Waiting for the Moon, An Interview with Frank Wildhorn and Jack Murphy

Lyricist Jack Murphy and composer Frank Wildhorn team up once again to explore the world of Jazz, Big Bands and a whirlwind love story that kept the tabloids of the twenties in print. Waiting for the Moon runs through July 31 at the Lenape Regional Performing Arts Center in Marlton, New Jersey.

Pati Buehler: When you collaborate together, which comes first, the music or the words?

Frank: Actually, we talk about the show, get some insight into the characters, and on what needs to move forward in the plot. Then we play ping-pong back and forth for a bit.

Jack: Frank is a melodic sort of guy so I "dance in chains" because I'm in the prison of the melody. That's how it usually works in most cases.

PB: What were some of the most challenging songs to write?

Jack: Art, whether it's visual art or theater art is never finished, it's just abandoned for another time. What happens is that you write, and you say "good, good" and then you move on to another thought and sometimes that changes what was good, good - you're constantly changing.

Frank: That's true. It's funny Leslie (Bricusse) and I wrote about 80 songs for Jekyll and I'll give you a little scoop, we just wrote another one for Jekyll. You were here when we premiered Jekyll & Hyde in Concert, well that concert is heading out to tour around the country and in Europe and we felt that Emma needed another song. Even I can't believe it! (laughing)

Jack: I gave Frank the best idea he's had in a long time. It's called the anti-Jekyll & Hyde album. It will have all the songs that were cut from J&H. ( (laughing).

PB: Speaking about cuts, tell us about all the changes you make in your productions...

Frank: The nice thing about working on new productions in regional theaters is that if you can make some changes while you are there. This is the time we are learning about the show from you guys. This is the most important step or the birthing of a show. It would be great if we could always have a laboratory to work out our shows so close to home. In this case,we're hoping this will be a real successful community venture.

PB: How did you two start working together?

Jack: I grew up in New York but went out to LA for 13 years and came back to New York in 1991, and Frank was my 1,000^th lunch. My sister-in-law, who is a choreographer was working on one of the original workshops of Jekyll and Hyde and she told me about Frank and we started working together in 1992 mostly writing songs for Linda Eder, then we wrote Civil War.

Lyricist Jack Murphy

PB: How is this musical of Scott & Zelda presented to the audience?

Jack: We tried to present this as their love story. It's tragic in so far as the lives they created, this persona that they had to live up to. They lived a reckless lifestyle. Despite the ending, I think, I hope, you'll leave the theater feeling good. We tried to be emotionally true to them... Like when Zelda is shocking the audience, this may not be something she would have done in 1925, and believe me she did things that were shocking in 1925. So, we want the audience to gasp at what she does onstage to know what she was all about. That's what we mean by capturing what was emotionally true about them.

Frank: Much of story is told in dance numbers. There's a lot of dancing in this show, about 6 big dance numbers. Our choreographer is wonderful and has quite a reputation in Philly. It's my first score with big bad and jazz music. The choreography is a major part of this production.

Choreographer Any Blankenbuehler & dancers

PB: Why the title change to Waiting for the Moon?

Jack: Vincent Marini, Lenape's producing artistic director and our artistic director spent about 3 days with me locked in my house and we were trying to figure out what to call this because I didn't feel right calling it Scott & Zelda. So he myself and my wife were having dinner at a nice little restaurant, tossing around ideas. My wife half joking suggested "Waiting For Scott", but we agreed it needed to be more romantic. So Waiting For The Moon is what came out of that dinner. I don't know, maybe it was the scallops! But, I think you will see why by the end of the show. There is a title song also and it's sung by Scott.

Composer Frank Wildhorn and director Vincent Marini

PB: Both of Frank's parents attended the opening and are very charming and proud parents. They told me that you were about 15 years old when you taught yourself to play piano in between football practices. Your mother admitted to me that she actually thought you would become a commercial artist as you "still draw and paints beautifully..."

Frank: I really had no choice, I breathe, I eat, I live to make music...and my father didn't talk to me for a long time! (laughing)

Mr. & Mrs. Sy Wildhorn (Frank's parents)

Jack: But at least you are making a living at it (laughing).

PB: Are they're any plans for a CD for Waiting For The Moon?

Frank: There are always plans for a CD. We're figuring out the logistics on how to do that now.

PB: Speaking about CD's is there any news about the release of the Dracula CD and how is that going in Europe?

Frank: Dracula is in the middle of an incredibly successful, totally sold-out run in St. Gallen, Switzerland. There will be more news on Dracula in Europe and Asia in the weeks to follow. We hope to have the CD out sometime this fall.

PB: You are presenting a second show here at Lenape on Sept.23rd and 24th. Is your cast set for that?

Frank: Yes, I am very, very lucky to have Rob Evan, Michael Lanning, Kate Shindle and Tracy Miller (currently Penny Pingleton in Hairspray on Broadway right now). They're some of my favorite singers working today and I can't wait to put that show together. We start next week.

PB: A busy man as always. Any other project showing signs of readiness?

Frank: 2006 looks to be our busiest yet. We're hoping for a Spring opening of Cyrano in England/London. It is Leslie Bricusse's and my follow-up to Jekyll & Hyde and is being produced by Bill Kenwright. On May 26^th, Vienna premieres in Budapest, where it will run for a year before moving to the Rhineman theater in Vienna. It features book & lyrics by Jack Murphy and additional lyrics by Nan Knighton.

On June 20^th, the Civil War begins its five-year summer engagement at the rebuilt Majestic Theatre in Gettysburg, PA where it will run from Memorial Day to Labor Day for at least five years. We're so proud to present the show, especially in that environment, and we're looking forward to new recordings, a PBS special, etc. There are two more planned openings in 2006, but you'll have to talk to Gregory Boyd at the Alley Theatre about those.

PB: That is really a full plate for and your collaborators. Frank and Jack, thank you so much for sharing with us and break a leg with Waiting For the Moon. Let's hope another Lenape premiere holds a long and successful run.

 

photo credits: Lenape PR and James Weiner

 

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