30 DAYS OF NYMF: Day 9- How Deep Is The Ocean

Book by Pia Cincotti
Music and Lyrics by Peter Cincotti

There are a couple of things you may be wondering about. How Deep Is The Ocean? is an Irving Berlin song. Is this an Irving Berlin show or a show about Irving Berlin? The answer is no. Another thing you might find puzzling is the chlorine: chlorine; who wants to see a musical about that? The answer is you do. 

 

How Deep Is The Ocean? is a traditional love triangle with a twist. It involves 3 people who get a second chance at making their dreams about love and career come true. Don't let the chlorine scare you. This musical has something for everyone and it's certainly not about the chemical.  It's comedic, melodic, kid-friendly and unusually relatable -- we all have some form of chlorine in our lives. In addition, we are extremely lucky to have a talented cast led by Eric Leviton.

 

I started writing How Deep Is The Ocean? when I was a sophomore at Fordham University. It began as a one act play, but in 2008 I began collaborating with my brother, Peter Cincotti and we turned it into a musical. I thought the story was so implausible that it had no choice but to become a musical. This is the first musical we have ever attempted to write and while it was extremely challenging, we enjoyed doing it. We spent our summers on the Jersey Shore and it was great to call upon those memories for this show.  

 

In 2010 we met director, Jeremy Dobrish. He started to develop this musical with us and his theatre company, Midtown Direct, produced our first staged reading in the fall of 2011. We had a great cast, a few of which are in our NYMF production, and received really great responses. It was Jeremy who suggested we apply to NYMF. When we found out we got in, we got on a roller coaster  ride that didn't stop. The fundraising, assembling the creative team, the rewrites, more fundraising, more rewrites. Every time we thought we checked something off the list, there was another task that seemed insurmountable. These past few months have been the most exciting and unpleasant time I have ever known. 

 

If you want to see something original, melodic and heartfelt, come see How Deep Is The Ocean? It is not just another musical about chlorine. 

- Pia Cincotti, Writer