InDepth InterView: Frank Wildhorn Talks WONDERLAND, JEKYLL & HYDE Movie, Linda Eder & More!

Today we are talking to the composer of the new Broadway musical WONDERLAND, who is the only American composer in recent history to have had three of his shows running concurrently on Broadway - JEKYLL & HYDE, THE SCARLET PIMPERNEL and THE CIVIL WAR - and has since solidified himself as one of the most successful international musical theatre composers of the 21st century, with his globe-spanning productions of everything from THE COUNT OF MONTE CRISTO in Switzerland to CYRANO in Tokyo to TEARS OF HEAVEN in Korea to the forthcoming Broadway production of BONNIE & CLYDE - the warm and gracious Frank Wildhorn. Over the span of our considerable discussion last week we touched on everything from his pop music roots writing hits for Whitney Houston and Kenny Rogers, to his tenure at Atlantic Records and his series of recordings, shows and concerts with muse Linda Eder, as well as a thorough discussion of his compositional process, what inspires him in a story, his own favorite musicals, what the future holds - EXCALIBUR with Jim Steinman, perhaps? The world premiere of the long-awaited HAVANA? JEKYLL & HYDE: THE MOVIE MUSICAL? - and much, much more!

Part I: Now & Then & Once Upon A Time

PC: One of my favorite Christmas songs is "The Bells of St. Paul" - where did you find the inspiration for that?

FW: Thank you. It was written at a time when I was doing that Christmas record for Linda. You know, she is very European and her family is very European and I wanted to write kind of like an epic, you know? Do you know that song of mine "Vienna"?

PC: Yes, of course - it's one of your best songs.

FW: OK, well, I wanted to write a Christmas version of "Vienna" - something that was big and symphonic and told a story. So, I came up with that for her and, then, Maury Yeston and I - we were writing, at the time, for Linda, and we had some songs on some of her different albums together; and, in fact, he also wrote a song with me for the new album, called "Now", and the album is called NOW, as you know - and he just wrote this beautiful lyric. "The Bells of St. Paul" was this evocative title that he took from me and then he ran with it and created this wonderful story.

PC: It's a beautiful story-song.

FW: You know, it's funny, for me, because during Christmas you always hear it in malls and things like that. (Laughs.)

PC: That must be a little surreal, as well.

FW: It's pretty funny. It seems like it has had a nice little life, which I am really happy about.

PC: That Christmas album is superb - it really is one of the best Christmas albums in recent years.

FW: That means a lot, Pat. You know, that album was such a joy to make - and we made it in the hottest July and August! That year we were really trying to get into the Christmas spirit in the studio and it was like 102 degrees outside.

PC: Where was it recorded?

FW: We made it in New York and it just happened to be a very hot summer that year and the humidity was incredible. Linda and I were trying to capture the Christmas spirit making the record. (Laughs.)

PC: You would never know it was summer. It has such a great vibe.

FW: Yeah, it's had a wonderful life; that record - I am very proud of it.

PC: "The Little Drummer Boy" is such a great arrangement - as are all of them.

FW: Thank you, but, again - when you start with the greatest voice that you know, it inspires you to go everywhere.

PC: I remember the first Eder album - wasn't it IT'S TIME?

FW: There was actually one even before that!

PC: LINDA EDER?

FW: Yeah.

PC: Tell me about writing for her exquisite instrument.

FW: Well, she's my muse. She's always been my muse. You know, I'd be lying to say that when I am writing for the female voice - especially when I am writing in the theatre-world - that she isn't the voice in my head, you know?

PC: How would you characterize her voice?

FW: It's so soulful. It's so beautiful. It's so emotional. It has that innate sadness in it. Then, she  has that sheer power and that sheer flexibility - you know, she's like a Porsche! She can go from 0 to 120 and back to 0 in like five seconds.

PC: What a great analogy!

FW: (Laughs.) And, of course, it spoils me terribly, because once she's done my stuff it's tough to have other people do it. But, on the other hand, look: with Whitney Houston and Natalie Cole and what I've done with Linda - I have been very, very fortunate to have such wonderful women to do my stuff over the years. She is so special and we just put our first record out on Sony that's called NOW and it's the first time we've worked together in a couple of years and stuff - and, it was like we never missed a beat!

