Brisa’s Pieces: My conversation with THE STORY OF MY LIFE’s Neil Bartram & Brian Hill

Brisa’s Pieces: My conversation with THE STORY OF MY LIFE’s Neil Bartram & Brian Hill

By Brisa Trinchero on April 04, 2013
Last week in this post we looked at THE STORY OF MY LIFE, the beautiful and highly produceable two person musical about two best friends.

I had the opportunity to talk with another pair of friends, the show’s multi-talented writers, Neil Bartram and Brian Hill. While hard at work on several exciting new projects, they eagerly follow the creative success stories from regional productions of THE STORY OF MY LIFE.

Read what they have to say...

Have you had the opportunity to see a production of your show outside of NYC?
We really wish we could see more of them to see how creative people are being with the show. We've been able to see one that was wonderfully close to the Broadway production and we've seen gorgeous video footage of the hit Korean production.

What is the most creative thing you’ve seen a theater company do with your show?
There was a recent production that was such a departure from the Broadway take on the show. The Broadway production was deliciously surreal and simple. This other production had a set that was lush and detailed and cluttered and unlike anything we'd ever imagined.

What’s your favorite song or moment in the show?
Oh Lord, that's like Sophie's choice, isn't it? Well, there is a moment that invariably makes the entire audience gasp in horror. We love that kind of collective response. It's so satisfying.

What’s the craziest thing that happened at a performance of the show?
Well, who knows what's happened in the productions we haven't seen. But honestly, Will Chase and Malcolm Gets are such pros that the Broadway performances were always perfection. The most bizarre experience for us has been hearing the show in another language.

What are your future goals or dreams for the piece?
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We'd love to see the show in London ... and of course it would be fantastic to bring it back to New York. We've also got a film treatment in the works. So, if Hugh Jackman and Daniel Craig are looking for work ... hey, why not shoot for the moon?

Who’s the audience for your show and why is it popular with audiences around the country?
We're constantly surprised by the wide age range that the show appeals to. We still get email telling us how much the show affected people and they've been from teenagers to octogenarians. Basically, anyone who's had a friend will find something profoundly personal in it.

What are you working on now?
Oh wow, it's so busy right now and we like it like that. We've finished the first draft of our adaptation of Ray Bradbury's Something Wicked This Way Comes, we've also got a new show called Spin that's getting its premiere production directed by Eric Schaeffer at the Signature Theatre in DC this summer, and we're in Toronto at Sheridan College right now creating a new piece called The Theory of Relativity written specifically for and about college age students. We've also got a really big and very exciting project in the works that we just can't talk about right now, although we're itching to tell you what it is.

Anything else you’d like to say to producers/theaters who are putting on your show?
Nothing makes us happier than for people to put their own stamp on the show. Dig into it and find what speaks to you. It's full of incredible joy and hope but also incredible pain and darkness. Find it all and make it your own.

Click here to order a perusal copy of THE STORY OF MY LIFE.

Read all of Brisa’s Pieces here.
You can reach Brisa on twitter: @brisatrinchero. I also blog about the art and business of new musicals at www.makemusicals.com. I look forward to hearing from you!
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