Exclusive: Kristen Anderson-Lopez and Robert Lopez Talk AGATHA ALL ALONG Ballad: 'It Is Both Map and Magic Spell'

In the words of Kristen-Anderson Lopez: "It was Agatha All Along!" Following six episodes of mysterious going-ons, Episode 7 of the 2021 Marvel series WandaVision dropped the bombshell that "Agnes"- or Agatha- was responsible for the many strange occurrences happening in the small town of Westview.

Doubling as both a song and a key plot point, Agatha All Along became a viral hit following its debut, eventually winning songwriters Kristen-Anderson Lopez and Robert Lopez an Emmy for their work on the number. The song served as the musical theme for Kathryn Hahn's witchy Agatha Harkness and the newest Marvel series, debuting today on Disney+, has borrowed its title from the song as well.

Fortunately for viewers, the songwriting duo has returned for the show, having written a new song that plays a central role in the storyline. Similar in function and yet different from that original song, "The Ballad of the Witches Road" is a recurring musical motif, weaving in and out of the story and showing up in various forms and styles.

BroadwayWorld sat down with the Lopezes to discuss returning to the Marvel universe, working with Broadway legend Patti LuPone, and what they have in store for the stage.

This interview has been condensed for clarity and length.

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Can you talk about your initial reaction when you were approached to write music for Agatha All Along? When you worked on WandaVision, was there any indication that you would be returning to this world, or was it expected to be a one-off?

Kristen: We were thrilled when we found out there was a spinoff. We texted Jac Schaeffer, the showrunner, and were like, "We're here if you guys need a song." Working on WandaVision was such a dream come true. It was just the most fun assignment and the chance to continue with these characters was also a thrill.

Robert: To work with Kathryn Hahn again was just a blast. She's so much fun to work with and, in our case, particularly to record on music. She's so game and just makes you laugh. She's amazing.

I know this isn’t a traditional musical, but like WandaVision, music is a big part of the series. In Agatha All Along, how is music used to help tell this story, and how does it differ from working on something like a book musical?

Robert: With book musicals especially, a lot of what we do are original stories. With that, you have to break a story and figure out where the songs go and everything's always changing. We like to say that we're the co-architects of projects like that. But when we work with Marvel on these projects, we're more like the lobby decorators. We get to do our thing in a script that is already thought through. Their understanding of how they want to use the songs is so complete; all we need to kind of do is fill in the blank. It's a lot of fun to come in and be part of someone's vision.

Kristen: In terms of the role the music plays in the series, it is both map and magic spell.

Robert: You might count it as one song and you might count it as eight.

Kristen: ...Depending on how you count and how you hear. I also think there's a wonderful tour through the evolution of American music, similar to how we got to take a tour through American theme songs in WandaVision.

Was there a continuity in style or tone that you wanted to maintain?

Kristen: In WandaVision, we were given the task of having our own take on iconic theme songs. In this assignment, we had to work closely with the storytellers because there are many things within what we have put into this work that are very connected with plot and character and where the story goes. We were given an intricate puzzle, which is one of our favorite things to do. We did it with "Remember Me" in Coco. We've done it where we are given the whole and we're asked to make the music fit into all of the ways that it needs to in the story. If you are at all interested in the evolution of American music, you will have a fun time with it.

I feel like there’s a really interesting musical theater/MCU crossover because you aren’t the only Broadway composers to write music for the MCU. Marc Shaiman and Scott Wittman wrote the Rogers: The Musical song for Hawkeye, and the late Richard Sherman wrote a song for Iron Man 2 way back in the early days of the franchise. 

Kristen: Kevin Feige is clearly a big musical theater fan, and I know Jac Schaeffer is. It's really a gift to work with filmmakers who probably had many Broadway CDs in their cars in the nineties.

The Witches coven is made up of some incredible performers, including Patti LuPone, of course. What was it like working with them on the music, specifically the recording sessions? 

Robert: It was everything you ever dreamed about. We're such Patti LuPone fans, particularly Kristen, who was Evita in eighth grade. We had been dying to meet her period, and to be able to get to record a song with her was incredible.

Kristen: She is a consummate professional. She wants to deliver and she wants to take the notes. She's an incredibly hard worker. We've become friends outside of this, which is the dream. Getting to split a bottle of wine with Patti LuPone? I'm done. I can go to sleep now. [laughs] She's just lovely, as is every single one of these cast members. Some are really good musicians and some were innate intuitive musicians who came in and said, "This is the most terrifying thing I've ever had to do in my career." But everybody knocked it out of the park and the sisterhood is real. The sisterhood and the camp and the witchiness. This is for us Broadway fans!

Robert: It was amazing working with Joe Locke too. He's the newest Broadway sensation. To be able to meet this kid and see him at the beginning of his career was a treat.

Is there anything you can share about projects in development for the stage?

Robert: I don't think we can say what it is, but we are working on something for the stage and we are really excited. We're kind of right in the middle of it now and having a lot of fun. It's been way too long. The pandemic happened and, to use a Marvel metaphor, it was kind of like the blip. We were gone from Broadway for years and we didn't mean for it to be this long. So we're really excited to be working on something.

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Agatha All Along debuts on Disney+ with two episodes on Wednesday, September 18. Watch a featurette with the Lopezes below.

Photo Credit: Bruce Glikas