing was not her The music of Southern rock and the Motown sound first love. “Dance is really what got me going,” but the opportunity seemed to hit the national consciousness at the same time in the to be in school plays introduced Davies to theatre. Beginning in mid-twentieth century. Davies mentions that the recording industry third grade, she says, “I auditioned for all of them and got in. I was of the 1950’s and 1960’s was very similar to the Hollywood studio always in choir, but to actually pursue [singing], she was the third system in which the artists were controlled by the label. “There of the arts — it was dance, then theatre, then actual singing. But I was soul out of Memphis, so there was that family; then there was love them all. They all fulfill a different place in your soul to the Motown family and the Columbia artists,” which included Janis complete you.” and Bessie Smith. “I think the light went on for everyone A legit theatre singer, Davies also has a very artistically around the early ‘60’s, and it actually turned into a accomplished blues band, and one of the perks of playing Janis product by the late ‘60’s. Blues and soul-inspired new rock-and- Joplin is that the vocal influences on them both were the same. roll music because rock-and-roll is just an interpretation of the “Many of Janis’ blues influences were mine, and for me, including blues; it’s a mutation of it. Every genre of music has taken from Janis. So when we’re in this production talking about the women something before it. None of it has hit the earth from a foreign who came before Janis that helped to sculpt her sound and who she planet and started from scratch. All the different styles are became as a performer, that’s very easy for me to connect to — evolving from their predecessors. For the blues and rock-and-roll, how much she loved Bessie Smith, Aretha Franklin, Nina Simone, you can’t have one without the other.” and Etta James. Etta James, to me, was it. As soon as I realized I could sing and that I liked soul music, I was listening to her, and I So to say, ‘Did you ever think would sing along — it just made you feel so good.” Thinking about her stylistic influences, Davies lists a few you’d be on Broadway?’ Well, famous names that helped shape her vocal style. “I still love Tina Tuner, Gladys Knight, Stevie Wonder, the Allman Brothers — all yeah, when I was a delusional those rhythm and soul acts that evolved out of American music, the blues. I had this poster in college that was a family tree of music, kid taking 10 dance classes and, of course, in the roots was Muddy Waters and all these blue artists. Then it shot up, and in one major branch was the Southern per week. November 2013  MTMag.co

For those who think Davies got a free pass to the Great performers will never be happy doing theatre “on the side.” Davies White Way, she is a tried-and-true Musical Theatre performer who understands this all too well. “The people who are saying that to always dreamed of being on Broadway, but in a more traditional you have no idea they’re being offensive. They think they’re being setting. “I saw myself doing Broadway in major knock-down, helpful; [they’re] solving your problem for you. They have no idea drag-out numbers like ‘Anything Goes’ or ‘42nd Street’. All I because they don’t have that fire.” wanted to do was tap dancing. When I graduated high school, I Davies describes the moment she was told the show was went on a dance tour, and we came to the City and saw . And I going to Broadway: “It was a numbing shock. When you’ve got to do a master workshop with ‘Bring in da Noise, Bring in da dreamt of something your whole life and then it becomes a reality, Funk.’ I was like, ‘Oh my god, I wanna do this forever!’” she it’s not like you pull the draw bar on the slot machine and 7’s come exclaims. “So to say, ‘Did you ever think you’d be on Broadway?’ up, and ‘ding-ding,’” she mimics the sounds. “I was alone in my Well, yeah, when I was a delusional kid taking 10 dance classes per house, it was a gray morning. I was like, ‘You’re serious? We’re week. But I had no idea I’d be starring as Janis Joplin!” going?!’” Overwhelmed by the burden of responsibility of carrying The reality of the business set in early for Davies whose a show on Broadway, her reaction was more akin to, “Oh my gosh first love had been dance. “By the time I was out of high school, I this is real now. There’s so much work to be done! It wasn’t like, knew that wasn’t going to be a wish fulfilled because you’re out to ‘Yay, let’s party! With Leprechauns and pots of gold and pasture as a dancer at 22, 23 years old. I was old for the industry at rainbows!’ There’s a lot of serious work to be done now.” 18, for just getting started. But there’s that one part of you that just That inner fire is in every artist, though most of us never gives up.” Davies was steadfast in her dream despite the qualify as the “struggling artist,” and Davies has been no different. Negative Nellies: “I’m going to Broadway. You think I would joke “I had a friend say to me when he heard we were coming to about this?!” Broadway, he said, ‘So… guess you’re not gonna have to pick Most performers experience the naysayers at some point which utilities you’re gonna keep on each month,’” she laughs. in their career, which is harder to take when a career is stalled due “[There are] so many naysayers that surround us in our to some life circumstance. Davies sums it up as, “Small town business and outside of it that don’t believe in that magic which is thinking.” The small town mentality does not understand how Musical Theatre — as soon as you sit down in the theatre and the

Photo by Joan Marcus

NovemberNovember 2013 2013  MTMag.co MTMag.co dining room table, and their father would bring up a hotbed issue; and they’d have to take a side and debate it. And their dad was like, ‘Good. Now switch.’ So their dad encouraged that free thought and analysis.” For Janis, that free thought led to secret rebellious behavior that included swapping blues and rock-and-roll records with friends and even clandestine trips across the state line into Louisiana to visit honky-tonk bars. “At every turn, she was rebelling against who she was going to be if she never left. She was going to leave no matter what. She went to San Francisco and had a terrible time trying to be part of the beatnik and folk scene. Then she came home, went to UT at Austin, and tried secretary school. She had the constant trouble of ‘I want to make my family proud of me, but I can’t deny my dreams at the same time.’” Davies correlates these experiences with her own life and career. “Just having this Musical Theatre background and having had these talks in my own head, it’s very fun to slip into her skin.”

When you sing Janis, you’re singing from your toenails, so you want your whole body to be awake.

The show does not follow Janis’ career chronologically, but it shows her various musical influences from the 1950’s doo- wop through the iconic wailing, raspy hits of her later career. Davies delivers monologues and sings lead, but she is not the only one on stage, though. She is backed by an eight-piece band, along lights go down, there’s magic there, and you can’t mess with that. with the Joplinnaires singers and feature singers who embody You can’t mess with someone’s dream. And the naysayers say, Janis’ biggest influences, including Bessie Smith, Nina Simone, ‘But Broadway? The odds of that are, like, one in 20 kids go to Etta James, and Aretha Franklin. Broadway.’” Davies response was always, “But what if I’m that one out of 20?” Davies has been busy proving herself since she landed this gig on Broadway. “The craziest thing is that because of the subject of this play, which is Janis Joplin, and her being the Queen of Rock-and-Roll and having that passion for the blues, and then the parallel comes along with me with blues music and singing, there are a lot of people who know me professionally, but they only know me as a woman who has been singing in bands. They don’t know anything abut this girl that took dance from three to 18 and taught it from 21 to 26, or the girl that was in summer stock every summer and in all the major productions.” One of the roles Davies has played is the supreme belt role of “Reno Sweeney” in ’s Anything Goes. Even here, Davies sees parallels. “Janis is that same woman, that same core, brazen, yet vulnerable loudmouth,” a persona that was at odds with Janis’ upbringing in which “you kept your mouth shut,” Davies paraphrases. Janis was born in 1943 to a middle class family in the oil refinery town of Port Arthur, Texas. “In that part of the American cultural landscape, pre-counter culture, pre-civil rights, you were born and bred to be a mother and a housewife, perhaps a teacher, maybe a librarian. When you were born, your fate was decided for you if you never left town. And Janis refused for that to be her be- all, end-all.” Davies quotes from the show, giving one of Janis’ childhood memories, “I had a lot of thoughts in my head as a kid, and my father was like a secret intellectual.” Some audience members get the joke; some do not. “Janis’ father was a technician at the oil refinery,” Davies explains. “He wasn’t supposed to be versed in poetry and classical music.” Then Davies recounts a story told to her by Janis’ sister, Laura. “They would sit at the November 2013  MTMag.co This style of show has people wondering if it’s a “real” callbacks for Janis. “The blues singers girls that were auditioning Broadway show or a concert, a revue, or something in between. “Is and the Janis girls that were auditioning, we were all in the same it a concert masking as theatre? No, it’s legitimate theatre, it’s just room together. It was crazy — we were singing together in duets so entertaining, you feel it’s a concert.” Davies adds, “I don’t to see how people played off each other. Then we got our sides.” know why so many people think theatre has to be painful.” Davies says she turned around and, seeing a person she thought she For Janis, “We start at the very end of her career. There recognized, she asked someone nearby, “‘Who’s that lady that was a tour called Festival Express, which was a two-week looks like — Oh my god!’” Sitting in on the callback was none Canadian concert tour, where all the bands and all the artists other than . “‘You’ve got to be kidding me!’ It was traveled by train throughout Canada. That was in the summer of at the Equity building, just a standard audition room and standard 1970.” The production starts with “Tell Mama”, showing Janis’ dance space, and to turn around and it’s this woman — it must be a introduction of the blues via Etta James. “There’s a lot of diva, hologram; no one really gets to see her in person,” jokes Davies. heavy-weight singing going on here — but the good diva, the old “For me, it was exciting, and I made her laugh in one of my school diva who really worked her but off and was still humble, monologue deliveries. I didn’t care if I didn’t even get the job and was a great artist. Not the ‘we show up an hour-and-a-half late, ‘cause I can say, honestly, I made Liza Minnelli laugh. And I and you can’t say anything-diva.’” couldn’t believe how small she is. You think they’re all 10-feet tall because their personality and their pedigree are 20-stories tall.” The director even told Davies he might bring Minnelli as We’re climbing up a human his date for Opening Night of Janis Joplin so the Broadway baby playing the Queen of Rock-and-Roll could meet the legendary mound of people tooth and Tony Award-winning powerhouse that is Liza with a Z. The thought struck fear in Davies’ heart, and she remembered what Jane nail to get on Broadway. Then Lynch had gone through, performing in Annie. Davies retells the story she had heard, “They would have a sheet before the show of you’re gonna get there and all the celebrities that were coming, and she’d say, ‘Don’t show me complain about it?! that.’ Then she’d go out to do a sound check, and the celebrities’ names would be on their seats.” Davies knows that Janis the

Broadway musical will appeal to more than just the usual With a vocally intense role such as Janis, Davies is very Broadway audiences. “This is a musical about a rock-and-roll icon. clear that she has a focused vocal regimen. “I sleep a lot, and I You know we’re going to get that crossover. Watch, I’m going to have to exercise. It has to be closer to the show than away from. come out singing and Steven Tyler will be sitting there, and I’ll just It’s not like I wake up at eight in the morning and work out and get fall off the catwalk, roll down the stairs, and just jump back up and my day started, and then kinda be quiet the rest of the day. The keep singing.” more active I can become throughout the day, the better off I am when I get to the stage. Then my body’s awake. When you sing Janis, you’re singing from your toenails, so you want your whole body to be awake.” As for foods, Davies remarks, “I don’t deny myself anything, but I know better. I’m not gonna eat a wheel of cheese backstage at half hour and just pray for the best. On two-show days, Pedialyte is my best friend, and vocal rest. For me, it’s always about prevention. The one thing that I can’t live without is Zantac, just because acid reflux runs in my family, and there’s nothing that can stall a voice out quicker than a completely stripped acid throat. So that’s something that I do every day when I wake up, come rain or shine.” Prior to the Broadway run, Davies was only doing seven shows per week, but she says, “It’s a regional seven,” which means performing Friday night, two shows on Saturday, and two shows on Sunday, “a five-show weekend.” With the show now on Broadway, Davies is performing the standard eight shows per week

— one of the most grueling performing schedules in all of the arts world, but she won’t listen to those who complain about the I don’t think I’d appreciate this amount of work performers have to put in. “When you watch TV shows — and I can’t — like ‘The if I were 19 — I don’t think I Biggest Loser’, and the people start complaining…. Do you understand people would die to be in your place, and you’re would appreciate how complaining that you’re there, getting this one-on-one coaching from this incredible person who’s going to transform your life, and wonderful this opportunity is. all you have to do is put in the effort to complete these physical challenges — and you’re gonna cry and want to go home?! That’s I’m going to do it as best as I how I feel about Broadway. We’re climbing up a human mound of people tooth and nail to get on Broadway. Then you’re gonna get can for as long as I can. there and complain about it?!” Now that she has the role, some of the weirder aspects of Along the way up that mound of Broadway hopefuls, fame have reared their ugly heads. Other women contacted her for Davies got her first taste of being Broadway starstruck at the advice, via Facebook, on how to audition to become the understudy

