elemental theatre collective

Tonight the whole cast assembled to start learning the music of Recession! (The Musical).

Dave Rabinow and Alexander Platt.

Sitting amidst the remains of burritos from Tacqueria Pacifica and mugs of Lapsang Souchon – which, according to Kevin, smells like Band Aids – we made our way through the six songs that Dave and Peter have written for the show.

We started with the closing number – a parody of “Tradition” from Fiddler on the Roof that Dave just came up with, inspired by a suggestion from Jillian Blevins. We started thinking about what instruments we would need, and the list is long: banjo, keyboard, bass, ukelele and tambourine.

Next came “Brand New Map,” which is Peter’s homage to the Golden Ticket song from the original Willy Wonka movie. We discovered how challenging it is to sing in the voice of Bill Clinton and Bill Gates, although Katherine (who is playing Billy Gates circa 1972) did find a brilliant vocal choice for him that I think involves a retainer. I might be playing the pennywhistle on that one.

Then we tackled “Travelling Through Time,” an epic song that checks in on Lincoln at Ford’s Theater, the Brooklyn Dodgers, the Continental Congress, the 1980 Academy Awards, and President Monroe. We had to take a break after that one.

We finished up the evening with the trio of duets: “Recession,” “Our Song (In A Cave),” and “I Love You (Almost as Much as I Love Me).” The songs kept getting better and better, as suggestions for musical instruments and background vocals got more and more out of hand. We’re going to need a truck to hold it all.

Peter suggested that we make a rehearsal recording to put out as a podcast, with little snippets of the songs and interviews about the process. We’re going to look into how to do that – although once people hear the songs, they are going to be breaking down the doors to get into the show. Maybe we should look into performing at PPAC.

That’s all for now!

D’Arcy