“Damn Yankees”
September 9th – November 9th
Arena Stage
1101 Sixth St., SW
Tickets start at $49 (price included)
Arenastage.org
As a child in Syracuse, New York, music director Adam Rotenberg was awful in sports. Part of the athletic family – his sisters played softball, did figure skating, poles curled up and their father coached, but he says he “couldn’t catch the ball to save his life.”
But 31-year-old Rothenberg found comfort in baseball diamonds. “We had a piano at home. After the game, I play piano for hours. For me, it was a way of distinguishing myself from other families.
Appearing Northwestern University and Juilliard-educated Rothenberg became arena stage music that directed the reimagined production of “Damn Yankees,” famously about the 1955 musical comedy hit All About Abage About Baseball.
Carried in the early 21st century, the production follows the Faustian trade that turns middle-aged sports fans into young baseball stars, with iconic songs like “Lola Wants” and “Who’s The Pain?” But it’s not all the same. The rework has been made by hip-hop theatre pioneer Will Power and Tony Award-winning playwright Doug Wright, and mostly performed by the POC cast, reflecting different times.
New York City-based Rothenberg says “a pride and strange guy floating around the world.”
Wash Ginton Blade: What are your thoughts on “damn yankee”?
Adam Rothenberg: From a musical perspective, Lynn Arlens is a lyrical poem. She is a magician and can insert new words in the way that it is difficult to know the old stops and new beginnings. It all feels very natural. When the audience comes, it will be interesting, especially those who are familiar with the show. Do they know about the change?
It’s an existing work, but it feels like you’re creating a new musical.
blade: Tell me a bit about the parts you play in the production.
Rothenberg: My job as a music director is to teach the cast the music, make sure they know what they sing, how to sing it, and teach them the arrangements, parts and harmonies of a glorious ensemble.
The Thisensemble cast is incredibly talented. In addition to singing intricate harmonies, they can dance to an incredibly high level. I am amazed at the ability of this cast to do the hardest things and the flexibility to change things when something is not working.
Once that part has rolled, we’ll start rehearsing the orchestra. And that means long days for me. When the show runs, I conduct the piano here, usually playing with one hand, playing with another, or noddling.
blade:Share a love for Broadway’s “Golden Age” musicals [the big shows from 1940s to the early 1960s].
Rothenberg: I trained in the world of classical music. There was an effort to explore and preserve the old works of the three of them coming from the location of BS (Brahms, Beethoven and Bach). Likewise, it made me love the old Broadway musicals that have so much to explore. But growing up, I also loved “evil.”
blade: Speaking of rethinking. One of your last big tasks was as assistant conductor in the reimagined production of the recent Tony Award-winning revival of “Sunset Boulevard,” starring Nicole Schörtzinger.
Rothenberg: It was truly a dream job. The show where the orchestra scores came out was exciting enough, but when I learned that the production was changing the whole idea of what “Sunset Boulevard” would look like to the ears, I was all there.
blade: You’re not only working on classical musicals, but you also played for a show featuring classic American performers. For example, patti lupune.
Rothenberg: We met at a “company” revival. It was my first time conducting on Broadway. Everyone was really kind. I stepped into her regular music director and did some concerts with her at Lincoln Center. We always have a good time.
Once we were trying to figure out what to wear. She suggested that both of us wear black ties. They will never be able to talk to us. So it was a tuxedo for both of us.
Theatres allow you to show little or no strange identity as you want. I can step into work and be precise about who I am.
Source: Washington Blade: LGBTQ News, Politics, LGBTQ Rights, Gay News – www.washingtonblade.com
