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[0:26] John Schwab: Hi, John Schwab here from Curtain Call, and welcome to episode 163 of the Curtain Call Podcast, recorded on the 29th of November 2021.

[0:35] John Schwab: Now I've never opened a podcast before with a date mentioned specifically, but I feel that I had to as theaters here in London's West End prepare to dim their lights in honor of the Titan of Musical Theater, Stephen Joshua Sondheim, who passed away late last week at the age of 91.

[0:51] John Schwab: Now, I also know that at 91 it's to be expected that some time would have to go someday. But that day always seemed to be in the far, far future for me. You see, it's hard to imagine musical theater without Sondheim being around. Planning a new show, writing a new show, attending the opening night of one of his revivals, or another new musical, giving advice to musical theater writers and composers that are coming up, encouraging those entering the industry to believe in their craft and to carry on despite anything that happens.

[1:23] John Schwab: It's a sad moment in time. But also one of tremendous gratitude that he gave so much to musical theater and didn't let the bastards get him down. Unique, not just a jukebox musical or a rehashed movie. It just made us think and fall in love with lyrics all over again and how lyrics could play with music and music play with lyrics.

[1:58] John Schwab: No one here to guide you. Now you're on your own. Only me beside you. Still you're not alone. No one is alone. Truly. No one is alone. You shall be missed, and I didn't want this week's episode to go out without saying something about how deeply Sondheim impacted this musical theater lover when I was growing up. Thank you, Sondheim, for all the words, for all the music, for all the revivals that I will be watching until I join you wherever you are, hopefully, at least at the age that we said goodbye to you.

[2:59] John Schwab: You decide what's good. You decide alone. But no one is wrong.

[3:35] John Schwab: And we have another incredibly inspiring guest for this episode, one that will be conducting one of Sondheim's musicals later next year. Alex Parker is a musical director, composer, conductor, I mean you name it. If it has anything to do with music or musicals, Alex is all over it, and now he even has his own orchestra.

[3:54] John Schwab: Alex is the musical director on a massive concert presentation in Andrew Lloyd Webber's musical Sunset Boulevard in the iconic Royal Albert Hall. Now, Sunset Boulevard is perhaps one of ALW's most beloved scores, and in my opinion, the most complete musical in his canon. And this concert version promises to be a blast if you're into his musicals.

[4:16] John Schwab: I know not everybody is, but I'm telling you, this one promises to be a blast. It's got Mazz Murray playing Norma Desmond, Ramin Karimloo as Joe Gillis, and a musical would not be complete here in the UK without a Strallen sister. So Zizi steps in to play Betty Shaefer. And get this, with a 40—that is right, a 40-piece orchestra. I cannot wait. And I will be there with bells on this Friday, the 3rd of December.

[4:41] John Schwab: And I chatted to Alex about his orchestra Luminaire, why musical concerts are making such a splash and the love of a big orchestra in the theater pit. I seriously could have chatted to Alex for another hour, but he had a show to go to, and we'll just have to get him back on the podcast in the very near future. Have a listen.

[5:15] John Schwab: Alex Parker, I know you're a busy man. You're one of the busiest people in musical theatre and music direction and music in general, composing and everything else. So we'll get to Sunset Boulevard in a minute, but I'd love to know what brought you to this place to begin with. What made you want to get into this crazy industry?

[6:20] Alex Parker: Well, I wanted to be an actor, and I think I feel like a lot of creative people start that way. I think when they're a child, because your natural introduction to theatre is through going to drama club or something like that, and that's exactly what I did. And I loved it, I loved the theatre. I think, you know, my family took me to the theatre as a child, and you know, our Christmas outing would be to places like the National Theatre and the Pantos and things, and I think, you know, I just was like, oh my god, this whole environment is amazing.

[6:20] Alex Parker: Um then I kind of got to 13 or 14 and realized I wasn't very good at acting. And I guess I loved it enough that I wanted to be part of it, but it's something that I had the potential to, I guess I'd say this is modestly I kind of kind of excel in, and I knew that there was only a certain place I was gonna get to with acting, which was I'm terrible at acting. I mean, you know, don't get me wrong, I it's you know, I'm not very good. I'm filling in the lines today for people who aren't there, but I'm terrible, I'm terrible.