PC: You picked up right where you left off.

FW: Have you listened to the album yet?

PC: Of course. I think "Now" is up there with "Gold" and "Vienna".

FW: Aww, thanks. But, I really feel like with this album - if you listen to it - that we never missed a beat from, you know, IT'S TIME and IT'S NO SECRET ANYMORE and the Christmas record and GOLD. This album seems like it belongs to part of that catalogue, I think.

PC: It's like a great romance. Speaking of which: tell me about THE ROMANTICS [a proposed series of concept albums featuring Eder in the lead and pairing Wildhorn with lyricists like Yeston, Jim Steinman, Leslie Briccuse, Don Black and more on original scores based on classic stories]. Will you be pursuing those projects further?

FW: Well, you have to remember that when I was working on THE ROMANTICS, the projects that were born out of working on THE ROMANTICS were: CYRANO, with Leslie Briccuse, and that is currently in Tokyo and ready to open in Spain next year; BONNIE & CLYDE, which will open on Broadway in the Fall...

PC: BONNIE & CLYDE is one of your very best scores.

FW: That came from THE ROMANTICS - Don Black and I literally were just writing a song cycle for Linda about Bonnie and Clyde. Then, there's CAMILLE CLAUDEL, that opens in Tokyo in December - and, as you know, the song "Gold" came from there, before the Olympics - that all started, again, because of THE ROMANTICS project.

PC: What happened with it in the end?

FW: It was sad that I never got to do the whole thing on record because AOL/Time Warner had that terrible merger and Warner Music was a victim of that merger.

PC: Maury Yeston was so unbelievably kind in his interview with me - he spoke so favorably about the "give and take" working with you - could you tell me about working with him?

FW: Well, you know, look: Maury is a genius. He is an intellectual and an emotional guy, which is very unusual. He has written books where I couldn't even tell you what the f*cking title means!

PC: That's hilarious.

FW: He is a lot smarter than I am! But, Maury and I have one amazing thing that we will always share together. We wrote a song called "In The Cool, Dark Night" for Linda and we played it in his house when his dad was very ill. This was years ago. I never met his dad, but I heard his dad's voice coming out of the bedroom. I was at the piano and Maury and I were singing through this song - "In The Cool, Dark Night" - and, when it was over, his father from the other room shouted, "Maury, what a beautiful song!" (Laughs.)

PC: What a great story!

FW: Maury and I will always share that. That's a wonderful memory I have of him.

PC: What's your songwriting/compositional process like with someone like Maury?

FW: I write the music first. Even with all my collaborators, I can do it both ways - but, starting with my collaboration with Leslie Briccuse, especially in the theatre-world, I always have seemed to write the music first. There were always ideas for songs and stuff that I might write words for, too - you have to remember, I come from the pop world, and I wrote the lyrics to so many of my songs. I am a lyricist as well, so I think in titles and such. But, the music usually comes first.

PC: You wrote the music and lyrics for "Where Do Broken Hearts Go?".

FW: Yes. Yes, I did.

PC: What an unforgettable song!

FW: Thanks. I loved working with Whitney.

PC: Is it true you are soon going to be doing EXCALIBUR with Jim Steinman?

FW: Yeah. Actually, Jim and I were in contact a couple days ago. We are always trying to figure out a way to do something together. Jim tracked me down years ago - he was a big fan of JEKYLL & HYDE - and, it turned out that we live 90 seconds away from each other!

PC: How weird is that?

FW: It is pretty incredible. Jim, me, Alan Menken and Stephen Schwartz live, literally, within like 90 seconds from each other in North Salem/New York/Richfield, Connecticut - we all just live in the same tiny little area.

PC: What an amazing assortment of music history in that block!

FW: Right?!

PC: So, EXCALIBUR is moving ahead, then?

FW: Jim and I are hoping to work on a project - you know, a lot of it with Jim is, of course, about his health, and if he stays healthy I am hoping in the next few years we will do a show together.

PC: A huge slew of unreleased demos - over 20 - have just leaked and reinvigorated a lot of the online community. He's back!

FW: Wow. Wow. Wow. Wow! Well, he is a brilliant writer and I am a gigantic fan of his - but, we're also big baseball fans and, the truth of the matter is, is when we get together we talk about baseball a lot more than we talk about music.

