InDepth InterView: Joe Iconis Talks ROCK AND ROLL JAMBOREE Album, 54 Below, SMASH, Upcoming Projects & More

Today we are talking to a uniquely gifted talent who has found a featured spotlight of late with some of his most celebrated tunes being included on NBC's musical drama series SMASH just as his new album project and series of 54 Below shows debut this month - singular songwriter Joe Iconis. Illuminating the composition of, inspiration behind and depiction on SMASH of both the memorable "Broadway, Here I Come!" (which will be showcased, once again, on tonight's episode) as well as the forthcoming emotional coda "The Goodbye Song" (appearing on April 27), Iconis reveals facets of the moving melodies and facts behind their creation that only the creator himself could possibly hope to provide. Additionally, Iconis explores many of the standout songs on the brand new Ghostlight album THE JOE ICONIS ROCK AND ROLL JAMBOREE and the sterling host of talent involved with it. Also, Iconis shares details about what we can expect from his string of upcoming shows at cabaret venue 54 Below beginning April 15 through May 5 and the story behind his storied Family, now including NEW NORMAL star Andrew Rannells (who appears at the April 15 54 Below show), SMASH standouts Jeremy Jordan (appearing at the April 20 show) and Krysta Rodriguez (who appears on the album) and more. Plus, Iconis opens up about his many theatre projects, new and old, including an upcoming solo musical written expressly for Annie Golden and a Hunter S. Thompson biomusical - and, he introduces information about a new production of THE BLACK SUITS coming up later this year and his new highschool-set musical BE MORE CHILL, as well. All of that and much, much more awaits!

More information on THE JOE ICONIS ROCK AND ROLL JAMBOREE album is available here. More information on Joe Iconis & The Family at 54 Below is available here.

Even more information is available at Joe's official website here.

Also, be sure to take a listen to the SOUND OFF World Premiere Exclusive of "The Goodbye Song" from THE JOE ICONIS ROCK AND ROLL JAMBOREE available here.

The Hello Song

PC: Given the predominantly rock sound of most of your music, would you consider yourself having an affinity for rock over theatre or vice versa?

JI: Well, going way back, I definitely grew up very much a theatre geek. I come from a musical theatre perspective, although, of course, I do write a lot of stuff in the rock voice. Sometimes when people hear my stuff, they think I don't like musicals or I come from a different world, but I am a theatre geek at heart for sure.

PC: What were the most influential shows to you growing up?

JI: Well, I am from Long Island and on my sixth birthday my dad took me to New York to see the original LITTLE SHOP OF HORRORS...

PC: An ideal first show experience.

JI: It really was. That was very much the thing that excited my interest and love of theatre that has continued ever since. So, growing up, I was very obsessed with LITTLE SHOP and then I really got into Andrew Lloyd Webber and PHANTOM OF THE OPERA and also LES MIZ and that whole thing. And, then, came Sondheim; I was totally obsessed with all things Sondheim throughout middle school and especially high school. So, yes, I would say my biggies were Menken/Ashman, Sondheim and also Kander & Ebb - CABARET is my favorite show and that show in general is a huge, huge inspiration to me.

PC: Do you think it can be an advantage to come at theatre from a rock perspective or do you find it is preferable knowing the roots so you know how much leeway you have?

JI: I think it can work both ways. For me, having a basis in musical theatre is pretty integral to everything I do, but I know that there have been some pretty amazing musicals written by people who did not come from theatre. I think that it just depends on the people doing it. But, I would say it is pretty necessary to listen to the people around you who know what they are talking about, who are in theatre, whether you think you know everything or if you are new to it.

PC: What was your indoctrination into theatrical songwriting?

JI: The general shape of everything for me is basically that I went to the NYU Musical Theatre Musical Theatre Writing Program. I graduated from there in 2009. I had actually never written a full-length musical before that program, so, at the end of the program, at the end of two years, you work on a full-length musical that you work on your whole second year and then present it at the end. I ended up working on two - PLASTIC and THE BLACK SUITS.

PC: What can you tell me about them?

JI: Well, THE BLACK SUITS we have done since - at Barrington. PLASTICS is a weird one because I co-wrote it - I co-write the music with another dude for that one. So, I feel like I kind of only have co-ownership of PLASTICS, whereas THE BLACK SUITS I feel like is all my own.

PC: Is there a future for THE BLACK SUITS in New York, as far as you know?

