Ariana DeBose sat down with Trevor Noah on The Daily Show to discussher role as Anita in West Side Story, the many ways she relates to the character, and what it was like working with Steven Spielberg and Rita Moreno, the first Latina to win an Oscar in the original film.
Theatre Royal Drury Lane has allowed its show-stopping hit Frozen to take a short break, making way for an explosive and dynamic concert production of Bonnie Clyde.
“Studying at New Musicals Inc helped me channel my talent into technique. I learned everything from the anatomy of a rhyme to the key elements musicals need in order to create emotional momentum. I’d recommend the experience to anyone with an ambition for musical theatre.”
Michael’s first exposure to musical theatre came in childhood, when his parents dragged him unwillingly to the hit Broadway shows of the day. Something must have clicked; decades later, while Michael’s career kept him busy scoring films and video games, the impulse descended upon him to write musicals as well. Michael soon found his artistic voice by writing witty humanistic musicals in the literary genres that had predominated his youth: science fiction, fantasy, and superhero mythology. Embracing Heinlein’s motto that “specialization is for insects”, Michael frequently tackled book, music, and lyrics together. Michael began with a series of short comedic musicals produced in short play festivals in the US and abroad. The anthology of these shorts, A Feast of Snacks, has been staged in such storied locations as London, Hollywood, and Abilene, Texas.
A collaboration with playwright Gregory Crafts led to Michael’s first commercially published TYA show, Super Sidekick: The Musical. A superhero romp with a positive message about bravery, responsibility, and ninja koalas, Sidekick is now published by Concord Theatricals and is regularly licensed to productions around the country. (All of them adorable.)
Years of attending the ASCAP Musical Theatre Workshop made Michael realize that there was such a thing a musical theatre dramaturgy and that perhaps he ought to learn some. He promptly enrolled in studies at New Musicals Inc, first completing the Core Curriculum, then undertaking private study with dramaturg Elise Dewsberry. The educational partnership turned professional, as NMI co-produced Michael’s subsequent two musicals.
Michael’s family musical The Bully Problem brought a pop score to a world filled with antisocial nerds, bully tormentors, and an eccentric android that helped the smart kids find their courage. One of just two shows accepted into the 2018 ASCAP Musical Theatre Workshop in Los Angeles, Bully received feedback and praise from Stephen Schwartz, then went on to its world premiere at the 2019 Hollywood Fringe Festival, where it earned multiple nominations and an Encore Producer’s Award.
Michael turned next to the genre of fantasy with Gideon and the Blundersnorp, a medieval adventure that blended medieval-ish folk music with the fantasy film score tradition. After a pandemic-era online workshop, Gideon had an ambitious staging at the 2021 Hollywood Fringe, featuring a forest chase on horseback as well as a dramatic showdown with the titular monster. The show won unanimous praise from audiences and critics, as well as the festival award for Best Musical.
Today Michael continues to develop musicals on nerdy subjects.
MUSICAL THEATRE LINKS:
www.concordtheatricals.com/p/9797/super-sidekick-the-musical
FILM/GAME/TV MUSIC LINKS:
The acclaimed, record-breaking run of Jonathan Rockefeller’s Disney’s Winnie the Pooh The New Musical Stage Adaptation recently celebrated its 100th performance and will be celebrating National Winnie the Pooh Day on January 18, 2022, with a performance on ABC’s GMA3 which begins at 1PM 12 PM Central and Pacific.
The new film, presented in black-and-white, presents a bold new rendition ofone of Shakespeare’s most popular works with an all-star cast, also featuring Frances McDormand, Bertie Carvel Kathryn Hunter, Harry Melling, and Brendan Gleeson. Read what Washington, Hawkins, and Hassell said about bringing Macbeth to the big screen.
Delaware Theatre Company announces the world premiere musical Other World from title of show team Hunter Bell and Jeff Bowen, and Ann McNamee.
Broadway is back and BroadwayWorld is bringing you all of the interviews you crave with your favorite Broadway stars Richard Ridge is keeping up with all of their latest projects on Backstage Live, bringing you in-depth interviews weekly. Below, watch as he chats with husband and wife, Rachel Tucker andGuy Retallack.
Tony Kushner recently chatted with Gold Derby editor Christopher Rosen about the film adaptation of West Side Story in an all new interview.