Flambé Dreams - Production Blog

Meet the Cast - J. Elaine Marcos The talented J. Elaine Marcos...

Tue, 03 Jul 2012 09:36:00 -0400

Meet the Cast - J. Elaine Marcos

The talented J. Elaine Marcos plays Desiree, the prostitute, and DiDi, the Maitre’d fetishist. She was most recently seen playing Cynthia, in Broadway’s Priscilla Queen of the Desert. This fall, she will star in the Broadway revival of Annie as Lily St. Regis.

Meet the Cast - Jillian Louis

Mon, 04 Jun 2012 15:21:31 -0400

1. How many NYMF shows have you been involved in?

This is my fourth— the first was The Piper, in 2007, by Grammy-winner and wonderful soul Marcus Hummon, in which I played a polio-stricken adolescent girl in 1890s Boston, the second was the superfun Popart, by Daryl Fazio and Aaron McAllister, I played an outcast visual art student moving to NYC, and last year was The Kid Who Would Be Pope, by the lovely Jack and Tom Megan, I played a singing, cartwheeling novice nun with whom the protagonist fell in love. I also did a reading of the fantastic Dan Martin, Michael Biello, and Ted Sod’s The Cousins Grimm for NYMF’s reading series. Wow. That’s alot when I write it out like that! I’ve killed people by playing an instrument, dumpster-dived, met the Pope, eaten paint, transformed into a speaking duck, fallen in love with my mother’s boyfriend, referenced Willem de Kooning, sung to a pigeon, and twice played someone’s hallucination of Julie Andrews, all in the NYMF ;o)

2. How did you become involved with Flambe Dreams?

I was working with the wonderful Kristin Maloney when she recommended me to Matthew, who needed a very last-minute replacement for a reading of Flambe, then called The Thing About Joe. In 48 hours, I learned the score, rehearsed once with Randy, Matt, West, and Shelley, managed to acquire bronchitis, and performed the show! I had a wonderful time, fell in love with kooky Gloria, and was thrilled to meet everyone involved. Since then I performed in the production at the Iguana last year, sang “New Jersey” at a few benefits and concerts, sang through some other tunes from the show in their nascent stages with Randy and Matt, and clowned around in a variety of other projects with West and Shelley. Flambe’s been the gift that keeps giving!

3. Tell us about your favorite line from your signature ballad, “Everything You Long For (is in New Jersey).”

My favorite line is “Can you hear her call you? ‘Here am I, your special state!’” modeled after the line from Bali Ha’i in my fav musical South Pacific, which is just utterly ludicrous and therefore right up my alley.

4. Have you ever aspired to be a Pharmacist?

I haven’t aspired to the pharmacy specifically but did dabble in some med courses in college which is perhaps inherently similiar?? I definitely have a thing for articles about medical anomalies, prescription research, and scrubs/ lab coats. And I spend alotta time at the pharmacy? Big fan of post-holiday reduced-price candy.

5. Do you have a favorite flaming desert?

I…*gulp!*… have never actually eaten a flaming dessert!? Does a creme brulee count? Probably not as it doesn’t ignite sur la table but I do love those. Perhaps I’ll get on that for…uh…creative research. I mean I wouldn’t NORMALLY look for a great excuse to order a plateful of fired-up sticky crusted gooey goodness, but I would NEVER want to compromise the validity of my creative relationship to torched sweets. I mean it’s all about the craft with me. I’m a very, very serious artist.

Jillian Louis plays Gloria, your caring, neighborhood Duane Reade Pharmacist. Check out Jillian singing “Everything You Long For (is in New Jersey)” from Flambé Dreams.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o_UW9IWOVb0

Meet the Creative Team - Director West Hyler!

Fri, 25 May 2012 11:53:00 -0400

Hello Flame Lovers!

Welcome to our first installment of “Meet the Flambé Dreams Team.” We’ll be introducing you, one by one, to our talented, star-studded, hard-working cast and creative team.

First up - Director WEST HYLER!

How did you get started with Flambé Dreams? How many productions have you directed? How will this one be different, and what are the challenges?

I first worked on “Flambé Dreams” (née “The Thing About Joe”) when I co-directed a reading of it with my wife Shelley Butler for Ground Up Productions, a NYC based theater company. The reading went incredibly well and the audience was rolling on the floor by the end of it. True laugh-inducing musicals are hard to come by and I immediately grew very affectionate towards the show, and of course towards Matt and Randy.

A year later, I directed a workshop presentation of the show in the upstairs space at the Iguana restaurant on 52nd street. Placing the show in a cabaret setting, with audience drinking and dining within the action of the show, was illuminating, and really taught us what little we need to bring the show to life. We had fantastic audience response and played to a sold-out crowd each performance. The York Theatre Company then invited us to present in their Developmental Reading Series. Again, guts were busted and LOLs were texted like mad.

Those experiences proved that the show works as well on a stage as it does in a cabaret room, and during each presentation Matt and Randy have polished, tightened and improved the script and we’ve learned more about character and rhythm and story and all incredibly grateful to all the audiences whose laughter taught us what to rewrite and what to set in stone.