[6:49] Alex Parker: And then I just but I started learning the piano when I was 10, and I guess by age, I want to say by like age 14, this kind of moment happened around then, and I was like, oh, I seem to be taking to the piano a lot easier than I'm taking to acting. And then I guess naturally, well, I then the next thing that happened was I was asked to do the music for a local pantomime. I'm from Guildford and from around there, and they said, but the way they described it was, would you like to do the music?

[6:49] Alex Parker: And I was like, do the music. What does that mean? Do the music, and just photocopy it? What does this mean? It's like teach the songs. I was like, well, I guess I could try and teach the songs, and then it just became this because no one really knows what a musical director is, I think. It's not something that is unless you're kind of part of the business, I think. No one actually, you don't think when I'm younger, oh, I want to be a musical director when I'm older.

[7:47] Alex Parker: And I think doing that made me realize, wow, there is a way that music and theatre, you know, I can still be part of the theatre, but through a different avenue, and that was it really. I then just suddenly after doing that once, I became absolutely obsessed with the idea of being a musical director, and kind of but really obsessed in that I'd go to the theatre, I'd you know, I'd be fascinated to the point of knowing what the way they printed the band parts on what paper, right through to how many people and how in the band, how are they sitting?

[8:23] Alex Parker: How, you know, I was just so kind of infatuated by it all, and I just and I loved seeing the conductor at the beginning of the show on the telephone turn around to the audience just before the show, all of those kind of little details. I was just like, God, this is what I want to do, and um, and then I think I just then had my mind set on that, so it meant I went to university, and despite, you know, I did my music degree, but the whole way through I knew what I wanted to do.

[8:54] Alex Parker: I wasn't one of those things where at the other end of it, I was like, right, I've done my music degree. I think that is kind of part of it, and that's why I guess lots of different things have happened in the way they have because I was dead set on it, you know. 14 and 15, 13 is is a critical moment for any career, whether you want to go into science or music or arts or or or law, whatever, there's something that seems to click where things begin to make sense, and you know, I'm still acting for my sins, which is amazing.

[9:23] Alex Parker: I've, you know, thankfully I'm grateful for the things that have come my way, and yeah, um, but that passion is still there. And when it was when I was 15, it was there. When I was 18, that was there. When I was 25, I was still there, and I can see from what you've achieved and what you've built. I mean, I don't know when you're gonna be able to stop.

[9:41] John Schwab: So, because I'd like to take you to Luminaire because that's something that's happened recently. And if anyone isn't following Alex Parker, follow Alex Parker's Twitter feed because it is the best for musical content. You're there's incredible stuff that you put on there, but and especially because Luminaire has just launched.

[10:01] John Schwab: So take me to the genesis of Luminaire and the why.

[10:11] Alex Parker: Um, I guess I've always loved putting concerts of musicals on. I'm so passionate about this repertoire and it being played as people would as it was originally conceived, and as we all it's no secret that the size of orchestras in musicals are constantly being reduced, or you know, or people are putting on, or they're either being reduced, or shows are being conceived with really small bands.

[10:43] Alex Parker: They're not actor musicians as well. Yeah, act musicians. Like it's so the idea of someone saying, right, we're doing this new musical and we want an orchestra of 26, like is just seems like a world away now. Like it seems impossible to imagine. I that would be a shock now. Whereas that was just, you know, I the scene on the music man on Broadway now has just announced an orchestra of 24, and I was like, what that's amazing.

[11:08] Alex Parker: Like I can't, I was just like, God, it must feel I don't know, like the old. The sound coming from that pit's gonna be. That would be amazing. And in 2021, yeah, it seems amazing, you know, that's what you'd expect in 1970, whenever, like, not you know, and kind of the final, it feels like the last time it really happened was Love Never Dies, which is like that had a 21 22 piece or something.

[11:32] Alex Parker: That was sort of the last newest musical with a big orchestra in town, and that's now like 10 years ago. Anyway, so it was I and that's why we've done these concerts, but when we've done the concert versions of musicals, because it's not just seeing these amazing casts do them, but it's hearing it's a concert, so it's hearing these scores as they were conceived, and um so I wanted to, and what we've always had is the bands have always been what I we call a scratch band, so it's not necessarily been um it's not an ensemble as such that exists as an entity, it's just every time you book a group of players, but obviously, the more we've done the more I know people and their regulars, you know, you you end up booking kind of regular, the same ish people every time, and I just it felt I've always wanted to have an ensemble that specializes in playing this repertoire in the style that it was intended, but also the number of players we have, it's a chamber orchestra, so it's about 36 to 40.