PC: Too much procrastination, then!

FW: I think his real dream in life was to play second base for the Yankees. (Laughs.)

PC: I think you're probably right! Maybe some of your influence will wear off on him to premiere something new soon.

FW: Well, I am a little different with my time. But, it is funny, because the truth of the matter is that my dream in life was to play middle linebacker in the National Football League and his was to play second base for the Yankees - yet, we both ended up writing music.

PC: You should write the first great sports musical since DAMN YANKEES, then!

FW: Maybe!

PC: What do you think about the hip-hop-influenced Magic Johnson musical that is being written? In general, what about modern sounds in the theatre - do they have a place?

FW: I think it's wonderful. I think that the fact of the matter is that, look - you know me a little bit - I rail against people who pretend to be the vanguards of what theatre is. To me, you put 1000 people in a darkened room and you entertain them, and, no matter how you entertain them: that's theatre - and it's worthy of being there.

PC: That's the right attitude, for sure.

FW: Theatre and Broadway is such a wonderful thing and to have Broadway be open to a rap musical is a wonderful thing - as it should be open to everything! It should not just be one style. It should not be just one thing. It should be everything. That is very, very important to me. One of the first things I talk about when I do master classes at theatre programs is, "Stop listening to theatre music! Listen to everything and try to find something you love in every style of music."

PC: Why do you say that?

FW: Because so many people in the theatre tend to be so closed as to what they think theatre needs to be - I am sure you know what I am talking about.

PC: Of course. For example: the Sondheim imitators.

FW: The point is that there is room for everything and, certainly in their day, the Cole Porters and Berlins and Gershwins - they were the popular songwriters of their time. "Pop" seemed to be a good enough word then... (Laughs.)

PC: And now it's a dirty word.

FW: (Laughs.)

Part II: Home Runs & Pop Flies

PC: You tackle just about every genre of music in WONDERLAND - and, out of town, wasn't there even more of a hip-hop influence and more of a boy-band sound to the Knight's material?

FW: Yes. And, again, like so many of my shows, WONDERLAND started from a musical concept - literally, dealing with the question, "When you are in Wonderland, what does that sound like?" And, the answer is: anything you want it to. You are going to this phantasmagorical place.

PC: Did that free you up in how you would attack the score?

FW: Well, if there was ever a show where I could be very eclectic in the different musical vocabulary - it's gonna be WONDERLAND.

PC: Give me some examples.

FW: You know, The Caterpillar is a little bit of Marvin Gaye; and, the Cheshire Cat is a little Santana; and, the White Knight is a little Justin Timberlake. You know, the Mad Hatter - that Kate Shindle kills every night - in the first act she's kind of like the Jazz Hatter - sort of like out of the Squirrel Nut Zippers Band - and, then, when you get to the second act, she is Bonnie Tyler - she is the Rock Hatter.

PC: That's such an intriguing way to go at it musically.

FW: The point of it is: when you get to Wonderland, you can go to all of those different places because it is such a fantasy, anyway. And, most of the time when we do musicals, we have to write the time and the place that we are in - even if we put our own spin on it. You know, I always do that - I am never interested in writing period pieces and I try to make them modern no matter where I am. But, you try to stay consistent with the flavor of where you are a little bit and other things like that.

PC: How did that apply to WONDERLAND?

FW: Well, WONDERLAND was such a wonderful project to work on because you just took all the chains of that stuff off of you - you weren't in prison anymore - and you can go wherever you want to go. That was fun.

PC: The show has been in development for almost ten years, correct? The first reading was in 2002, or thereabouts.

FW: Well, the show, like - again - so many of the shows started as projects when I was at Atlantic Records when I was running a division there. The original concept for WONDERLAND from a musical point of view was probably born in the late 90s.

PC: These things take time, apparently.

FW: Well, then, what happened was, as the years went on, it started getting more and more developed and I brought Jack [Murphy] in and Greg [Boyd] in. And, you know, then, Judy Lisi took it took Florida and ran with the ball - and God bless her! (Laughs.)

PC: And now it's on Broadway.

FW: Right. Now, it has the life that it has here. But, really - to tell you the truth - I started out writing the show for my son and I finished writing it for my mother. I don't know if that makes sense.

