#1
Posted: 7/9/08 at 5:18pm
A few good nuggets in here...
This weekend, Steven Sater and Duncan Sheik will trek to Vassar College for a workshop of their newest musical "Nero," based on the Roman emperor who played the fiddle while the city burned. We spoke with Sater by phone about the workshop.
Matt: How’s it going?
Sater: I’m good. A little hectic. Just got in from LA. Pulling my life together for “Nero.” Working on a lot of different projects.
Matt: What projects?
Sater: A bunch. Duncan (Sheik) and I have another stage musical called “The Nightingale” based on Hans Christian Anderson. It’s been in development a couple of years. James Lapine is directing. That’s going forward. We are also working on an original movie musical. And I’m working on a stage musical of “Prometheus Bound” with System of a Down lead singer Serj Tankian. There’s a lot on my plate. And “Nero.”
Matt: When did the process of creating “Nero” start?
Sater: I think it really began looking back on 9/11 and the announcement of Mission Accomplished in Iraq. I’m a classicalist by nature. I read ancient Greek and Latin. Someone proposed to me that I work on something about Nero and that appealed to me a lot. The scandal of his reign among the ancient historians was that he was really more interested in being a Greek lyric poet and winning singing competitions than in governing Rome. Nero was the first real political star. He was condemned as more Greek than Rome. At the time when our country is talking about leadership and what international relations means, it felt like a really timely story to me. We’ve developed it for a while. We did an earlier version which was like a play with music at the Magic Theater in San Francisco, just when “Spring Awakening” was opening Off-Broadway. We’re turning into a piece in which the music is much more integral.
Matt: How will “Nero” compare theatrically with “Spring Awakening”?
Sater: I think with “Spring Awakening,” we were really doing something distinctive. We wanted to tell a story in a certain kind of way. A 19th century tale that broke it out with contemporary emotions. In “Nightingale” and “Nero,” we are exploring the ways songs can be used with text to tell story. In "Nero," it reads like an ancient Greek tragedy. A lot of it is in verse, or feels like a Shakespearian history play. But we are giving it musical dimension. The way the characters find their way into song. A lot of the music is based on performance, actual performances which are happening.
Matt: Who is in the “Nero” cast?
Lea Michele is Octavia, a 9-year-old girl that’s a mute. She can only express herself in song that no one else can hear. Idina Menzel plays Poppaea, who is the mistress of Nero after he is wed to Octavia. Michael Arden is Britannicus. Lila Robins plays Neros’ mother Agrapina. David Patrick Kelly as Seneca. Jeff Carlson as Nero. He’s a singer. He was in Taboo.
Matt: What do you think will receive a full production first, “Nero” or “Nightingale”?
Sater: I don’t know. Earlier on, I would have said "The Nightingale" and I still think that may be true. We’ve worked on that longer. But there is a certain serendipity to these things. I think it’s likelier to be that. There was talk about that, but it may now be the following season. We may do it out of town the following season. That’s about lining up dates and schedules.
Matt: Who is directing “Nero”?
Sater: Daniel Kramer. He is based in London.
Matt: Are you still developing a “Spring Awakening” film?
Sater: We are in the thick of negotiations right now, but it’s looking very good. I have a lot of thoughts on how to remake it, reinvent it. But that will also involve a director’s vision. So it’s in the works.
http://weblogs.amny.com/entertainment/stage/blog/2008/07/interview_with_steven_sater_on.html#more
This weekend, Steven Sater and Duncan Sheik will trek to Vassar College for a workshop of their newest musical "Nero," based on the Roman emperor who played the fiddle while the city burned. We spoke with Sater by phone about the workshop.
Matt: How’s it going?
Sater: I’m good. A little hectic. Just got in from LA. Pulling my life together for “Nero.” Working on a lot of different projects.
Matt: What projects?
Sater: A bunch. Duncan (Sheik) and I have another stage musical called “The Nightingale” based on Hans Christian Anderson. It’s been in development a couple of years. James Lapine is directing. That’s going forward. We are also working on an original movie musical. And I’m working on a stage musical of “Prometheus Bound” with System of a Down lead singer Serj Tankian. There’s a lot on my plate. And “Nero.”
Matt: When did the process of creating “Nero” start?
Sater: I think it really began looking back on 9/11 and the announcement of Mission Accomplished in Iraq. I’m a classicalist by nature. I read ancient Greek and Latin. Someone proposed to me that I work on something about Nero and that appealed to me a lot. The scandal of his reign among the ancient historians was that he was really more interested in being a Greek lyric poet and winning singing competitions than in governing Rome. Nero was the first real political star. He was condemned as more Greek than Rome. At the time when our country is talking about leadership and what international relations means, it felt like a really timely story to me. We’ve developed it for a while. We did an earlier version which was like a play with music at the Magic Theater in San Francisco, just when “Spring Awakening” was opening Off-Broadway. We’re turning into a piece in which the music is much more integral.
Matt: How will “Nero” compare theatrically with “Spring Awakening”?
Sater: I think with “Spring Awakening,” we were really doing something distinctive. We wanted to tell a story in a certain kind of way. A 19th century tale that broke it out with contemporary emotions. In “Nightingale” and “Nero,” we are exploring the ways songs can be used with text to tell story. In "Nero," it reads like an ancient Greek tragedy. A lot of it is in verse, or feels like a Shakespearian history play. But we are giving it musical dimension. The way the characters find their way into song. A lot of the music is based on performance, actual performances which are happening.
Matt: Who is in the “Nero” cast?
Lea Michele is Octavia, a 9-year-old girl that’s a mute. She can only express herself in song that no one else can hear. Idina Menzel plays Poppaea, who is the mistress of Nero after he is wed to Octavia. Michael Arden is Britannicus. Lila Robins plays Neros’ mother Agrapina. David Patrick Kelly as Seneca. Jeff Carlson as Nero. He’s a singer. He was in Taboo.
Matt: What do you think will receive a full production first, “Nero” or “Nightingale”?
Sater: I don’t know. Earlier on, I would have said "The Nightingale" and I still think that may be true. We’ve worked on that longer. But there is a certain serendipity to these things. I think it’s likelier to be that. There was talk about that, but it may now be the following season. We may do it out of town the following season. That’s about lining up dates and schedules.
Matt: Who is directing “Nero”?
Sater: Daniel Kramer. He is based in London.
Matt: Are you still developing a “Spring Awakening” film?
Sater: We are in the thick of negotiations right now, but it’s looking very good. I have a lot of thoughts on how to remake it, reinvent it. But that will also involve a director’s vision. So it’s in the works.
http://weblogs.amny.com/entertainment/stage/blog/2008/07/interview_with_steven_sater_on.html#more
Updated On: 7/9/08 at 05:18 PM
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