A WONDERFUL WORLD long story: On Wednesday, August 28, 2018 we were in the middle of chaos. I was pouring over hundreds of pages of research, cutting scenes, re-pitching concepts, revising characters, and shutting up the voices of doubt in my head. I was in the middle of writing "Confessions of a Cocaine Cowboy." It was programmed into Miami New Drama's 2018-2019 season. I hadn't written a page of it yet and I was supposed to kick off the process with new scenes before my co-writer Billy Corben chimed in. "The Good Fight" was going to start again soon. Deadlines were breathing down my neck. Tick-tock motherfucker! My writing process is a flow chart of doubt, tick-tock, self-flagellation, 'fuck it I'm diving it,' wow this is awful, okay maybe I can make it less awful, TICK-TOCK!'
Miami New Drama AD Michel Hausmann implored me to have lunch with Chris Renshaw?
Me: Is Chris Renshaw a drug kingpin or a cocaine cowboy b/c right now that's all I care about.
Michel: he's a fantastic British director who lives near the theatre. He wants to talk to you about Louis Armstrong.
Me:....
Michel: for a project.
Me: ummm....ok. Now?
Michel: it'll be real quick. Quick lunch.
Me *suppressing urge to screams*: ahaha...sounds fun.
We met a block away from the theatre. It was a charming and fun lunch. I was convinced that Chris was a very nice, very smart director trying to get me to write something that was never going to get produced. I smiled, joked, pitch a few soft ideas, looked at my watch (TICK-TOCK!!!), and then went back to bashing my head against the keyboard. But I meet up with Chris and Andrew Delaplaine at Smith and Wollenksy's during a lunch break. We talk structure. I'm assured this can happen.' I still doubt it.
Six months later it's 2019 and we're in the middle of preproduction workshop for "Cocaine Cowboys" and my preproduction for my episode of "The Good Fight." Chris reached out again about 'the project that will never happen.'
A few months later "Cocaine Cowboys" is in the middle of its run. I meet up with Chris and Andrew Delaplaine at the Hotel Gaythering. They really REALLY want to do a musical about Louis Armstrong and they got a slot...for next season. I haven't written a page of this massive musical. There is no music director, no choreographer, no designers. It's madness. Michel likes the idea. I suppress the urge to scream. I lock myself in the hotel room for a week and write a scene-by-scene outline. Backward. I begin from the end of the book and move always to the first moment. It's how I do things... 'ass backward and with my hair on fire.' Chris joins me in the 'backward process' and we throw songs into scenes, switch them around, pitch jokes to get the tone, bring up inspirational poems. I catch him looking at me across the table like 'ohh.. you ARE crazy.' Of course! You think a sane person is going to try to do this?' We meet with Tom and Renee Rodgers at a country club. They're the producers. We pitch ideas over lunch while staring out at acres of lush green hills.
The first draft is a big bowl of noodles. It's a mess. There's something delicious in here. You start throwing noodles out of the bowl. Digging for the clumps and meatballs. Chris travels up to NYC just to meet Michael at the "Showtime at the Apollo." Michael is the band leader. I tagged along. We talked afterward and then the amazing Annastasia Victory joins us. Slowly, bit by bit things begin to happen. "Evil" gets picked up to series and I go to South Carolina to do research so I can write the historical drama "Mitchelville" for Lean Ensemble.
Summer of 2019: AWW Workshop. I'm in the middle of working on "Evil," working on a museum project that never happened, and writing another musical for another producer." Leif flies in from Canada and agrees to help. He's in the musical workshop room while I'm in the tv writers' room. He writes questions and comments for me to answer in a shared google doc. I reply in the doc and then join the AWW after work and over the weekends. The actors are amazing. Anastasia and Michael are magical. Designers Adam and Steve have a stunning concept. Rickey Tripp joins the team as an unbelievable choreographer.
January 2020: sitting down with Chris. We go over the entire book again. More noodles are outside the bowl than in it. Giant piles of sticky clumps. We finished. I wrote "Mitchelville" in the two week gap between tv seasons and the start of AWW rehearsals.
March 2020: I'm flying down to Miami again for a second week of previews. When the plane lands, Michel texts me that the show is shutting down because of covid. But things should be back to normal in 3 months or 6 months...maybe late fall...maybe next winter...maybe next spring 2021...no, summer 2021 theatre will be back.'
Summer 2021: no, we are definitely coming back. Sure...heard that before. Creative team meets on zoom. Rewatch the show. Massive rewrites and re-orchestrations happen via zoom chats and Facetime meetings.
Fall 2021: we are actually back. The show that was 'never going to be produced' and got postponed for 20 months is back. Somehow. Miraculous.
January 2022: we close to sold out crowds and standing ovations. And...negative covid tests!! This has been the most delirious, circuitous, riotous, glorious process.
Maybe we'll be more sensible next time. Less 'fly the seat of your pants' and more cerebral, prosaic. Less South Beach and more Geneva Switzerland.
Joking!!
Thank you!! Love you! Can't stop thinking about these collaborators. It's been nothing but love, light, dance, and music!
Directed by Christopher Renshaw
Music Arrangements, Additional Compositions, Orchestrations by Annastasia Victory Music & Michael O Mitchell
Choreographed by Rickey Tripp
Scenic: @instadamkoch
Costumes: @arifultondesigns
Lighting: Cory Pattak
Sound: Kai Harada
Projection Design: @s_royal_t
SM: @ruthekny
Ass Dir: @adventureswithalej
Ass Dir: @j2wow
Ass Choreo: @aureliamichael
Ass MD: @geeniuskeys
Cast: @jusonwilliams @csajous @_maggiebanks_ @nicolehenrymusic darlenehopenyc @gavingregorysoul @danielbarrettofficial @kareemakhouri @iamlindseycorey @jasoneugene @smelllikecash @khadijahamanee @velocityboy82 @kevinrtate @doriwaymer @imranhylton @saccattack @benjaminsandomir @thealyshamorgan @paullouisonline Stephen Anthony @imranhylton @neshrosesmith @saccattack @benjaminsandomir
Producers: Miami New Drama, Tom and Renee Rodgers, Andrew Delaplaine.
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