PC: I understand, but why not clarify.

FW: The thing is this: as you know, a lot of my shows have been dark and sexy and dangerous and things like that, and I really wanted to write one for Jake. He was a little boy and now he's 11. I wanted to write something that he could be involved with the process and see the magic of theatre happen and all of that. And, then, as I was writing I realized: I am Jake's father, but I am also a son. And, those of us who are in between generations - it really became a different journey for me. So, I wrote it as a father to a son and by the time I was doing it I was writing it as a son to his mom.

PC: How interesting. How did that affect the process?

FW: I have to say that I think, so far, by the reaction that we've had - and the audiences have been so wonderful - I think that is really in the show and I think that's why the demographics of this show are from 8 to 80.

PC: For all ages.

FW: Yeah, I mean, you see a sixty-two-year-old man sitting next to a eight-year-old girl and they are both laughing and having a great time - that really tells me something.

PC: What do Jake and your mom think of the show?

FW: Well, they love it. (Laughs. Sarcastic.) They have to love it! I'm their father! (Laughs.)

PC: That's too funny.

FW: They love it for the sense of son that's in it. And, also, because they know me and I think they see my heart in it - they certainly hear my heart in it because I did put my heart in it. I am a very visceral writer - I come from that soul music world - and, so, for me it is all a visceral exercise anyway. I think Jake and my mom certainly feel me in the music.

PC: What was the first album you remember buying?

FW: Probably the MEET THE BEATLES album. Then, the one after that.

PC: What kind of music was played in your house usually?

FW: I grew up with so much music in the house - and such eclectic music in the house. I always thank my parents for that because they always taught me what I try to teach, which is: "Frank, try to find something you like in every style of music - and be open! Just keep being open and keep being a student of it all." And, whether it's Tchaikovsky or Rachmaninoff; or it's Matchbox 20 or Linkin Park; or it's Stevie Wonder and Marvin Gaye; or if it's Traffic or it's Crosby, Stills and Nash; or it's Julie Andrews and Sammy Davis; or it's Whitney Houston - that's the point. The point is: try to find something in every style that really speaks to you. That's really my philosophy: to be a student of it all and don't close yourself off.

PC: What was your first cast album?

FW: I'm sure it was [JESUS CHRIST] SUPERSTAR and WEST SIDE STORY.

PC: What a combination! What about first movie musical?

FW: Same thing. I'll tell you a story: I saw them at the same time. I remember when I was fourteen or fifteen when I was teaching myself to play the piano - and I was just kind of just playing jazz - and I heard the scores of SUPERSTAR and WEST SIDE STORY back to back.

PC: Wow. What impact do you think that had on you?

FW: What I remember about that - and it was very important to my life at that time - I remember saying to myself, "Oh, my God! So many musical vocabularies are in these two scores: classical, jazz, pop, Latin, theatre, et cetera. So many vocabularies with these big, giant, commercial melodies. I just got so turned on by the combination of those two scores at the same time. That's what I really remember about it - it wasn't one or the other - you know, watching the movies; I didn't see the shows. I saw the movies back to back one afternoon and a light bulb went off right after that.

PC: It's like your whole sound in a nutshell, isn't it?

FW: (Laughs.)

PC: Great story.

FW: The other thing is, just as an anecdote: it's interesting because the guy who played Judas in the movie of SUPERSTAR was the late, great Carl Anderson. Carl Anderson became much more than a friend to me - he really became family to me later on and, of course, he opened the Goodwill Games for me in ‘98 that I wrote all the music for. And, he did so many of the original demos of THE CIVIL WAR.

PC: What an astoundingly vast array of stars did that concept album.

FW: Yeah, then, on the album, of course - as you obviously know - with Hootie & The Blowfish and Linda and Patti LaBelle and Tricia Yearwood - all those great artists - he sang "Sarah". And, still, to this day, that is one of my favorite recordings of all time.

PC: What a voice he had. Tell me about the Nashville Sessions album, too.

FW: You know, that whole project - THE CIVIL WAR - I wish I could talk about it another time because I have so much to say. It's having this wonderful life out there and we did this concert version a couple of years ago for the President at the White House.

PC: I remember that - I think some of it is on YouTube.