Going into NYMF I feel confident that the show is in a fantastic shape. The greatest challenge will be simply to not screw it up! It’s really funny. I mean really, really funny. I can say this, because I didn’t write it- I just fell in love with it.

What’s your favorite scene/song from the show, that you’re most looking forward to staging?

My favorite song is “New Jersey,” and nobody does it better than Jillian Louis (who’s worked on every reading and workshop I’ve done), and I love every time I get to hear her sing it. But what I’m most looking forward to staging is “Perfection,” the big Act One Finale. It’s a hysterical production number in which Joe is shaved, pomaded and dressed in a tux all during a high note that the amazing Kevin B. McGlynn sustains for a supernaturally long time. That’s exciting to figure out.

As Associate Director of Jersey Boys, you’ve mounted productions all over the world - which has been your favorite city/country, and why?

Well, you aren’t going to trick me into saying that any city is better than New York City, the capital of the world. Everywhere I go, people talk about and dream about New York City, and we get to live here! But all the places I’ve been fortunate enough to travel with the show have been amazing. Sydney is one of the most beautiful, picturesque cities in the world. Every day is like living in a cinematographer’s vision. Melbourne is a great urban center, with back alleys full of wine bars and cafés and people huddled beneath canopies discussing culture and arts, like San Fran in its heyday. London is of course a metropolis steeped in history, and holding an architectural icon on every corner - not to mention the best place for men’s fashion that exists. About Toronto, I’ve heard it said, it’s like New York, but clean! It has everything one needs, and is very nearly spot.less. And New Zealand…ah New Zealand…well, it’s just indescribably gorgeous.

Does your two-year-old son Dashiell have aspirations to work in theatre like his Mother and Father?
We’re hoping Math and Science for the D-man. :)

On Thursday, May 31st, West is throwing a LAUNCH PARTY for the writers at the Helen Mills Space on 26th street! Featuring a sneak peek at the NYMF production, and celebrating the end of our Kickstarter campaign. Please join us! Free food, drink and mingling with the cast and creative team. Click here for more info.

Click here to learn more about West Hyler and the NYMF production.

Bookwriter/Lyricist/Producer Matthew Hardy goes to Le Cirque...

Thu, 17 May 2012 00:00:00 -0400

Bookwriter/Lyricist/Producer Matthew Hardy goes to Le Cirque restaurant on the Upper East Side of Manhattan to see if owner Sirio Maccioni would be interested in sponsoring Flambé Dreams at NYMF 2012.

West Hyler here, director of “Flambé Dreams” writing...

Wed, 16 May 2012 00:00:00 -0400

The whole team gathers.

Looking at the Blueprint

Mellie has an idea!

West Hyler here, director of “Flambé Dreams” writing my first tumblr blog.

Had a fantastic production meeting today and to make it even sweeter, It was such a nice day we decided to have class outside!

All the designers (Melpomene Katakalos- Set, Micheal Clark- projections, Andrew Keister- sound, Christian DeAngelis- lights, Emily Morgan DeAngelis- costumes) got together with the stage manager (Sarah Tschirpke) and me and we storyboarded through the whole show. Transitions were figured out, special effects were discussed (fire!), and most importantly, comedy happened!

So excited to bring these ideas to life and put them in front of an audience!

We held our required Equity Principal Audition on Thursday, May...

Sat, 05 May 2012 00:00:00 -0400

We held our required Equity Principal Audition on Thursday, May 3rd. It was a combined audition with 4 shows from NYMF - Forever Man, Himself and Nora,Prison Dancer and Flambé Dreams!

Actor’s Equity requires that producers hold an open call for members of Actor’s Equity (the stage actors union) before we can hold any other auditions. ie. Auditions from agent submissions.

It was great to see all the talented actors. Thank you so much for coming out!

We will announce the full cast soon!

We had an informal table read of Flambé Dreams at composer Randy...

Sun, 29 Apr 2012 00:00:00 -0400

We had an informal table read of Flambé Dreams at composer Randy Klein’s Apartment on the Upper West Side in Manhattan. In attendance were two of our returning actors Jillian Louis and Kevin B McGlynn as well as Director West Hyler and Dramaturg Neal Freeman. And of course Randy and I (Matthew Hardy) were there! We took turns filling in for the missing characters and read and sang thru the entire show. It’s feeling pretty good, but our director and dramaturg had a few notes and Randy and I are doing some rewrites to make the show even better!

Flambé Dreams on Kickstarter!

Sat, 28 Apr 2012 00:00:00 -0400

Flambé Dreams on Kickstarter!:

Today I launched our Kickstarter Campaign to raise $10,000 of the $38,000 we need to bring Flambé Dreams to the stage this July. The campaign only goes till May 31st, so check it out and donate soon!

Kickstarter - InSpiral Fire Troupe

Wed, 25 Apr 2012 10:21:39 -0400

Kickstarter - InSpiral Fire Troupe:

As we prepare to launch our Kickstarter campaign. I thought it would bring karma to help support other flame-related projects.

Jillian Louis sang “Everything You Long For” (the...

