Multiple Tony Award®-winner Jason Robert Brown’s Songs for a New World will make its SUNY Brockport debut on Thursday, April 25, at 7:30 p.m. in the Tower Fine Arts Center Black Box Theatre, 180 Holley Street. The sung-through work features a variety of characters in a variety of locales, from a Spanish galleon in 1492 to a contemporary New York penthouse apartment. The characters (including Mrs. Santa Claus) are each facing a personal dilemma – a “moment of decision,” according to the composer – and reflect about life, love, and making choices. Tickets are $17/general, $12/senior citizens, Brockport alumni, faculty, and staff, and $9/students. They are available at www.fineartstix.brockport.edu, at the Tower Box Office, or by phone at 585-395-2787. (Due to technical issues in the Mainstage theatre, the previously announced production of The Prom is postponed until 2024-25.)
When Songs… was revived as part of an Encores! Off-Center summer season at New York City’s City Center, Brown opened up about the genesis of the piece. Having written it when he was just 25 years old, he admitted that Songs… “is actually meant to be a showcase of all the various styles I could write in, so there’s a very deliberate attempt to have a little of everything in there, gospel and R&B and jazz and rock and salsa and polkas and German music hall parodies and country and singer-songwritery things and whatever the hell ‘The Flagmaker’ is.” Without a traditional libretto, each song stands as its own musical “short story,” about the character who is singing, the challenge or dilemma they are facing, and how a decision made in an instant can change one’s life, whether you’re a sailor on Columbus’ voyage to the New World, a New York City socialite, a basketball player, or, yes, even Mrs. Santa Claus.
For director Danny Hoskins, “The beauty of each story/song is that each character is honestly and genuinely wrestling with very human desires, and they’re at a crossroads of a moment to which we can all relate. These aren’t wildly overdramatic situations; they’re relatable stories peppered with the hopes, dreams, fears, and insecurities of each of us.” When it became apparent that a switch in venue and theatrical offering was necessary, a decision was made to include the entire cast of The Prom in this production of Songs for a New World, which was written for four performers. Hoskins relates that “A majority of the pieces are written as traditional solos, or ensemble numbers with soloists leading the charge. With this larger cast, we’ve been able to split the solos into duets, trios, and quartets… The story of each song remains the same, but with multiple characters now experiencing that journey, it allows for a deeper, more layered approach to the storytelling. We’re able to weave in multiple character perspectives, and, in turn, amplify the emotional impact of many of the songs.”
Songs for a New World will be performed on April 25, 26, 27, May 2, 3, and 4, at 7:30 p.m. There are also matinee performances on Sunday, April 28 (ASL interpreted), and May 5 at 2 p.m.
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