Tom Kitt is a composer, orchestrator, and music director, and is most known for his work on Broadway. He has worked alongside acts like Green Day and Alanis Morissette to transform their bodies of work into full-fledged musicals. His score on Next to Normal, a project that took nearly 11 years to develop, has gained him a 2010 Pulitzer Prize for Drama and won two Tony Awards.
Tom means so much to Nick and has been a dear friend of his for many years. Lin-Manuel Miranda has declared him one of the best melodists of our generation. Nick and Tom sit down to discuss his rollercoaster path to success, the adaption of musicals into film, and so much more.
Key Takeaways:
[1:34] Nick might have given Tom some of the worst advice when he was first starting as a composer. Tom disagrees.
[3:50] The impacts of COVID-19 in Tom’s neighborhood, especially with him being located in such a critical part of the country, New York City. It’s an enormous crisis filled with grief.
[4:45] Tom shares a couple of projects he has in the works that are currently on hold with a TBD release date due to COVID-19 and upcoming projects he’s working on while he waits.
[8:45] Everyone in the industry is struggling for survival. There will, unfortunately, be a cost. A lot of fantastic talent is moving out of New York City and who knows if they will return. The arts, especially theater, are taking a hit for the worse.
[11:00] Although technology has disrupted the music industry, this isn’t the case with theater. People want to see these performances done live. Live plays were always considered safe… until now.
[11:45] What piece of work does Tom consider it being his “big break” moment? It’s been a big roller coaster.
[15:50] How does the broadway process work? Tom breaks down everything from the first draft, how a preview works, workshopping it, sending feelers out, timelines, and more. How a certain musical gets written in less than two years and why his, Next to Normal, took 11 years to finalize.
[20:45] With anything you do, especially when it comes to creating, you really have to put your writing hat on. When you take a body of work, or an album, and put it into a musical, it’s a case of speaking two languages and seamlessly blending the two together.
[27:45] Tom explains what it’s like working with artists like Green Day and Alanis Morissette and how he honors their body of work in the theater. It’s definitely a surreal moment to find yourself in the same room as these amazing artists.
[31:15] How does Tom feel about the run of Next to Normal lasting roughly 21 months? He opened in the middle of the financial crisis in 2009. He was surprised anyone came at all. The American Idiot musical lasted around a year, but the expectations for that were very high.
[36:20] What trends is Tom seeing when it comes to the blend between technology, broadcasting plays live, Netflix, and more? Is this a good thing? Or is it a bad thing?
[38:50] Musicals are in great demand. It’s a medium that’s never really going to go away and the great thing about it is you can capture the essence of it in theater and also transition it into film.
[42:00] What are some of the best ways to adapt a musical into a movie format? The short answer: there is no such thing as a one-size-fits-all approach.
[45:45] Tom shares what it’s like working with Lin-Manuel Miranda and other people in the space who are at the top of their game. They take themselves seriously, but they also have an openness and collaborative nature to them.
[49:55] What’s some of the best advice Tom has received over the years?
[51:15] What’s on Tom’s playlist currently? He’s got everything from jazz to Billy Joel and Bruce Springsteen.
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Find out more about today’s guests, Tom Kitt
Find out more about your host, Nick Terzo
Mentioned in this episode:
BMI Lehman Engel Musical Theatre Workshop
New York Musical Theatre Festival
“Before Coronavirus, Theater Was My Salvation. Where Do I Turn Now?”
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