November 2013  MTMag.co for Janis. Incredulous, Davies opines, “Women writing to me and asking me for tips for the auditions this week — for my role!” Her response: “‘Well, take your résumé and your headshot, and do you best.’” She is obviously still shocked at the nerve of these actors. “I would never ever do that! And I would never say, ‘Trish, you know that job you have, I’m auditioning for it, too, and how did you get that job?’” Davies’ current job has her using just about every skill she ever learned and employing years of advice she was told along the way. “Those old school things take you notches above other people when you go into these [professional] auditions. All those little [bits of advice] we were dispensed, you can recycle.” Even her former dance students report that they, too, remember her teachings in their own career as well as pass along these pearls of wisdom to their own students. “I think the reason I’m getting to open this show on Broadway is because of all those things I learned in all those classes along the way. I don’t think I’d appreciate this if I were 19 — I don’t think I would appreciate how wonderful this opportunity is. I’m going to do it as best as I can for as long as I can…. When you look back, you think, ‘Man, that was kinda rough, but you’re such a better person for it.’ Because you’ve earned everything you’ve done, and no one can take that away from you. I wouldn’t have been ready to do this role two years ago. It took me a year to really get in her skin, to get that confidence.” Confidence comes with experience, which ties in to Davies’ favorite bit of advice: “Don’t ever discredit any gig you get. Take every job you get because you’re going to learn something from each one. Not only that, you’re building your résumé. And you’re in the business, and you’re meeting people. Trust me when I tell you that being a good person is the best thing you could ever do in this job. It really has helped me go a long way. You don’t ever want the people who actually decide whether or not you’re going to get hired knowing, ‘Oh, you’re talented, but you’re a handful.’” As for her dream role, Davies doesn’t hesitate to name, “Mary Magdalene,” the lead female role in Jesus Christ Superstar. “I saw it on a regional tour when I was in junior high school, and I knew this is what I want to do. I was pulling on my mom, ‘I have to have the cast album!’” she remembers. Reaching this pinnacle of success has made Davies take stock of how far she has come. “My best friend in high school made me a scrapbook, and there are pictures from all these shows we were in, and I’m like, ‘Yeah, I’m still that same girl.’ Which is crazy because that girl knew she was going to Broadway ‘cause she was 14. How simple everything is when you’re a teenager — ‘Well, I’m just going to take dance classes, and then I’m going to be a dancer on Broadway. That’s all you have to do,’” she laughs, as she remembers her own naiveté. Part of that teenage reverie was being ignorant to what it actually cost to take all those classes and be in all those shows. Davies’ mother was a nurse who put money aside to cover the costs of Davies’ dance and theatre addictions. “I just found out that my mom paid for my costumes out of a secret, rainy day account.” Her mother only recently told her, “‘If your father ever found out how much your costumes cost, he would never have let you do it.’” Now that Davies is on Broadway, she has a chance to look back and take stock of her road to the Great White Way. She recalls telling her parents the news that A Night with Janis Joplin was definitely going to Broadway, “I was all teary-eyed, and I never thought I’d say this, but I gotta get a new dream. And what a terrible problem to have.” MTM

For more information on A Night With Janis Joplin and to get tickets, visit the show’s website: http://anightwithjanisjoplin.com. And check out Davies’ website: http://marybridgetdavies.com

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Photo by Joan Marcus

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After an incredible Broadway debut in the Tony Award- winning Australian production of Priscilla Queen of the Desert, veteran performer Tony Sheldon has returned to for a production of Dirty Rotten Scoundrels. He is one of the nicest gentlemen I have ever had the pleasure of interviewing, and this interview — my third with him — was a great chat on a Sunday morning while he was performing Horace Vandergelder in Hello, Dolly! Sheldon was born into a musical performing family in the land Down Under. “It was the family business,” he says. “My grandparents were vaudeville and radio stars. My mother was a Musical Theatre star by the time I was born. My father was a dancer. I always say he was the first Fosse dancer in Australia because he created ‘Steam Heat’ in Australia in Pajama Game. And he did Can Can, and Annie Get Your Gun, and several shows like that; then he became a television producer till the end of his life. My aunt — my mother’s sister, is Helen Reddy, who, of course, came to America and became a megastar and wrote ‘I am Woman Hear Me Roar’.” With such an extensive career, I couldn’t help but wonder if he has ever wanted to revisit a character, possibly perform a role differently after some life experience or hindsight. “I got to revisit

I Hate , in which I played John Barrymore. I’ve played that in two separate productions, and that was enormous fun to play that the ether.” twice. I don’t know if I’ve ever played anything when I wasn’t the After the wild ride that was Priscilla, does Sheldon miss right age. I’d probably be too old to revisit the roles that I did love, the constant attention, the pressure of the commercial Broadway but I also love discovering new work. It’s like when people ask me theatre existence? “It was a total life-changer for me because I’d what are the dream roles that I want to play — I don’t really have just been plodding along in Australia. My mother moved to any. My mother always says, ‘They haven’t written the role for America for 20 years; she lived in L.A. So both she and Helen had you yet,’” he laughs, but continues, adding, “Although, actually, been urging me to make the move overseas from the time I was 20. they have — Priscilla was the one they wrote for me. But I love I would say, ‘I don’t need to go overseas. I’m getting all the roles I knowing there are new roles being created that are still out there in want to play in Australia.’ And I also felt that somebody should

November 2013  MTMag.co stay and fly the flag in Australia because everyone else is gone. locals still look across the pond to the legendary rialtos. The My grandparents had passed away by then, my dad had died, and I ultimate dream for an Australian actor, Sheldon says, is “probably felt I was the only one carrying on the family name in the theatre. Broadway and the West End. Everybody dreams of conquering a So I was sort of resigned to have stayed behind,” he admits. bigger field in Australia, but it never used to be in our grasp. When I was growing up and my mother was a star, it wasn’t the global village that it is now. Australians just go to America now. You All of this happened from used to go to in the ‘50’s. It was almost obligatory to go home to the mother country,” jokes Sheldon. “Several people did the time I was 50 years [old], in fact make careers for themselves in London, but very few went to America. When they did, it was back in the ‘20’s and ‘30’s, and which just goes to show you they went to Hollywood — people like Dame , Cecil Kellaway, . The only really mainstream must never give up hope! Australian person who went straight to America to Broadway was . But now, so many kids, straight out of drama His life path was destined to intersect with Broadway, school, are getting on the plane and coming to New York. There though he didn’t realize it at the time. “I was doing The Producers, are so many young [Australian] dancers working on Broadway; I’m playing Roger De Bris, and word came out that there was going to running into Australians all the time. When I was on Broadway, be a workshop of a new musical of Priscilla. I wasn’t remotely Rachel Griffiths was doing Other Desert Cities, was interested in it. I thought, ‘I certainly don’t want to be in a dress— doing his show, Mig Ayesa was starring in Rock of Ages, an again!’ I thought it was best to put all that to bed. But it turned Australian girl was playing ‘Mary Poppins’ on Broadway. It’s out, it was just a 10-day workshop, and I rocked along. I suddenly becoming very much a dream that people can fulfill.” thought, ‘This show’s got legs.’ There was something about it that I asked Sheldon about the attitude towards Musical struck a chord with me. Also, I was allowed to have an enormous Theatre in Australia. “The major cultural pursuit in Australia is amount of input into Priscilla — I was helping rewrite the show, I sport. Full stop,” he replies emphatically. “I couldn’t believe when was picking my own numbers. They were really listening to me; if I got to New York how I was treated — I was treated like royalty I didn’t like the way something was going, then it was changed. when I got to Broadway. I took a look around me, and I realized it That was the first time I’d been involved in the creation of a new is the biggest tourist dollar in town. It’s part of the economy; it’s Australian musical, where I was really being heard in the structure the lifeblood of New York.” of the show. So when I finally got to [perform] it, I felt like it was When I tell him that Broadway is an $11.6 billion per mine; I felt like it was my baby.” year industry for the city and state of New York, he guffaws, In creating the role of Bernadette, Sheldon realized too “Now, who’s going to look down their nose snivelly at that sort of late that the role might have been to much of a team player. “The money and say, ‘Oh, no, it’s an inferior artform?’” he laughs. interesting thing was I didn’t have a big number of my own. It just never fit into the scheme of things. Somebody said to me that I was the glue in that show that held it together; everybody else had all The trick is trying to keep some the flashy numbers. Bernadette was the glue. I was always rather flattered about that, but it did work against me in the Tony Awards artistic integrity involved in it and the Olivier Awards because I never had a ‘moment’ in the show.” and not making it all a cynical exercise in money-making. It’s time to show them what The financial aspect of the business is definitely affecting else I can do. Because the artistic side. “For a start, the theatre has changed. Musical Theatre isn’t what it used to be anyway,” he says. “It’s no longer everybody thought I was a as creatively exciting as it was. It’s become a corporate thing that is put together by a bunch of producers who are frightened of drag queen! losing money. So people aren’t taking the artistic risks that they used to be allowed to in big shows — they are in regional theatre Sheldon looks on the bright side. “Nonetheless, it was a and in smaller arenas. But the shows that are being put together life-changer because it took me all around the world, it kept me [on Broadway] now are put together by committee, and it’s about gainfully employed for five years, it introduced me to audiences being safe, and it’s about trying to please the largest common who had never seen me before. I got to travel to see Europe, and denominator. So it’s a different Musical Theatre to the one we all of this happened from the time I was 50 years [old], which just grew up with a loved. Now, we’re reading about movie companies goes to show you must never give up hope! Suddenly my dream throwing millions and millions of dollars at developing film titles came true. [Priscilla] was the Australian-written show that because it’s the age of the pre-sold title; it’s about the audiences introduced me to the rest of the world and brought me to New knowing what they’re walking into before they buy their ticket. So York. So by the time I finished the Broadway run, it had served its the trick is trying to keep some artistic integrity involved in it and purpose. I was offered the tour and other productions, and I not making it all a cynical exercise in money-making. It’s about thought, ‘No, it got me to Broadway, it got me noticed; now it’s trying to create good product while making money. It’s a fine line. time to show them what else I can do.’ Because everybody thought “I think audiences instinctively know when they’re being I was a drag queen! So it was time to retire Bernadette. But I still conned,” continues Sheldon. “There is a temptation to take the get twinges — I see reports of the touring company going to L.A. easy way in putting some of these shows on, but I think the and Vegas, and I thought, ‘Oh, I’d love to play those places!’ But audiences have to give creators the benefit of the doubt and go and I’ll get the chance in another show. So it’s mixed feelings.” see them and make up their own mind before dismissing them out Australia has a vibrant Musical Theatre scene, but the of hand.”