Wed, 25 Apr 2012 00:00:00 -0400

Jillian Louis sang “Everything You Long For” (the New Jersey song) at the NYMF “Meet the Artists” Salon. It was a lovely evening with performances from several of this years show as well as a performance from Central Avenue Breakdown from NYMF 2011. The food and drink was fantastic… and that view!

Contracts with Actors Equity

Mon, 23 Apr 2012 00:00:00 -0400

Today General manager Liz Ulmer and I (Matthew Hardy) attended a meeting at Actors Equity to go over the particulars of the new NYMF 2012/Actors Equity agreement. They’ve simplified it a lot since last year and have gone back to a showcase code. (Last year was a production code.) Everyone seemed pleased that they have simplified the contract, including Liz and me!

I comped up some T-Shirt design ideas. What do you think? Are...

Sat, 21 Apr 2012 22:08:02 -0400

I comped up some T-Shirt design ideas. What do you think? Are Tuxedo T-shirts too kitschy? Which T-Shirt would you wear? #NYMF

The Flambé Dreams buttons arrived today! Ain’t they purty?...

Sat, 21 Apr 2012 21:58:51 -0400

The Flambé Dreams buttons arrived today! Ain’t they purty? I wore one all day today and only one person commented on it. She said, “What’s that? You sellin’ somethin’?” And I said, “Yes, Ma’am I’m selling the most hilarious musical comedy since Lil’ Abner!” I don’t know why I said Lil’ Abner. Especially considering the fact that I’ve never even seen it. But any show with a character named Jubilation T Cornpone is all right in my book.

Make a donation via our Kickstarter page and get a button!

On April 19th we had our first site visit to the 45th Street...

Thu, 19 Apr 2012 00:00:00 -0400

On April 19th we had our first site visit to the 45th Street Theatre on 354 W 45th street in the heart of the theatre district. It’s a small space but our director West Hyler has some great ideas of how to use it for optimal effect!

The song Everything You Long For (Is In New Jersey) is the big...

Tue, 17 Apr 2012 18:21:47 -0400

The song Everything You Long For (Is In New Jersey) is the big 11 o’clock number from Flambé Dreams. A song so positive that everyone should sing it.

We created this video for you and your enjoyment. Sit back and smile!

Go to NewJerseyTheSong.com and VOTE for Everything You Long For (Is In New Jersey) to be the state song of the glorious garden state. Please share this link with everyone on the planet and in the universe!

Randy Klein Has Been Awarded the Anna Sosenko Assist Trust Grant!

Sat, 14 Apr 2012 14:48:58 -0400

The Anna Sosenko Assist Trust has awarded composer and pianist, Randy Klein for his work on the music for Flambé Dreams. Flambé Dreams, with book and lyrics by Matthew Hardy will be presented this July as one of the Next Link shows in the New York Musical Theatre Festival. The financial award will be used as part of the funding toward the NYMF production.

Self producing a show in the New York Musical Theater Festival is a mammoth undertaking that requires many people giving of their time and talent. Please help us bring Flambé Dreams to life by making a generous donation. Our goal is lofty, near $30,000. Really every dollar counts. Please donate and thank you.

Thanks,
Randy

Re-writing...

Fri, 13 Apr 2012 16:13:00 -0400

Matt Hardy and Randy Klein re-writing sections of Flambé Dreams. What??? We’ve been working on the show for 7 years or so and in that time we have put about 20 songs in the trunk. We are preparing for the New York Musical Theatre Festival in July 2012. Stay tuned!

On April 1, 2012, four of the creatives from Flambé Dreams The...

Mon, 09 Apr 2012 17:36:47 -0400

On April 1, 2012, four of the creatives from Flambé Dreams The Musical convened at an Upper West Side studio apartment for the first of what will be many production meetings in preparation for the July 2012 production at the New York Musical Theater Festival. In attendance were Matthew Hardy (Book Writer and Lyricist), Randy Klein (Composer), Liz Ulmer (General Manager and Line Producer) and West Hyler (Director) who joined us via Skype from New Zealand where he’s mounting yet another production of Jersey Boys.

Randy Klein, the Composer of Flambé Dreams

Mon, 02 Apr 2012 22:58:00 -0400

Hi! I am Randy Klein, the composer of Flambé Dreams.

Flambé Dreams is a show that is funny, endearing, wacky, and a bit off! Matt Hardy and I have written and re-written songs for the show for over 7 years. My aim is to have the audience go out of the theatre singing the songs from the show with a smile on their face. Our journey continues into the New York Music Theatre Festival which we hope will open up more doors to productions and happy audiences. Stay tuned!

Today is the deadline to upload our logos and show blurbs to the...

Fri, 30 Mar 2012 14:06:00 -0400

Today is the deadline to upload our logos and show blurbs to the NYMF website. NYMF is requiring that all the shows have a perfectly square logo this year to make it easier for them to put their program and other materials together. Although we love our rectangular guy-in-the-black-suit logo, I decided to make a special square NYMF logo for all of their publications. The hardest part was deciding if the waiter should be left or right handed. Which do you prefer?