24 Hour Musical madness.

Last night (and, I suppose, the night before!) I participated in this super awesome thing called The 24 Hour Musicals. It's a benefit for these great folks where writers, actors, directors, you name it, get together and write, memorize, stage and perform 15-minute musicals all in the span of 24 hours. Its inherent impossibility makes it kind of an amazing experience, which I thought I'd try and chronicle the highlights of here. (And for fun, I will do so alongside actor Julian Fleisher's own tweets from the event...)

Sunday, February 7

8:15PM - I arrive at the super-fancy/creepy/fascinating National Arts Club, where four composers' stations have been setup and Jeff Blumenkrantz has baked cookies. I discover I've been paired up with playwright Jonathan Marc Sherman. Our writing area contains two life-sized, red statues. It is super-fancy/creepy/fascinating.

9:30PM - At the meet-and-greet over at the Gramercy Theater. We all introduce ourselves. Strange props, like a zebra-striped snuggie and a scarf decorated as a piano, are introduced as inspiration. All the actors sing a few bars. They're damn good. I meet my musical director, Oran Eldor.

Julian tweets: At the meet and greet for the 24-hour Musicals. Um...Yikes!!!

11:00 PM - The writers are back over at the National Arts Club. Casting time! We draw numbers and one by one snatch up actor's polaroids. Jonathan and I have our cast: Julian Fleisher, Darius DeHaas, and Nancy Opel. We are very excited about our cast. Very.

11:15PM - We are very excited about our cast. There are their polaroids on the table. What sort of world would these three people exist in? What kind of dramatic relationships would they have?

11:23PM - Hm.

11:25PM - Still very excited about our cast.

11:32PM - Hmm...

Monday, February 8

12:01AM - Jonathan and I have an idea and a paper cup filled with animal crackers. Jonathan's typing and I'm piano noodling.

2:30AM - It's all been a blur, but there's been more typing, noodling, and animal crackers.

4:30AM - I finish one song. And then realize with terror that I need to write three more by 6AM!

4:31AM - I type furiously.

4:44AM - Type type type.

5:00AM - Can't really see straight anymore.

5:30AM - I reach what will henceforth become known as "the 5:30AM moment," where the lyrics turn all kinds of crazy. "Step one: I put my hand out/Then smack it on your face./Take out my magic lasso/And spin you all around this place."

5:39AM - "Step two: piano scarf/Gets thrown around your neck./Make sure your pulse is racing./Zebra snuggie? Check!"

6:05AM - Tech guru Grigor comes by to record my songs. I still have one and a half to write.

6:27AM - We record the two written songs.

6:29AM - I write the last one and a half on the fly into the microphone.

6:37AM - I transcribe those last one and a half.

7:00AM - Done! I eat a bagel and go home to take a nap! The directors have arrived and are choosing which pieces they want as I walk zombie-like to the subway.

Julian tweets: Oh shit. I'm in a musical with Darius DeHaas and Nancy Opal. Um...little help?

11:30AM - I'm en route to rehearsal, long since in progress.

Julian tweets: update. Celebrities and heavyweight galore. Lines, lyircs, melodies. Harmonies too. I'm playing a love MD. Need antihistamines stat.

12:15PM - I arrive at rehearsal; Trip Cullman is directing and they're on their feet.

2:40PM - The whole show is staged.

3:30PM - We're in a van back to the Gramercy Theater for tech. Actors get costumes and mics. There are lights. And a band. And a show poster.

Julian tweets: Ok. In shock. Too panicked to tweet. Ah-5-6-7-8!

4:30PM - We're back at the rehearsal studio. The actors are starting to panic. We keep running things. Actors run off into corners muttering lines to themselves. The room is something akin to a cell at an insane asylum.

Julian tweets: update: pronosis: seriously fucked. I and my Castmates are seriously underprepared for this material. At they're professionals!

5:35PM - I run to get a grilled cheese sandwich, and chicken soup for Darius.

6:45PM - Back in the van to the Gramercy. The cast is getting more hostile toward me. (They have a lot of lyrics.) There is a huge line of people waiting to get into the theater.

Julian tweets: My career is about to be damaged. Before I even have one.

7:25PM - I come up from the green room and find a seat in the audience. The theater is packed.

Julian tweets: Holy shit. Why why why why why why why why. Not joking. Need help. Will settle for a minor injury. Please please please.

7:40PM - House lights fade. Holy crap.

8:32PM - The world premiere of "The First of His Heart" by Jonathan Marc Sherman and Adam Gwon.

8:47PM - The actors and the band kick ass. Sure, they flub some lines. But that's part of the fun!

8:48PM - Whew!

8:49PM - I would totally do that again.