JI: Well, in the Fall, at CTG, we are casting already for THE BLACK SUITS - a casting notice has just gone out, actually.

PC: Have you worked there before?

JI: No, no. I haven't - but, I am really excited about working there.

PC: You are certainly finding new popularity thanks to SMASH. Are you thrilled with the success of "Broadway, Here I Come!"?

JI: Oh, my God - it's so, so cool! It's a total thrill. The whole SMASH thing is just amazing. I mean, I very much think of myself as a musical theatre writer - even though I do a lot of topics and single songs and things, too - but my biggest dream is really to have as many people hear my music as possible, though. So, I try not to let myself get too wrapped up in other stuff, but it has been so cool doing the show, too - I think it's so awesome that people are hearing my music through the show and everything. I am really honored and thrilled by it.

PC: And your two songs are given prime placement in the HIT LIST storyline, as well.

JI: Totally. I think my favorite thing about it is that my songs, especially "Broadway, Here I Come!", as it appears on SMASH it feels like it's about a young person coming to New York and who is on the cusp of success. You know, "I'm here, New York! Here I am! Watch out!" But, when you listen to the song, you also realize it's about suicide...

PC: It's not very obvious - but, then again, I guess it is.

JI: Yeah - a lot of people don't necessarily get the second meaning of it. But, it's really about someone jumping off of a building and going towards the street, on Broadway. So, I just love the fact that there are so many people digging the song and not really getting the second meaning of it all. I love that. [Laughs.]

PC: I didn't - honestly. It's subtle, but I suppose it's not if you really think about it.

JI: Wow! Really, you didn't either?! That's awesome. [Laughs.]

PC: Also, the coda to "Broadway, Here I Come" is so unexpected and evocative. How did that come about?

JI: Well, it just sort of happened when I was working on it and as the song evolved. You know, when I wrote that song, it was about two or three years ago that I first started it and then I kind of came back to it a few times since then. It always had that ending, though - I really liked it and I still like it. I think it's unexpected - and a lot changed in the beginning and the middle of the song, but the ending always stayed the same. I always thought that since the chorus was super-simple it would be an unexpected moment to end it like that. So, the song was about someone pummeling towards Broadway and that's the truth of it, I think - and it's true of actually making it on Broadway, too - is that you don't know it has happened once it actually does.

PC: "A Quiet Thing" as Kander & Ebb once wrote.

JI: Exactly! Exactly. Right. It's like, by the time you realize it is happening, it's already happened. It's done.

PC: The HIT LIST songs seem interconnected despite being by mostly different songwriters. Were you aware of the other songs when writing these or were they written before the show?

JI: I didn't even realize they reference each other, actually! That's interesting. I know that some had existed and Josh Safran had talked to me about using my songs a year ago when we first talked about doing the show.

PC: Were you asked to change the songs once it was decided they would be used on the show?

JI: Well, initially, it was one of those things where Josh had already said that he loved the song a lot ["Broadway, Here I Come!"] and he had already written the song into his initial take on what the first episode of the new season of the show would be. When we first met, he said he wanted to use the song but wasn't sure if they would actually end up using that particular song. So, for two months or something there was all this talk about whether they would use the song or not - it might be too fast or too slow or whatever. It went back and forth for months. Then, they asked me to write another song, which I did. It was just one of those things where nobody could agree on anything, so they just ended up using the original idea, I think, when the time came to shoot it.

PC: What was the song you wrote as a substitute? Do you remember?

JI: Oh, it was heinous! It was a terrible, terrible song. I hated it. Ugh.

PC: So, maybe we don't want to hear it anyway?

JI: The song was called "Found My Voice" and it was truly, truly heinous and I hated it - hated it. [Laughs.]

PC: You want to start from scratch whenever possible, right?

JI: Yeah, yeah - definitely. I mean, "Broadway, Here I Come!" became something different than what it originally was, anyway - I added an extra chorus and did other things to it. I actually switched the gender of the song, too - it was originally written from a girl's perspective. Of course, a girl sings it on the JAMBOREE CD.

PC: Do you have a preference for it one way or another?

JI: No, I think it works great both ways. I really do.

PC: And "The Goodbye Song", also coming up on SMASH, follows it on the JAMBOREE album. That's appears in a few weeks, yes? Is someone dying?

