Celebrating the Broadway musical

Want to take in a Broadway musical? Here are some of the upcoming productions in our area:

These books on musicals would make great holiday gifts for theater lovers:

The Broadway musical, one of America’s most beloved institutions, was in the spotlight the first week in December when two theater professionals came to town to inform and enlighten local audiences.

Adam Pascal, a renowned Broadway rock musical performer, spent two days at Wright State University as part of the school’s Musical Theatre Initiative. This year’s program, called “Musicals Rock!” is immersing students and audiences in the world of Broadway pop and rock musicals. In addition to a full day of workshops with students on Tuesday, Dec. 1, the Broadway star of “Rent” and “Aida” was the featured attraction in a sold-out concert in the Festival Playhouse on Dec. 2.

The same week, New York author Eddie Shapiro entertained audiences at the Boonshoft Center for Jewish Culture and Education as part of the Jewish Community Center’s Cultural Arts & Book Fest. Shapiro, who grew up going to theater in New York City and has attended more than 1200 Broadway performances, interviewed more than 20 leading ladies for his book, “Nothing Like a Dame: Conversations with the Great Women of Musical Theater.” At his talk and book-signing, he shared behind-the-scenes tidbits about stars ranging from Carol Channing and Patti Lapone to Audra McDonald and Kristin Chenoweth.

Musical theater: A treasured American institution

Joe Deer, who heads the musical theater department at WSU and has written books on both acting and directing musical theater, was responsible for the dazzling production of “Chicago” which played to sold-out crowds in October and November.

“Musicals are the most popular non-realistic theater form in the world for good reason,” Deer believes. “They take us to a place that is more than lifelike. It is a beautifully heightened reality that sings, dances and expresses our human experience in a more potent theatrical fashion than any other form I know.”

Deer said musical theater lives in a land of pure and deep emotion — joy, rage, celebration, love, despair — all of these profoundly human experiences. “There’s no single special quality that leads to success in the musical theater,” he adds. “But there are a lot of essential qualities: commitment, discipline, professionalism, technical ability, a passion for the art form, curiosity.”

Meet Adam Pascal

Deer said the opportunity for his musical theater students to interact with Pascal was incredible.

“His workshop, which focused on auditioning for musicals, was so practical and straightforward,” Deer said. “He really has no formal training in acting, but has been incredibly successful on the Broadway stage for two decades. So his advice was right from the hip. He focused on just a handful of simple ideas.”

Pascal, who said he loves the connection with a live audience and the sense of completion it provides, advised students to eliminate any distracting physical behavior which might detract from a song, to focus on their diction and articulation of the words, and to find a personal connection to each song they sing.

“I always love having guest artists like Adam Pascal because we get to learn from people who really understand show business,” said senior musical theater major Cassi Mikat who is from Brighton, Michigan and said Pascal is doing exactly what she hopes to do someday. “They have found success in a very competitive business and it’s great to learn about what worked for them and what didn’t. It’s really cool to meet someone in person who you have been listening to on your favorite Broadway cast recordings for a long time.

In a two-hour afternoon session, Deer interviewed Pascal about his Broadway and film career. “Adam is also a devoted father and husband and I think it was important for our students to hear him talk about the struggle of building a career as an actor, and also being a stable support for his family,” said Deer. “I don’t think that’s been easy for him. Although he often has very high-profile jobs, he is still a working actor and that means there are extended periods without work, or with a great deal of uncertainty. “

Brandon Kinley, a junior from Xenia who writes and plays music, said he found it especially inspiring to learn that Pascal also began his theatrical career as a musician.

Pascal’s advice to students

Pascal said that the biggest, most important piece of advice he always gives students is to find something else in their life outside of their profession. “Because especially in this profession, 95 percent of the time you’re going to be told ‘No,’ and you’re not going to get the job. If your happiness is derived from whether or not you get that job, then you’ll spend the majority of your life unhappy.”

To illustrate the point, Pascal is the co-owner of Cybele’s Free-To-Eat. an allergen/gluten free packaged foods company started by his wife, cookbook author Cybele Pascal. Their cookies can be found in thousands of supermarkets across the country.

In his evening concert, Pascal showed off his skills as a guitarist and pop vocalist. In addition to singing a number of songs from his Broadway hits —“One Song Glory” from “Rent;” “Maybe This Time” from “Cabaret and “Memory” from “Cats” — he reinterpreted the Broadway tunes with his own pop/rock twist. For the encore, Pascal invited the senior musical theater and acting majors to join him for sing “Seasons of Love,” the anthem from “Rent.”

While in town, Pascal also did a workshop for Muse Machine, the student organization known for great productions of classic musicals. The group will present “Mary Poppins” at the Victoria Theater on Jan. 14-17. “Adam is the father of 11- and 14-year-old boys, so he was able to connect with students at that age very easily,” Deer said.

Deer said students gain a lot from coming into personal contact with exceptionally high-level artists. “There’s nothing like being in the same room with a person who’s truly an internationally acclaimed master of the art the students are learning to do themselves — seeing how they work, how they coach students, and how they perform in front of an audience. “

Tyler Simms, a senior from Maumee, said it’s nice to have people who have figured out the business share their personal stories of success and defeat and how they’ve navigated through it all.

Pascal, who is featured in an upcoming Broadway musical entitled “Disaster” which will open in February and is a spoof on disaster movies from the ’70s, said he has been conducting —and enjoying —master classes for the past couple of years.

“A lot of kids, especially in school settings, are isolated and don’t get the type of information that comes from the real world setting,” said Pascal. “In a certain respect they’re coddled and need to understand what they’re getting into. I try to give them that real world information.”

Some people have thicker skins than others, said Pascal, who auditioned more than 10 times for “Phantom of the Opera” but was never cast. He tells students that they’ll be successful if they take control of the things they can actually control. “There are so many factors as to why you do or do not get cast, but you have control over whether or not you give a good audition.” he said., “so you can feel confident if you do the best you can do.”

Pascal, who grew up around the corner from Idina Menzel and got his big break at the age of 25 when she suggested he audition for “Rent,” said working with talented young students always reinvigorates him.

Meet Eddie Shapiro

Menzel also figures prominently in Shapiro’s book on leading ladies. She’s one of those interviewed who shares insights into the life of a musical comedy star.

“Everybody likes to feel they’ve got the insider view, and he revealed aspects of the actresses lives that you wouldn’t ordinarily hear about,” said Connie Blum of Harrison Twp. who attended Shapiro’s lively talk. “I enjoyed his approach and the fact that he was trying to learn about these stars as people, not just as actors. It wasn’t your average gossip sheet.”

Shapiro said that at heart he is just a giddy fan.

Among the insights he shared: Angela Lansbury insisted on serving him tea and was the only star he interviewed who called to thank him afterward. Carol Channing was delightful and Bebe Neuwirth chose each of her words with absolute precision. Although Patti Lapone refused to be interviewed six times before agreeing, she but wasn’t at all standoffish when they finally met.

It was Carol Channing, at 91, who gave Shapiro the most important gift of all when they spent the day together at Disney World. “She and her husband get every ounce of juice they can out of life,” he said. “They inspired me to live life to the fullest.”

In a question-and-answer period, Shapiro, whose favorite musical is “Chorus Line” which dates back to 1975, was asked why there are so many revivals on Broadway.

“Nobody goes to the opera house and says ‘Oh, gosh, Rigoletto again,” he said. “And they don’t go to the ballet and say: ‘Oh no, ‘Swan Lake’ again. There will always be a place for the classics.”