Live Your Life in Service of the Art
Has anyone – everyone? – read “The Creative Act: A Way of Being,” by Rick Rubin? I’ve read it twice now. For me, it was, and continues to be, the right book at the right time. From time to time, I pick it up and open to a random page. I did that this morning. Things I read:
Sheldon Harnick and Regretting Almost Everything
People often wonder whether there are particular musical theatre writers who have influenced my work. For me, the lyricist who has most influenced my work is Sheldon Harnick.
Coolest Thing Ever?
You know what would be the coolest thing ever? The Regretting Almost Everything (Concept Album) getting nominated for Best Musical Theatre Album of the Year.
The Lens of Motherhood
One reason we go to the theatre is to be validated; to see something happen on stage that makes us feel like shouting “Yes! That’s it! That is how it felt. I’m not crazy. I’m not alone.”
You don’t need to say much
When we first did Regretting Almost Everything at Mr. Finn’s Cabaret at Barrington Stage in August of 2017, there was no libretto, and it fell on me to act as host and narrator.
Just a Couple of Stools
The first iteration of Regretting Almost Everything was performed at Mr. Finn’s Cabaret at Barrington Stage in August of 2017. Two stools, no props, four on-stage musicians.
Anymore - Lyric
Regretting is a two-person musical about a husband and wife who the audience should root for equally. There is no villain. Anne and Clay must be equally sympathetic.
The Pitch Deck
The time has come to pitch producers. With our publicist’s help, we’ve created a pitch deck. What’s in it?
What is Lauren thinking?
How Do You Measure a Marriage? - Lyric
One of the last songs we wrote for Regretting is the penultimate song in the show:
How Do You Measure a Marriage?
The Baby Likes Me Best - Lyric
My daughter, who lives in Chicago, gave birth to a baby girl on my birthday, January 23rd — the year of my birthday is none of your business — in 2016, my first year at NYU. Her name is Elle.
It’s Normal - Lyric
Before I wrote the lyrics for “It’s Normal,” I met with an acquaintance who’s a marital counselor and sex therapist.
The Song Danny Refuses to Set
In the libretto for the musical — as distinguished from the album — Blind Date is the first song and Do It All Again is the last song. We made Blind Date a bonus track on the album because we thought it would be confusing to open with it on the album.
Jeff Blumenkrantz
Jeff Blumenkrantz. Forget “triple threat.” He’s the ultimate threat: Singer, Actor, Dancer (?), Comedian, Composer, Lyricist, Musician, and virtuosic in all areas. And so goddamn smart!
Yes, there’s a libretto!
Yesterday, Danny and I sat quietly in a corner while Beth and Jeff talked with Seth Rudetsky about the album. Afterwards, Beth and Jeff asked us if there was a libretto.
She was just driving along...
The album launched on Tuesday, March 14th. Yesterday, Friday, March 17th, my friend Mimi called me in the middle of the day to tell me she’d been streaming Spotify, listening to a Broadway playlist, and suddenly, she realized she was listening to one of our songs!