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November 2013  MTMag.co Broadway. I used to hear people from other shows said, ‘Tony There’s a very good work Sheldon, yes, we’ve heard how reliable he is.’ That was very pleasing to me. That came from the way I was brought up in the ethic in Australia, which I industry, and I have to thank my mother for that as well; my mother instilled that work ethic in me. was surprised to find One of the perks of being in demand is getting offers to doesn’t exist in London. do various shows, often one right after the other. For Sheldon, this steady work means keeping scripts straight as he performs one Since he has performed on several continents, I wondered show while learning another, with a previous show still running if he had noticed a difference between the overall persona of casts through his mind. This happened after Priscilla when Sheldon was in the various countries he has worked. “I think Musical Theatre performing in Hello, Dolly! and memorizing lines for Dirty Rotten people are the same the world over. The one thing about the Scoundrels. “[I’d] start to run through my lines, and the first line Australians is that they are workhorses, like the Americans, and I that comes into my head, invariably, is Bernadette’s first line!” think that’s why American production teams have always adored The downside to such constant work is no time to rest in between. Australians when they go out there to put on shows. Our dancers He closed Hello, Dolly! on a Saturday, flew down to Australia on are the best in the world, up there with the Americans. There’s a Sunday, and walked into rehearsal on Monday. The director very good work ethic in Australia, which I was surprised to find offered him a chance to rest up, but Sheldon declined, preferring to doesn’t exist in London.” be in rehearsal with the cast. “Sometimes people laugh at me, but I Sheldon shares his dismal experience of performing in wouldn’t have it any other way.” the West End Priscilla production. “I was very disappointed. I For the role of Lawrence in Dirty Rotten Scoundrels in actually resigned from Priscilla early,” the disappointment still Sydney, Australia, Sheldon found the part to be a real mouthful. evident in his voice. “The first question I was asked was, ‘How “It’s a very difficult role to learn. David Yazbek’s lyrics are tongue many shows are you going to take off?’ I said, ‘I don’t call out. I twisters, absolutely so dense and so clever, it’s a joy to learn such never miss shows.’ They said, ‘You have to because we don’t pay witty material. But my gosh, it’s scary!” holiday pay in . You have to miss 28 performances in the In DRS, Sheldon plays Lawrence Jameson, which was course of a year.’ That was the first thing I was told on the first day originated on Broadway by Tony Award winner . of rehearsal. I was slightly hysterical about that. I went home and Just as the other actors who walk a mile in the high heels of railed to my partner, I said, ‘I can’t be off!’ And my partner said, Bernadette will be expected to live up to Sheldon’s creation of the ‘Well… we’ve never been to Paris.’ character, is there any pressure on Sheldon to perform Lawrence as “So I went in and said, ‘I’m taking that week off, and I’m Lithgow did? “I never saw John Lithgow; I saw , going to Paris, and I’m taking that week off, and I’m going to New and Jonathan Pryce was sensational. He was in fact nominated for York, and I’m taking that week off, and I’m going to the Edinburgh a Tony Award, so he was the talk of the town when he took over Festival.” One unforeseen circumstance of having to work — or that role. Jonathan Pryce brought a slightly darker reading of the not work — like this became evident early in the London run of part to it, which is sort of where I’m going with it. Priscilla. “From the opening night on, we never had the original cast on stage again — there were always two people on holiday. I’ve learned to latch on to The rest of the time, everybody’s sitting around in the dressing rooms with travel brochures, planning their next vacation. It drove things in the script that give me me insane!” The struggling artist motif apparently exists in Musical the key to a character rather Theatre everywhere. “The money is not good in London, so everybody has another job during the day, so they’re all then just mindlessly following exhausted,” when they get to the theatre for the performances. “The attitude was a little bit casual and prone to misbehaving on what somebody else has done. stage a bit more.” These behind the scenes tidbits might be a shock for most “Coming from Australia, we always got shows second- people to hear since performing on West End is a major goal for hand from London and from Broadway. When I was growing up, many performers, especially with the influence of the British we always got the original cast album first, so we were always musicals by Andrew Lloyd Webber and Cameron Mackintosh. living in the shadow of somebody else’s performance and often Sheldon is quick to respond, “I think the Andrew Lloyd expected to reproduce that performance by the American Webber/Mackintosh [musical] is somewhat to blame for this production teams that would come out. I had a shocking time because it’s all about anybody can play any role. It’s not about doing The Producers where I was practically shoe-horned into promoting stars. All over the world, all those characters look the ’s performance. Now, I didn’t necessarily want to do same. If you put a wig on ‘Christine’ in Phantom of the Opera, it what Gary Beach did. A lot of directors only know one way to do could be anybody. The Thenardier’s all look the same. It’s that something, so they’re a bit uneasy when you bring something else weird thing that didn’t actually exist before that Andrew Lloyd to the table, but I’ve learned to latch on to things in the script that Webber/Mackintosh machine. People don’t feel irreplaceable in give me the key to a character rather then just mindlessly following those productions anymore … which I don’t think is entirely what somebody else has done. With Lawrence in Dirty Rotten healthy for the industry. Scoundrels, he says, quite early on, ‘When I was a young man, I “But Australians have always had a good attitude, I’ve longed to be someone remarkable, there was only one problem — I found. I was quite prepared when I came over to work on had no talent.’ So he’s created a persona based on what little he Broadway. I think people were surprised by my work ethic when I had to work with, which were in his mind his looks, his charm, and got here. The usherettes at the Palace Theatre used to come up to his supreme confidence. This is a man who basically knows he’s me and say, ‘We love the fact that you don’t call out. We love that not good at anything, but it’s about power. He’s got total you’re a constant in the show.’ People did comment on it around confidence that he can charm the birds off the trees. So that’s the

November 2013  MTMag.co

Australians have had to do

this for forever — you had to

make yourself look like the

Broadway person.

For regional theatre, and even college and community theatre productions, there is the expectation to put on a show exactly as it looked and was performed on Broadway, making theatre less about exploring characters and ways to present them but rather rubber-stamping carbon-copies of the show to regional and local audiences. What was done on Broadway creates an indelible mark on how all future productions of that show will be done by other companies, from regional theatre to university productions and even in other countries. Sheldon remembers a story his mother told him of her experience taking on the lead in the Australian production of The Pajama Game in the 1950’s. “My mother was a blonde. Because Janis Paige was a redhead, my mother had to dye her hair red. The girl who played the Carol Haney part had to cut her hair like Carol Haney. Australians have had to do this for forever — you had to make yourself look like the Broadway person. When I was doing The Producers, I had to dye my hair black like Gary Beach. At one point midway through the run, we had a four-week layoff. I let my hair grow out, and it grew out white. It was the first time I’d seen my own hair in years because I’d been dying it for roles for years,” laughs Sheldon. He approached the producers of the show about using his natural hair color. “I thought it was very striking, and it looked fabulous with all the costumes, and I just loved the look. And the producer said to me, ‘But can you still be funny?’” After moving the show to Sydney, the producers still worried about Sheldon’s hair color affecting his comedic abilities. “When we got the show going back up again, the producers sat in on the previews, watching me with my white hair, and they clocked my laughs to see if I’d lost any. It was gobsmacking. And it was because they were so nervous that I looked so different, and I didn’t look like Gary Beach. They thought I was ruining the show. That’s the sort of thing that often we’re up against when we’re playing established roles. Fortunately, Lawrence in Dirty Rotten Scoundrels has been played by people with white hair, so at least I can keep my own hair color.” Audiences who have only known Sheldon since Priscilla may have a hard time seeing him play a pants role like Vandergelder or Lawrence, but Sheldon jokes, “I’ve playing pants roles for 40 years. The one I became known for was the one in the dress. I’ve played Elliot in Private Lives, Tom in The Glass Menagerie, the Boy in Equus, and Long Days Journey…. I’ve gotten to play some classic roles over the years, so that’s where I’m more comfortable. It’s the frock-roles that are the scary ones because you have to make them believable. And obviously, I was all too successful!” key to him. It’s not about being John Lithgow, it’s about being the man who is on the page. You have to go where that takes you.” A I used to be a hard-living recurring theme, portraying Horace Vandergelder in Hello, Dolly! brought similar challenges in overcoming people’s preconceived party boy in my early days. notions that the role should emulate the film portrayal by Walter Matthau. “I was told, ‘There is only one way to play Horace Everyone was waiting for me Vandergelder.’ And there’s not,” Sheldon corrected them. “There are keys in the script. Curiously, when the reviews came out, they to drop dead. said, ‘Tony Sheldon has recreated the role.’ My eyebrows shot up to my hairline! I thought, ‘Good heavens. Really?! Have people Staying healthy is a prerequisite for stage work. Sheldon not found other ways to play this role?’ But apparently not.” has his daily dietary and pre-show routine down. “I can’t do too much before a show because my whole day works toward the

November 2013  MTMag.co this is to me. But when I got my Green Card, Tony said he didn’t want to make a career in New York… so he went back to Australia and continued his career out there. We’ve been living on Skype for the past year, which has been hard. But after 34 years, we’re secure enough that we can do this, it’s just really, really tough.” Thinking of careers and the toll the business takes on a person, Sheldon shares a story of a moment he had during Hello, Dolly! The die-hard thespian in Sheldon was impelled to go through the old playbills of productions at the Tony Award- winning theatre, Goodspeed. “I see all these names, and I’m reading the biographies of people with the most wonderful Broadway credits and who played these fantastic roles. I said to the wardrobe guy, ‘These remarkable people, some of them I’ve never heard of. What happened to them?’ He said, ‘Tony, there’s no money in Musical Theatre. People can’t afford to do it. They’ve all gone off to be real estate agents.’ And it’s heart-breaking when you think of the number of people who just had to find another way to make a living. All that talent, and the business sometimes can’t sustain them. Then again, there are the percentage of other people who plod on and keep going because it’s your life’s blood, and I’m afraid I’m one of those people.” performance. I find I can’t even go and see a movie because it With more than 40 years in show business, Sheldon wears me out a bit. I have to be very careful about what I eat; I knows what it takes to make it in the Musical Theatre world. “If have to be on a permanent diet because I gain weight really easily. you don’t love it, if it doesn’t mean everything in the world to you, I have to live on salads. I’m gluten-free and carb-free, and I don’t don’t do it because it is so discouraging and nerve-wracking. You drink. I have a yoga mat that I have to stretch on, and I start have to have so much belief in yourself. Be ready — be ready for warming up three hours before a performance. My whole day anything the business throws at you. Say ‘yes’ to everything, no focuses on my show. I don’t go out and party afterwards anymore. matter how small or if it seems like a dead-end. You never know All those days are behind me. I used to be a hard-living party boy where anything is going to lead, or who’s going to see you, or in my early days. My friends used to call me ‘the walking time who’s going to remember you for another project. And don’t bomb’. Everyone was waiting for me to drop dead. I worked hard expect everything to be handed to you on a platter. It could take and played hard being the Australian that I am. I’m afraid a good years, but you just never know what’s around the corner, so hang in 10 years ago, all that finished, and I now realize I have to husband there and prepare for it to be a very tough and frustrating existence. my energy and my resources.” But if you love it, there’s nothing else you can do.” Here again, his commitment to being healthy is MTM connected to his work ethic. “I always want to be there. It’s hard enough — you get colds and things all the time in a company because we all give the things to each other working in a small environment. You get it through the air conditioning. But I’m getting older, and I really have to be careful.” Prepping for Dirty Rotten Scoundrels has Sheldon focused on his vocal health as well. “I haven’t really played a challenging vocal role in a long time. Priscilla was tough, but I didn’t have a big number of my own. And since then, I’ve been playing non-singing roles, so that will be the acid test.” What will Sheldon miss about America? “Everything! New York is my home now, and it was always my spiritual home. I’ve always adored New York, everything about it. I’m always mystified when people say they don’t like New York,” Sheldon says incredulously. “I’ll miss the friends that I’ve made here. I’ve really been embraced by the theatre community in New York, and I’ve made some good friends here. But I’m not gone for long. I’m only going till the end of the year, then I’ll be back.”

There’s no money in Musical Theatre. They’ve all gone off to be real estate agents.

Sheldon mentions another reason for wanting to go back home: “My partner lives in Australia — my partner of 34 years, who is also an actor, Tony Taylor. He did the whole Priscilla experience with me. He put his career on hold when I went overseas, and he traveled with me because he knew how important

November 2013  MTMag.co November 2013  MTMag.co

without a microphone. Long story short, the vowels that are used to make the classical sound are completely different. In Musical Theatre and in contemporary music, we use the vowels with which we speak. We don’t use the vowels that are used to fill a venue that has no microphones.”

We’re talking about what was

formerly known as peasant

music. Peasant music has

become a big business — and it’s a much bigger business

than the opera.

She brings up the popular classical style of bel canto, the style most singers begin in their classical vocal studies. “Bel canto means ‘beautiful voice’, and it was a pedagogy in which people I have wanted to interview Melissa Cross for a while were taught to sing beautifully, as opposed to sing as they speak. now. I’ve been told she is the person to go to if you want to So classical singing got [put in] an elitist category that was reserved achieve a rock sound without damaging the voice. Anyone who’s for connoisseurs of great music, and the other stuff was the peasant heard my radio show, Musical Theatre Talk, over the past four stuff. So when we talk about commercial music now, we’re talking years knows I’m a huge voice nerd, and I am most concerned with about what was formerly known as peasant music. Peasant music protecting the voice to sustain a career over many decades. So with has become a big business — and it’s a much bigger business than the topic of rock musicals for this issue of Musical Theatre the opera, so therefore, a lot of opera teachers find themselves a Magazine, I couldn’t wait to have an in-depth discussion on all little out of fashion because what they’re teaching is not completely things rock and vocal with this popular rock voice teacher. suitable for what their clientele needs to be doing. A voice is a Right out of the gate, I ask Cross to explain how to make voice is a voice. The breathing, the placement, etc., is pretty much the rock sound and how to keep the voice healthy. Being a white the same regardless of what genre you’re performing. girl with no rhythm myself, I have always been fascinated and “So when you say, how do we keep [the voice] healthy, terrified of the “rock” vocal sound: a distorted vocal fry somewhere vocal abuse is done when there’s an over-emphasis on the vocal between an edgy, gritty growl and a constipated cat. Cross begins cords as opposed to the air pressure in the lungs. People who abuse where most of us start: classical training. their voices overuse the muscles in the larynx instead of balancing “It’s important to understand what is relevant and what it out with the breath support system. That mechanical aspect is makes classical training slightly irrelevant. In classical music, the same with both kinds of music, but with bel canto — with there are no microphones. In opera, the voice production is done beautiful singing, the larynx stays lower in the throat. Those vowel

