"I saw it and thought it was the greatest show I had ever seen," Schiffmann recalls. "I would do anything to be in this show, so I persuaded them to let me attend rehearsals, and eventually I joined the cast."
Such infectious enthusiasm is what Broadway’s Next Hit Musical is all about; it's coming to the Garner Galleria the Denver Performing Arts Complex for a limited run from Wednesday, June 12, to June 30.
The unscripted awards show combines the best aspects of improvisation and musical theater. Audience members give the performers made-up song titles, and the master improvisers create spontaneous scenes and songs based on those suggestions, culminating in a fully improvised musical.
"Since nothing has been staged or set before, every show is radically different," Schiffman says. "I've always love the idea of collaborating with other folks on stage to create something out of nothing. I love that we go in, having no idea what is to come, and we build something together that we wouldn’t have thought of as individuals."
Following four separate performances of Phony Award-nominated musicals, the audience will vote on their favorite song, which will then be expanded into a full musical.
Courtesy of Nick Carter Photos - 54 Below
"Once we pick a song title, we make up what musical it would have come from," says Schiffmann. "Then you will see us perform a scene from the musical, and somewhere in our performance, the pianist will begin playing music for us to create a song."
For example, if an audience member suggests the title "Interview for a Newspaper," the four-person improv group, aided by a live pianist and MC, might envision it as a song from the musical Moonshot, about a young man's dream of building a rocket to the moon. The team then creates a scene about his quest, turning the suggestion into a fully realized musical number. "My first thought is always, ‘Where does the song come from, and why is it a musical?' Schiffmann says. "If something is being put into musical form, it must be quite remarkable."
Following four separate performances of Phony Award-nominated musicals, the audience will vote on their favorite song, which will then be expanded into a full musical in the second half of the production. The show’s improvisational nature requires a high level of trust and chemistry among the performers.
"It's similar to how you practice for sports," says Schiffmann. "We practice skills such as creating different facets of melody and harmony, accepting and building on suggestions, and understanding narrative structure so that we are ready for whatever happens on stage."
This level of preparation allows for some truly memorable moments. Schiffmann recalls one performance in particular, of a bio-musical called Abe Lincoln Ain’t No Saint, when the audience suggested a song titled "Smoking in the Back Cabin."
The performers envisioned it as a musical about Abraham Lincoln's fictional bad childhood alongside his childhood friends and father, whom they named Gabraham Lincoln. Despite the absurdity of the concept, the performers managed to create a touching reunion scene between Abe and his father that even moved a woman in the audience to tears.
"There was a touching musical between Gabraham and Abe where he was reunited with his son," Schiffmann says. "Gabraham sang the line, 'I need my son,' and I was looking out at this woman in the front audience, who was crying. How incredible that we are singing this ridiculous musical, which is factually incorrect, and yet there is a woman coming to tears about this ridiculous relationship.
"It reminded me of the first time I saw the show, and remember thinking it was the greatest thing I had ever seen," Schiffmann reminisces. "It’s fun, touching, hilarious, and everything you want to see in a show."
Broadway's Next Hit Musical runs Wednesday, June 12, through Sunday, June 30, Garner Galleria Theatre, Denver Performing Arts Complex. Get tickets at denvercenter.org.
