'Chrysalis' 15: GHOSTS & 'IRON JOHN" Muse Podcast Interview/Performance !!
Hey Hartlist, " what you throw in the water gonna rise again
what you gonna do then?
what you shoo away gonna come back in
gonna come back in again times ten
and what you bury in the dirt at the edge of town
will just take root and grow where it went down
Nothing ever goes away
No such thing as thin air
Nothing ever goes nowhere
Everything that's done will stay
all around you in the air
Nothing ever goes nowhere"
-from 'IRON JOHN: an american ghost story', lyrics by -me! - , music by jacinth greywoode
In case I haven't mentioned it, I spent 2017/18 in grad school at NYU studying Book & Lyric Writing in The Graduate Musical Theatre Writing Program. I had originally applied in 2012 as a composer, but hesitated. There were many reasons for waiting, but I believe that the main ones were 1) I was supposed to find out I was a writer and 2) I was supposed to write a show with Jacinth Greywoode.
BTW if you missed last week's Summer Solstice 'Chrysalis' 'tis here.
That show turned out to be IRON JOHN, a loose retelling of the German folktale 'Iron Hans' (made famous in America by Robert Bly's book 'Iron John: A Book About Men', which sparked the 'men's movement' of the early 90s). Set over a period of 100 years in a fictional Alabama town, our musical explores the ways history denied is doomed to repeat, and plays with the different meanings of being haunted. Last year was a really exciting year in various developments for the show, culminating in a showcase at the 2019 National Alliance for Musical Theatre Festival. We were dreaming of a production sooner rather than later, but ...
...BUT NOW THIS PODCAST IS OUT!
Click to hear myself &Jacinth talk about, talk - and sing!- through the show and answer questions about our process with wonderful producer/hosts Ciera Ivesen and Kevin Merritt.
THE MUSE is dedicated to new musicals in development and there are other similar episodes available.
(PS 'album cover' art by Jacinth)
If you listen, know that this interview was recorded in March, that the show was written in 2018, and set in 2015. It is painful and enraging to see that this story has only become more timely and it also feels more imperative to continue to work on and share it. It ALSO feels joyful to be able to share it with you in a time where live Theatre is a big question mark. So, if you're inclined, enjoy.
This week on the 15th installment of Songs from the Chrysalis over on FB we will explore GHOSTS in all their forms. Maybe even a Murder Ballad. See you Sunday at 4PM!
Love,
RH & Co