November 2013  MTMag.co shapes are cultivated because the voice box itself lies lower in the When speaking of the different areas in which the voice pharynx — the surrounding throat, and creates a large reverb resonates — head, mix, chest, the conversation naturally leads to chamber where all the overtones can be created because there is a the primary singing style associated with Musical Theatre — lot of space in which the vocal folds can vibrate. So the placement belting. “That word! That’s up there with ‘sing from your in classical music involves more overtones, and the peasant voice stomach,’” Cross groans. “The whole idea of that word invokes a — or the speaking voice, has a higher position of the larynx, but the violent, unnatural kind of behavior. Imagery is so important. trick is to keep the larynx as low as possible without sounding ‘Belting’ sounds like you’re hitting somebody with a belt. It’s a dated or classical.” very violent word.” The perception of words can affect a student’s vocal output. Some voice students may have heard their teachers use When you imitate, you’re using imagery-based comments such as “Sing through the voice not on the voice” or “Sing in the mask” or “Sing across the dome of the the wrong part of the brain to mouth”. Such guidance can be problematic, especially for new or young students. Cross explains how she uses imagery with her work your voice. clients. “With the imagery that I use, it’s very important that I keep it away from the body. People talk about the mask and the dome, Cross is quick to say, “You don’t want to throw classical but it’s important to know why those things work. Dome works music out the window.” (Oh, really?) She continues, “That’s a because when you think of the dome or top of your head when you mistake I made in my career. I studied classical music for a long create sound, you are lowering the larynx. That lift of the soft time, and nothing was relevant to what I was doing. I just threw palate in the back if the throat right in front of the uvula, the larynx everything out the window to make that rock sound, and ultimately, lowers so there’s more room in the throat. However, when I think ended up with a small injury. I became imitative — I tried to get a of just the dome, it goes too far back; and if it goes too far back, certain sound, but I didn’t have a technique anymore. I was just and then it sounds covered.” imitating, and that’s where we get into a problem area. When you imitate, you’re using the wrong part of the brain to work your voice. My work is called The Zen of Screaming — I’m not a If your voice is balanced, you Buddhist, “ Cross laughs, “but the word zen means to be here in the moment — now. When you imitate, you’re not in the moment, just sing the damn song. you’re in a past place, or moment, or you have a results-oriented way of trying to create something. So you’re not really in your For a tactile experience, Cross uses a simple pencil to body. You’re in your brain trying to create something from the great effect. “I put a pencil in people’s teeth and have them outside. Therefore, you’re not really in touch with the mechanism imagine that the sound is emanating from their body and over the — you’re not inside of it. You’re trying to recreate it or imitate, pencil — and out the back at the same time. But all my images and that involves a part of the brain that does math problems. You have to do with things that do not relate to the voice, and I cannot physiologically do what you need to do to invoke the breath encourage people to come up with their own imagery because pressure because as soon as you go to that part of the brain, you that’s how you stay inside the note. I like to think of it as painting stop breathing because you’re in your thinking mode. vowels, so you paint vowels across a venue. Vowels are the only “The breath is so important with the flow of vowel-to- things that make music. There are no consonants that make music. vowel. It’s important that all training be dynamic in the sense that So anything that has a flow or a constant dynamic smoothness the imagery involved in voice production is what makes it all work. works for singing — silk scarves, lasers, paintbrushes, baseball You can’t do it intellectually. That’s why voice teachers get such a pitches — anything like that will work if you have an imagery reputation for being nuts! When they teach, they always say such system that works outside of where you’re thinking about the sound weird things. My least favorite is ‘Sing from your stomach.’ Your of the voice or an actual result. Once you start listening to your stomach doesn’t sing! Further on down the list, ‘head voice’ and voice, you stop breathing. And that’s a big problem in Musical ‘chest voice’ are problematic for me. People have preconceived Theatre because people are thinking, ‘Do I do the mix here? Do I ideas of what is head voice and what is chest voice, and they’re do my head here? Do I do my chest here?’ If your voice is usually dead wrong. In teaching way back when, we didn’t have balanced, you just sing the damn song. all the diagnostic machines to figure out what’s happening when “Sing it from the point of view of where you’re at in we sing. People felt their voice was in their head because their terms of the person who’s emoting. In other words, if I’m in a larynx was lower and their voice was in their chest because the Rodgers and Hammerstein musical, the music itself will tell me larynx was higher. You actually feel these things in your body. how to sing it. I don’t need to put extra stuff [in it] to make it But when you try to recreate head voice and try to put it in your sound like a Rodgers and Hammerstein voice. Although, if I’m head, you don’t do it the right way. People end up splitting their doing Rent or Spring Awakening, it’s going to sound really odd if I voice in half. The primary reason to get voice training is to get rid do the kind of singing that I would do for Rodgers and of the break,” called in classical training the passaggio. Hammerstein because the material is more rhythmic. The new musicals are rock-oriented so the phrasing is different. With Rodgers and Hammerstein, you have a linear melody that elongates I like to think of it as over phrases, and the melody is more important than the rhythm. The music allows you to sing the room. If you’re singing in a jazz painting vowels, so you paint club, you have a tendency to invoke certain things with your voice that do what the saxophone does; as an artist, you would just feel vowels across a venue. that. You don’t need to paint something on. So that’s why I can’t Vowels are the only things that stand these words ‘head’, ‘mix’, and ‘chest’ even though they do exist. In my mind, they only exist as positions of the larynx. There make music. is a head voice position where the soft palate is arched and the larynx is very low; and in the chest voice, there is a position where,

November 2013  MTMag.co when you pull your chest [voice] up past the passaggio, it’s going prominent part of commercial music — we’re talking Jimmy to start to thin out and become what people call ‘the belt’. But Durante and Satchmo, and also blues. We’re talking the 1930’s, there is a way to invoke more head resonance in there and not over- we’re talking gospel, and the outpouring of emotion through song, raise the larynx, which is what people do when they think ‘belt’. which was, embarrassingly so, up until the 1960’s considered a They squash their larynx up inside their throat, and it sounds like black phenomenon — which is terrible. But even up till this whining.” century, very few people really looked at what was going on there. When a singer “belts”, the vocal folds come together in a I realized there is a way to make that sound without the emotional thicker formation than they normally do, creating that thicker sound tension and without the scraping of the larynx. If you want to do so synonymous with belting. Cross goes on to describe what is that scraping thing, that is raising everything up so you’re clogging happening, “It’s not just the stretching and loosening of the folds, up the throat, and that gag reflex is the way people hear rasping and it’s those layers in the folds, and how many layers of folds are think that is the only way you can make that sound. Actually, actually closing, and how much breath pressure you’re using to that’s not true. I figured out a way you can raise the larynx without create it. And there are all kinds of variations that happen in a that extra bit of muscle tension. I have identified three different specific moment — from moment to moment; and if you paint ways to enable that vocal distortion. The one for tenors and something on and you just hold [that] something, then you lose the sopranos sounds overly nasal, like Fran Drescher or Marge beauty of the voice. You lose the subtleties. Simpson. It’s a sophisticated application of breath pressure, and it “That’s not say there isn’t a passaggio because there is. involves doing my basics first because there’s an awareness of the There is a certain point where the folds are needing to loosen to breath pressure mechanism that’s important to keep the sound accommodate a pitch. When they do make that movement and the constant. First thing I tell people is you cannot do this loud. You breath pressure is inconsistent while the movement is being made, have to remove the word ‘loud’ out of your vocabulary because as there’s that little slippage — that’s what the break is. Good vocal soon as you do something that invokes ‘loud’, you’re bound for training helps you to move from your lower register into your upper vocal abuse because already you’re over-using.” register seamlessly, and there’s a very subtle way in the body you In other words, forget about screaming, emotion, anger, learn how to invoke just the right amount of breath pressure to anything you formerly thought of as causing rasp. “Think of a make it all work out. That’s what keeps me in business, that very squeaky door or a rusted swing set,” she says. “What’s interesting thing.” about this whole sound is that what’s going on is a chaotic One of the signature sounds of rock singing is the rasp or vibration of the vocal folds. The vocal folds are not vibrating at a the growl that somehow makes an audience perceive the performer consistent cycle per second so there’s no pitch to it. When a is experiencing deep or heightened emotion. Conversely, the clear microphone gets a hold of that, it creates something much bigger tones of opera can make the singer seem aloof or unattached to the out of it.” The distorted effects from amplifying a singer’s voice is story. Cross explains, “The history of that is that for the longest one reason opera has remained vigilant against microphones. Cross time, at least half a century, that grit and growl thing was a very demonstrates a sound that resembles the mewing of a cat. “Even

November 2013  MTMag.co very quietly, that sounds like somebody’s dying. But the and take a big breath, that’s the worst thing you could do because a microphone doesn’t know what to do with that frequency. It big breath will invoke muscles that are doomed to collapse because doesn’t know where to go with it, so the microphone is an they don’t have a slow release. That’s why I call it ‘strapless bra’ important part of this.” for girls. If you are maintaining a strapless bra that’s too big for Cross details what is happening in the larynx. “We want you, you have just the right amount of breath pressure for any note; the vocal folds to come together but not phonate in a cycles per you don’t need to add anything, you just sing it. Breathing is all second. So there’s a subtle breath pressure where you’re just about the way you take it in, and once you take it in correctly, holding the folds together, very gingerly, without actually pressing everything else falls into place. You don’t need to regulate the them down. For trained people, this is harder because your onset is outgoing air; you just need to maintain the position of the floating so trained. For trained people, I have to get you very, very quiet rib out to the side, and it maintains the right amount of consistent because that invokes a very, very heavy breath pressure — to sing pressure. Singing is about balance not volume. You don’t need quietly takes a lot more strength.” more air to sing, you need less, actually. One of the big lessons in Singing softly is not the same as not working on the vocal training is that you don’t need a big breath for anything.” voice, though. “You have to do something. It’s not passive. Not worrying about the next note or the next breath truly Learning this is learning the least amount of effort to make a is zen, staying in the moment of where you are with the current certain sound, and to do it quietly actually invokes more strength note or the current pause. “Singer’s breathing is maintaining air than to do it loud. Once you are able to do a vowel and put that without holding your breath. It is a paradox. The outgoing sound sound on top of it, it feels like it’s in your nose, but it’s not; it’s in should feel as smooth as air, but it’s the lack of air that you’re the larynx.” listening to.” Cross has a few tips to share with singers to maintain a healthy voice while employing an edgy rock sound to their singing. Your air has to be a completely “It’s all about technique. Keeping your voice in shape is about using it correctly. It’s about finding that balance. You mustn’t consistent flow from vowel to imitate.” Cross adds, “I’ll make it easy — just get my DVD,” she laughs. “Learn the basics, then you’ll be fine for any genre of vowel, and if there’s an music.” interruption of that flow, then you’re bound for abuse. Start feeling, and stop singing. I don’t want to hear you sing. Cross then demonstrates a raspy sound on a pitch higher than the speaking voice. “It has to be high-pitched because once I want to feel you feel. you’re in the low pitch, there isn’t enough breath pressure. It sounds like dial-up,” she laughs, mimicking the sound that was the As a final thought, Cross offers this wisdom on the hallmark of old dial-up internet connection prior to high-speed subject of rock musicals. “The mindset for rock music is one of a DSL. “Now, relax into it.” complete lack of self-consciousness. It’s not about listening to Coaching me through this kitty-cat/old dial-up sound — yourself. It’s about speaking on pitch and navigating all those which surprisingly did not hurt at all, she reminded me that this is pitfalls of registration — that you learn in technique, but it’s not just one type of rasp or distortion that a singer can put on a note to singing. Stop singing!” exclaims Cross. “Start feeling, and stop achieve that rock angst sound. “My word for that is fry screaming singing. I don’t want to hear you sing. I want to feel you feel.” — not vocal fry, but fry screaming. What I’m doing is basically Musical Theatre’s “legit” performers can find rock vocal fry with a raised larynx. Fry screaming doesn’t have a pitch. musicals intimidating because of that rebellious freedom that is So you’re adding that to a vowel, going back and forth from a inherent in rock music. Rock musicals, then, might be said to be vowel to that in a split second, and you get really good at it once the zen of being comfortable in your own skin. Cross sums it up you understand how easy the mechanism is. There are different succinctly, “It’s about be-ing the sound, not ‘making’ the sound.” kinds of screams, and the other scream has a pitch. That one is the Jimmy Durante or Satchmo where it actually has a spoken pitch or vibration to it, but the trick with that one is that it needs a lot of support. If you’re not constantly supporting that, you’re gonna kill Melissa Cross teaches clients in yourself, so I don’t really advise it for lyric [sopranos] or even her studio in Manhattan. She mezzos; maybe contraltos can get away with it. People with has coached rock stars such thicker cords can get away with that natural sound and not feel as Maroon 5, Andrew W.K. and contrived, but it takes a tremendous about of — what I call, the Courtney Love plus singers in ‘dub’ for guys or the ‘baby’ or the ‘tea’ for girls.” Cross reiterates all genres, including Kevin that the subglottal pressure must be constant, offering the reminder, Bacon. For more information “You don’t need more air for the ‘money note’, for the high note, or to schedule a lesson, visit for the long note. Your air has to be a completely consistent flow her website: from vowel to vowel, and if there’s an interruption of that flow, http://www.melissacross.com then you’re bound for abuse.” Over-singing and applying too much pressure to conquer Get “The Zen of Screaming” DVD on Amazon: certain notes is a common problem in Musical Theatre as well as http://amzn.to/HYJUlP opera and even rock music. “It’s about a balance, no matter what the genre is,” explains Cross. “It’s never correct to add or subtract subglottal pressure for any reason; it should always be constant. MTM And it’s the same for speaking. When you think about the big note

