Interview: Jarrod Spector and Kelli Barrett Tell the Stories Behind the Shows in a new Cabaret for South Carolina New Play Festival

West Hyler, Executive Artistic Director of the inaugural South Carolina New Play Festival, wants to tell you a story.

"Musicals take an extremely long time to find their final form," he says. "The show that you see on Broadway or at your local theater seems complete, as if it could never have been anything other than what it is, but have you ever heard of the musical AWAY WE GO? You have, just by a different name. The musical AWAY WE GO wasn't going well in Boston. The reviews were mixed and Rodgers and Hammerstein, the writers, worried they had a flop on their hands. So they wrote a brand new song for the show, a rousing production number to lift the mood before the darker events of Act Two. That one song changed the audience's experience of the entire show, so much so that Rodgers and Hammerstein renamed the musical after the song's title, OKLAHOMA!"

Jarrod Spector and Kelli Barrett have been in the original casts of several Broadway shows, including blockbuster hits like BEAUTIFUL: THE Carole King MUSICAL and ROCK OF AGES, but also some less successful musicals like ZHIVAGO and ROMAN HOLIDAY. Hyler, has directed them both in new musicals, and, as Associate Director on JERSEY BOYS, worked closely with Jarrod through all of his 1500 performances as Frankie Valli. All that experience and all of those stories will be on display August 14 at Genevieve's at the Peace Center. They'll relive the backstage drama of rewrites, cuts, and additions of new songs and explore that moment when a show finally "clicks."

"Jarrod and Kelli will sing the songs that made these shows famous - or the forgotten songs that are diamonds waiting to be discovered," says Hyler, "and the audience will leave feeling like they too were an original cast member of a Broadway hit."

BWW asked Jarrod and Kelli to tell us more about what to expect at their Cabaret.

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First off tell us a little about the planned format of the evening.

Jarrod: We're looking forward to knowing the answer to this ourselves!

No, jokes aside, we'll be onstage with two of our dear pals: the SNPF Artistic Director West Hyler, and Adam Ben-David, our long-time music director who is prepared to join us on just about any song from our careers that might come up as we chat with West and discuss past shows and experiences. West and I met doing Jersey Boys together back in 2006 so who knows what will come up.

Along with highlights from your own careers, are you going to include other songs that you love and wish you'd performed before, maybe shows you dream about being in?

Jarrod: In the spirit of the festival's "new play" mission, we'll be focusing on the many developmental processes we've each been part of during our careers.

Kelli: Jarrod and I have had the great fortune of helping to build a number of shows in the workshop and out-of-town processes.

Jarrod: Some of those projects went on to become Broadway shows--sometimes with us, sometimes without us--while others, well...never quite made it, or at least haven't made it yet. So we'll definitely be drawing on material from near-misses and shows we still hope might have a chance.

Kelli: So yes, you will hear material from shows we were a part of, even if you didn't know that we were!

Have you performed in Greenville before? If so, tell us about that, if not, what are you most anticipating about your visit?

Kelli: I hail from Virginia Beach, and have family in the Carolinas. Though I've never been to Greenville, I've always wanted to visit, and what better way to experience the city than through this new works festival, helmed by our dear friend, West?

Jarrod: We're always eager to perform in such a town that seems so thoroughly supportive of the arts. That said, we're also die-hard eaters and have been reading about the burgeoning farm-to-table movement in Greenville so I'd be remiss if I didn't say that we'll be running to every different local spot that we can between rehearsals and performances.

Jarrod, you've gone from Gavroche to Frankie Valli to Sonny Bono, which is quite a range! How have some of these iconic performances shaped your personal journey?

Jarrod: I'm usually asked which part of myself I attempted to bring to each character and I don't often consider what they might've brought to me, but they each taught me something. Gavroche taught me to be plucky and bold, even when I was a shy and sometimes fearful 9-year-old. Playing Frankie Valli taught me to stand proud with a straight back irrespective of size, how to really sing rock and roll, and how to be a leader. Barry Mann in Beautiful taught me that I actually might have gleaned a few nuggets of comedy from a lifetime of watching Paul Reiser and Seinfeld. The lesson in playing Sonny Bono was summed up perfectly in the eulogy Cher delivered at his funeral: "He had the confidence to be the butt of the joke because he created the joke." So I try to not take myself too seriously. We're just up there playing make-pretend, after all.

Kelli, you've also played some truly iconic roles, from Lesley Gore to Liza Minnelli to Maria Castle, a key figure in the life of MCU character The Punisher. How do you approach playing these almost larger than life roles?

Kelli: Depending on whether the person was real or fictional, the first few steps change. But either way it's a layered process. First it starts with a character's backstory, then moves into physical and emotional world building. I draw from a variety of techniques, everything from something called "Viewpoints" to my training as a Meisner Method actor. Some easy questions I'll ask include: Where do they lead with their body? The head, the chest, the hips? Where does the most energy emanate in their body? What's their dialect and how does their geography effect their thoughts, rhythms, and beliefs? What's their biggest fear? Their greatest joy? That kind of stuff. From this work, character starts to emerge and I always latch on to what we have in common. That's the entry point. Wherever I feel most related to my character I will start with that as a way to release into fully becoming them.

Finally, what's your favorite duet to perform together?

Jarrod: AH! How to narrow this down? We recently put together a show called KINGS AND QUEENS, which featured music from all the musical royals like Elvis, Madonna, Prince, and so on. One of the songs is a mashup of the Queen and King of Soul, Aretha Franklin and Otis Redding. Every time Kelli belts out the high notes in "Think" it knocks me out. That's a really fun one.

Kelli: I ALSO like hitting the high notes in that Soul Mashup (LOL). In a different show we do the Johnny and June song, "Jackson", where Jarrod plays the guitar and we share the mic. That one's a lot of fun.

Lastly, I'll say that we're just excited to be a part of a process that helps promote and foster new art. Most people have no idea the work that goes into bringing a show to life, from its inception to the Broadway stage. Without programs like the one West is building, we cannot and will not keep theater alive. It truly is God's work.

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If you love listening to Broadway songs as much as you love hearing the backstage stories of your favorite stars and shows, this is the cabaret for you. Come and experience the onstage passion as well as the offstage drama that makes Broadway great. You'll hear the greatest Broadway songs of all time performed by Tony-Nominee Jarrod Spector and Broadway Diva Kelli Barrett in an intimate interview/performance hosted by SC New Play Festival Executive Director, West Hyler. He'll get the stories behind the songs and then the songs will be performed live. It will be a thrilling night that you won't forget! Only 75$ per ticket for an intimate evening in a 150-seat venue. To reserve a seat or learn more about the South Carolina New Play Festival, visit www.southcarolinanewplayfestival.org.

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