JILTED TO PERFECTION, a short musical romance, written and starring acclaimed opera singer, Debra Cook, after a joyous and celebrated run last summer on Theatre Row, returns for a special showing at The Triad, the posh NYC cabaret, on Saturday afternoon, April 13 @ 3:00 p.m., 158 West 72nd Street (between Amsterdam & Columbus aves) with tickets available at www.triadnyc.com. Two drink minimum, light fare available.
Ms. Cook’s semi-autobiographical musical love letter to her departed husband. This is no simple love story, however! The musical, enhanced and explored further, tells the story of a shamed and divorced Mormon mother who – after a botched audition for the Metropolitan Opera – meets the strange and older Fred. He – upon immediate attraction – pursues her despite her fears, her missed dates, and her biases. The musicalization of their unorthodox romance takes them to two coasts and Utah, Scientology, Fred’s third [ex]wife, Debra’s son, their mission as artists, and Fred’s fluctuating health. Debra’s realization that Fred was right about them being soul mates, but it may have come too late. The musical ends with a special appearance that will provoke great thought, hope … and tears.
Ms. Cook is celebrated in many fields.
She is managing director of Utah Conservatory, Head of Voice Department and member of piano faculty. Served 10 years as Adjunct Assistant Professor for the University of Utah’s Actor Training Program, also developing the Department of Theatre’s Musical Theatre studio courses, as well as a year for the U’s Music Department. Served 11 years on the music faculty at Brigham Young University, teaching voice, group voice and diction; and served as past president of the Southern Utah Chapter of the National Association of Teachers of Singing. Ms. Cook has performed opera and concert work throughout the United States, including solo performances with the National Choral Society at Lincoln Center’s Avery Fisher Hall, Utah Symphony, and several seasons in repertory with Utah Opera Company. She performed off-Broadway, is featured as Roxanne in Stuart Crane’s cast recording of Cyrano, and serves as a professional choral conductor and competition adjudicator.
WELL!
Let’s turn the mic over to her to tell us about her musical that has taken NYC by the heart!
What inspired you to turn this romance into a musical?
There are a few inspirations here.
First, Fred, as an educator, wrote throughout his career about acting, performance and philosophy. As an “original thinker,” he has seminal concepts to help the performer assume a viewpoint in a most genuine way, which not only turns out authentic performers, but translates into a healthy approach to life, avoiding some of the traps that can discourage performers and even cause a bit of craziness in their lives. We’ve all seen it…actors overdosing and ending their lives from depression, or simply having trouble assessing themselves and their skills. We worked to implement these concepts in our little realm of teaching at our conservatory and in college classes. I wanted to finish that book. For various reasons that I do not want to go into, there was a strong impression that the book needs to wait. I realized that Fred’s maxims and methods were evident in our relationships, our anecdotes, our failures, our ability to make our own choices, a sense of mission, our love, and our recognitions in the ups and downs of life. Thus, a musical made sense. Could I hide the concepts into the story? Could this crazy love letter honor these concepts and the man who so joyfully lived them?
Second inspiration is Gene Fisch and his New York New Works Theatre Festival. After working as a consultant for four years on another big musical, the writer entered Gene’s festival in 2017, and it soared to the finals while I served as Musical Director and assisted with various aspects of the production. In the process, I recruited a few volunteers from Park City to help with the show. One of them, a very close girlfriend, went to several of the shows and said, in passing, “Hey, Debra. We’ve seen a lot of theatre here. I bet we could write something and get into this festival.” So, several weeks later, we met with another writer and began a concept that led to “Jilted to Perfection.” And the product was not at all what we had started with. Musicals have a way of taking a journey, and most times you are best to go with it. We all agreed to scale down our original concept of three women’s stories to just one story, So, both Gene and my dear friend, Kristen Brown, were inspirations.
What was the most difficult part of writing the piece?
There is a tie here.
One is carving out the time. We are all busy people, with more distractions that we can number. While a new composer is working, they have to exist, like earn a living, clean the bathroom, be a family member or friend, or even serve as a church lady
Second is the arduousness of writing of the music. I’m a slow, slow, slow composer. It does not flow out of me like yummy chocolate at the fondue table, instantly sticking to the page or, even, sticking to my memory. As a singer, the melody was not as tough as the harmony. And, as a teacher, I had scads of prolific exemplars in my head and had to step back and realize that it was okay to just be me. If being me was not as brilliant as the great ones (we all know who they are), so be it. The goal would be that the music would serve as a vehicle for communication on a higher level of consciousness than the text alone. Period. It helped me finish a song…eventually.
Where do you go from here?
In May, I will present the “mini-musical” version of “Jilted to Perfection” at the Classical Singer National Convention (CSMusic) in Chicago, along with a talk back session about the process. We’ll see about the a theatre that is looking at it for an upcoming season, and the requests for performances locally. In the meantime, each showing provides a bit more insight about what works and what needs to change. But mostly, I plan to enjoy the process from here….experience the joy as a writer and a performer, and share that joy with others.
Ms. Cook’s granddaughter. An integral part of the production. See it to find out.
JILTED TO PERFECTION, a short musical romance, written and starring acclaimed opera singer, Debra Cook, after a joyous and celebrated run last summer on Theatre Row, returns for a special showing at The Triad, the posh NYC cabaret, on Saturday afternoon, April 13 @ 3:00 p.m., 158 West 72nd Street (between Amsterdam & Columbus aves) with tickets available at www.triadnyc.com. Two drink minimum, light fare available.
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