Interview: Jim Dooley's THE REVUE Mashes Up Movies Into Musicals

Emmy-winning composer Jim Dooley teams up with Troubies' founder Matt Walker to world premiere the 'dynamic plot-concepted' The Revue at the Colony Theater opening March 17, 2022. Matt directs the cast of himself with Rick Batalla, Katie DeShan, Tiffany Daniels, Isaac Robinson-Smith and Travis Leland. Jim carved some time from rehearsals to explain his novel dynamic plot concept and chat on some highlights of his varied career.

Thank you for taking the time for this interview, Jim!

What cosmic forces brought you together with Troubies' Matt Walker?

Matt and I worked together on a Disneyland show for the Shanghai Park. Sadly, it was never completed due to budgetary issues with the opening of the park.

Who came up with the new play structure concept "Dynamic Plot"?

I came up with the idea. The original concept was to have a night of 'movies that should not be musicals.' I needed a framing device so you could go from one to another without connecting the stories. This led to the modular idea.

Would you explain to the average theatre goer what dynamic plot is?

The beginning and ending are fixed. The modules are designed to go in any order in the middle. Each module has three parts: The Setup, The Song, and The Button. This is a simplified version of the idea. The Producer and Director begin each module.

1. What's in that pile of scripts? Those are monster movies like Jaws. Jaws was turned into a musical? Yes, by Meredith Wilson who wrote The Music Man. Let's hear a song from it.

2. The song 'Amity Means Friendship' sung by Mayor Vaughn in the style of Harold Hill.

3. The Producer and The Director comment on the song. Was it good? Was it funny?

After they lead us into the beginning of the next module. When the modules are done, they begin the ending section which has its own song.

Would The Revue be similar to a 'typical' Troubies production?

I would say The Revue is not typical of a Troubies production. The last two Troubie shows I saw were Lizastrata and Santa Claus is Coming to Motown. Both of which were brilliant! 'Liza' was a contemporary take on an ancient Greek play by Aristophanes adapted with the songs Liza Minelli made famous. Because my 'day job' is composing for film and television all my references are based in that world. We draw from different inspirations.

Who in this production have you worked with before?

Matt Walker is the only person in the show that I have worked with in the past.

What would your three-line pitch of The Revue be?

A producer and director audition the craziest musicals ever conceived to save their beloved theater from ruin. Come see your favorite movies in musical form in the best... and worst ways.

You compose and write songs for all the various mediums: film, television, video gaming and live theatrical industries? If you had your druthers, is there one medium you prefer to expend most of your musical energies in?

I love where these all intersect. Writing songs and score for the same project is my dream. Think Joe Raposo, Jeff Moss, and Alan Menken.

What are the challenges of the aforementioned mediums that you love to tackle?

Musical theater has a whole new set of challenges that we are tackling right now! Getting this to New York is the next big step.

You've collaborated with a number of top names in music, including Hans Zimmer, Kristen Chenoweth and Babyface. Would you share some memorable incidents working with these three in particular?

When I was writing with Kenny (better known as Babyface), I was confident that I would be able to keep up with him as I play both guitar and piano. I should not have been! He came to my studio in Santa Monica, and he plays guitar upside down as he is left-handed. From the get go, I realized I wasn't in his league and I had trouble figuring out what he was doing because all the chord shapes were inverted!

Do you remember the moment your name was announced from the Nokia stage as the winner of the 2008 Outstanding Music Composition for a Series? Or was it just a blur?

Honestly it was a relief. After all the buildup you're happy it's over. The Emmys go on for four hours and you don't know when your category is coming. The bathroom offstage is the largest collection of gold statues you'll ever see. As soon as you get your statue it's the next place you go after waiting for so long.

What's in the near future for Jim Dooley?

After this run, a well needed vacation! I've already begun working on the New York run. That will be next!

Thank you again, Jim! I look forward to experiencing your Revue!

For tickets to the live performances of The Revue through March 27, 2022; log onto www.TheRevueMusical.com

Colony Theater audiences will be able to choose their performance to be rated: G, PG, PG-13 or R based on how "family-friendly" they want the show to be. With new modules continually added and switched out, each performance will be a brand-new show.

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