FW: The thing that I love so much about THE CIVIL WAR project was that every single song got recorded by a major artist at the time. Not the hit - the whole, entire score.

PC: It's almost a complete anomaly in that way - AMERICAN IDIOT and AIDA are the only other ones I can think of, off-hand.

FW: And, as you know, we had Tricia Yearwood and Travis Tritt and Brian White from country; Bebe Winans from the Gospel world; from pop we had Dr. John and Hootie & The Blowfish and Blues Traveler - it was the most amazing experience! And, it was for a theatre project!

PC: How did you get all those people to do a concept album?

FW: Those artists were so against doing all of this in the beginning, because they said that they would lose credibility with their fan base doing theatre music because they felt they couldn't be seen doing theatre music - but, when they heard what we had written for them, they all came aboard. That project means so much to me, so thank you so much for bringing it up.

PC: Does the failure of the Broadway version stymie the memory?

FW: Well, first of all: it always matters. Broadway is still Yankee Stadium - if you play baseball and you wanna play in the big leagues, where do you wanna play? You wanna play in Yankee Stadium.

PC: Nice analogy!

FW: Broadway is still the ultimate. It's the dream we all are working towards when we write a show. But, the score itself for a project for THE CIVIL WAR is not so much about Broadway as it is about the country and kind of just doing a musical tapestry that communities around the country can come and see. The fact that we were on Broadway is a wonderful thing, but that album and those records that we made - and the productions we've had - and the fact that we actually did it at Gettysburg; I mean, how can you get much more of an amazing thing when you write THE CIVIL WAR? (Laughs.)

PC: And at the White House.

FW: And the White House. You know, those are the kinds of things I dreamed of for CIVIL WAR - and, thank God those things have happened.

PC: CAMILLE CLAUDEL is my favorite score of yours. It was wonderful at Goodspeed. Why didn't it come to Broadway?

FW: That's another conversation! (Laughs.) That's a whole ‘nother conversation!

PC: Uh oh. Bad news?

FW: It's a long story that we can get into some other time. It was about the politics of what was going on at the time - it was nothing about the show. That's all I'm going to say about it at this moment.

PC: I understand.

FW: But, needless to say, that show is about to start having a life in Asia and Europe - and, of course, the song "Gold" from the show is everywhere and they used it at the Olympics. It's had a wonderful life and Linda sings it all around the world. In fact, a few months ago we did a FRANK & FRIENDS with an orchestra in Vienna and Linda did it there. It will be out on CD this summer.

PC: I know you've done a lot of concert events with fellow InDepth InterView participant - and fiercely talented - Rob Evan. He was awesome in JEKYLL & HYDE: RESURRECTION.

FW: Well, Rob's my guy! Rob is one of my best friends in the world. You know, he played football for University of Georgia and he is another ex-jock that ended up in this crazy business - like I am! (Laughs.) We have so much in common and, of course, his interpretation of JEKYLL & HYDE is incredible. He calls "This Is The Moment" - "This Is My Mortgage"! (Laughs.)

PC: That's so, so funny - and probably so, so true!

FW: I am so glad that that song and Rob have had a wonderful kind of association now for a number of years.

PC: Is there a future for the hard rock RESURRECTION?

FW: With JEKYLL & HYDE, we are working on the movie right now. It's always the gift that keeps on giving. And, in fact, there will be some big news about JEKYLL & HYDE the show pretty soon, too.

PC: What's the movie status?

FW: Well, the movie news is that we have a pretty major Hollywood producer who is now involved with us in putting the team together to do the movie. Their process has started and I've been taking a lot of trips to LA and we're, you know, in the early stages of putting the director and the stars together. I hope it doesn't take as long as it took me to get it to Broadway! (Laughs.)

PC: (Laughs.) So, it's moving ahead?

FW: It's having some wonderful movement right now and I think we are gaining momentum.

PC: Will you be bringing more of the rock influence to the score like RESURRECTION or making it more Broadway-like?

FW: No, I think it will be much more pop. I think it will be really based around who is playing the leads. The music has got to really serve the people who are involved. Believe me, you will know as soon as I know who the people are - and the music will serve those people.

PC: That's great news that GLEE and MAMMA MIA have ushered in a new movie musical era - since CHICAGO and HAIRSPRAY.

