A Time We Would Never Forget

Near the end of The Road to Qatar! Michael says, "this was a time we would never forget" He is referring to the incredible and zany experience the audience has just gone through with the characters, the making of Aspire, the first American musical to premiere in the Middle East. But every night as I hear him say the line, which is really from my pen and my lips and my heart, it touches me with its truth. And now that The Road to Qatar! is approaching its closing day at the York Theatre Company in NYC, I say it again...This was a time we would never forget. The chapters of your life, when you are writing, musicals, open and close and open and close. You write the show, the do the readings, the workshops and finally get them on the stage (if you are not only very lucky but very industrious and smart) and then you become close to a new family...director, choreographer, designers, actors, musicians. You all bond and form a unit that is your show. But I never forget that it all became with an idea in my head that I then translated into English and put to a collaborator and then our idea grew into something with pages, and words and notes. Sometimes I sit in that theatre and marvel that nothing would be there without the idea. Everyone would be doing something else or nothing at all. Of course in this case, fate lent a great hand. From "we want you write musical, how much" to closing night of the musical about writing THAT musical is now 6 years. It's quite a chapter. And don't think I not going to write this book! Oh yes, The Road to the Road to the Road to Qatar! will be written and will tell all. But back to the feelings, the emotions. It's been a wonderful rollercoaster ride...like any show, incredible highs and many dips and lots of learning how strong I am. You have to be very strong and resiliant to do this kind of work and I am. Show biz ain't for sissies. But I am a strong and lucky man. Not everything can go the way you want it to. But in this case I wrote the show I wanted to and got to see it the way I intended. Everyone on the creative team was on the same page. The cast is stellar, Stellar I tell you...Stellaaaaaaaa! (Sorry Brando just invaded my body...the muscular Brando, not the fat Brando) and this is the show we intended. A musical COMEDY romp. silly, funny, crazy, satirical...a living breathing Sid Caesar sketch with great tunes. In this age of Spiderman and Next to Normal we might be an anachronism...an off Broadway musical that wants to tell a story and entertain...but I think not. I think when we get those butts in the seats, they love us. Getting them in the seats was a challange, but as we near the last performance we have an overflowing Matinee and two very healthy houses. Next week we go into the recording studio and preserve the musical part of the show. We will toss in some of the comedy too but for that you will just have to wait and see the show again. Believe me you wil see it. I am one very very proud author. How many times can you say, I did what I set out to do? Yes, this is a time I will never forget.