JI: [Laughs.] Yeah, I don't know what I'm allowed to say - I really don't - but I can tell you that "The Goodbye Song" is coming up in a few weeks - on the April 27 episode - and it is part of HIT LIST.

PC: With a choir of angels backing up, given this recording?

JI: Maybe! [Laughs.]

PC: Did you write anything new especially for SMASH?

JI: Well, both "Broadway, Here I Come!" and "The Goodbye Song" were written previously not having anything to do with SMASH. So, "The Goodbye Song" was written a few years ago, too, and I have performed it a few times and so have other people - of course, Molly Hager does "Broadway, Here I Come!" on the album; Jason SweetTooth Williams does "The Goodbye Song".

PC: Did you have to change either song very much for SMASH?

JI: Not really. In "The Goodbye Song" I had to change a few pronouns around because it is split up on the show by Katharine [McPhee] and Jeremy [Jordan], so we wanted to make sure it would all jibe, but it was pretty much the song as is. I really wrote "The Goodbye Song" about my cousin who died of cancer. He had two little kids and I wrote it as if he was talking to his son and trying to make it all OK - to make death OK in a way. I liked writing a sort of celebratory song about death, really.

PC: A compelling subject for a song, no doubt.

JI: And, it was another one of those songs that is really about two things because it was also about the ending of E.T. - when he says goodbye to Elliot. It actually uses words from the final scene of E.T. or what I remember them being. That's one of my favorite movies, E.T..

PC: What a crazy coincidence given the Spielberg connection with SMASH.

JI: Yeah, that is like the number one most surreal thing ever to happen to me - ever. Definitely! [Laughs.]

PC: Neil Diamond wrote a song inspired by E.T., too, you know - "Heartlight".

JI: I didn't know that! That's crazy. I love it. [Laughs.]

PC: Have you heard or seen the final cut of "The Goodbye Song" scene on SMASH yet?

JI: No, I haven't. I know that it is going to involve some of the SMASH dancers and it is going to be quite a production number, though, so I am really excited to see what they do with it - and to have Jeremy and Kat sing it will be amazing.

PC: Can you confirm a complete HIT LIST album?

JI: I don't know for sure if it is going to happen, but I am hopeful that they will be releasing some sort of compilation of songs from HIT LIST at some point.

PC: If the show continues into another season, would you be willing to contribute more material?

JI: Well, I haven't heard anything about another season, but if they wanted me to - sure, I would be all ready and willing to do it!

PC: Speaking of cinematic-sounding songs and meta-media work, tell me about "The Bar Song" on the JAMBOREE album. How did that lively arrangement come about?

JI: Well, I always work with people on arrangements, as much as I can. You know, when I write songs I usually write on a pad or a notebook or a computer and I don't actually write out the music. For me, a song usually comes melody first and then the lyrics and then I do the arrangements. I think my strength is in writing the songs and there are people who are much better than I am at arranging songs, so I like to involve them whenever I can. I'm pretty collaborative in the theatre work I do and also with the band, so we always try to make up the parts as a group if we can and as we perform the songs certain things change. So, this album was produced by a very talented guy named Brent Stranathan who has moved to LA since and I miss him so much and hope he comes back.

PC: There are some fabulous performers on JAMBOREE, as well.

JI: There really are - I have to thank all those actors so much who came to do this. They are all people that I love.

PC: Do you let the project dictate the sound? I hear some ska and reggae on there besides the pop/rock/R&B influences.

JI: Oh, yeah - for real, for real. For me, the songs sound like what they are about - that's always my hope, at least. You know, sometimes I just write general pop songs - once in a while; but it usually comes from a character or an idea. It's usually not, like, you know, "Oh, I think I'll write a rap song today," or, "I think I'll write a rock song today." I love all kinds of music, so I think that sometimes my influences come out in ways that aren't obvious and sometimes in ways that may be easier to hear right away.

PC: Have you ever written a rap song?

JI: You know, honestly, I think the closest I have come is songs with spoken-word things. I do have a song I wrote that I guess you could call a rap song - it definitely has a rap in it. I have a couple that I have written for some new projects I am working on that are the closest to rap I have ever done, I can tell you that.

PC: Who would you cite as your favorite songwriters and biggest musical influences?

JI: I'd say Dolly Parton - she is definitely my favorite songwriter. I love the Rolling Stones, too. I also really love the White Stripes.

PC: JAMBOREE definitely has some White Stripes sound in it.