FW: Thank God. Thank God for the success of some of these musical films and, certainly, the GLEE phenomenon, have gotten people hungry for more - and, it's all good. And, it bodes well for the future.

PC: Some real hidden talents in Hollywood! You'll have some amazing auditions, I bet.

FW: I have a feeling you're right!

PC: What's your favorite version of the score? The Warlow concept album is my favorite.

FW: Me too. The Warlow version is the thing. Warlow is god and he is just amazing. If you really listen to that entire performance he gave on that record - it is unbelievable. And, all the guys who've played JEKYLL & HYDE all around the world - and they're from a wonderful fraternity - they all kind of acknowledge that that performance is really the ultimate. And, Warlow is just amazing. Plus, Linda and Carolee [Carmello] and John Raitt and Brenda Russell. I mean, it was a hell of a group we put together and there was a lot of love that went into that recording.

PC: You need restore "Bitch, Bitch, Bitch" in the movie version. Seriously.

FW: (Big Laugh.) Brad Oscar sang that on the album, if I remember correctly. Sandy Rosenberg and Bill, some other people.

PC: Tell me about Brenda Russell - who, later, wrote THE COLOR PURPLE: THE MUSICAL.

FW: She's an amazing pop singer, of course, and she played Nellie on the record. Her and Linda did "Girls of the Night" on that album. It was a thrill to work with Brenda in the studio. As a matter of fact, we kept in touch and Brenda wrote lyrics to a song called "Ordinary People" for the new album NOW.

PC: I'm a fan of her pop work.

FW: I am a big fan of hers, as well. And, again, we have had a lot of fun both writing together and producing her in the studio - even to this day, I love being in the studio as much as I love being in the theatre.

PC: Will TEARS OF HEAVEN be coming to the US anytime soon?

FW: That was a show written for producers in South Korea. You know, JKYLL & HYDE is in its, I think, seventh year now in South Korea. And, COUNT OF MONTE CRISTO is in Europe and, now, in its second year in South Korea. South Korea has become a wonderful market. I guess I was the first American to be commissioned to do an original first-class musical there - called TEARS OF HEAVEN. We also had a successful run this year and, again, it will be on next year. That's how they do it there - they test it out and see if it works and if it does they keep bringing it back.

PC: And you now join the great pantheon of American musical theatre composers tackling an Asian-influenced score - Rodgers & Hammerstein with KING & I and FLOWER DRUM SONG, Sondheim with PACIFIC OVERTURES...

FW: Again, it's East-meets-West and, again, it was just trying to be a student of the game of life. It was so much fun delving into musical vocabularies in a musical theatre piece that I had never done before. Anytime you get a chance to do something new - that's a lot of fun. It was a great.

PC: Tell me about the concept album.

FW: The producers there let me do a pre-cast concept recording in English, which will be out in America, officially, next year. And, it's Linda and it's Rob and Jackie Burns and some great people - Michael Lanning and James Barbour and Christiane Noll.

PC: A reunion for Linda and Christiane!

FW: Yeah! In fact, Linda and Christiane's duet is the first time they've sung together since "In His Eyes". It was a wonderful record to make and we had a lot of fun doing that.

PC: What's the future for THE COUNT OF MONTE CRISTO?

FW: Well, COUNT OF MONTE CRISTO just finished its third year in Switzerland and it's now going into its fourth year. It's running right now in South Korea and it opens next year in Japan. You know, sometimes you do things overseas and you do them in a way you can only do them overseas and then you need to see what happens before you can think about bringing them back here.

PC: Of course.

FW: In the case of MONTE CRISTO - which is my probably my favorite of my European commissions - I have a fifty-piece orchestra every night. And, a choir. Then, I have the cast.

PC: Wow!

FW: Fifty! We're talking: a fifty-piece orchestra, a thirty-person choir and, then, the cast. So, just from a composition point of view, you can appreciate the sounds you can create.

PC: How did your European producers allow you that much?

FW: Because a lot of the orchestras and choirs in Europe are actually employees of the theater, when a theater commissions me to do a piece it comes along with the orchestra.

PC: Can you give me another example?

