CHRISTMAS DREAM
Carl Doy’s favourite collaborator
It’s been more than a decade since the Weekly visited the father and son pairing of what could be called the Doy Dynasty.
Carl Doy (70) is one of the country’s most accomplished and successful instrumentalists who can count Her Majesty the Queen and the Pope as audience members. In the past, he’s worked with Shirley Bassey and Gladys Knight, but this year he’s choosing to team up with his musician son James Doy (42), and all in the name of Peter Pan.
And this musical theatre piece isn’t your everyday Peter Pan, as James points out. “Firstly, Wendy has more of a part to play and more of a journey in this,” he explains. “We’ve made Wendy the protagonist instead of Peter.”
“It’s a very feminist show!” adds Carl.
James, the co-founder and director of the National Youth Theatre Company, is putting on this special treat for Kiwi audiences alongside professional partner Jonathan Alver, a renowned director and producer from London’s West End. But as his workload increased, James decided to ask a very special person for help with the musical arrangement.
“As the music started to come together, I realised it was going to be a lot of work and I thought, ‘Who could I call in?’ I managed to twist Dad’s arm,” says James, who is the musical director of the production.
“So he’s employing me – he’s my boss!” Carl jokes.
Apart from a stint working on the opening ceremony of the Cricket World Cup in 2015, the
pair can’t remember working together. And they’re quick to assure us that, despite being father and son, they work well together, thank you very much!
“It’s great working together,” says James. “It’s much easier to be able to say ‘Here it is – make it sound like this,’ as I
‘From a pretty early age, I knew James had the potential to follow me into music’
know what will come back. We all started working on Peter Pan seriously about a year ago and I don’t think we’d have gotten to this stage without Dad’s help.”
“We’ve got very much the same musical taste,” tells Carl. “Although James listens to a lot more modern stuff I don’t.
“There’s no hip-hop in there, is there James?” he ribs, shooting a look at his son who just laughs. “Well, there might be but I’m definitely not doing it!”
Technology has proved a huge benefit in allowing father and son to work together easily, despite both living busy lives.
“James is doing all the writing, but what I’m doing is arranging it for the stage band. We don’t actually see that much of each other while we’re working – I’d forgotten what he looked like! Well, that’s not true, I do see him when I look after my gorgeous granddaughters Willow (4) and Florence (2),” he says smiling. “They definitely command attention! We’ve got a little piano set up next to the grand for them to play.”
Since his busy days of being the musical director of Dancing with the Stars and producing his multi-platinum Piano By Candlelight album series, Carl’s been enjoying a more laid-back schedule, but one that still takes him away from New Zealand.
“What happens when you’re doing something that takes up a lot of time is that you have to turn down opportunities, and people get so used to you not being available that the phone stops ringing,” explains Carl. “So I’ve reinvented myself as the darling of the cruise ships. I do around 10 to 12 shows on board every year. I travel with my laptop so I can do my Peter Pan work in the Seychelles.”
James rolls his eyes as he explains how, unlike his dad, he is in fact up to his eyeballs with work for Peter Pan.
“It’s such a hard life,” he laughs of his father’s duties, “but at least his babysitting duties also keep him busy.”
Without a doubt, there’s a musical vein that runs through the Doy family. But James – who was crowned Top Musician by the Variety Artists Club of New Zealand in 2014 – says he never felt pressured by his well-known dad. And for his part, Carl recalls he was careful not to push his talented son.
“From a pretty early age, I knew James had the potential to follow me into music,” says Carl. “But then again, I didn’t know whether or not he’d have the inclination to do it. We definitely never forced him.”
“They were very clever,” tells James. “They waited until I asked to have lessons, which meant that if I didn’t practise, they could say, ‘We won’t send you any more!’
“I’ll be honest, I didn’t practice enough. But I’m getting better because I’ve had to practise playing for the stage show Matilda – it’s notoriously the hardest score there is.”
“He was great, though – no bum notes,” says Carl as James quips, “High praise indeed!”
Carl continues, “It’s a very busy time. We’ll be collapsed in a heap on Christmas Eve! Well, James will be. After Peter Pan, my wife and I are off on another cruise!”