Listen: JC Chasez and Jimmy Harry Release PLAYING WITH FIRE Musical Theater Concept Album

Grammy-nominated singer-songwriter and producer, JC Chasez, and Golden Globe winning songwriter, producer and composer Jimmy Harry release their groundbreaking new musical theater concept album, Playing With Fire. Inspired by Mary Shelley’s timeless novel Frankenstein, Playing with Fire marks Chasez’s first major musical theater recording project. Chasez is also featured as a vocalist alongside singers Cardamon Rozzi and Lily Elise. Listen to the album below, and check out BroadwayWorld's new interview with the songwriters.

Featuring a collection of 16 original new tracks, Playing With Fire exposes audiences to the complex and multidimensional aspects of not only the classic Frankenstein tale, but the musicianship of Chasez and Harry. Through infectious tracks like “No One Loves No One” and ballads such as “You Used to Touch Me,” Playing With Fire showcases the pair’s songwriting abilities in a never before experienced way. Playing With Fire first came to fruition when Harry presented Chasez the script of his late mother’s (Barbara Field) theatrical adaptation of Shelley’s prescient sci-fi story.  Chasez was immediately intrigued with the play, and work on it immediately began, creating a heartfelt story of timely technological issues, love, responsibility, revenge, loss, and the human condition.  This gripping story is accompanied by dark brooding songs that blend Electronic pop juxtaposed against classical music from the romantic era, forming a captivating symphony of contrasts that reflect the characters’ own internal conflicts. Chasez voices “The Creature” and “Adam” on the album, with Rozzi taking on the roles of “Frankenstein” and “Victor.” Elise rounds out the recordings, singing the role of “Elizabeth”. 

This reimagining of the classic tale constructs a conversation between Frankenstein and his creation, The Creature, at the grave of Frankenstein’s wife, Elizabeth, ten years after her death. Through dynamic interplay of dialogue and shared flashbacks of key events in both their lives, the concept album plunges into the heart of their intertwined destinies. As they confront their past actions and the devastating impact they’ve had on one another, Frankenstein and The Creature gradually find understanding, sympathy, and forgiveness. Chasez and Harry were drawn not only to the thought-provoking technological themes in Shelley's novel, but also to the emotional depth that Field's adaptation brought to the story.  It was as if they discovered an untapped perspective on a literary classic that they could illustrate with music. 

About JC Chasez:

Joshua Scott "JC" Chasez, singer-songwriter, record producer, and artist, is widely known as being a lead vocalist in the multi-platinum selling pop group *NSYNC. The group has sold over 50 million records and once held the record for most albums sold in one week at 2.42 million. Chasez was responsible for writing/producing many of the songs on the *NSYNC albums, and as a lead member of the group has performed or recorded with legendary artists including Elton John, Ariana Grande, Aerosmith, Mary J Blige, Britney Spears, Smokey Robinson, Michael Jackson, Stevie Wonder, Celine Dion, Miguel, Aloe Blacc and Gloria Estefan. Prior to his career as a recording artist, Chasez was an original cast member on The Mickey Mouse Club in the early 90's, alongside Christina Aguilera, Ryan Gosling, Britney Spears, and Justin Timberlake. In 2004, following the group’s decision to part ways, Chasez released a solo album, Schizophrenic through Sony Music, and has gone on to write and produce for critically acclaimed artists such as Liam Payne, Diplo, Girls Aloud, Basement Jaxx, Sugababes, Matthew Morrison, David Archuleta, McFly, Matt Cardle, Blues Traveler, the Backstreet Boys, and many others. In addition to his music career, JC has held various on-camera appearances, including being a series judge on all seven seasons of MTV’s America’s Best Dance Crew. 

About Jimmy Harry: 

Jimmy Harry is a Golden Globe winning songwriter, producer and composer who currently resides in Los Angeles, CA. Harry has worked with artists such as Madonna, Pink, Britney Spears, Robin Schultz, Diplo, Kelly Clarkson, Weezer, RuPaul, Kylie Minogue, Oh Land, Peaches, and Brett Dennen. Recognized at the 2012 Golden Globes by the Hollywood Foreign Press Association, Harry won “Best Original Song” with Madonna and Julie Frost for the song “Masterpiece”. In 2010, his production of Pink’s “Sober” was nominated for a Grammy for Best Female Vocal Performance, and he also wrote and produced “Funhouse”, the title track of her release nominated in the category “Best Pop Album”.  In addition to his work in pop music, Mr. Harry has served as a composer for collaborations in theatre, film and installations with visual artists. Including; Everything Insight a performance collaboration performed at MOCA in Los Angeles; a musical version of Lee Breuer’s Shaggy Dog Animation at the Theatrical Outfit in Atlanta;  Leslie Mohn’s White Boned Demon at the Theatre For The New City in New York; the documentary, The Eyes Of Tammy Faye, directed by Fenton Bailey And Randy Barbato, and the feature film Party Monster, also directed by Bailey And Barbato.