Enjoy this interview with between Playhouse Artistic Director Mark Shanahan and Drew Wutke. Drew is the music director of Broadway Scores at the Playhouse: From Broadway to Hollywood, which was conceived by both he and Mark.
MARK SHANAHAN: Drew, you’re leading us on a journey from Broadway to the Hollywood musicals we love with this concert. What do you love most about the way Broadway musicals transform when they hit the silver screen?
DREW WUTKE: I often think of myself as a tour guide when it comes to sharing my love of musicals- and I admit when it comes to Hollywood intersecting with what I love most, well… a gal’s gotta love seeing the huge costume and orchestra budgets given to those unbelievable, big budget film adaptations!
The looks and sounds of these films often become so lush and rich when Hollywood gets its hands on them. And, I love the way worlds we already know from the stage expand and grow based on the director’s vision for the film version of a piece.
It’s also thrilling when we get new, original songs or revisions- like we’ve seen with movie adaptations of Dreamgirls or Little Shop. While there is incredible power of the way the theatre asks us to use our imaginations, movies sometimes immerse us in sounds, voices, images, and worlds that can feel so full on screen.
MARK: How did you go about selecting and arranging the songs for this concert – was it more about the movie moments, the stage legacy, or the chance to surprise the audience?
DREW: Even though I have brown hair, I’m a bit of a Goldilocks: I like to try everything until something feels just right!
At the Playhouse you can expect some songs that will allow you to recall an exact moment you’ve always loved from a play or movie you know. We’ve tried to pay homage to those iconic stage and celluloid memories. As I was arranging the tunes, it became an adventure to select really wonderful music that would conjure up our memories of the first time we saw the film.
But I also wanted to challenge myself to do some of the songs in a fresh way– some of these tunes very rarely get performed live.
MARK: You’ve worked your musical magic at the Playhouse before. What keeps bringing you back, and what do you love most about creating shows for this particular theatre?
DREW: That’s right! I love returning to the Playhouse. There is REAL magic of the Playhouse – and it’s a thrill harnessing Westport’s jaw-dropping and iconic history. I mean, it DOES help that I get to stand on a stage where someone like Liza Minelli walked and I think of that every time I come to Westport.
In all seriousness, I love making pieces of theatre that draw on stories and songs folks know and love. Producing these concerts is so special and wonderful to share with the Playhouse family. On a personal note, I love the Westport staff – you are all incredible, hard-working and dedicated theatre makers. The expectation of excellence is a part of the Playhouse experience. It is inspiring and makes me want to keep adding my part to the magic of Westport.
MARK: Some of these musicals started on Broadway and then became beloved films, while others took the reverse route. What’s the key ingredient for a successful musical adaptation from medium to another, in your opinion?
DREW: The primary ingredient of any adaptation, whether or not it starts on stage or screen, is that you love and respect the basic storytelling, then change it just enough to help it work in a new medium and get a larger audience fall in love with it, too. It’s fascinating to compare the various versions of West Side Story, for instance! And it’s amazing to see how a novel or movie like The Color Purple became a Broadway musical, and then a Hollywood musical! That’s quite a journey for that story! Any good movie musical is really a love letter to Broadway and seems, to me, to be a love letter to Theatre Nerds Gone Wild! You have to respect the source material that is already a proven winner.
MARK: You’re known for your inventiveness as a musician, and also your immense knowledge of musical theatre history—can you give us a hint about any musical Easter eggs or surprises we might hear at the concert?
DREW: A magician never reveals their secrets! But it’s safe to say you’ll get to hear some classics, songs from shows like Fiddler On The Roof, My Fair Lady and A Chorus Line, and also some work you may not know as well, including a few iconic numbers added just for film adaptations.
And I’m very excited that a few of the incredible medleys we will perform contain music that span almost an entire century. It’s like we’re time-travelers here! The concert includes a breadth of styles, from classic Hollywood song and dance numbers from a show like Singin’ In The Rain to Tony-award winning musicals like Gypsy.
Because we have an amazing cast of six West End and Broadway stars, you’ll get to hear this music as you’ve never heard it before! The entire night will leave you rushing back to play your favorite cast recordings or stream your favorite movie musicals for the hundredth time! Whether you love a classic like The Sound Of Music of something more recent like In The Heights, we’ve got you covered!
CLICK HERE or on the graphics above to read Drew’s bio.
English 
Spanish