The Middletown Press (Middletown, CT)
‘Darling Grenadine’ premieres at Terris
‘Darling Grenadine’ premieres at Terris Theatre CHESTER >> Daniel Zaitchik, the writer of book, music and lyrics for Goodspeed Musicals’ new show “Darling Grenadine” at the Terris Theatre this week, is choosing his words carefully in a phone chat, to avoi
Is it funny, we ask? “Oh, yes. I think of it as a serious comedy,” said Zaitchik. “It’s full of humor, and also pathos, but hopefully a lot of humor.”
After four readings in development at the Eugene O’Neill Theater Center in Waterford, the show is continuing to evolve in rehearsals and during its month at the Terris Theatre, where it will run from Thursday to Sept. 17. Zaitchik said opening night’s show could look quite different from a month later, based on audience response.
And “Darling Grenadine” will also be showcased at The National Alliance for Musical Theatre’s 2017 Festival of New Musicals in October.
The show is about a guy named Harry (Bryan Fenkart, from last season’s “Sign of the Times” at Terris) who composes jingles for companies, and his relationships with his girlfriend Louise (Emily Walton), his brother Paul (Ben Mayne) and his dog, a Labrador retriever also named Paul.
“It’s set in ... modern Manhattan, but the style of the musical is this sort of throwback feel,” Zaitchik said. “There’s an interesting mashup of qualities that on one hand, someone might say is like ‘Singing in the Rain’ or any of the old MGM musicals. And on the other hand, it’s very modern and actually quite serious.”
The show’s release describes the music and plot this way: “A rich contemporary score explores the friction between romance and reality, bitter and sweet, high and low.”
It’s not the first time Zaitchik, also an actor and singer who has recorded and sings in New York clubs, has attempted challenging theater. We saw a staged reading of his musical version of “Picnic at Hanging Rock” at Goodspeed’s Festival of New Musicals early this year that (like the 1970s movie of the same name) asked more questions than it answered.
“Darling Grenadine” is something “with difficult situations and real people going through them, and adult themes, but also including charming elements of what some people expect from a good old-fashioned musical,” said Zaitchik, who is 37.
Where did he get that love of old musical styles?
“I grew up in a house that was full of all different kinds of music, so I’ve never really limited myself to one specific genre,” said Zaitchik. “And I think I experienced and I appreciate a wide range of styles and storytelling that you wouldn’t necessarily see grouped together.”
He grew up outside of Boston playing classical piano but his father played a lot of gospel music, for instance. “I also appreciated singer-songwriters like Leonard Cohen and Tom Waits.”
Wait a second, the Goodspeed release says the dog character is played by marionettes artist Phillip Huber.
“A big theme of the show is fantasy and perception, and how people perceive things differently. And so our main character is a bit of an exaggera-
tor; he’s someone who has a hard time confronting reality. So the dog as a puppet illustrates that theme...”
Zaitchik, who studied acting at Boston University, said he was influenced by singers who could tell a story. And eventually, the writing of stories and his music “won out” over acting, he said.
Asked which road he will take most of the time now, he said, “I hope I can do both; there’s a lot of crossover these days. ... I’m excited what’s happening in musical theater now because things that are happening on Broadway are not what would have happened even five years ago. So it feels like a good time for me to be a part of it.”
When he first moved to New York, it felt like everyone was doing a jukebox musical or adaptation of a movie — which didn’t fit Zaitchik.
“And now things that I related to, and feel similar to what I do, are gaining attention,” he said, citing “The Great Comet of 1812” and “Fun Home” as examples of encouraging shows.
The writer said he wrote the role of the girlfriend for Walton a few years ago and Fenkart blew away casting officials with his audition.
As for choreography, Zaitchik said, “There’s a lot more dancing in it than I ever knew. You know, I never thought of this as a dance show until we started rehearsals and I realized how many big numbers there actually are. Maybe not in the traditional dance show sense but there’s a lot of movement.”
There’s only a five-piece band, so music staffers and Zaitchik are working “to get the biggest and most creative sound that we can with limited numbers . ... You’ve got to get creative when you’re trying to make a sort of really big, MGM sound...”
That romantic comedy sound, that is.
“I’m hoping that it appeals to a wide range of sensibilities because it straddles two different worlds, you know? It has one foot in old-fashioned musicals and it has one foot in contemporary slice of life,” he said, hoping to appeal to people who don’t even like musicals.
Asked again about the plot and conflicts, Zaitchik said, “It deals with hopefully relatable things that arise from relationships; not just romantic relationships but relationships with siblings and also relationships with your pets. And it deals with themes of responsibility and self-sabotage, and brings up questions about what is a choice and what is inherited.”
And the word Grenadine — is that a person or drink ingredient?
“Shirley Temples are featured in the show; one of the main characters owns a bar. The title references that but it also references, I guess, a question that comes up in the show ... about sweetness. And what is true sweetness and what is artificial sweetness.”
Curtain times are Wednesdays at 2 and 7:30 p.m., Thursdays at 7:30, Fridays at 8, Saturdays at 3 and 8 and Sundays at 2 and 6:30 p.m.
Tickets ($54-$59) are available through the Goodspeed box office (860-873-8668), open seven days a week, or online at goodspeed.org.