November 2013  MTMag.co

Carole King

Most people are familiar with Carole King M: Her astonishing body of work that she produced. This show and her music from the 1970’s onward — she has actually focuses on an era of her life that people are less familiar with. Like myself, everybody owns Tapestry and is aware of her won four Grammy Awards and been inducted work post-1971, but our story starts when she was a 16 year-old into both the Songwriters’ Hall of Fame and the girl in 1959. She went to 1650 Broadway, which was a new group Rock and Roll Hall of Fame; she was even named of producers who got the idea to have teenagers write songs for the most successful female songwriter from 1955- teenagers. She got her start writing songs as part of this song 1999 due to her 118 hits on the Billboard Hot 100. factory at 1650 Broadway, not for herself, but for other artists of However, many people may not realize Carole the day. She was a hired hand, essentially, and she ended up writing some of the most well known songs of the ‘60’s that no one King was the young mastermind behind some of really associates with her because she didn’t record the songs. the biggest hits in the 1960’s rock and Motown “Locomotion”, “Some Kind of Wonderful”, “Up on the Roof”. genres of popular music. Far from the glamorous People say, ‘I can’t believe she wrote that, and that, and that.’ And life of a wandering troubadour, King wrote songs all of this was before the tremendous body of work that she for hire from a cubicle in Manhattan. The new produced once she came into her own as a singer-songwriter. In that era prior to the era of the singer-songwriter, songwriters were Broadway show Beautiful, the Carole King Musical, employed to write songs for these great artists. explores these early years of one of modern music’s most prolific songsmiths. T: Why is now the right time to tell her story? While in transition from the West Coast to New York, I interviewed the show’s director Marc M: We’re in a special Carole King moment. She is living, and it’s Bruni about Beautiful and Carole King being the wonderful to have a tribute to an artist when they’re still alive. And her songs are timeless. The way the songs are being treated other female rock legend on Broadway right now. [in the show] in terms of Doug McGrath’s book invests in the emotional quality of the songs. They’re about things that are T: The recording industry, as with most industries, is completely relatable: first love, heartbreak, break-ups, joy, and male-dominated, but Carole King became a successful pain, and all those things we experience as human beings. Any songwriter at an early age. What is it about Carole King time you have a story that taps into the universal humanity of it all that made this show happen? is a timeless kind of piece that is appropriate…. And why not now?

November 2013  MTMag.co T: Did Carole consult on the show or pick the songs? take the songs and shoehorn them into a narrative and use the songs as the character is singing their own feelings. Neither one of those

M: The show has been in development for four years. She came to is the one we’ve gone with for Beautiful. We’ve gone with the an early reading of the show, and she actually left after the first act, technique that was most successfully used in Jersey Boys, which is much to the dismay of everyone involved — until they realized it every time we sing a song, we’re acknowledging it’s a song. We’re was just too emotional for her to see her own life on stage. She not pretending the actors are singing their feelings, in the way that said, ‘It’s great. You have to continue with it; I think this is a very they would in Mamma Mia! In our show, when they sing a song, valuable piece, and I give it my blessing, but it’s too painful for me the songwriters are auditioning a song for Donny Kirshner, the to relive that portion of my life.’ The show focuses on her first record producer, or they’re singing it in a club for an audience, or relationship with Gerry, her first collaborator and husband. I think they’re recording it in a recording studio, so there’s some construct to go through the details of that relationship and the events that led around the song that gives it a reason why the character would be to a rather tumultuous breakup were very difficult to watch. But singing a song. she has been very supportive along the way. Gerry came to see the With our show, the first act is about songs she wrote for show in San Francisco. other people, so the ensemble plays all these groups of the period. The show uses her songs and also songs of her best We get to see the writing of the songs and the songs being taken friends of the time and today, Barry Mann and Cynthia Weil, who over by the original artists. You get to see them writing ‘Some wrote “You’ve Lost That Loving Feeling”, “On Broadway”, Kind of Wonderful’ and then the Drifters take over and give a fully “Walking in the Rain”, and “Uptown”. The show also explores the realized performance of ‘Some Kind of Wonderful’. So you see relationships between the writers for hire at 1650 Broadway and the this contrast between how these songs came from these little competition that was fostered, racing to get the next song for the cubicles in this office building at 1650 Broadway, and then the show biz aspect of it blowing up into a worldwide phenomenon. Shirelles or the Drifters. That’s one of the things that fuels the first act; the second act becomes more about the consequences of her breakup from Gerry Goffin and her coming into her own as a T: Were there any difficulties with staging a period singer-songwriter. piece or dealing with any issues from the time?

M: The period aspect was actually one of the easier aspects of it. T: How are her songs arranged for performance in a It’s a very well known period especially with the advent of “Mad theatrical setting? Men”. People are very familiar with that period. So with the clothes, you want have a nod to the period but have it feel fresh. M: There are three ways to do a jukebox musical when you start The show goes to a number of different locations, so creating a set with a catalogue of songs. One way is to do it as a straight-up that was modular and fluid and allowed us to realize those locations revue with no book, and you present the songs and let them be on in a way that was less literal and taking a hint of where we were but their own. The second way is the Mamma Mia! style which is to not slow down the show by trucking out a lot of realistic scenery.

First Rehearsal for ‘Beautiful’

NovemberNovember 2013 2013   MTMag.co MTMag.co T: Were the actors challenged by the material or the timeframe?

M: I think their biggest challenge is that they’re playing characters who are living. The upside of that is there is a great resource for them to draw on. There are a lot of interviews available, and Barry and Cynthia have been around rehearsals. There’s also a great responsibility to playing a living person, to get the essence of that person but not do an impersonation. This is our theatricalized version of these characters and what Marc Bruni happened that we hope remains truthful but is not intended to be a wax museum version of their lives. Our star, Jessie Mueller who’s playing Carole King, is extraordinary. She has a great emotional accessibility as an actress on stage, and the audience falls in love with her immediately because they’re seeing something that is totally unique, totally her own. They get the essence of Carole and everything they love about Carole, but it doesn’t look like [Jessie] is doing an impersonation of Carole.

T: With Janis Joplin and now Carole King — Is New York ready for this much female flower power?

M: I say absolutely. Bring it on! We begin previews at the Theatre on November 21st, and we open January 12, 2014.

Also in the cast are Jeb Brown as Don Kirshner, Jake Epstein as Gerry Goffin, Jarrod Spector as Barry Mann, and Anika Larsen as Cynthia Weil. The Book is by Douglas McGrath with Songs by Gerry Goffin and Carole King and additional songs by Barry Mann and Cynthia Weil. The creatives include Marc Bruni (Director), Josh (Choreography), Derek McLane (Scenic Design), Alejo Vietti (Costumes), Peter Kaczorowski (Lighting), Brian Ronan (Sound Design), Steve Sidwell (Orchestrator/Vocal & Incidental Music Arranger), Jason Howland (Music Director/Supervisor), and Peter Hanson (Production Stage Manager).

For more information about the show and to get tickets visit BEAUTIFUL’S Broadway website: http://www.beautifulonbroadway.com/ MTM

November 2013  MTMag.co November 2013  MTMag.co

Dear Trish:

I am a Vocal Music Teacher for a public high building or collaborating with an expert for whatever school music program in Yonkers, NY. My great love/ program is selected. This is a week-long hiatus from background is Musical Theatre and getting kids excited their regular class schedule. This is my first go at this. about it excites me. Any ideas on how I can design a program I do feel that there is not nearly enough that will appeal to an assortment of students from exposure to the Golden Age of American Musical highly-specialized, talented students to spectators. Theatre. I am in a school which is Montessori-based I have only 3 days to design such a program! Please from an educational philosophy point of view (student help!! By the way, Yonkers is a poor district so there centered / independent learning). Once per year in have not been any school productions in which I have April the students get to select a week-long program of participated. I am a pianist. independent study for which they fund raise all year. Thanks: Many of these programs involve trips out of the school Steve

Wow, Steve! Sounds like you have a good along. Tuesday could be about set design. Have program, but 3 days?! Yikes! the class study the designs of different shows and For a great theatre experience on the design a simple set piece. Then get a local set cheap, I’d suggest contacting your local university carpenter to come in and help make the piece. or professional theatre with artists-in-residence or Wednesday could be for Costumes; design in the an outreach program of teaching artists, such as morning, sew in the afternoon. Thursday could be the Roundabout Theatre Company. They may be Stage Management, and Friday, design a show’s able to come to you or let you bring the kids to poster and program. Or design props, have a hair the theatre for a tour. Working with a professional and makeup day, and so on. teaching artist, they may be able to help you Set up a movie night. Have your students design your week-long theatre-filled hiatus around dress up as their favorite Musical Theatre your kids’ needs, wants, and your school’s budget. character from their favorite show. Have them Contact a Broadway show and inquire if bring sheet music, and you can accompany them your class could get a backstage tour before a as they sing their favorite showtunes. Then make Wednesday matinee. Also, check out Off- popcorn and watch a movie musical they all Broadway. Have your kids ever seen The know and love (and can sing along to). Fantasticks? Also, New World Stages is a great Theatre does NOT have to cost money. space for exploration. And a super fantastic tour You need imagination. You can have all the is Radio City Music Hall! money in the world and still not have good Poll your kids to see what aspect of the theatre (Spider-Man, anyone?). theatre really interests them. Maybe they really Break a leg! dig costumes. See if you can arrange a tour backstage at Kinky Boots or Cinderella. Do they love dance? Inquire about meeting the cast of Newsies. trish If traveling is not an option, plan your theatre immersion in the classroom. Maybe focus each day of the week on one aspect of the theatre. Example: Monday could be about writing a song. Have them look at song structure and music devices used by composers to affect an audience, and accompany them for a sing-

November 2013  MTMag.co

“Broadway’s Voiceless” is a new single available June: I know, I picked my beagle because she was in a small cage. on Amazon that raises money for two animal shelters. Singing on the track are Broadway Stars T: So Judy, welcome to the chat, June was telling me Ann Crumb, Tony nominee for Anna Karenina, about how she got involved with Broadway’s Voiceless. Judy McLane, currently starring in Mamma Mia!, You’re busy performing Mamma Mia! eight times per week, so how did you fit this into your schedule? and Olga Merediz, Tony nominee for In the Heights. The song was penned by June Judy: Well, you know it’s tight, and poor Daniel had to schedule Rachelson-Ospa and Daniel Neiden; and the us all because I don’t usually do a lot of singing or other outside music was performed by Jersey Boys’ Charles things during the day because it’s a lot of singing at night. So he Czarnecki, arranger, orchestrator, piano, John graciously put it later in the afternoon for me and we were kind of able to do it before the show which was great, so I was already Miller, who’s played for Patti LuPone-Mandy ready and warmed up. Patinkin, on bass, drummer Jared Schonig of , and Larry Saltzman on guitars, who has T: The band was comprised of Broadway pit musicians, played for Pippin, Paul Simon, and “Saturday so did you feel really comfortable with that, “Hey gang, Night Live”. The song’s proceeds benefit Charles let’s put on a show, we can do this” feeling? Henderson Animal Rescue and The Rescue Experiment. I wanted to know how all this came Judy: Yeah, I knew he was going to get top quality people, and singing with Ann and Olga — Olga and I actually did Mamma together so I gathered up June Rachelson-Ospa Mia! together, and Ann and I — my first Broadway show was with and Judy McLane for a quick chat on how they Ann; we did . I’ve known them for so long, so it made this happen. was great to have Broadway veterans coming in and doing it. I knew we could just put it down in a short amount of time and it would be quality stuff, and that was really great.

June: Daniel was just so excited to get everyone involved and had T: So let’s talk about Broadway Voiceless. How did you been on tour with Judy. He was just really thrilled. get involved with this project?