[12:41] Alex Parker: And really at their biggest, those were the size of the orchestras. They weren't seven, because you'll you'll hear musical theatre repertoire sometimes played with like 80 people, but like them in the pit, you know, Carousel, the original production had like, I think like 36 players or something, which is kind of as big as it ever got. And so part of it is hearing it like that.

[13:04] Alex Parker: Like, you know, you would like if you walked into the first preview of Oklahoma, this is what it would have sounded like. That's sort of the nucleus of it, and also being an entity of players that you know who you're gonna hear every time. And my um, and I a kind of mentor and very good friend of mine is John Wilson, who we all know has done this for those amazing film scores and MGM music and all those sort of the movie musicals, and it was kind of his um thing was all it was it's always about the style at which everyone plays.

[13:41] Alex Parker: It's not just playing the dots, but it's playing it in a way that they used to play these scores, which is you know, the specific musical details, like they the strings would use very, very fast vibrato, for example, which is not as common nowadays. But he, you know, would always make that it's the sound in his orchestra that you recognise, and and he kind of did it for those movie musicals.

[14:04] Alex Parker: And I guess, like kind of thinking it myself, and also kind of his encouragement is doing it now for a musical theatre.

[14:13] Salisha Thomas: Hey everyone, this is Salisha Thomas from Black Hair and the Big Leagues, part of the Broadway Podcast Network.

[14:19] Salisha Thomas: Welcome back to the Curtain Call Podcast.

[14:22] Salisha Thomas: I think it's really cool that you have drilled into that specificity of how this orchestra would approach this, you know, this canon, this musical theater canon, because it's just like an accent when you're learning an accent, it's not just about the way the vowels sound, it's about the attack.

[14:42] Alex Parker: I always say American isn't just a dialect, it is an attitude. And I think that transfers whenever you're playing music. If you listen to the best blues players, the best folk artists, the way they hit their guitars, that translates. I think that's the thing. I think, you know, we can, if we imagine playing, you know, if you're a violinist, you could play, if you're proficient in the instrument, you could play anything really, if you've got the dots in front of you. But you know, different genres have different sound worlds. You're not going to play a piece of Mozart the same way you're gonna play a piece of Cole Porter. Do you know what I mean? There's just a different approach, and then within that, there are different techniques, different approaches.

I think also, you know, one of the kind of broad brush stroke things with musical theatre playing is I never want anyone to be too subtle in their approach to things because the nature of the stuff, you know, I'm always like, if it's a big moment, it's a big moment. It'll be a moment. If it's a very quiet moment, let's go to the extreme of that. But you almost sometimes, you know, particularly if you've got singing as well. Like, there's different, you know, and I think that is it's trying to get that because I think, particularly, if you are a musician that plays a lot of music in lots of different ensembles, your day-to-day is playing in lots of different groups. You're kind of gonna just do your thing.

And for me, doing this is about not just this is just another piece of music, it's about us being a group that know how each other plays and know, you know, we're used to, it's not like turning up next to a stranger, it's actually finding a sound as a group. And so our first concert was overtures deliberately because they didn't. I mean, we had a couple of singers in the concert, but it was mainly orchestra music. So that first concert was finding our own sound and our own, do you know what I mean? It was finding, it was us practicing playing together before we introduce more people into it, so we could get used to that, and that's basically the goal now. You know, we're still, you know, we'll keep going and get better, but it's about us playing together as well as regularly as we can, you know.

[16:53] Alex Parker: The first kind of musical concert I really remember is Chess, and I love Chess. I think it's, you know, listen, it has its story flaws or whatever, but musically it's amazing. And you know, that being done at Royal Albert Hall with the cast, yes. I mean, it was Josh Groban and Adina and Carrie, and like it was ridiculous. It's kind of like you look back on it now, you actually think about it, it's so funny. These casts you see at the time, and then you look when you look back, you're like, I saw all those people in one place, like it's wired. It's so, uh, it's led to these amazing things, and you know what? I saw it again at the ENO, which was incredible. I mean, to hear it in that massive space, and it was much more of a presented, it wasn't, there's no bride, but it was more presented.

