Crazy People Like Us
The Musical
A Librettist’s First Steps
My first major work and the beginning of a rewarding collaborative relationship with composer Sarah Palermo, Crazy People Like Us is a full length musical theatre production. Over the course of two hours and two acts, the story follows a year in the lives of five music students as they navigate their growing personal identities and fight to create solidarity within their fractured community.
What began as a simple proposal for fun in October of 2012 quickly grew a heart and soul as the lives of Wes, Nathan, Ellery, Quinn, and Nora developed into a complex web of trust, betrayal, and cooperation. CPLU was previewed as a series of five selected scenes at the sophomore composition recital at Westminster Choir College in March 2013, and eventually had its premiere semi-staged performance in April 2014.
THIS IS THE KIND OF MUSIC THAT SHUTS
PEOPLE UP, BRINGS THEM TO THEIR FEET…
THIS IS THE KIND OF MUSIC THAT
CHANGES PEOPLE’S MINDS.
A Reflection of Life
At first inception, CPLU was only intended to be a lighthearted parody on life at our highly specialized conservatory, Westminster Choir College. Each character at the fictitious Hathaway Choir College began as a hyperbole of each major of study, and their interactions were founded on tropes witnessed in classes every day. Very early in the process, however, this shallow idea developed into a complex drama featuring full bodied characters and a deep-running theme of identity.
All Together Now
In April of 2014, CPLU premiered with our peers supplying half of the pit and the entirety of the cast. I consider myself very lucky to be in easy proximity to such talented musicians and performers, who dedicated their valuable time to our semi-staged production.
Starring the brilliant performer Andrew Cox as the lead, Wes Bates, the recital enraptured our audience and impressed the faculty in attendance. Led in my impromptu conducting debut, the pit featured peer and internationally acclaimed composer-keyboardist Alejandro Consolacion on piano, fellow student and composer Zachary Gates on guitar, as well as talented local performers, violinist Alisa Seavey and cellist Elizabeth Thompson.
Evidence of Our Experience
Below is a live recording of my favorite song from the show, “We Are Hathaway,” which takes place at the climax of the second act.
The song immediately follows a choral setting of a hymn and is essentially a flashmob at a rather formal concert, orchestrated by the main characters.
More recordings from the show can be found on soundcloud.
Dig Deeper
Crazy People Like Us
Crazy People Like Us follows the lives of five students as they grapple with their personal and communal identities at a prestigious music conservatory.
