BWW Interviews: Eklektix Theatre Talks SONGS FOR A NEW WORLD

Eklektix Theatre Company burst onto the Houston scene with a summer 2012 production of SPRING AWAKENING. They followed that up with an ambitious season of old favorites, bringing Houston audiences edgy and innovative productions of MACBETH, SPRING AWAKENING in concert, THE ROCKY HORROR SHOW, and RENT. Kicking off their current season, the youthful but talented group of artists is rehearsing Jason Robert Brown's complex and stirring SONGS FOR A NEW WORLD. This past weekend, I dropped in on a rehearsal to chat with the cast about preparing the show for Houston audiences.

BWW: How did you decide to program Jason Robert Brown's SONGS FOR A NEW WORLD?

Eduardo Guzman: You know, Bryan-Keyth Wilson, the Artistic Director of Eklektix Theatre Company, approached me sometime before Summer Stock and said, "What do you think about SONGS FOR A NEW WORLD?" I was honest and said, "You know, I've never even heard of the piece, but I love Jason Robert Brown." He said, "Well, we want to do it this year. Would you be interested in directing it?" I said, "Well, let me listen. Let me think about it a little bit." As soon as I heard the piece I thought, "This is something I need to do as my first directing project." So, this is really a Bryan-Keyth programming decision, and I'm so thankful that he did it and that he's given me this opportunity because what a piece!

BWW: The original production had a cast of four. The show has been done with a cast of five, a cast of four with support form a youth ensemble of 14, and other various combinations and numbers. How did you decide to do the production with a cast of eight?

Eduardo Guzman: We had our fall auditions just over a month and a half ago, and when I initially walked into the audition I thought, "I only want four people. I want to do this just like they did Off-Broadway." There was just such a huge amount of talent that came into the audition. Almost everyone that came into the audition wanted to be a part of this show, so after talking with Bryan[-Keyth Wilson] and Kyle [Crawford], I thought, "Well, let's try it with eight." It also opened it up for us to be able to ask Isabelle Dom to come in and do some interesting stage pictures and choreograph with us. It was really just a decision made based on the amount of talent that we had show up and the creative resources we had in Isabelle Dom.

BWW: Jason Robert Brown says that SONGS FOR A NEW WORLD is about that one second before you hit the wall. That one second where you must "make a choice, take a stand, or turn around and go back." In preparing these songs for performance, what does that mean for you?

Sarah Patterson: I think that is something that connects all of our characters. I think you can see this show as a concert, as something that is sung, and this really nice collection of songs. They're, of course, beautifully and expertly written by Jason Robert Brown, but I think it's something that everyone can relate to. It's something our characters can relate to. Having those moments in our life where you really have to come to a decision and make a choice. Sometimes you don't choose right. Sometimes, in these songs, there's the realization that maybe I didn't choose correctly. I think that we all go through these issues in our life, and in each song you see that moment.

Kyle Crawford: I definitely agree with Sarah. I think the thing that makes the show so special is that it is so real. It's not about the spectacle. It's not about the over-the-top moments. It's just about real life and real experiences. I think that's what ties it all together.

BWW: These songs are musically and thematically complex. What are the difficulties and joys of preparing SONGS FOR A NEW WORLD?

Crystal Elise Mata: Difficulties would probably be my ever-loving frustration that I have for Jason Robert Brown while learning "[The] River Won't Flow" and "[The] Steam Train" because those pieces are so intricate and extreme. If you look at the way it's musically written all of the harmonies are so tight and so locked in that even the slightest mistake will mess up everyone. I would say that would be a difficulty I loathe and love all at the same time because I love being challenged when I work.

A joy for me is probably lyrically. A lot of his lyrical decisions are very intense, and I feel that he makes big parallels with real life. Going back to the question earlier, making that decision whether you're going to jump off the cliff and take the leap of faith or whether you're going to go, "Mmm. Not this time," I think the joy is figuring out what you're doing in that particular song. In each piece it's different. Each piece decides, "Ok, I'm going to move forward," "I'm not going to move forward," or "I'm going to stay where I am." I really like deciphering that, especially lyrically because it's so involved.