T: Well, you know Sheryl and I were just sharing stories June: Well, I’m friends with Pat Addis. I don’t know if you’re familiar with her, but she’s a Broadway producer: Christmas Story about why animals mean so much to us and I was just Musical, Promises, Promises, Dirty Night Steps, many others. She explaining to her that I’ve rescued dogs for years, and likes to do things for people, and she called me up and asked if I I’ve rescued turtles, and last year, I even rescued a would like to do this song for Animal Rescue. And I said squirrel, rehabbed him, and released him. So Judy, absolutely, and [brought in] Daniel — because Daniel and I have June was telling us about her beagle, and so can you been working together for sixteen years. Then Sheryl [Mandel] tell us why this means so much to you? called me, and that’s how it started. I actually had a rescue dog when I was a little girl. So the lyrics came easy, and I sat down Judy: Even since I was a little kid I was always bringing home with Daniel, and we wrote it. strays constantly: stray dogs and cats and whatever in the city — and a rooster! I found a home for a rooster here once in the city, T: I rescue dogs. I will never buy a “pure” breed from a and so animals are really a big part of my life. I have a cat that had broker or a breeder because there are so many animals kittens, and I kept two of the other cats. But I think it’s really that need loving homes, and I’ve rescued squirrels, too! important, especially in New York City — the reason I represent And turtles! I just love helping little animals. I had a dog Charles is because I have such faith in what he does. I think we that — well, we would let him run out every night and need more attention to it in New York and in the boroughs. It’s something that needs more attention than just the ACC (Animal he would come back late at night. And one night, he Care & Control) picking up the dogs and cats. They’re overloaded, didn’t come back. And so, going to animal shelters really overloaded. And to me, I think it’s really important to help every single day for almost two months, it just about the small shelters because they’re getting a lot of the overload, and broke my heart. they don’t have the budgets. It’s important that we’re not putting

hundreds of animals to sleep every year. The statistics are off the

November 2013  MTMag.co charts for how many animals we’re putting down. You know, any final words before we go? we’re such a strange society where pet food and things for our pets are at an all-time high in buying, and yet we are putting to sleep June: I’m hoping that we can put this out and possibly do a live hundreds of dogs and cats every year. I’m not sure people are performance of it. I want to just get this to as many places as really aware of that. So I think it’s really important for me to get possible. Just keep spreading the word day after day and just make that out there and to encourage people to adopt instead of go and all of this happen, and really, thank you. I didn’t get a chance to buy a breed. And there are also rescues for breeds as well — that’s thank you, Judy, I was out of town when it was done, and I was so what Broadway Barks is all about, helping other shelters. So for me pleased. it’s about bringing awareness to New York City because it’s really a huge challenge here in the city. Judy: Yeah, I’d love to get it out to the audiences, the Mamma Mia! people need to be aware. I think that we need to make the T: June, did you want to talk about Rescue Express? association between how many animals are being put down every year and that are sitting in shelters. There are great dogs out there J: Yes, well actually I’ve been friends with Ann for over thirty — any breed, like you said, you can find anything out there to years and she’s been rescuing dogs for that long, and I spoke with adopt, whether it be puppy or any kind of animal. So, I encourage her early on about Rescue Express, and I wanted to help. I’m so people to try shelters first. happy that this is working out so well because we are all doing this together, and that’s the important thing — that we’re all saying, T: Right, and you know, one of the things that annoys “Let’s do something. Let’s make something happen.” Every time me is when people don’t want the older dogs. They I’ve been to Ann’s house, she’s always had dogs all over the place. say, “Oh, I don’t want an older dog for my child, I want a happier dog or a more active dog.” Some of these Judy: I can vouch for that. older dogs might make great helpers not just family dogs, but service dogs. June: And she’s running all over the country picking them up. And it’s amazing to do that, and this is what it’s all about. We just June: Yeah, I used to work with a composer that had a black lab need to help each other. that was a guide dog.

T: I’m on an email list for the group called Rescue Me, Judy: You know, it’s funny because with that — can I say one last and you can go online and select which breed and thing? Some of the animal rescues don’t look kindly on service which state that you’re interested in, like Irish Setters or dogs, but there are some breeds that really do want to work — Huskies or Dalmatians. You know, I’m in the South so I that’s what they strive for, they WANT to do that. So I have to pick animals all over the South, and it’s horrifying when I encourage that we can use these dogs, and they want to be used that get 4 to 5 emails a day for animals that need help now. way a lot of times. Certain breeds need to work. Charles does a lot I can’t possibly help them all. So I’m hoping this will at of that as well, he does a lot of training in that respect, which is least help what you’re doing in New York City. great.

Judy: I just think the awareness is so important, that this problem T: Thank you June and Judy for doing your part to help is really huge, and the more people we can get on board the better. these animals at the shelters. And it doesn’t take much for the song — a dollar. If one thousand people give a dollar, that’s a thousand dollars. That saves a lot of dogs, a lot of cats. And there are people out there who want to do it and they don’t know how to, so it’s great that you’re putting this awareness out there as well.

T: People don’t understand that — I don’t want to sound like “Game of Thrones”, “Winter is coming” — but winter is coming, and at wintertime these animals are in these kennels that are concrete floors and cinder block Go to: http://amzn.to/1gSaNGt walls, and it’s cold! These animals need help and extra provisions. This is my heart. I love animals, dogs MTM especially, and to see any animal hurting or in pain, it hurts me. It takes each one of us doing our part. So

November 2013  MTMag.co Joe DiPietro A Student of Life

by Trish Causey

Tony Award winner Joe DiPietro knows what he likes. having no idea if it was funny or not.” Apparently, the group liked He loves rock, and he loves theatre. Put those two together in the his work, and DiPietro experienced a revelation, “A bell went off in form of a rock musical, throw in some quirky comedy, and you my head, and I thought, ‘Oh, okay, I can write funny. I’m a funny have one very happy creative artist. writer.’” Best known for winning two Tonys for Memphis (bookwriter and score/lyrics), DiPietro simply loves writing. “I always liked to write, and when I was a kid, I wrote journals. My At night, I would write parents took me to see Broadway shows when I was a teenager, and I was immediately hooked. I fell in love with the artform. So I started writing my own little plays as a kid, and I started taking plays, and I wrote for a creative writing classes in high school. I wound up winning a national creative writing award for dramatic arts, out of the blue.” long time, but no one He won a writing contest for Scholastic Magazine, and the young DiPietro had found his niche. “It put the notion in my head, ‘Maybe I can do this,’ which is very valuable to a young cared. I was young, and person. After high school, he attended Rutgers. “In college, I sent them out, and got tons was an English major, but I didn’t quite know what I wanted to do. I was maybe gonna go to law school; but I always liked to write, of rejections back. and I always did that on the side. When I got out of college, I got a

job working in advertising, writing copy. At night, I would write plays, and I wrote for a long time, but no one cared. I was young, DiPietro branched out to writing his own sketch shows, and sent them out, and got tons of rejections back.” “And one of those sketch shows morphed over many years to Slowly, interest in his work picked up. “I took every bit become I Love You, You’re Perfect, Now Change. But that’s really of encouragement I could. I had a good-paying job which how I started. I was writing sketch shows in basement theatre bars supported me.” DiPietro pauses to wax philosophically: “I think in New York City. That was my education in theatre [writing], and many of us enter this business in odd ways. A friend of mine, who it was a wonderful education.” was a union organizer, was friends with someone who was a One of the biggest problems for writers is the political cartoonist, and I joined a political writing group, writing a phenomenon of writer’s block; not prone to it himself, DiPietro can late-night cabaret at Primary Stages…. I wrote a comedy sketch, pinpoint when he’s having trouble. “I don’t quite have writer’s

November 2013  MTMag.co

block, but if I don’t know what I’m writing about, [that’s] when I approach a composer.” Whatever work for hire he may be doing, write terribly. I have to know what does the character want, what is he keeps a show simmering on the back burner. “I always make the scene about? If I’m not answering those questions in an honest, sure I work on one of those where it’s just me, where I’m interesting way, then I’m not writing well.” responsible for the guts of a show.” The art of writing is an open door, revealing the writer’s most private thoughts. “It’s stripping yourself naked,” says DiPietro. “Writing is so personal. I always say every character is The Musical Theatre me and none of the characters is me.” Yet, he puts a boundary between himself and critics. “I’ve never been worried about what people think of my work. I think if I did, it would paralyze me. I graveyard is full of great know how to write for a show I want to see — and I have very eclectic tastes; but I don’t know how to write for a show that the scores with books that general audiences wants to see. Every time you write for an audience, you start to lose that audience,” he adds. The other side of writer’s block is having too many ideas, didn’t work.

something DiPietro knows all too well. “When a character has four motivations, it’s intellectually interesting but really hard for an In musicals, as in opera, the book (libretto) is often actor to play and really hard to write a coherent scene. When a overlooked as the songs are the standout feature, but the book is the director asks me what a scene is about and I give too many glue that ties the songs together into a story with a beginning, answers, immediately, the bell goes off in my head, ‘Oh, wait a middle, and end. DiPietro knows all too well the importance of minute, what am I talking about?’ Clarity and specificity are our having a good book binding the story together. “If a musical is friends as creative people.” good, you remember the songs. But the Musical Theatre graveyard is full of great scores with books that didn’t work. Often times Show business is all about whom you know, so how does when I read reviews, the critics liked the score but don’t like the this Tony winner find work? He doesn’t. Usually. “I like to book and the storytelling. The storytelling is so specific when generate my own ideas. I have been approached by estates who you’re writing a musical; it’s different than writing a play or a own songbooks and song collections of famous artists like the movie. You’re almost writing in shorthand because your scenes Gershwins and the Elvis folks. And every once in a while, I’ll get can’t bee too long. You can’t wallow in an emotion for pages and approached by a producer for a movie script who wants to turn it pages like you can do in a play. You have to give your big into a musical. But most of my shows have been my idea, and I emotional moments over to the song, and what many writers like to

November 2013  MTMag.co write are the big emotional moments — like big screaming and an emotion to rock music that plays fantastically on stage, but matches. But that has to be musicalized. So if you just can’t give it doesn’t mean you should write lyrics for it that should have been that over or if you’re constantly fighting that, then you’re not going written in the 1940’s. I find you can get away with many more to be a happy book writer. We’ve all seen those musicals where we false rhymes in rock song because that’s what rock songs do. The liked the music but the story was boring or the story didn’t make rhythm is so strong, and the rhythm is the rhyme. Every once in a sense. I think there’s a limited number of people who know how to while, I’ll work on a song and write a perfect rhyme for it, and write a good musical book.” David Bryan and I will sing it back. And we’ll say, ‘No, that’s too clean. There’s no rawness to it.’ Rock is dirty, and you need to dirty it up sometimes.” I also really enjoy writing The spoken words of speech have rhythm and pitch as do the sung words of a song’s lyrics. The spoken dialogue and the rock songs in theatre sung words should compliment each other so the show doesn’t sound like it’s written by different people. “That’s one of the keys to writing a good musical.” DiPietro remembers his first because I feel it’s still such experience writing lyrics out of necessity. “I had never written a lyric before, and I was writing I Love You, You’re Perfect, Now a being-discovered world Change, and I hooked up with this composer Jimmy Roberts, and he said, ‘We should get a lyricist.’” DiPietro had concerns about bringing in someone else, telling Roberts, “I want the lyrics to and artform. match the style of the book, broadly funny and also warm. I said, ‘Who are the lyricists around here who write really funny, broad DiPietro is proficient in writing both the spoken word as jokes in their songs?’ He said, ‘I don’t know of anyone like that.’ I well as the sung lyric, so which does he prefer? “I consider myself said — because I was young and stupid, ‘Well, I’ll do it then.’” a dramatist first and foremost. I love the story structure, and I love DiPietro jumped into the deep end of writing lyrics under Roberts’ writing dialogue. The reason I don’t write novels is because I love guidance. “He was very patient with me and said to read the dialogue form of what’s said and what’s not said — how Sondheim, read Cole Porter, Larry Hart, and figure out how they do different people in a room can affect what’s being said really turns lyrics and get your own take on these comic songs. So part of the me on creatively. I love writing lyrics, if it’s a lyric that is really success of that show is that we have sketches, but the songs are also telling the story. In Memphis, those lyrics really told the story. In funny — and they’re written by the same voice.” Toxic Avenger, the lyrics helped tell the story in a specific voice. I also really enjoy writing rock songs in theatre because I feel it’s still such a being-discovered world and artform. How rock songs sound on the radio and writing theatrical versions of those I find to The commonality between be really challenging and interesting. And they’re different than traditional lyrics that we all know from the American songbook and my works is that I write classic musicals of the ‘50’s and ‘60’s. Discovering that I find to be really gratifying.” Even though he is best known for rock and pop musicals, human comedies — real DiPietro’s work spans all of American music as evidenced by his work on the Elvis’ tribute All Shook Up, the quirky Toxic Avenger, human beings in real the bluesy rock music-infused Memphis, as well as the American songbook shenanigans of Nice Work If You Can Get It. “Some writers write the same show over and over. If you see a Tennessee situations, facing the Williams play, you know it’s a play. He just writes the same milieu. Or Horton Foote. Genius writers, but it’s specific circumstances of the same milieu. I, for whatever reason, would never like to write the same play twice. I like to explore a period of time or a different their lives and their time. type of story. I consider myself mainly a comic writer, but I love drama, too. One of the secrets of Memphis is that it has a lot of comedy but it’s essentially a drama. It was obviously a very DiPietro likes having control over shaping the sound and difficult time in our history, but it tells it in a way that is sober, but feel of the show and then collaborating with other creatives in the ultimately inspiring and human. The commonality between my process of mounting the show onstage. He uses Nice Work…, works is that I write human comedies — real human beings in real directed and choreographed by , as an example. situations, facing the specific circumstances of their lives and their “We had to be on the same page. She couldn’t do a dance time. extravaganza, and I couldn’t do a silly comedy. “I grew up on rock music in the ‘70’s, and I listened to “I like to be responsible for all the words. I’ve worked AM music and all the great bands.” DiPietro listened to all modern with dead lyricists, but I haven’t worked too much with living rock and pop styles, from the early rock-and-roll of the 1950’s lyricists. Maybe I will in the future, and there are some great through the 1960’s and The Beatles’ British music invasion, to the lyricists out there I’d work with in a second. But it’s not even 1970’s and 1980’s music. “That’s 40 years of rock music [that] are about them being talented. You have to feel like you’re speaking inside me.” Those four decades of music influences have definitely the same language. You have to feel you can give critiques to made their mark on DiPietro’s writing aesthetic. “When you write someone and say, ‘Change this, change that’ or ‘This is not your rock musicals, you can’t over-rhyme them. You can’t have too strongest work,’ and for you not to hate each other. It’s like a many internal rhymes — that sounds weird in a rock song. It marriage — you need to be able to inspire each other without sounds great in theatre pop, but [in rock] it just sounds wrong, like taking offense at criticism. Really good shows have a really strong you’re trying too hard, you’re being too fancy. There’s a rawness voice to them, and that’s what I aim for.”

