The Musicals of Jason Robert Brown

 Spotlighting the shows of Jason Robert Brown 

this Sunday...

1.) Born in Ossining, New York in 1970.

2.) Studied at The Eastman School of Music for 2 years.

3.) First off Broadway project, Songs For A New World.

A flop, but it was directed by Daisy Prince,

daughter of Hal. :)

In VERY non-chronological order,

we'll hear from some of his shows...

like (above and below) Honeymoon In Vegas,

which starred Tony Danza, Rob McClure and Brynn O'Malley.

It opened in 2015,

with decent reviews from the critics,

but the audience stayed away in droves. 

Digging the Elvis impersonators and Hawaiian motifs, myself. 

 Jason's first Broadway production was 

Parade, done in 1998...Winner of a Best Score Tony.

Based on the true story of the trial of Leo Frank,

a Jewish factory manager in Georgia.

The concept was first suggested to Stephen Sondheim,

but he chose not to...

Jason jumped at the chance.

Below, "Factory Girls" with 

Brooke Sunny Moriber, Emily Klein, Abbi Hutcherson,

and Brent Carver as Leo.

 The Bridges of Madison County,

adapted for the stage by Marsha Norman,

(and based on the best-selling novel by 

Robert James Waller)

was produced in 2014...and lasted only 3 months,

but again the score was praised (and Tony winning!).

Above Steven Pasquale and Elena Shaddow,
as our main characters Robert Kincaid and Francesca,

and below the set as used in a 2015 production by 

the Atlantis Theatre Group of New York.

 The Last Five Years,

a two-person musical done off Broadway in 2002.

Jason was supposedly "inspired" by the break up

of his first marriage.

So we can "thank" that divorce for some great music...

It starred Sherie Rene Scott and Norbert Leo Butz,

who we'll hear sing "Part Of That"

and "Shiksa Goddess".

 

 

 Jason also helped in the creation of the recent 

Hal Prince tribute on Broadway

(The Prince Of Broadway, 2015).

Brown has said that if it had not been for Stephen Sondheim's

Sweeney Todd and Sunday in the Park with George 

(his 2 biggest influences),

he would have joined a rock band and become Billy Joel.