September 19, 2006

Oh my goodness... where do I begin? My spring and summer were filled with lots of events...

To name a few:

• The WAA-MU Jubilee Show - This year marked the 75th Anniversary of the WAA-MU Show, a splashy, student-written musical revue at Northwestern University. (I wrote songs for all four WAA-MU shows during my time at Northwestern, and it had a major impact on my identity as a songwriter.) For the 75th Jubilee this year, they pulled out all the stops and threw a big gala in April, with lots of alumni in attendance. The first act of the show was made up of songs from years gone by (including one of mine, "Someday"), and the second act was written by the current students. It was great to be "back in the old routine," see lots of old friends, and make some new ones.

• RIPFest #8 - this was my first time participating in a Raw Impressions event as an actor. It was really fun! The short musical film in which I appeared was called Eleven, and I got to work with a bunch of fun, talented people, including two old friends: the brilliant actor, John Bolton (we did How to Succeed... and Damn Yankees together) and the brilliant composer, Brad Alexander (buddy from BMI).

• The Duplex - I gave a Jeff Blumenkrantz Songbook concert at the Duplex in May, joined onstage by my friends Jenn Collella, David Perlman, and Alysha Umphress. It's always fun to share the stage with my amazing friends.

• Jamie DeRoy and Friends - Jamie, the great doyenne of the cabaret scene, was kind enough to invite me to play in one of her evenings at the Metropolitan Room. (And Patricia Elliott bought my songbook that night!!)

• Will & Grace - Don't hate me. Not only did I get to attend the taping of the last episode of Will & Grace, but I also got to go to the wrap party. I would like to say, for the record, that the cast and creators of this show are all freakishly talented and wonderful people, and the show will be missed!

• The NEO 2 Concert - I got to hear my song "Moving Right Along" sung by Avenue Q cuties John Tartaglia and Barrett Foa! They were great!
  

• The BMI Showcase - I sang "Toll" as part of a smorgasbord presentation of songs from the BMI Workshop. I felt very proud to be affiliated with that program and my fellow writers.

• SpringboardNYC - This is a two-week program offered every June for recent college grads, organized by the American Theatre Wing. This was my second year leading a couple of musical theatre audition workshops for them, which I love doing.

• The Podcast - This June, I uploaded the final episode of my songbook podcast. I'm so glad I pursued my little germ of an idea. I got to work with such incredible singers and hear my songs sung so beautifully. And I'm so grateful to all the people who wrote to tell me how much they appreciated it. I'm thinking about doing the occasional special episode.... Check back, and don't cancel your podcast subscription just yet. Also, if you're interested in purchasing the sheet music for any of the songs from the bonus episodes, be sure to join my mailing list, so you will know when they become available.
  

• The Light in the Piazza - I have to mention that I got to attend the Live from Lincoln Center taping of the show. How does she do it, I ask you? How can Vicki be so brilliant every time, and yet it's always fresh and real and different and new? I'm so relieved that her performance  - and the beautiful show - were captured on video. I'll be pulling it out whenever I need a good cry.

• Having It Almost - While I didn't have a show of my own in the NYMFestival this year, I did have a couple of songs in someone else's show! My friend, Wendy Perlman, started creating a musical years ago, the score of which was to be made up of pre-existing songs by various people, one of them me. Well, lyricist/bookwriter David Goldsmith and composer John Kavanaugh joined the project, and wonderful writers that they are, they created an original score for the show, replacing all of the pre-existing songs except for two of mine, "I Won't Mind" and "My Book." It was a real treat to hear those songs in the context of the show and sung by the wonderful Stefanie Morse and Liz Larsen! (For those of you who didn't get to see the show, Liz sang "My Book" as an email she was composing to her friends on her laptop. Kooky, but it worked!)

• The State Farm Industrial - The sweetest gig around. Wonderful cast, crew, creators, client, audience.... Alice Ripley is starring and Jason Robert Brown has written the score and is appearing in the show. Need I say more? I've been working on the show (as an actor) for the better part of the summer, and I'm having a blast. We're in Vegas now! Wheeeeee!

Coming up?

• New Projects - I'm bursting to tell you about a couple of projects I might be working on, but I shouldn't spill the beans until they're official. I will definitely make announcements to those my mailing list, so if you haven't signed up yet, do it now.

• Oh my goodness, where does the time go? It's my 20 year college reunion this October! Classmate Karen Schiff and I are throwing a party for our fellow Northwestern University Theatre Majors from the Class of '86! I can't wait! If you're a classmate and you didn't get the Evite, let me know!
  

• Birdland - I've got a concert coming up on November 20th!! It's another Jeff Blumenkrantz Songbook concert at Birdland, with special guests Victoria Clark, Liz Callaway, and Alysha Umphress (and maybe more)! I can't wait to be onstage with those girls, hearing them sing my songs!! I'm thinking about bringing out some material I don't usually do, just to mix it up a little. (!) Get your tickets online!
  

Well, that's all for now. Thanks for checking in!!

XOXO

Jeff