November 2013  MTMag.co Travel. Read. I read all the time. I see plays all the time. I’m a It’s like a marriage — you life student of literature and art and narrative and humanity.” DiPietro has another important piece of advice for young writers when they have written a new work. Don’t just let that new need to be able to inspire work sit on your computer’s hard drive. “Invite some friends over and read it out loud because plays are meant to hit the air. When each other without taking you read it out loud — even if it’s just friends over for pizza, you can actually hear what’s working and what’s not working about it. I do that to this day. Often time, my directors say, ‘Send me the offense at criticism. script,’ and I’ll say, ‘No, come on over; we’ll read it out loud.’ And they’re like, ‘What?! Read it out loud?’ Then they come For Memphis, DiPietro won two Tony Awards. So does over, and they’re like, ‘This is so much fun!’ And we can then see winning a Tony make work easier, validate the artist, or add what’s working and what’s not.” pressure? “The very next day after I won the Tony, I wasn’t a DiPietro’s final tip on being a writer: “You have to be a better writer, but everyone thought I was,” jokes DiPietro. “It was lifelong student of the craft of life.” validating. It happened in a fantastic time in my career, where I’d been getting produced and working really hard for 15 years. I had ups and downs like everyone. And it felt like the industry telling The first thing you have to me, ‘We appreciate you. We like you. We think you’re good.’ So it was a validation, but it made people think of me in a new way. It do as a writer, you have to was an award happening at the right time in my life. If it had happened too young, it wouldn’t have been great — it would have been pressure. So having it happen in my middle years was a be smart…know about perfect blessing.” something besides writing; For young writers, DiPietro has very simple advice. “See as many shows and listen to as many cast albums [as you can]. Listen to modern music so you know what modern music is. The really educate yourself as first thing you have to do as a writer, you have to be smart and you have to know about something besides writing; so really educate much as possible. yourself as much as possible. Stay in school. Take classes. MTM

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November 2013  MTMag.co

Don’t look now, but a huge, terrifying gorilla is making his way through New York … by way of , Australia. Five years in development, the new Australian-engineered production of King Kong hit the Melbourne stage just time to for the 80th anniversary of Merian C. Cooper’s original celluloid colossus of the same name. The show is produced by Global Creatures and has won a bevy of awards, including Helpmann Awards for Best Lighting, Best Sound, Best Scenic Design, and Best Costume Design. Directed by Daniel Kramer, the production boasts 50 actors, singers, dancers, circus performers, and puppeteers on stage and 76 stage technicians behind the scenes to bring the show to life each performance. The musical With features old school dance numbers and great Fans of the Great White Way marveled at lighting, plus new and existing songs from popular the puppet wizardry of War Horse and are now talents such as Sarah McLachlan, 3D from Massive accustomed to seeing singers being wired from Attack, Justice, Guy Garvey from Elbow, and The the rafters. Will the monkey musical cross the Avalanches. pond to Broadway? Read on….

November 2013  MTMag.co T: What drew you to want to work on KING Note: After a failed Skype chat due to inclimate weather, the globe-trotting director of KING KONG, Daniel Kramer, answered some questions via email.

T: What drew you to want to work on KING KONG, and how long have you been working on the show?

D: The idea of creating a score with musicians like 3D from Massive Attack and Justice to recreate the Kong myth was my initial attraction to the project.

T: Usually, the Set Designer is the first creative to work with the Director, was that the case for KING KONG or did you need to work with the Production or Creature Designers first?

D: Production (Set) Designer Peter England and Creature Designer Sonny Tilders and I began together in one room for three days. From there on, Pete and I were joined at the hip, and we kept in regular contact with Sonny as the story around Kong took shape, which in turn affected how we expressed and designed Kong.

If any piece of art can truly tap into this sensation of wonder, I think it has great power to move us all.

T: While Musical Theatre is known for its suspension of belief, how did you create a show that doesn't veer into the realm of spoof?

D: I grew up on a farm; cruelty to animals was never the subject matter of spoof for me. We stayed connected to our themes. Also by spending a great deal of time with silverbacks in Melbourne Victoria's incredible preservation reserves.

T: Was the scale of the oversized primate a help in creating the show (filling the stage, being a dramatic/emotional element) or a hindrance (the mechanics, tech safety issues, etc.)?

November 2013  MTMag.co D: At times if felt like both, but of course Kong is the diverse range of styles we have at our fingertips to centre of the story — it was a constant creative express a story. Each composer found their own style challenge to be relished. His scale very much inspired of melding music and story. This very much inspired and instructed the language of the entire piece and is me to search for our creative team's voice and tastes, finally what makes the story and event so unique — we not received formulas. actually see a 6 metre tall creature sitting, lying down and interacting with this normal size woman. The T: Did creating a show around a big gorilla scale inspires wonder. I think ‘wonder’ is the stuff of cause "director's block”? very early childhood. If any piece of art can truly tap into this sensation of wonder, I think it has great power D: The opposite; I had to whittle it all down! The to move us all. So I tried not to dwell on hindrances — closer to fantasy a show is, the more engaged I but focus on this chance of a lifetime. become!

T: Did your opera background help you in T: Normally, a director works with one actor handling both the scale as well as the mythic to create a character, but with KING KONG quality or melodrama of the KING KONG you were working with actors, stage hands, story? and the tech department — a group of D: My opera background definitely influenced the people on stage and off — to make the scale and diversity of our musical language — Creature come alive. Did that present any specifically the use of the chorus, how we manifested challenges to you as a director, i.e., can't just Kong's power via music and image, but also the tell an actor to express a certain emotion or musical freedom to switch not only themes but style as perform a simple action? Did you find the moment dictated. Opera has always inspired me yourself inserting emotion, or inserting motive because the diverse range of composers reflect the into the team members maneuvering the

Photo by Global Creatures

November 2013  MTMag.co Creature, since you didn't have emotion/motivation being exerted *by* the Creature — or was there emotion" coming from the creature that helped spur your direction?

D: For 3 years I worked with one actor as Kong opposite our Ann Darrow by the name of Harley Durst. That really built the performance alongside the limitations and possibilities of puppetry. Of course moving a 6-metre puppet about created many challenges; but we knew it would from day one. I was very aware of the complexity his puppetry would require during rehearsals. Melding automation, animatronics, and live puppetry via circus artists was always going to be a technical integration. We pushed through that process very efficiently, all the while aiming towards the art that this one actor had created with myself and Ann Darrow for three years. Once we got the technical aspect down, we quickly found the soul of the creature. I remember the magical day of rehearsal — the day Kong truly came to life. FINALLY the story and relationship came to life on a whole new level. (Producer’s note — Harley Durst remains in the KING KONG cast as a ‘voodoo’ animatronic control operator and does the voice of Kong live for every performance.)

T: Were there any specific problems you had to overcome in designing the show around the creature? Any tech safety issues?

D: Rope management and where to build Kong’s ‘dressing room’ stand out, especially given we had to also build NYC, Skull Island, and the boat between the two! It was a storage fight from day one. But as ever, each technical challenge unveiled a simple creative solutions. (Being in the USA, I have not seen the show.)

T: What styles of music are in the show? Photos from King Kong On Stage D: Classic Broadway, big band, pop, folk, remixes of classics from the 1930s, electronica, hip hop, mashup, and opera. The music was overseen by composer and arranger Marius de Vries, whose credits include the soundtracks for Moulin Rouge and Romeo + Juliet.

T: Will KING KONG transfer to Broadway?

D: That press release is not in my job description!

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Photo by Global Creatures November 2013  MTMag.co

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KING KONG

FUN FACTS

From Global Creatures:

• The 6-month bump-in required from the • The detail of Kong's facial expression is KING KONG production was the longest delivered by 15 industrial servo motors (the load in/pre-production period of any live same ones used in the NASA Mars rovers) theatre musical ever staged in Australia. and 2 hydraulic cylinders, all controlled in real time by 3 off-stage 'Voodoo' • The production requires a crew of 76 to puppeteers who sit at the back of the support a cast of 50 actors, singers, auditorium. One of the puppeteers dancers, circus performers, and supplies the voice of Kong live for every puppeteers. performance.

• Kong is part marionette, animatronic, and • On top of his core chassis, Kong has a puppet, made entirely in Global layer of air-powered muscles that give him Creatures’ West Melbourne workshop a lightweight body form. Over the top of where the creatures of Walking With that are a series of highly sculptured Dinosaurs and How To Train Your Dragon muscled bags that stretch and contract were also made. as Kong moves.

• Kong is made up of 1.1 tonnes of steel, • There were two full-sized Kong prototypes aluminum, lycra, and latex and is 6 metres before the current ‘sculptural-look’ version tall. performing at the Regent Theatre.

• Inside Kong, there are 300 metres of electrical cable, 1500 connections, and 16 microprocessors. Kong even has his For more information on KING KONG THE own on-board hydraulic power with a MUSICAL, visit “King Kong On Stage” online: liquid cooled quiet pump. http://kingkongliveonstage.com.

• As well as his animatronic core, Kong is operated on-stage by 10 ‘King’s Men’ who are all circus artists that are being specially trained in puppetry. MTM

November 2013  MTMag.co

Censorship is a four-letter word. kinds of monologues should girls recite? Something sweet and prim and proper? Something girlie? Should she wear pink and The ’ First Amendment guarantees the have a bow in her hair? protection of an American’s freedoms of speech and expression, Get real. among other things. Being able to express ourselves freely is a If a gay teen wanted to do a piece from The Laramie foundational principal in all areas of the arts. As artists, we must Project for his college audition, I doubt educators would say the maintain the freedom to say and sing and dance and paint what we subject matter of violence against LGBT teens is objectionable — want, regardless of whether other people approve of it or not. No and gay rights groups would swarm to the teen’s defense if they one has to like what we express, but they do not have the right to did. Some might argue that LGBT issues of body autonomy are hinder or prohibit that expression. different from the women’s rights’ body autonomy issue of For example, abortion is a topic that is stigmatized by abortion — as if no lesbian or bisexual woman has ever been raped religion, and as such, we don’t hear much about abortion in the arts. by a heterosexual rapist to make her “see what she’s missing”. This is curious since pregnancy or fear of pregnancy affects most Would an educator tell a student of Middle Eastern women at some point in their lives. When a woman is not ready to descent not to use a monologue that mentions Islam to avoid being start a family, the fear of pregnancy is omni-present. Every time considered a terrorist by college scouts? Would an educator tell a your period is a day or two late, every time the condom breaks Hispanic student to pick only monologues in which the character is during sex, every time you can’t remember if you took your birth a housekeeper or a migrant farm worker — because that kind of control that morning, or if you did but you’re sick and on stereotype goes better with their brown skin? antibiotics, not realizing that antibiotics nullify the effects of birth Telling a student not to use a monologue that talks about control. Then there are the very real incidences of rape or incest. abortion is sexist and misogynist to the core. Not talking about a The fear of getting pregnant is a constant for most sensitive subject increases the stigma of shame and ignorance heterosexual women from the time they are sexually active (in their surrounding the subject. Abortion is just as valid a subject line as teens?) until they are finally in full menopause in their mid- to late any other social, cultural, or political topic. 50’s, or later. That’s around 40 years of fear. Forty years of “But, Trish,” you counter, “these are just teenagers, wee wondering, What would I do if?… babes! Why would they want to discuss abortion? What do these So, what the hell does any of this have to do with Musical young, sweet darlings know about the real world of grown-up Theatre? matters … like … sex?” Well, I am usually an open-minded person. I try to see Rape exists. So do unplanned pregnancies. This is what an issue from the other person’s side before I indulge in an Irish women of all ages deal with in the real world. As new musicals rant when I disagree. Therefore, please know that I write this piece continue to break free from the conservative mold set in the middle out of a sense of justice for the freedoms of speech and expression of last century, socially aware and politically volatile topics will in art and not for sensationalist purposes. continue to make it to the fore of Musical Theatre.

