May 31, 2003

Wow! Again, a long hiatus between updates!

Well, as you may or may not know, URBAN COWBOY opened on Broadway at the Broadhurst Theater on March 27 and closed on May 17. It was an amazing experience, start to finish. The creative team, the producers, the cast, the crew, and the band poured endless amounts of love and talent and energy into this production. Even though it was not critically acclaimed and did not find its audience in New York, I feel comfortable speaking for everyone involved when I say it was an incredibly joyful ride.

For me, it was a thrill to pop into the theater and hear my songs being sung so wonderfully by Matt Cavenaugh, Sally Mayes, and Jenn Colella. By the time the show opened, three of my songs were included in the show. "Leavin' Home" was a little cowboy ballad that Matt sang at the top of the show sitting on the lip of the stage. Sally brought down the house every night with "All Because of You" aka "The Hair Song." And Jenn charmed the audience with her perfect rendition of "Another Guy."

It was interesting that both of the songs I had written for Florida did not make it to Broadway. One, "I'm Gonna Like It Here," was cut in previews. While Florida audiences really enjoyed watching Matt cavort in bed with two knockout sisters, the number was not winning over any New Yorkers. And "All Because of You" replaced an earlier song for Sally, "Corene's Commandments." It was great fun writing for these actors, and they were all so game to try out new material. I'm a lucky guy.

Speaking of lucky, the songwriters of URBAN COWBOY were granted a Tony Award nomination for our work on the show. What a thrill! It's been great fun attending the Tony festivities. And come award night, we will have the luxury of being very relaxed in our seats enjoying the show, know what I mean? :-) Gotta love HAIRSPRAY.

Something else I worked on this spring was a symposium for musical directors, CONDUCTING YOURSELF. Ted Sperling and I put together a series of four panel discussions which took place at the Manhattan Theatre Club rehearsal space. It was a wonderful opportunity for me to learn about the ins and outs of musical direction, something I had been taking granted for years. I am so grateful to those who gave their time as panelists.

As for what's next, I'm still circling a couple of projects, waiting for rights and/or collaborators, but I hope to be announcing something soon. In the meantime, I'm gearing up for a European cruise with Lonny mid-June. (!!)

Thanks for visiting! Have a great summer-

XOXO

Jeff