FW: For instance, in Prague - in the biggest theater in Prague - I have my show CARMEN there with the biggest star of the Czech Republic. It is also going into its fourth year this September. We have a thirty-eight piece orchestra there, just because they work for the theater and it comes with it.

PC: How rich the sound must be.

FW: Those kinds of scores - that's not what's happening in New York right now, as I‘m sure you know; those big, giant, sweeping, romantic scores. So, I do those in Europe. When I can bring one here I will. MONTE CRISTO has been recorded in English and German and Korean and, next year, in Japanese - so, it's having a wonderful time around the world. And, if the time is right and situation is right, of course I'll bring it here.

PC: Do you get wrapped up in the translations or are you relatively laissez faire?

FW: My lyricists and my book writers get very wrapped up in it - I have the easy job. One of my philosophies of life is that: music, like love, knows no borders.

PC: Exactly.

FW: So, the fact is, if nothing else, by being a student I have seen that it works everywhere all around the world.

PC: Rob Evan told me that the RESURRECTION Asian concert tour was a huge event - with a gigantic, rapt audience.

FW: Yeah! He's a big rock star there! It is also so great because the audience there is so young. The theatre that they've grown up with there is young. You have to understand, commercial theatre in a lot of the world started with Andrew Lloyd Webber's shows and LES MIZ. They don't have the history that we have here and in England in most places. In so many places in Europe and, certainly, Asia, it really started with those guys. Andrew is the guy who opened up the world for the rest of us and we really owe him for that.

PC: You can say that again.

FW: The younger generations that have grown up there learning to be musical theatre singers have grown up with a pop vocabulary. That's really cool. The audiences are young and they love that sound, of course. And, for me, it's worked wonderfully for me all around the world. I love the international adventures we have everyday.

PC: You really seem to follow your spirit - not just trying to have a hit on Broadway.

FW: Look, everyone does it their own way and everyone has the background that they have. I was a pop writer working for a music publishing company. That's my background.

PC: What was that like?

FW: A typical day - and this was in the 80s - just employed as a songwriter, at Warner Chappell or wherever. It was like, "OK. You are going to go to Natalie Cole's manager's house in the morning and meet her and work with a producer on a song. Then, at 4 o'clock, you are going to head over to Kenny Rogers place and see if you can write something for him." The thing is that, the irony is - and I know a lot of people would take shots at me being the "pop guy" on Broadway when I first got here - but, there is no question that my background and learning years as a pop songwriter was by far the best training I could have ever had for the theatre because on a daily basis you are constantly having to write for so many different points of view. Whether it's a sixteen-year-old African American girl or a forty-year-old white country singer from Nashville - everyday you do that when you are working for a publishing company. Sometimes you don't even know who it is you are going to collaborate with until you meet them that day! Every. Single. Day. It was the best training ground I could have had ever had for theatre. (Pause.) It really is.

PC: And you can write on the spot now.

FW: Even more than that: it was the training of writing for character.

PC: Indeed.

FW: We wrote a hit, "We Can Make Miracles Together", for a sixteen-year-old and, then, the next day I wrote a song with Kenny Rogers, "Don't Look In My Eyes" - it really happened! It was such great training - it was like always going to school. I am so grateful for those years - now more than ever.

PC: What is your writing process?

FW: My writing process is that I, literally, don't stop writing. I don't have to be at a piano to write. If I just stay open, the music comes. I work on so many things at the same time - you know, I was working on Linda's new record while I was working on next year's new show, HAVANA; I was working on BONNIE & CLYDE when I was working on WONDERLAND - it's just by staying open. Then, your hands go to different places at the piano all the time.

PC: So you prefer working on many things at once?

FW: Yeah. For me - and not for everybody - but, for me, if I only work in one musical vocabulary, I get stale. So, if I can put an afternoon or a morning in on HAVANA, let's say - which is Afro-Cuban rhythms, Big Band, Salsa and Mambo - and, then, later on in the day I am working on some country music - by the time I go back to HAVANA my hands have been away from that for awhile so they go to different places on the piano. So, working on a lot of things at the same time for me is: A, what I enjoy; B, what keeps me fresh; and, C, the main thing to me - as I said, Pat - writing is a visceral exercise to me.

PC: That's fascinating.