Irena Quijas: The joys I think come in the fact that the complexity of the music is relatable to the character because all of characters make choices that are complex. Life is about a series of moments, and those moments consist of choices that sometimes you have to make in a moment. I think the complexity of the way the music was written really reflects that. At least that's what I like to tell myself when I'm struggling and plunking my part out. It's not pointless. It's not ohhs and ahhs for the purpose of filling out a chord. These ohhs and ahhs that we sing in the back-up are because our characters relate to the soloist or there is a reason, an emotion, to every note that he wrote. There's a reason why it's in 7/8 instead of 3/4 or 4/4. Yeah right! (Everyone Laughs) I try to remember that when I'm getting frustrated with how difficult the music is to perform because he did it for a reason, and the outcome, if you do it right, is just so worth the work.

BWW: SONGS FOR A NEW WORLD is a popular show, but it's not often produced. Aside from actually producing it, is there a unique spin being put on this song cycle for this production?

Eduardo Guzman: Isabelle Dom has been a huge part of how we stage this. Typically, I've seen this piece done... (Pauses). Well, I haven't seen it done in a typical way. I've seen it done with 25 dancers on stage. I've seen it done with four people sitting in a church, so I think that we really had some free reign when we thought about staging this. We made some strong decisions right off the bat. For example, number 2 ["On the Deck of a Spanish Sailing Ship, 1492"] is typically sung by Man 1, and we're having it sung by one of our women. In the big love duet by Woman 1 and Man 2 ["I'd Give It All For You"] we've done some changing with when they sing and made it more of a conversation. What we're trying to do is just, through interesting staging pictures, cue the audience subtly and say, "These are what we think the stories are in this piece." That may be a different approach. It may work and it may not, but we've committed to this vision and we've certainly worked for it.

Isabelle Dom: In regards to staging and the character choices, when Eduardo approached me to do the staging he was like "Here, these are the songs I feel that are related to one another, and I want to create a story line between those songs and bring the audience's awareness of it through the pictures that we're making on stage." So that's been a challenge, but a good challenge. I like being challenged. Trying to stay true to Eduardo's vision about the story, the characters, and creating these pictures is very unique.

BWW: What are you hoping audiences take with them after seeing this production of SONGS FOR A NEW WORLD?

Irena Quijas: I hope that they get what we're doing with the characters and their storylines. I hope that they can take something from it because there are so many realizations and life lessons that come out of the choices that our characters make in these moments. It's so relatable, I don't know how someone can listen to these words and not be a better person for it or even just have some self-realization about choices they've made in their own lives.

Kyle Crawford: I want the audience to take away that whatever you might be going through, whatever the struggles you might face on a daily basis are, you're not alone in this. I feel like with this show we're all telling different stories. Some are connected. Some aren't. (Puases) Once we get to the end and when I'm performing "Hear My Song," that's how I feel. I feel like whatever this journey has been through the beginning, the middle of the show, we get to the end and you realize that you're not alone in the journey. That's what I'd like, basically.

Leslie Lenert: I would say, and I might be speaking just from my own character's standpoint, but I really feel like what I take away and what I hope the audience takes away is that it's not worth it to wait to figure out what's perfect and what the ideal choice would be in life. What's worth it is taking the risk, stepping into the unknown, and not letting fear hold us back form that. Not letting anything hold us back from that! A lot of the message of the whole piece is that life is imperfect. Things are ambiguous, there's a lot of gray area, and sometimes you just have to take the risk and make the choice, not knowing what will happen. That's valuable.

Eric Briggs: For one, I definitely want the audience to take away the chance to be able to relate with all of our characters and that we can tell these stories in a way that they understand what we're trying to say, what we're going through, and things like that. For those that have seen the show before, I want them to see this show, see a different view on it, and be able to enjoy the storyline and our concept. For those who haven't seen the show before, I want them to get a chance to really feel this show, understand it the best they can, and take away everything that they've learned from all our characters.

Eduardo Guzman: It's been a joy working on this production with this staff and this cast; they're extremely talented. I hope that our audience will leave realizing that in spite of all the differences that these characters have and we have broadly that one of the major similarities we have is we don't always know what to do and that's ok.

BWW: What is you favorite part of SONGS FOR A NEW WORLD?

Eric Briggs: (Everyone Laughs) The opening!

Leslie Lenert: The opening is beautiful.

