Posted by Steven Withers on 5/9/2008, 12:50 pm, in reply to "Re: 5 Tony Noms for Jane!"
68.107.40.103
Well, hello Mrs O'G!
Nope, I wasn't at The Front reading, but I did do about a year's work of transcribing Paul and Jay's work to create a piano/vocal score for them. I've so enjoyed being Paul's "scribe" because I find it very exciting to be in on the birth of a musical, and because I value Paul's work so highly. I've been lucky enough to transcribe Daddy-Long-Legs, The Circle, Emma, and The Front in various stages of their creation for various workshops. I even got to play piano for a few Daddy workshops: one in London in Feb 2002, a three week one in Florida with Parsons Dance in 2003, one in LA and one in NY. Jayne Paterson is so delightful to be with and John Caird is incredible fun to work for. And then there's that Paul Gordon character. He and John love to argue until the wee hours over good wine about everything under the sun, and they disagree about most things, so it's quite dynamic and entertaining. Their debates are for the most part civil, and usually end in a draw with both parties believing they have won!
I think The Front is a great show! I would love to play in that pit!
Richard Thomas was a doll to work with in the workshop of A Man of No Importance. Even though his singing voice isn't that well trained, his acting chops are very fine, and I actually liked him better than Roger Rees in the roll. He is as kind as you would imagine, a very warm, comfortable person to be around. That workshop was special to me and to Faith Prince because it was two weeks long and occurred during the final week of Jane Eyre and Faith's show Bells Are Ringing, and the week after. Obviously the end of the first was emotional with all the show closings (A Class Act and a couple others I believe closed that same week) but it was so nice to be in a great workshop with Richard, Faith, Stephen, Lynn and Terence the week after my Jane Eyre Broadway debut closed!
By the time Man of No Importance opened at Lincoln Center I was working for Music Arts Technologies, the keyboard programming company who's gear was in most Broadway pits at the time. I got to program the keyboards for the show I played a workshop of! Strange how those things work...
Warm regards,
Steve
--Previous Message--
: Hey, Steve,
:
: Thanks for remembering such a nice thing
: about "Jane".
:
: Were you at the readings of "The
: Front" that took place in New York a
: couple of months back? If you were, I wish I
: had known. I would have said hi t you.
:
: Also, how was Richard Thomas in the workshop
: of "A Man of No Importance"? I
: loved Roger Rees in the role, but I bet
: Thomas would have been lovely as well. I
: think that show is wonderful, even if Paul
: Gordon didn't write the music!!!
:
: Thanks.
:
:
:
:
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