Asian American Renegades

Matthew C. Yee (above) wrote the book and score for Lucy and Charlie’s Honeymoon, and plays one half of the titular couple in the Lookingglass Theatre world premiere. Joined by co-star Rammel Chan, the two actors discuss the show’s origins; how they walk its tricky tonal lines; how a script with humble college beginnings became a full-fledged country western musical; the ways in which the characters are both inside and outside the law; the challenge of being not just the author and composer, but also an actor and musician; wonderful and unintended similarities to Harpo Marx; and the lasting questions of why there aren’t more country western musicals? (Length 19:58)

Joining The Cirkestra

The first thing you hear in our production of The Complete History of Comedy (abridged) was composed by Peter Bufano, a graduate of Clown College, a former Ringling Brothers Circus Clown, and now an assistant professor at the Berklee College of Music in Boston. Peter talks about his journey from Clown to Composer and shares some of his secrets; his comic and musical inspirations; the difficulty of hitting moving targets; finding the music in a gag; how relationship and function is most important in finding the funny; and the importance of finding and maintaining community in music, in clowning, and in life. (Length 23:39)

Shakespeare Rocks Tonight

Shakespeare rocks every night, of course, but especially on Lou Carlozo’s new album By Me & William Shakespeare, a collection of songs in a variety of styles set to the words of the immortal dramatist poet. Lou discusses how his love of music and relationship to Shakespeare inspires this project, and reveals the dangers of over-reverence; talks about poetic goldmines and high-culture milestones; shares shout-outs to favorite inspirational teachers; and glories in the possibilities of constant reinvention. Rock on! (Length 24:39)

Man About Town

Kevin Pollack is a Chicago singer-songwriter (and actor) who’s just released the first video from his new collection of songs, called “Man About Town”. Kevin discusses his musical influences and his many side-gigs (including playing “Joliet Jake” in the tribute band The Blooze Brothers), and shares the ups and downs of the music biz, including inspiration from The Temptations and The Four Tops, songwriting as therapy, and such career highlights as performing in Las Vegas and playing rock icons like Joe Cocker, Billy Joel, and…Roger Ebert?! (Length 20:34)

Mary Magdalene Revelations

Elizabeth Schrader, a doctoral student at Duke University, is doing some pioneering work clarifying the narrative handed down to us about Mary Magdalene and her role in the story of Jesus. Libbie discusses her discoveries and how they may lead to some new understandings, how her calling shifted from being a singer-songwriter to a scholar, how a few simple questions led to a career shift, the challenges of reading and translating ancient papyrus, the song that started it all, and the fundamental question of whether or not Mary Magdalene is the Yoko of the Gospels. (Length 22:11)

The Web Opera

Our friend Michael Roth has composed the music for, and produced the film of, The Web Opera, a form-shattering short film dealing with the unintended consequences of people living life online. Michael talks about his amazing collaborators (librettist Kate Gale; leading performers Reuben Uy, Adam Von Almen, and Stephanie Cecile Yavelow; graphic artists Lisa Glenn Armstrong, Yiyi Shao, and Chris Gaal; all under the amazing direction of Kate Jopson) and discusses the challenge of writing new pieces and the even greater challenge of getting the things produced; the ready availability of the means of production; the wonder of naturalistic, or quotidian, performance; the too-casual and not-aware-enough ways we treat each other; and the danger of how our even benign online behavior can have tragic consequences. (Length 19:30)

Episode 606. Composer Michael Roth

Composer and arranger Michael Roth has had a big summer, scoring not only the Shakespeare Center of Los Angeles production of Henry IV starring Tom Hanks, and Pamplona, the one-man play about Ernest Hemingway, starring Stacy Keach, currently having its world premiere production at the Goodman Theatre in Chicago. Michael has worked with such notable theatre artists as directors Robert Falls, Des McAnuff, and Daniel Sullivan, actors Christopher Plummer and Brian Dennehy, and songwriter Randy Newman, and he joins us to talk about with working with all these artists in a variety of media. Featuring the importance of first rehearsals, making sure Shakespeare’s songs are not perfunctory; small worlds; the challenges of writing a musical; and Shakespeare’s weird ability to be early-modern and post-modern at the same time. (Length 22:21)