If you haven’t seen Jeff Blumenkrantz on Broadway, maybe you’ve caught him on the TV show 30 Rock.
Or maybe you’ve heard Audra McDonald or Sutton Foster singing one of his songs. The actor, composer and singer has even appeared in a few commercials.
Blumenkrantz will join WMU’s senior musical theater class for four performances, Thursday December 4 through Saturday December 6. He spoke with WMUK about what it takes to make good musical theater.
On cabaret
Where the line is between cabaret and musical theater and concertizing is very mushy, and I don’t subscribe to any strict definition of one versus the other. But when I go to a cabaret show, or a show in a cabaret…I guess that’s really what distinguishes the form, is that you’re sitting in a place, usually, with tables and there’s food and drink being served and it’s slightly, slightly less formal than a strict theater set-up.
On why the show at Western will definitely be funny
I have to say that’s sort of, dare I say a trademark of my writing, is that you know, even if I’m writing a ballad, an ostensibly serious ballad, I include as much humor as possible.
Blumenkrantz says a remark from a relative inspired him to write the song “It’ll Work for You.” In it, a mother has just learned that her son is gay. Her response could be called creative.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=27KGLQYpchw
Blumenkrantz says it’s been a privilege to work with music and theater students at several colleges and universities, including Western, this year.
“It’s so fun to be around all of that passion and commitment because you know, at my age, those are the things that can start to wane,” he says.
On what he teaches students about musical theater
I believe in musical theater it’s much less interesting how well you’re singing, than it is how well you’re story-telling. And a lot of people, I mean even people, my colleagues, you know, professionals here in New York, are very focused on the sounds they make, like how beautiful their voice is. And I maintain it does not matter. It doesn’t matter! If you are, like, really present, you’re telling this story amazingly well, you can be cracking, you can be like switching registers, you can be making terrible sounds and they will not care. They will be hanging on your every word.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bu4sPj_52S0
