Back in grad school, we young journalism students used to say, “That’s not writing, that’s typing.” Today, I type for food. To me, writing is actually editing what you just typed. That is, as soon as you’ve finished pounding away at your keyboard believing in your heart of hearts that you’re the next Mark David Twain Sedaris, long story short, you edit. (This story took me about a half-hour to type. It took me four days to write. It will take my editor three weeks to make it make sparkle. Then I can eat.) (Editor’s note: Just three hours!)
One day, though, David Berry, a brilliant musician and colleague, invited me to write—not type—a musical comedy he conceived about the Afterlife.
“Wanna write the book and lyrics?”
“Sure!” I said, having no clear idea that a musical’s “book” is the dialogue, and “lyrics” are for songs. “What’s it about?”
Waiting for You is set in Heaven. Men aren’t allowed. Two men show up. All hell breaks loose. The theme: Live for the moment because we have no corporeal experience of the Hereafter, so we might as well laugh ourselves to death. Like, what if you wind up in Paradise only to see that you’ll be spending the rest of eternity with your in-laws?
The first draft was laughably bad. Thankfully, I didn’t know enough at the time to understand just how bad it was. Forty-two or so drafts later, we are premiering our musical comedy at Chapman Cultural Center in Spartanburg April 11–13.
See, once upon a time, I was a co-owner of The Handlebar, the storied music venue in Greenville. I only wanted to present artists because I figured I could never be one. (I did learn how to promote shows, at least. Get your tickets now, people!)
Love musicals and plays? Here’s a look at other events taking place throughout the Upstate.
“STARBORN” in Waiting for You
Dr. Berry, who once toured in a rock ‘n’ roll band, now teaches composition, music technology, and The Beatles at Converse University, where I teach music business. He has been at Converse since I was using my 1932 Royal typewriter in grad school.
Some of his students have seen next-level success. One of them, Greenville’s own Kimilee Bryant, went on to star as Christine, the leading lady in The Phantom of the Opera, the longest-running show on Broadway. In New York City.
Now . . . get this. She has agreed to perform in our premiere.
“I think you’re both extremely talented and enthusiastic, so how can I say no?” she says, adding that, yes, that includes me. “I’m also honored that you asked.”
You’re honored?! I feel like an ice fisherman who went out one day to catch some crappie and managed to reel in a nuclear submarine.
She goes on: “This is especially interesting to me because it’s so original. It’s not based on any source material. I mean, maybe you were inspired by things, but it’s completely original, and you don’t get that that often these days.”
A couple of years ago at a faculty recital, Kimilee sang “STARBORN,” the show’s blockbuster hit, with David’s sublime, haunting melody with my words. Two months before that, my brother/soulmate, Stephen, died suddenly. As Kimilee belted the song from here to eternity, I cried so hard my wife, Kathy, had to breathe for me.
Now, as April approaches, I understand a little better what Eric Idle, of Monty Python fame, wrote in The Spamalot Diaries about creating Spamalot: “like making a giant pudding and then realizing that you’re allergic to the ingredients. But you keep stirring anyway.”
Our story is stirring, indeed. After years of typing and dreaming of becoming an artist/writer, I think I finally heard the Muses say, “We’ve been waiting for you.”
You Can Go
Waiting for You
April 11–13
Chapman Cultural Center, 200 E. St. John St., Spartanburg
More information and tickets: waitingforyoumusical.com
