Best Teamwork (for the entire case) Best Lighting Design (Jake DeGroot) Best Costume Design (Adam Dill)
And Best Musical!
It’s so lovely to be recognized for all that went into the production (the only world premiere musical on the list!) And it’s especially lovely to see some terrific friends recognized for their work on other projects in Michigan: Michael Lluberes (twice!), Bryana Hall, Elexis Morton, and the powerhouse Flint Repertory Theatre with 25 awards for the season.
It’s all a wonderful cherry on top of the most wonderful experience this year!
After four weeks of rehearsals and rewrites (and restagings and more rewrites and cuts and new lyrics and more restagings) The Magnificent Seven is open!
This process has been a truly invaluable opportunity to focus our work and see it come to life thanks to the talent and dedication of our incredible collaborators and cast. The care and the joy and the heart that they bring to this piece is so meaningful and I hope you’re able to come to Flint to see it for yourself!
But you don’t have to take my word for it…
“The right idea for a new musical is about half the battle for it to be a commercial success. The other half, of course, is getting the writing and music right. In the case of The Flint Repertory Theatre’s world premiere of The Magnificent Seven, the production team has gotten this work about the 1996 Olympic Gymnastics team very right.
The Magnificent Seven is compelling, draws you in and a very worthy musical storytelling on behalf of extremely hard working athletes who made enormous sacrifices and suffered to represent their country, themselves and their families.”
“It is intriguing, entertaining, and most of all a deep dive into the pressure and pleasure of world competition, all set to music. Wonderfully directed by Catie Davis and choreographed by Duane Lee Holland Jr., the play moves smoothly and with rhythmic synchrony.”
“Creators Gordon Leary, bookwriter and lyricist and Julia Meinweld, composer, approach the subject matter with great passion, elevating the heroism and elite skill of each girl (the oldest was 19). However, they do not shy away from criticizing the culture and the physical and emotional demands placed on these young women in the pursuit of being champions.
It is a rare stage production that can manage to give equal time and weight to seven different characters, but “The Magnificent Seven” succeeds beautifully. Every gymnast has a story, a dream, a flaw, a heartbreak.
With its mixture of praise for the sport and its athletes and criticism of the abusive aspects, “The Magnificent Seven” can be seen as a nuanced work of cultural criticism. It celebrates the champions of the 1996 Olympics, but it never lets the audience forget the cost.”
We are honored that REB+VoDKa+ME received an Honorable Mention for the 2022 Relentless Award, in honor of Adam Schlesinger, for works that “are challenging, exhibit fearlessness, exude passion, and are relentlessly truthful.”
It made it that much better to see that some of our very favorite friends and writers who are making some of my very favorite musicals were also recognized.
Thanks to the American Playwriting Foundation for this honor!
I’m so excited that Julia and I have joined the amazing roster of writers represented on Broadway On Demand’s new Composer + Lyricist channels with our very own page! Check out a selection of some of our favorite video performances and explore the work of some of our friends and favorite writers. Thanks, Broadway On Demand, for including us!
Julia and I were thrilled to be asked to participate in Weston Playhouse’s Songs for Today series and to kick off a weekly release of new songs (and fresh looks at old songs) by friends and heroes like Kirsten Childs, Joe Iconis, Tidtaya Sinutoke & Isabella Dawis, Jenny Giering & Sean Barry, Adam Gwon, and Adam Guettel. We were asked to perform the song ourselves, so you can hear Julia’s beautiful vocals along with my animation…
This song was written both in conversation with the present moment AND for a new show we’re just beginning to write (called These Familiar Spirits) and we’ll share more info and more songs and videos from it soon!
Thanks to Andy Zinsmeister for his audio engineering, and Susanna Gellert for including us in this project. There will be some public Zoom conversations in the next few weeks, and I’ll share more info (or at least a recap) once those are on the books!