JI: Totally! Yeah, I love Jack White's stuff.

PC: Do you think rap and ultra-contemporary music in general has a place on Broadway?

JI: I think that there is no type of music that can't fit on a Broadway stage. If there is someone out there who is as smart and as talented as Lin-Manuel Miranda then I hope they write a rap musical and put it up - something that has a story that is compelling to people and nothing that isn't too terrifying to people, though.

PC: Would you cite Kurt Deutsch as an influential part of getting the ROCK AND ROLL JAMBOREE on record? You two previously collaborated on the THINGS TO RUIN album.

JI: Oh, yeah - Kurt has been a very important and very awesome supporter. Something else that is great about him is that he is a great leader but he also trusts the people that he is working with, too. What's great about Kurt is that he never tried to force other producers on me or anything, he always supported what he originally believed in with me, you know? That means a lot. That doesn't always happen in this business, either - especially not with people as smart and talented as he is.

PC: How did you decide what songs you would sing on the album?

JI: Well, the majority of the album was actually recorded in 2009, so it has been a few years since we did the bulk of the recording. Some things remained unfinished for all those years, too. So, when we went back and looked at what we had, we realized, "Yeah, this is the group of songs that we used to perform all the time," but, then, we looked at all the songs we had done since that time and what had been the staples of our more recent shows. So, I think that the tracklist is particularly great for people who've never heard my stuff before and if they have already then it will feel like the first volume of a greatest hits.

PC: Not Volume 2, given THINGS TO RUIN?

JI: Well, THINGS TO RUIN, too. I mean, Icould fill at least three more albums with songs I've done that I think are good and at least three or four more with songs I think are fine. [Laughs.]

PC: When was the album opener, "Guide To Success", done?

JI: That was done back then, actually. I think that the newest song on there is "Broadway, Here I Come", which is the one we did basically to demo for SMASH - we recorded it in Marc Shaiman's apartment, actually; he has this amazing recording studio.

PC: The SMASH songwriters are a big family then, clearly!

JI: We really are - Marc and Scott has been so supportive in some really, really amazing ways. You know, I have been a fan of theirs for a very, very, very long time, so it's been sort of surreal working with them on SMASH - we've had more contact than I ever thought I would get to have with them. Their support has been truly, truly unbelievable - so unbelievably cool.

PC: Has it been a rewarding experience finally mixing and releasing ROCK AND ROLL JAMBOREE after working on it for years?

JI: It has. What I really love about the sort of timeline of things is that, even though a lot of the vocals were recorded back in 2009, we ended up re-recording a lot of different parts, too - especially once we decided we were going to finally release the album and everything; then it all kind of came together fast and furious.

PC: For example?

JI: Well, there's a song on there called "Anymore" that I wrote years and years and years ago - it's probably one of the oldest songs on the album - and it was late-night in the studio one time we re-recorded the drums to add to it and stuff like that and then at the last minute we were like, "No, let's finally finish this and get it on the album." So, that finally came together in a matter of days even though I wrote it a crazy-long time ago and we were never going to include it and that has now ended up being one of my favorite cuts on the album. So, it has sort of been a weird collaboration between us now and us back then, four years ago.

PC: The other song you sing yourself on ROCK AND ROLL JAMBOREE is "If You Like It". How did you pick to sing those two in particular?

JI: Yeah, I did do those. I guess it's because frequently do those two in concert, so I think it felt natural for me to do them on the album. I feel like "Guide To Success" is one of those songs that is very personal to me and I think "If You Like It" is one of those songs that I just like to sing - I'll be honest, I was just being greedy with that one, I think. [Laughs.]

PC: The songwriter's preference!

JI: Yeah - I just really like doing those two, whether live or wherever.

PC: Is "Hatchet Job" a slight wink to HEDWIG & THE ANGRY INCH at all?

JI: Oh, yeah - I am a huge HEDWIG fan, so it is certainly informed by it; the spirit of HEDWIG, for sure. But, that one is actually inspired by John Waters, too - I am a huge John Waters fan. When I was writing that song I actually wrote it for these characters I have in my shows who are based sort of on the world of John Waters - they are called the Kissin' Kazoo Sisters. They haven't appeared in any of my shows in a long time, but they were kind of inspired by that whole world. I love to do characters like that - I love doing musical theatre in a very un-musical-theatre-y way.

PC: That is what makes your work stand out, no doubt.