It seems to be a wonderful thing and a new unexplored way to get into musicals and to actually take away from all the pomp and circumstance, it brings you back to the music, which is what I'd love to say.

[17:49] Alex Parker: Like why Sunset Boulevard and how did you, how was this come about? Because I think Sunset Boulevard is one of the best scores musically. It brilliantly marries film and musical theater. It's beautifully woven. But take the spectacle, take Joe Gillis's apartment, you know, and Norma Desmond's apartment coming down on the Adelphi stage, which I saw many times. But you know, what is it that made Sunset Boulevard a really good auction here? Well, I mean, I love, I mean, I love the show. I feel I love shows, I love musicals that have a sort of theatrical or movie setting. So I'm a big fan also of Follies, I love Gypsy, you know, these shows, these shows that kind of are about artists. I think I particularly am interested in those stories because it's almost, it's the behind the scenes of these people that you're exploring, you know, you're exploring these personalities.

And maybe I've never really thought about it, but maybe one, I don't want to say I relate to Norma Desmond, but I mean, maybe, maybe there's, we all do on certain, yeah, well, quite maybe that, I don't know. I've just always loved backstage. It's too elementary to say it's a backstage story, but it is about what the public don't see in a way, and I think the fascination with that, the I think I was the film score, sonic world of it, I love. I think it's my favorite Andrew Lloyd Webber score. And I think what he's done amazingly is he's used the sound world, whether it be harmonically, whether it be orchestration, that isn't a million miles away from the kind of film scores of that time, which is also an interesting thing to add into a theatrical setting.

So it almost adds such a grandeur to the piece. And the score, you know, it's kind of hard to imagine. It's hard to imagine it's almost a piece of theatre because you feel like you're watching a movie. And obviously, I'm a big fan of a sort of a middle-aged female lead, naturally. So I love add that into it. And actually, I, although I've got a number of musicals that I adore, I think as if we never said goodbye, and the scene around that song is maybe I kind of now think I can conclude it's probably my favorite moment in a musical. I love that song so much. I think that the moment of Norma kind of coming back to the studio for the first time in years and recognizing it, but also feeling sort of nervous and afraid, and just what that whole moment means.

I think it's the marriage of all of that. I think it's an amazingly amazing moment and a wonderfully theatrical moment as well. And so, and I think, I think that I think the story, the score, the thing is when you do a concert, I always think there's got to be a reason to do a musical in concert. It's gotta have an amazing score, it's gotta have a score and a book, I guess, as well, that can hold itself up without everything else around it. All the things, the kind of pomp and circumstance of a big production. And I feel that this show really does do that. And actually, one of its, as well as the stars of the show, it's kind of centerpiece is the score. And so actually hearing that with a 40-piece orchestra, it sort of deserves that.

And you want to, you kind of, I can't imagine it not being played in such a grandiose way. And yeah, and I think, um, that and I wanted to do, I guess I wanted to do like I wanted to do a production of it that was focused on the music, and getting this score as sort of the way we sing it and the way we play it as sort of as definitive a version as we can. So that's kind of what drew me to it, and I think it lends itself to being done in concert very well, and then to do it in these venues, you know, we did a Royal Albert Hall. It's sort of, you know, there's a staircase, there's an organ that are already there. Like we don't need the set, like we can do it on it. And you know, Hawkeye can swing his light grand sphere. It's so cool to get that moment you were just talking about, yeah. Imagine filling that space.

[22:34] Alex Parker: Exactly. And so that feels amazing, and then also, yeah, I mean it's great to do it with this cast, it's a great company, and you know, so it's incredible. I've got, you know, you've got to go. So I've got just one other question. I mean, it's Royal Albert Hall. It's next Friday, I believe. I cannot wait. I'm gonna be there. I haven't seen it since I was at the Duncan.

[22:57] John Schwab: Oh, you're...

[22:58] Alex Parker: And um, what can people, what would you like people to take away or expect, or would you like them to? I don't want to lead the witness here, but would you like them to open themselves up to maybe this is another way to see theater, musical theater, or what would you like people to take over?