FW: It's like fishing - I feel like the fish are there and my job on everything is to catch them. Some days you catch a big one and some days you don't and you just go from there. It's really a central, visceral thing.

PC: Transcendental meditation is described by David Lynch the same way. Do you think music is subconscious?

FW: I don't know. (Pause.) To tell you the truth, I've been doing it for so long - since I was fifteen years old and always kind of doing it making it up as I go along - I don't analyze it. I don't over-analyze it - I rarely even analyze it. I mean, I can talk about it with you because you asked me a question and I can answer it, but I really try to keep it very, very visceral. It is a very sensual experience to me.

PC: I can't believe HAVANA is finally happening! That's been around for a million years. Where did it actually originate?

FW: Linda, in her concert acts, always loved to sing Big Band, but she was always so great at Latin stuff. So, we wrote "Havana", which is really the story of an American girl lost in Havana in 1958, before the Revolution, and she was talking about the world she found herself in. When she sang that song in concerts, people would always say, "That sounds like it's from a show! Where's the show that goes with that song?" It's taken a long time, but, now, HAVANA is finally comin'! (Laughs.)

PC: It's a great score. How many songs have you written over the years?

FW: At least fifty or sixty. Leslie Bricusse and I wrote at least sixty-five, seventy for JEKYLL & HYDE.

PC: Your cast albums have excellent production values and you are a skilled producer in your own rite. Tell me about your affection for the studio.

FW: I love making records. At the end of the day, I am most comfortable in the recording studio. I love the collaboration and I love the openness of that kind of collaboration. I love that you can show up and stay until you're tired and want to go home - there's no schedule.

PC: The programming - song order - of all the Eder albums build so well, too. THE BROADWAY ALBUM is excellent - you need to do another one! What do you think of CHESS? Tim Rice just did this column.

FW: We loved doing "Anthem" on that album. That whole score to CHESS is unbelievable. It's something I've listened to a million times. I hope that Benny and Tim and Bjorn hear that version and like it!

PC: Define collaboration.

FW: First of all, it's all about collaboration. I've been so lucky - in terms of collaboration, it's all about Leslie Briccuse to me. He has really been my mentor and my hero. He teaches me, every time I write with him, more about life than music. At the end of the day, that's more important, anyway, because the more he teaches me about life, that's where music comes from to begin with. But, when you think of his songs - "What Kind of Fool Am I?" and "Who Can I Turn To?" and "Goldfinger" and "Pure Imagination" and "On A Wonderful Day Like Today" and "If I Ruled The World" - and on and on and on. He has got one of the most amazing catalogues ever.

PC: His work with Anthony Newley, especially.

FW: I love the fact that this year we have Jennifer Hudson's version and Michael Buble's version and Virgin Airline's version of "Feelin' Good" - I love it.

PC: So, what's collaboration to you?

FW: It's tennis. You hit the ball back and forth. Back and forth. It's like playing catch with my kid - it's very Zen; what goes around, comes around. So, whether it's playing football or playing baseball or playing tennis or writing songs, to me, it's all about that kind of energy where the world goes away for a little bit and you just zone in and trying to make each other have a great time and do the best you can and all that kind of stuff.

PC: That's a great answer.

FW: The best metaphor is it being a catch with my kids - when we get in the zone, we play for hours. Writing a hit song is great, but playing ball with my kids is the best.

PC: One last thing, Tom Hewitt on DRACULA? He is such a smart, fun guy. He killed in that show - literally.

FW: Talk about Zen - Tom is such a Zen kind of guy! What a wonderful spirit and soul he has! I can't wait to work with him again. We love each other.

PC: I loved "Life After Life" from that score - what about a Lady Gaga German techno music type score next?

FW: Well, sure! The answer is always going to be "Yes" with me! If I can get inspired by the story, I can go anywhere musically. I was very lucky with Linda in that we had a big hit with "Something To Believe In" which was a big, techno dance hit. Of course I'd do a Gaga-ish score. But, again, WONDERLAND has a lot of that kind of stuff - and, what I mean by that is, it has modern pop sensibilities.

PC: This has been great, Frank. Thank you so much for being so open with your process and all the great insights.

FW: Thank you, Pat. You really blew my mind with some of your questions. Keep up the great work! Talk soon.

Photo Credit: Headshots by Beth Kelly