JI: Yeah, I kind of love having these characters pop up - like the Kissin' Kazoo Sisters - in this very laid back, relaxed theatre environment; especially with some really kind of intense realism like that, like in "Hatchet Job".

PC: You can say that again! It's a real rocker.

JI: Thanks, man. Yeah, they have this backstory about them being sisters or maybe not and they make out sometimes and they may be axe murders - I wrote "Hatchet Job" sort of thinking of trashy B-movies and rock-a-billy; and, also, John Waters and his sort of obsession with perversion and violence and all things filth and being liberated by that stuff instead of being afraid of it. I love all of that kind of stuff.

PC: So, it's the lost DESPERATE LIVING theme song, more or less?

JI: Exactly! I mean, it's always been one of my dreams to meet John Waters and people always ask me, "What movie would you want to do a musical of?" and I always say stuff like that. I have always wanted to turn a John Waters movie into a musical - which has been done twice since I first said it, of course; quite famously.

PC: Which one in particular would you consider taking on?

JI: Oh, I think FEMALE TROUBLE or DESPERATE LIVING - I'd love to do a musical of either of those or a musical in the spirit of his movies in general. I just love his stuff.

PC: Speaking of the less sanguine, what is the basis for "The Vagabond" on the ROCK AND ROLL JAMBOREE album?

JI: "The Vagabond" was one I wrote awhile ago - it was not based on a specific person, though. When I was writing that one I was thinking a lot about films from the 70s and I was very into the general country-rock vibe - I'm a huge Robert Altman fan, so...

PC: NASHVILLE is such a brilliant movie musical, isn't it?

JI: Oh, my God - that is my favorite movie. It's so awesome. I love Robert Altman movies.

PC: Would you do a full-out country score someday?

JI: Oh, yeah - I actually know that I definitely will someday; I just have to.

PC: How did the arrangement come about for "The Vagabond"?

JI: Oh, I love that kind of messy sound - I hate it when stuff sounds too polished. That's the stuff that I really respond to - stuff that sounds sort of raw and unpolished in a certain way. And, I love working with people like I did on this album in coming up with arrangements like on "The Vagabond" in creating that kind of sound for them. For me, I think it's even better to have that homemade, jangle-y quality to the songs. I love it when people create something in the arrangements of songs that I never would have imagined and that is one of them.

PC: What about Krysta Rodriguez's "Headshot"? Was that written for a show?

JI: It was not, actually - but, it was in THINGS TO RUIN, as well. All the songs in THINGS TO RUIN were essentially self-contained, though. "Headshot" was just this standalone little thing I wrote as a response to seeing so many smart actor friends finding themselves completely crippled by this piece of paper with their picture on it - it always just blew my mind the amount of importance that is placed on a piece of paper with somebody's picture, you know?

PC: Indeed. Is "Lonely Woman" the pull-out single from the album, would you say?

JI: It could be! [Laughs.] It definitely could be.

PC: "Nursing each other with bullsh*t and what-nots" is a great lyric.

JI: Thank you for saying that. To answer your question seriously, though, I don't think we are going to be doing a single, really, but if we were I definitely think you're right - "Lonely Woman" would be it.

PC: At least since "Broadway, Here I Come!" and "The Goodbye Song" are already claimed by SMASH.

JI: Right! Exactly.

PC: What is the idea behind The Family?

JI: Well, when I first got into musical theatre I didn't know a whole ton of performers, so over the years I would do shows and stuff and there would be actors that I would have a response to and I would always try to keep them in mind. So, I would return to them time and time again when performance opportunities came up and then we started doing gigs together. I just knew right away when I got to New York that I never would want to do, you know, "A Night Of Musical Theatre Songs By Joe Iconis".

PC: That's not your style.

JI: It's totally not my style! I always wanted to do something that really felt like its own thing and like you were going to see a cool band or something - just going for a night out to enjoy some music. So, I just sort of kept surrounding myself with these artists and actors of all different disciplines - and dancers and musicians, too - and we just started doing lots of shows together and a lot of it bled over into theatre pieces that I've done, as well. So, it just sort of organically happened and I ended up hooking up with this amazing group of people who enjoy making art the same way I do, which is to collaborate.

PC: Collaboration is everything.

