30 Days of NYMF: Chocolate Soup

By Jill Jaysen (Book) and Matt Corriel (Music and Lyrics)

Jill’s Story:

So, I’m teaching at Center Stage, minding my own business, when who should appear but Matt Corriel, composer extraordinaire. He’s young, he’s hip, he’s fun and he’s brilliant. We hit it off immediately. Last year, we teamed-up to create Intervention A Teen Musical Comedy that got into NYMF and won the Moss Hart Award (the New England TONY). 

It’s now October 2007, Intervention is about to get licensed and I call Matt because I can’t wait to share my latest idea, Chocolate Soup, a middle school musical filled to the brim with metaphors. Well, he loves the title, but gently explains that he’s already written a middle school musical, and the thought of composing another one feels somewhat anti-climatic. “Come on,” I tell him, “everyone can relate to their miserable middle school years where some kids rule the school, while others feel invisible." 

After going around in circles, I assure him that we’re going to show these kids that it’s okay to feel out of place when they're growing into their own identity and that “popular for popular’s sake” is not necessarily where it’s at. I then begin pulling out all of the stops, pouring on everything positive, while falling somewhat short of a beg. Matt is still skeptical, not to mention only mildly moved, but decides to give in and give it a try. I hang up the phone with a huge grin, knowing that it’s just a matter of time before he realizes what I already know, that we are about to embark on something special. The rest is history. We created a story that kids of all ages could relate to. We covered a spectrum of issues, but in a fun way. When given a choice, fun is always the way to go. Chocolate Soup is described as a fairy tale that speaks to the reality of our times. I’d say it’s 5 percent fairy tale; 95 percent reality based.

So if you’re free on Sunday, September 21st, come hang with us at the Zipper and see how middle school mayhem turns into a movement. Melt Chocolate, Not The Ice Cap!!

Matt’s Story:

I'm in rehearsal, and just to get things rolling I bust out a little Britney on the keys.  "Alright, y'all - check this out." Show me how you want it to be. Tell me baby cause I need to know now what we've got... My loneliness is killing me.  Break!  Silence.  Silence?!   How can that be?  Where is the resounding chorus of "AND I!"  It never fails!  Something is wrong.  This cast isn't singing "AND I!"  Don't they care about Britney?  No.  This cast has new heroes, heroes who have not yet crashed and burned. This cast is in middle school.

"Matt," you say, "don't you already have a musical for middle school kids?"

"Yes," I say, "but hear me out."

Backstory: Hey y'all, I'm Matt, and I've been working with middle school kids basically since I was in middle school myself.  There's something really magical about an age-group that shows you their teddy bears when they know you're looking and talks about Viagra when they think you're not.  Everything is a first, everything is super-intense, and when people say things like, "you can change the world," it seems like an obvious truth.

So, unabashedly, this is a musical about changing the world, because the world needs changing, and these are the kids who can do it.  It's called Chocolate Soup (tagline: melt chocolate, not the ice cap!) and we've got Mia, who's cool but basically misguided, and Justin, the new kid who's gonna help her see things straight.  Sure, says Chocolate Soup, you could spend your night partying, OR you could lend some time to the plight of the polar bear.  Uh-huh, you could let your friends tell you what to do, OR you could think for yourself first and then see if that lines up with what your friends are thinking.  And yeah, you could wait for the movement, OR you could start it.

One of the tricks middle school kids have up their sleeves is reminding us how talented and hard working they can be just when you've let yourself forget.  People tend to expect less but there's not a whole lot they can't do if it suits them.  So in Chocolate Soup we've got middle school kids playing characters their own age, and they hit it out of the ballpark.  Lord save us from Junior Versions, 12 year old Tevyes, and preteen Nathan Detroits, I think middle school kids playing middle school kids is a great idea.  It's a chance to inhabit characters they can relate to, understand, and make complicated.  Chocolate Soup has been a blast, and it IS a blast, so if you get the chance, come check out our cast on the 21st!

 

 

News Just In: Chocolate Soup won the 2008 Moss Hart Memorial Award!!