[23:12] Alex Parker: I'd, I guess, well, I'd love for people to have an amazing evening, naturally. I'd love people who might not have been to a hall like the Albert Hall to experience hearing music in a concert hall setting. I think one of the things that I, every time I walk in that building, my breath is taken away by how glorious ever, even if you've been there a million times, you walk in again, you're like, wow, this is unbelievable. And I think it is hearing this music in that kind of setting, you know, everybody will be able to see the orchestra, and I want people to see how a musical theatre score is played, see what people are doing, because we're so used to hearing them, just it's hearing them, not seeing them.

And I think, you know, seeing the inner workings of that, see who plays this stuff, and really just, apart from the incredible performances of the company, just really take away from it, um, we all know that music and orchestration and all of that is important um in a show, but to really maybe people who are perhaps more aware of the whole, actually, seeing this musical performed, I don't want to say it's bare bones, but it is truly about the performer, the material and the music and the orchestra. That is what, you know, and everything you see and hear will be right in front of your eyes. And I think, and also hearing a live orchestra, you know, that's not always something that people have heard before. And to hear an orchestra play live, there's kind of nothing like it, really. And nothing, yeah, it's magical. And I think that's so all of that, the experience, you know.

[24:54] John Schwab: I love it. Well, Alex, thank you so much for talking to me. I cannot wait to see it. It's gonna be brilliant. It's gonna be so much. And you've got tons and tons and tons of other things coming out. You're musical directing. You have Calicettle coming up, you're doing My Fair Lady. You have a musical, The Danish Girl that's happening. There's so much happening. You're gonna musical direct Laura Pitt Pulford again. But my very good friend Chris Howell is gonna be in Gypsy, which I'm gonna miss. I'm gonna be filming in the States. But, uh, I couldn't believe when they announced the date, I went no.

[25:25] Alex Parker: Well, hopefully, we'll do it again. Hopefully it's any time. But listen, I'm wishing you all the best, and I cannot wait to see it on Friday. Break legs on Friday, the 3rd of December. I cannot wait to see it.

[25:35] Alex Parker: Thank you so much. You're very kind, and thank you so much for having me. It's been amazing talking to you.

[25:39] John Schwab: Thank you, thank you.

[25:40] Alex Parker: My pleasure.

[25:42] ♪ Musical number: "People" — performed by Alex Parker ♪

[25:55] John Schwab: Now you can see Alex in action this coming Friday, the 3rd of December at London's Royal Albert Hall. And if you can't make that, head on over to LuminareOrchestra.com for information on upcoming concerts of his in his orchestra. Now, before I go, a few housekeeping bits, quick reminder that you can download and subscribe to the podcast from the Apple Podcast app or from iTunes, and you can listen to us on Stitcher, Google Play, iHeartRadio, all those other podcast streaming services that you love and utilize. But if you can, rate and review our podcast if you have a spare 30 seconds when you're there. It helps us reach more theater lovers out there around the globe. You can follow us on all the socials, Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook at Curtain Call, or you can follow me personally at John Schwab.

It's J O H N S C H W A B. We'd love to hear from you if you have any suggestions or feedback for the podcast. Get in touch with us via any of the social media platforms I just mentioned, or write to me personally at John at CurtainCallOnline.com. And if you are a theater professional, if you're a live events professional, if you're an entertainment professional, that's in front or behind the curtain, whatever. Sign up for a free profile and Curtain Call. And we've launched a platform partly funded by Innovate UK to help our industries get their professionals back to work. So it doesn't matter where you live in the world, sign up for a free profile, free availability, free skill sets, all these kind of things that help you get noticed by employers.

So do it, you won't regret it. Just leaves me to say a huge thank you to Alex Parker. Check out his socials on Twitter. That's Alex Parker91, or you can see what he's up to at LuminareOrchestra.com. I will put those links in the show notes. Thank you to Sher Microphones for continuing to be our equipment sponsor for this podcast. A huge thank you to Celia Thomas for our little intro into back into the break. If you haven't checked out her podcast, she is Black Hair in the Big Leagues. Go over to the Broadway Podcast Network, which we are part of and we are so grateful to be part of. And, uh, or go onto the app and check her out. Just don't let it go. Lastly, uh, again, thanking all of you who tune in regularly to this podcast. Without you, I would, we wouldn't be here. So thank you so much. I look forward to speaking to you soon. Stay safe and look after yourselves, everyone. Bye.