JI: It is - it totally is. So, now, it has become The Family - because of all of that leading up to it. I have to admit, at first I was kind of nervous and weirded-out by putting a name on it because it all was so spontaneous and organic that I didn't want to lose any of that, but I think it makes it all easier for everyone to understand when we perform together. So, it's one of those things where there isn't a membership - and you can't really audition for it, either!

PC: Have you had requests?

JI: I have! People have come up to me and said, you know, "Oh, is there some way I can audition for this?" [Laughs.]

PC: It has to be organic.

JI: Yeah - I mean, I feel like there is such uncertainty in this business that The Family can just be this thing for people who enjoy making art and musical theatre and enjoy getting messy and doing shows together and sharing in all of the creative process of it. There are a lot of actors and writers who work with the writer handing the actor the script and they want the actor to do exactly what is on the page and I am just not like that - I just don't like it. For some people it is the only way it can be, but for me it just doesn't lead to my best work - I like the collaboration.

PC: You like the relationships that can be built, as well - new and old.

JI: I do - you know, the actors and I will work on things and I might work on something with them at the piano and we will talk about the characters and they can offer their opinions and sometimes even we might not agree, but it's still great to talk about it, you know?

PC: The process is the important part.

JI: Exactly. So, The Family is for people who like to create art in this way and enjoy it for what it is - I mean, there are so many people in theatre who are, like, so over it!

P C: I know what you mean.

JI: I call them "eye-rollers" - they are just so over it. But, I like to be around people who really love what they do and think theatre is something worth a damn and something worth fighting for.

PC: Undoubtedly. So, what is your favorite song on the album?

JI: Oh, well, of course I have a lot of favorites, but I think "The Goodbye Song" has probably the most special place in my heart - I just love the arrangement so much. We recorded it with all my friends and family and everyone - they are all there in the choir at the end. So, it sounds the way that I always hoped it would sound on the album and I am really proud of it and happy that people will be hearing it soon.

PC: Can we expect a host of selections from THE JOE ICONIS ROCK AND ROLL JAMBOREE at 54 Below coming up, starting next week?

JI: You sure can! The shows will be a lot of fun, I think, and we have some great people joining The Family for some shows, too, in addition to some of the people on the album and who have been in our previous shows around town and elsewhere.

PC: So, what's next for you after the 54 Below shows?

JI: Well, this is the first time in my life I am almost overwhelmed with all the things I'm working on at once - almost. I am working on two different musicals - one is an adaptation of a teenage science fiction novel called BE MORE CHILL.

PC: What is BE MORE CHILL about?

JI: It's about mind-control devices in teenagers - I am really excited about it for a couple of reasons. It's about the teenage experience through the lens of science fiction, so myself and the book writer are really inspired by very specific genre references and we are very into 90s teen horror movie references and 80s sci-fi movies that we hope will create a very specific type of vibe for it. It's been a lot of fun to work on so far, so we'll see where it goes.

PC: And: what about an Annie Golden musical?

JI: Yes, myself and two other actors [Lance Rubin and Jason SweetTooth Williams] are writing this crazy musical for and about Annie Golden because we think she is a very inspiring actress. We just think it is wild that she has never had a musical vehicle that is for her - especially since a lot of other actresses of her talent and notoriety in this business have. So, we are approaching it like writers in the 1940s being hired to write a star vehicle and that is exciting to do - so, it's just going to be a big love letter to her.

PC: And the title still is...

JI: ANNIE GOLDEN: BOUNTY HOUNTER, YO! [Big Laugh.]

PC: Really?

JI: Yes, it is - at least I'm hoping to see that on a marquee someday!

PC: Also: what can you tell me about your Hunter S. Thompson musical? Is it FEAR & LOATHING: THE MUSICAL?

JI: [Laughs.] It's not really FEAR & LOATHING - it's really more about him; his life.

PC: The unfortunate hotel room incident with his wife, too?

JI: Yes. Absolutely. That's in there. I'll tell you, it's actually been really, really hard to write because there is just so much material and there are so many stories to tell - there are so many great events to cover. Any one segment in his life could be a great musical, so it's been about finding which is the right musical to make. It's been cool to work on it so far and I am really excited about it. Hopefully, it will look and sound and feel unlike any other musical - that's what we are hoping.

PC: If anyone can achieve that it's you. Thank you so much for this Iconis-ography today, Joe!

JI: [Laughs.] Thanks to you, too, Pat. This was so much fun. Bye.

Photo Credits: Walter McBride, Stephen Sorokoff, Ghostlight, NBC, etc.