Hello from Doug Peck, the musical director and co-orchestrator of Days Like Today. It’s a very exciting time at Writers Theatre! It’s been a great pleasure for me to work alongside my friend Alan Schmuckler as he creates this world premiere musical with Laura Eason and the entire cast and creative team. I’ve known Alan since he was eighteen and to watch him blossom into such a brilliant composer is a great thrill. More than that, it’s an incredible honor orchestrating his music with him. Accompanying our cast of seven, we have an orchestra of five, led by the wonderful Austin Cook on piano. We have Carmen Kassinger on violin and viola, Mark Lekas on cello, Patrick Rehker on clarinet, bass clarinet, flute, and alto flute, and Jeff Jacobs on guitar, mandolin, and banjo.
My favorite moment of the process came just a few weeks ago. After watching the first week of previews, Alan was unhappy with the second song in the show. It was a gorgeous song that Emily Berman sang marvelously, but Alan knew in his gut that it wasn’t setting up her character and the evening in the right way. So, Alan went home and wrote a new song, “Dancing.” It’s probably my favorite song in the show now. During the performance, I orchestrated the song and the musicians sight-read the song with Emily after the show. The next night, it was in and now we can’t imagine the song without it. The entire evening felt like we were in an old Hollywood tale about making a new musical!
Much of the work I have done has been re-orchestration of classic musicals intended for much larger ensembles in much larger theaters. I’m usually “collaborating” with a composer who is either dead or not present for our process. Working with Alan, who is very much alive and was a vibrant force in our rehearsals from start to finish, has been extremely gratifying, and I will carry that with me in future projects.
Come see Days Like Today — Alan’s score is absolutely gorgeous, a meld of his theatre and pop influences and his own unique voice!
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