BWW Interviews: William Squier

The Summer Theatre of New Canaan will premiere William Squier and Jeffrey Lodin's Merrilee Mannerly: A Magnificent New Musical! Lodin and Squier's shows have been playing at Walt Disney World and at the Global Search for New Musicals in Wales. They combine traditional Broadway-style music with contemporary music. That makes sense because today's kids are exposed to a lot more styles of music, even at an early age. Even Sesame Street incorporates rap into its educational material and Kidz Bop has a somewhat sanitized version of "Oppa Gangnam Style."

There has never been a better time than now to introduce children to theatre. There's more to family theatre than just wholesome shows of the past such as those written by Rogers and Hammerstein. What does it take to write a children's musical today?

For Lodin and Squier, the creation of Merrilee Mannerly was different from previous shows on which they collaborated. They did not have to originate the story based on ones that are already in the public domain, such as The Three Scrooges or The Klemperers' New Clothes. Their musicals are usually licensed directly. With Merrilee Mannerly, they were approached by Ryan Ratelle when he was the artistic director of the Hartford Children's Theatre. Ratelle's idea was to turn the book, written by Connecticut authors Mary Cashman and Cynthia Whipple, and turn it into a small stage musical.

This was about three years ago. It took about six months to get all the paperwork settled. They met in Stamford, occasionally, where the Emmy award-winning Squier lives with his wife, Beth Levine, a nationally known award-winning magazine writer. When he and Lodin had a finished version of the show, Squier knocked on the door of Stamford's Curtain Call theatre company, where he and Beth occasionally perform. He organized a first formal reading at Curtain Call's Musical Mondays. About six months later, they had another reading in New York City at Chelsea Studios, the rehearsal space which Theatreworks USA offers. Among the people who attended the reading was Ed Libonati, who said he enjoyed the show quite a bit. Liobonati and his wife, Melody, who is artistic director of Summer Theatre of New Canaan, looked at the material and the demo and decided to launch its world premiere in July in Connecticut.

So, Hartford County, Hartford proper, Stamford, New York City and back to Connecticut. It sounds like a romp, but it was still very different from creating a show that didn't have any input or criticism from its originators (that is, dead authors). Merrilee Mannerly had "living, breathing authors to collaborate" with them, said Squier. He said that he and Lodin did this show "in a relatively short time even though there is a lot of collaborating." There are a lot of steps involved and he was working on a second commissioned piece at the same time, but which is very different. "I had to block out hours of the day to get everything done." There was "a lot of strategizing" involved.

Additionally, "it's a piece in which a majority of the characters are eight year old girls." Squier and his wife have a son, Levi, who recently graduated college and is now performing in Ohio. Still, the story is timeless and it is one that parents can enjoy with their children. The show is expected to have its Off-Broadway debut in New York City next season.

As the title implies, the story has to do with manners. The main character loves good manners. One day, Princess Posy from the land of no manners moves next door to Merrilee and invites her to a birthday party. Merrilee is determined to help her new friend host a great party with the help of her grandmother's Manifesto of Manners.

This story is not unlike many other children's musicals of today. They are not just another form of entertainment that is family-friendly, but often engaging ways to teach values. In this case, it is about treating people kindly. Although some children have the patience to sit through long shows, most are not. What also makes it easier for restless kids to sit through this 50 minute musical is that the young performers pull out young audience members during the dance party. The kids in the audience love to show off their moves.

Lessons for aspiring writers of children's theatre: There are a lot of ideas and opportunities out there. Network, network, network. And make your show both meaningful and child-friendly.

Merrilee Manners - A Magnificent New Musical plays through July 19. Visit www.stonc.org for more information on dates and times. For more information about the Squier-Lodin team, visit www.lodinandsquier.com.

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