Crystal Elise Mata: I don't know. I think the finale is awesome! I think it's "Hear My Song," for me... [Loud club music pervades the air and Crystal starts dancing] I don't know if this was your plan, but WHOOP! WHOOP! [Laughs] I do have the solo for the second half of the opening and I also start "Hear My Song" at the very end. My counterpart, Jeff [Slater], and I have our resolution or whatever we decide at the end of "Hear My Song." So, I want to say the finale, other than it being badass vocally, is pretty awesome.

Eric Briggs: Honestly, I just think any point that all of us are really singing together because that's the points where all of us are really emoting what we want. That's just when everyone that's watching it really connects because there's so much going on, but we all are understanding what we want.

Kyle Crawford: I think my favorite part of this show is the connections that are shared on stage while we're signing. It's kind of... you know, you can't really describe it. You're just seeing these songs all together, and it's just magical. It's so great.

Irena Quijas: My favorite part of SONGS FOR A NEW WORLD is we don't have to tell you how to feel. I love that the show is not cut and dry. What do people take away from it? What they want to take away from it. What they need to take away from it! The whole point is that everyone is at a different point in their lives. If they relate to the lovers that are scared about getting married, or to the mother who lost her child, or to the people who are married and having trouble, it's just so cool that there's so many different ways to relate to this show. Then to go back and think about all the different styles of music that are in this one show and think about the fact that one man did all that. He [Jason Robert Brown] has Black gospel, he's got songs that feel like Broadway, he's got a woman threatening to throw herself off of a building because she won't get a fur coat, and right after that he goes into a deeply felt prayer from a mother who's lost a child. To have that wide a range of emotions, that's just crazy.

BWW: In your opinion, why should Houston audiences be excited to see this production of SONGS FOR A NEW WORLD?

Leslie Lenert: Oh my gosh! Let me talk. (Everyone Laughs) First of all because it's some of the most amazing music that you'll hear. I feel like Jason Robert Brown as a composer and SONGS FOR A NEW WORLD the show are not so well known by people outside of the theater world, and I feel sad about that. I feel like everyone I tell about it, I really want them to come because it's such a high level of wonderful composing and wonderful writing. Like everyone has said, it's just such amazing music. It's amazingly intricate, complex. It's really beautiful and moving to listen to. At the same time, it has really relatable stories, really powerful lyrics, and really natural, organic characters that are so real and brought through the music so well. I feel like it's amazing that it's not better known. I feel like just to be transported by a really solid, good show that's kind of outside of the typical musical theatre box is just more than I think people usually expect to get from a musical theatre piece.

Isabelle Dom: I guess I think they should come because I feel like this show reaches to a broader audience than just musical theatergoers. There's no dialogue. It's just songs, so it's more a cabaret style. For people who maybe musical theater isn't their bag but really enjoy singing, I think they could really get something out of this show. I think this show is more accessible to a wider range of people than a standard musical theatre piece.

Sarah Patterson: Kind of along those same lines, the way we've staged it as opposed to other productions I'm familiar with, I think the concert style will really work for someone who is into the music and who appreciates the difficulty and the beauty in this writing musically. I think the way we've staged it there's something in it for everyone. You're going to get these powerful stage pictures, you'll feel a story, you'll feel a sense of dialogue even if it's not spoken, I think it's there, and then, of course, it will still be this incredible, vocally intense show, and that's a little bit different. I think that's why they should see it.

Eric Briggs: Bouncing off what Irena [Quijas] had said earlier, it is one of those shows that has so many varieties and types of music in it that someone who comes to see this is going to enjoy at least something from it, for sure, even if they may not enjoy a type of music for one or two songs. Having that variety is going to make them walk out of here saying, "I really enjoyed myself tonight. It was a great performance."

Eduardo Guzman: I think Houston should come see this show. For the uninitiated, this is a really accessible production, and I think it will serve as a great introduction to Jason Robert Brown. I think for the Jason Robert Brown fanatics out there, this is a show that you've not seen before. You think that you're familiar with it, but this is a different show.

SONGS FOR A NEW WORLD, produced by Eklektix Theatre Company, runs at the Frenetic Theatre, 5102 Navigation Boulevard, Houston, 77011 for two performances only. Performances are Friday, October 11 and Saturday, October 12, 2013 at 8:00 p.m. Tickets are $25. For more information and tickets, visit www.eklektixtheatre.org.

Photos courtesy of Eklektix Theatre Company.

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