My Joy Is Heavy

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I am absolutely honored and thrilled to be performing in The Bengsons’ new show, My Joy Is Heavy, at New York Theatre Workshop this season! I first worked with Shaun and Abigail Bengson on their show Hundred Days at La Jolla Playhouse, the Straz, and the Adrienne Arsht Center in 2018/19, and I had no hesitation saying yes to joining them for My Joy Is Heavy when we first workshopped it in Washington, DC two summers ago at Arena Stage.

Here is the show blurb from the NYTW website:

A transcendent musical memoir

This captivating musical memoir by Obie-winning duo & NYTW Usual Suspects The Bengsons (Hundred Days, The Keep Going Songs) is a deeply personal portrait of the unexpected joys and humor that are forged in the wake of loss.

Tony Award winner and NYTW Usual Suspect Rachel Chavkin (Hadestown; Natasha, Pierre & The Great Comet of 1812) directs with choreography by Princess Grace Award winner & NYTW Usual Suspect Steph Paul (How to Defend Yourself) and music supervision by Obie Award winner Or Matias (Grey House).

We had a one-week orchestration workshop in January followed by two weeks of rehearsals and a week of tech. It’s hard to believe our first preview is this Wednesday! For this show, I am playing acoustic drum set, SPD, singing, dancing, acting, and running Ableton! We are also the first theatre production in NYC to use KLANG Immersive In-Ear Mixing Processors, thanks to our absolutely brilliant sound designer, Nick Kourtides.

Here is the view of my station during rehearsals:

MD Matt Deitchman and Music Supervisor Or Matias looming in the background

It was so exciting to move into the theater last week for tech. The set is absolutely amazing! I can’t give away any info about it at this time so you’ll just have to come to the show to see it as well as our amazing costumes. I expect this run to sell well and quickly so if you are interested in coming, grab those tickets now!

Workshop Season

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It’s officially summertime, which means workshop season is upon us! Earlier this month, I worked on a new musical adaptation of the play/film Prelude to a Kiss, which will receive its premiere at South Coast Repertory in Costa Mesa in spring 2024. I was brought on to the project by Wiley DeWeese who was the music director of The Lightning Thief. Along with guitarist Mike Rosengarten, we worked closely with composer Dan Messé to bring his vision to life. Here are some setup shots of the drums in the beautiful Baryshnikov Arts Center, as well as a view from the rehearsal room during the surreal smoke situation from the Canadian wildfires.:

Next up was a workshop in Washington, DC of My Joy Is Heavy, a new show by Shaun and Abigail Bengson, commissioned by Arena Stage. The Bengsons are some of the most talented people I’ve ever met, so I will gladly do anything they ask of me! It was also a dream come to work with Tony Award-winning director Rachel Chavkin, who I found out is a fellow Marylander! Speaking of Maryland, I was able to meet up with a few percussion friends as well as my two eldest nephews while I was in town. It was a treat! Apparently I did not take any pictures of my setup (drum set + SPD), but here is a photo of the program that was handed out during our two presentations:

Now I’m off for a week of work at Berklee Powerstation with my friend Julianne Merrill, followed by a much needed trip to the Hamptons for July 4. Until next time!