Recently, I was perusing a website that offers advice to teenagers preparing monologues for college auditions. I found the information to be generally helpful and standard. Then I saw a list of things to avoid in a college audition. While I laughed at a few of them and scoffed at couple others, one recommended topic to avoid stopped me in my tracks. The site advised teens to avoid monologues that dealt with abortion. I was outraged. Knowing that the writer was male, it only figured that a man would be clueless to why this was sexist. My activist — artivist — self could not be silent in the face of this injustice.

Actors are told all the time to “make a choice”, but are they really prohibited from performing a monologue about choice? For what? Politics? Not offending someone’s delicate sensibilities? When did politics and censorship enter the sacred space of the audition room? Are audition pieces now subject to approval under the Patriot Act? If a girl is not supposed to perform a monologue about an issue that impacts women as a whole, what

November 2013  MTMag.co

“The rights of women and girls is the unfinished business of the 21st century.” ~ Hillary Clinton

Musical Theatre was never as sanitized as some people think it is. “Sex in Musical Theatre? Say it isn’t so!” some would exclaim in horror, as they reach for the smelling salts and swoon toward a convenient fainting couch. Sex isn’t the only taboo topic that emerges when you look beneath the veneer of musical whimsy. The Phantom of the Opera and The are both beloved musicals for their sweeping scores and box office bankability. They both incorporate that old familiar storyline — misunderstood monster meets girl, misunderstood monster falls in love with girl, aforementioned misunderstood singing monster kidnaps girl, locks her away in his dungeon, the chorus wows and amazes with a couple of snazzy showstoppers, and soon the girl is singing heartfelt songs of love for the misunderstood monster; close curtain. Looking more closely at the plotlines of both of these shows, we see the actual story: a delusional male prone to violence, holds a naïve woman hostage against her will, and over time, she suffers psychological trauma, developing emotional feelings for him thanks to Stockholm Syndrome. (Just how many community theatres or high schools put on The Beauty and the Beast?) Speaking of high school, Grease is the most performed musical at high schools in the United States. When auditions are announced, teenage girls gleefully prep their audition songs in the hopes of landing the role of Sandy because she is the lead, or Rizzo because she sings “that song!” A few weeks into the rehearsal process, the school invariably receives phone calls from irate referring to the follicles on her head when she sings about washing mothers who demand to know when Grease became a show about that man right out of her hair. unprotected (teenage) sex, (teenage) drug use, and under(teen)age Musical Theatre is rife with female roles that deal with drinking. Clearly, these stage moms missed those plot points that sex — just not the sex that parents of teenagers want to admit goes were actually included in the 1978 film adaptation. on in the real world. Lucy in Jekyll & Hyde is a prostitute. Les Another show that leaves female belters breathless in Misérables’ Fantine begins work in a brothel to escape being anticipation is the Kander and Ebb classic Cabaret. Female singers homeless. In Jesus Christ Superstar, Mary Magdalene is wrongly salivate for the chance to sing the title song as the salacious Sally portrayed as a prostitute even though the New Testament never said Bowles. The joi de vivre of Liza Minnelli’s legendary performance she was. In A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum, in the original production, along with ’s perfect M.C. and numerous women are slaves ready to be sold for the sexual pleasure Bob Fosse’s direction and choreography earned Cabaret a slew of of their new male owners. Anita is raped by members of the Jets’ Tony Awards, plus an adaptation on film, subsequently earning gang in West Side Story, and when we meet Porgy’s love, Bess, she Oscars all the way around as well. However, one important plot is in a relationship with a violent man, Crown. point differs between the two. In both the stage and film versions, , , Miss Saigon… Sally becomes pregnant by Cliff. In the film, she decides to keep With these few examples from classic Musical Theatre the pregnancy. This is what Sally-wannabes will likely see in productions, is the topic of abortion actually out of bounds for preparation for performing the role on stage, only to discover that college auditions? in the stage version, Sally actually has an abortion. In the same More importantly, not talking about abortion — or birth scene, Cliff hits her. So here we have a situation in a musical in control or rape, does not help the problem in society. Our main which a female has to deal with both abortion and domestic duty as artists is to tell stories. Unfortunately, within the art of violence. storytelling, not all stories are light-hearted romantic comedies. Art For some reason, it is preferable to think the female is a reflection of society, mirroring who we are and where we are in characters in musicals never have sex. Society still has a problem our development as conscious beings. Art shows us what can with “good girls” being sexually active and not being ashamed of happen if we make certain changes in society and what will happen being sexual. Our culture says a woman who wears long skirts is a if we do not. “prude”, while a woman who wears a mini-skirt is seen as a “slut”. Apparently, as long as women are portrayed in art as A man who sleeps around is lauded as a “lady’s man” while a being raped by depraved men, beaten by abusive men, or selling woman who takes many lovers is a “whore.” It is easier to accept a our bodies for pleasuring men, everything is fine, but as soon as “morally corrupt” woman being sexually active so that the ingénue women speak up — in society or in an audition monologue, we are lead remains virtuous and unrealistically pure. But why? told the topic is “too sensitive,” the world “isn’t ready,” be happy

Surrounded by randy sailors, maybe South Pacific’s Nellie isn’t with what you have. Essentially, we are told, “Women, shut up.”

November 2013  MTMag.co of men getting prostate exams? “As soon as a woman Furthermore, when sucking on this mind candy discussion about whether or not abortion is suitable for audition monologues, I would like to offer this reminder: Abortion is a gets to an age where legally protected medical procedure in the United States, upheld by the Supreme Court in the landmark case Roe v. Wade. When was she has opinions and the last time a man had to justify having a legal medical procedure, such as a root canal, hair plugs, or penis enlargement? she’s vital and she’s Aside from abortion, what else are females forced to contend with in society? strong, she is The runaway hit Twilight was popular with teenagers, which is unfortunate since the relationship between Edward and systematically shamed Bella meets all 15 warning signs of an abusive relationship as listed by the National Domestic Violence Hotline. The Center for Disease Control’s website states, “New into hiding under a HIV infections among women are primarily attributed to heterosexual contact (84% in 2010),” and “at some point in their rock.” ~ lifetime, an estimated … 1 in 32 black women will be diagnosed with HIV infection.” Just in case anyone still thought AIDS is a Women are still in the minority in the professional “gay man’s disease”. Musical Theatre genre. A 2002 poll by the Broadway League In the United States, women comprise 51% of the showed only 20% of production jobs in professional theatre were population but hold less than 20% of elected offices. Women earn given to women. Looking through the Tony Award winners, only a less than men in 99% of all occupations and comprise 70% of the handful of women have been honored for writing or composing world’s poor. Ninety-two percent of homeless women in America musicals. Translation: Women’s stories and women’s issues are are victims of sexual and domestic violence, showing a dual not being represented in Musical Theatre; women’s voices are not problem of violence against women as well as a growing being heard. phenomenon, termed by the United Nations as the “feminization of This is the one area in which Musical Theatre is decades poverty”. behind its non-singing, non-dancing counterpart. Plays can be If you paid attention to the news in the past couple of quick to write, cheap to stage, and are almost expected to touch a years, you will have noticed more cases of teenage rape being nerve. Whoever said musicals shouldn’t touch nerves? I know we reported. In the Steubenville, Ohio, case, the 16-year-old victim all need to make money here, but not every musical has to be was vilified by the town and some school personnel for damaging formulated according to the entertainment-first/story-second modus the reputations of her rapists, the school’s star athletes. In the very operandi. recent, very similar rape cases in Missouri, a 14-year-old-girl’s rape Rodgers and Hammerstein dealt with sensitive topics by a 17-year-old star athlete was caught on camera, but the case their entire career. R&H explored interracial relationships during was not prosecuted; meanwhile a 15-year-old guy admitted to the Roaring ‘20’s when they wrote Show Boat. They dealt with having non-consensual sex with the girl’s friend who was 13. racism in South Pacific and questioned a king’s rule and religious And yes, teenagers hear all about these news stories … authority in The King and I. We don’t consider these shows to be usually on the overpriced smartphones paid for by their parents. “touchy” because we live in the post-presidential sex scandal, post- Anyone who still thinks abortion is not an appropriate internet world. Nothing shocks us nowadays, but consider the topic for teenagers to discuss is absolutely clueless as to what timeframe in which Rodgers and Hammerstein wrote some of their teenage girls actually encounter on a daily basis. biggest successes. In the years following World War II, America emerged as a superpower with its prime enemy being the Communist, atheist Soviet Union. In response, American culture circled the wagons, bringing about a whiplash of religiosity under President Eisenhower and a Republican Congress who tacked “Under God” into the Pledge of Allegiance in 1954, changed the country’s official motto from E pluribus unum to “In God We Trust” in 1956, and began printing all paper currency of the United States with “In God We Trust” in 1957. Television shows like “Leave It to Beaver” and “Father Knows Best” were part of the American myth makeover that was solidified by Norman Rockwell’s rosy-cheeked, carefree Saturday Evening Post illustrations, selling a version of Americana that never actually existed. Rodgers and Hammerstein had to conform to certain conventions just to get their shows on stage, but their awareness of social issues was present in all their works. Fast forward to 2012 and 2013, birth control, emergency contraception, “legitimate rape”, and “binders full of women” were part of the national debate in the modern-day Puritans’ As someone who is a mother to a teenage girl and has #WarOnWomen, and yet no one is protesting men getting taught numerous high school students, I know it is easy only to see vasectomies or buying condoms. Would a college hopeful be teenagers as the baby-faced, starry-eyed hopefuls they are at the banned from college for reciting a monologue about the importance moment. During that rebellious time of hormonal hell known as

November 2013  MTMag.co puberty, teens straddle the cusp when they are not quite a child but not quite an adult. I think some audition coaches, likewise, only see these teenagers as “kids”. The university adjudicators will look to these teenage auditionees’ potential, imagining what these young performers will be like in a few short years when they are 21-year- old adults, getting their first degree and possibly moving forward with graduate work. Teenagers are people trying adulthood on for size. Don’t stifle them with your prejudices and insecurities.

The purpose of this piece is not to push one side of the abortion issue or the other, but to acknowledge that censorship has no place in the arts. Artists’ voices cannot be muffled and muzzled into obedience. Art is the mirror of society. Art is the oracle by which we read society’s pulse. When Puritanical politics and religious dogma dare to shun or shame the artist into silence, this is the moment the artist is required to shout even louder. If we allow monologues, audition pieces, and full productions to examine war, suicide, LGBT issues, and minority struggles, then a woman’s right to self-determination is equal in importance in the scope of exploring the human condition. There is room for everyone in Musical Theatre. If you Creative persons, therefore, want to attend only the happy-go-lucky shows, that is your choice. experience a wider range of However, newer musicals increasingly delve into subject matter that mid-20th century creatives would never have put into a show so human possibilities than the blatantly. That does not mean the topic doesn’t have a right to be average person: they travel widely in a show, or that a person should not explore that topic via a across a spectrum of possible monologue for an initial audition or a callback. Believe me, no one sitting at a casting table wants to hear every teenage girl singing behaviors, thoughts, experiences, “Defying Gravity” and reciting a monologue about picking out the and emotions. They can be both perfect prom dress. Give the casting team or the college recruiters some substance. The times we live in are complex, and newer open and closed, intuitive and material reflects both that complexity as well as the reality that we rational, capable of experiencing all face — including sexism and misogyny in society, and apparently, the sexism and misogyny being imposed on college both great emotional disequilibrium auditions. and restabilizing at a new One of my favorite lines ever is from the Australian indie equilibrium. This paradoxical film, Strictly Ballroom. The quote is simple, yet powerful: “A life lived in fear is a life half-lived.” So I offer college-bound teens relationship of apparent opposites (and their parents) these questions: or polarities is central to both the

1) Do you really want to attend an institution of so-called creative person and the creative higher learning if they deny the exploration of women’s process, and it is one key factor in issues, which are essentially human issues? what has made creativity so 2) Do you really want to spend $100,000+ on an education based on censorship and political and dogmatic agendas? “mysterious”, because open/closed, healthy/sick, Burst the ivory-tower bubble of academia. Show them you are adventurous and fearless. Wallflowers don’t make it in this reason/intuition, are more often business anyway. Be bold. Take risks. Take chances. Follow than not, viewed as opposites, not through. Sure the cradle will rock, but Musical Theatre and as interrelated aspects of a larger college hopefuls will survive. Just remember, the choice is yours. whole.

Resources: http://www.cdc.gov/hiv/statistics/basics/ataglance.html Alfonso Montuori http://www.unifem.org/gender_issues/women_poverty_economics/fact s_figures.html http://www.weforum.org/pdf/Global_Competitiveness_Reports/Reports ReVision Vol. 28 No. 3, 2006, p. 11 /gender_gap.pdf http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Feminization_of_poverty

MTM

Trish Causey is a life-long activist and advocate for the protection of the First Amendment and Human Rights.

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