Photo shows the cast and band of ‘The Outlaws’ in concert which was presented at Le Poisson Rouge on Oct. 24, 2016. A recording of the performance will be available via podcast in 2017. Photo by K. Nowosad
Bringing a new musical to Broadway can be a long and expensive process. One of the steps in this process might be presenting a workshop or concert where the show is presented to a limited audience where actors have script in hand as they deliver the lines and songs. The limited audience usually is made up of invited people who might have some interest or stake in the show. At times, if the event has extra seats, they might offer a few to the public but the average person rarely has a chance to attend these events. There is a new group in town looking to share some of these workshops that take place. The group is called The Score or The Score Podcast.
Three people whose jobs are involved with the theater make up The Score team: Michael Kimmel, a theater writer, John DeLore, a recording artist, and Allison Bressi, a freelance producer. During a recent visit to one of the concerts put on by The Score, I had an opportunity to speak with Mr. Kimmel. He explained that The Score is looking to provide opportunities for people who are not able to attend the workshops for musical theater show hopefuls that are put on in New York City. They bring shows they are passionate about into a live concert format, record them during the concert, then develop them into podcasts. This will provide a chance to hear the actual concert of the presentation that takes place via podcast which will become available for download. The plan is to have podcasts, or episodes, available for download either late winter or spring 2017. The Score plans on using some of the more traditional podcast download locations and plans are in the works to launch a Score website as well. Downloads will be free for listeners.
‘Outlaws’ in concert with Constantine Maroulis (l) as Jesse James and Jeremy Morse (r) as Frank James. Photo by Karen Nowosad
So far, five musicals have been presented in concert and recorded at Le Poisson Rouge on Bleecker Street in New York City. The one I attended was a show titled Outlaws. The show was billed as: “a hard-boiled, historical fiction featuring a robust Americana score. Frustrated with Washington and hard-up for cash, Jesse James and his brother Frank take matters into their own hands robbing banks, courting the press, and killing anyone who gets in their way. Outlaws is the story of a bitterly divided America and the demagogues who try to save it. ” Outlaws has music and lyrics by Alexander Sage Oyen and book by James Presson. The concert that evening was this new musical’s first full, public presentation in New York after past development at Goodspeed Festival of New Musicals, the ASCAP Workshop and the Dramatists Guild Fellowship.
The presentation of Outlaws was The Score’s largest undertaking so far. It featured a chorus of 17 people and a 9 piece orchestra. Playing major roles were Broadway performers including Constantine Maroulis, Alison Fraser, Jeremy Morse, Michael McCorry Rose, Kacie Sheik, Eric William Morris, Andy Taylor, Will Carlyon, and Sean Patrick Monahan. The concert was produced by Jenna Grossano and featured musical direction by Luke McGinnis and was given two times that evening. One at 7:00 and the next at 9:30. Tickets were available for purchase to the public to attend while the taping was taking place. If the size of the crowd was any indication of the interest people have in hearing new musicals, then The Score is on the right track. Both performances were filled with enthusiastic audiences who were treated to a unique sound that included blue grass and rock given by outstanding performers and musicians.
Mr. Kimmel said that being in musical theater, one has to be creative. It is his hope that The Score is developing a new model that needs addressing. He also mentioned that the show performed that night was all done in a week’s time. As a viewer, I found it to be a very entertaining evening and I look forward to being able to listen to it again, when the podcast becomes available. Being able to bring concerts to a large number of people of new works is in itself good work. But it also will allow new artists an opportunity to be heard.
To learn more, visit www.facebook.com/thescorepodcast, or inquire at thescorepod@gmail.com.kj.