Craig Hanna (left) with his partner Michael J. Bobbitt and the couple’s son Sang stand in front of Adventure Theatre, where Bobbitt is artistic director. (Photo courtesy of Michael Bobbitt)
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PATRICK FOLLIARD
Friday, May 09, 2008
Five years in the making, “The Stephen Schwartz Project” was work-shopped, reworked, and shopped-around before getting a world premiere at MetroStage in Old Town Alexandria (through May 25); and despite its misleadingly generic title, the musical revue — conceived, staged and choreographed by Michael J. Bobbitt who is gay — is wowing audiences with its boldly rearranged selections from composer and lyricist Stephen Schwartz’s canon, which includes scores for “Godspell,” “Pippin” and “Wicked.”
“When I first approached Stephen about doing the show, he encouraged us [Bobbitt and composer and musician John L. Cornelius II] to go far and extreme with our arrangements, and to rethink how we wanted to approach his songs,” explains Bobbitt, 36. “And we took him up on it: We infused ‘Magic To Do,’ the opening number from ‘Pippin,’ with an Earth, Wind & Fire-inspired funk and transformed his tender and simple ‘Lion Tamer’ into a big band number with a Josephine Baker-influenced dance break in the middle.”
Some die-hard Schwartz fans may not give their blessings to the arrangements, but with the composer’s support, it’s hard to quibble.
“And because John Cornelius is an amazing, multi-degreed musician, I knew from experience that he had the imagination and ability to pull off something amazing,” says Bobbit.
Although Schwartz was writing some of his best scores around the time Bobbitt was born, the upbeat director insists the composer’s older work is every bit as relevant as his newer material.
“Stephen writes coming-of-age stories that seem aimed to socially aware young people,” he explains. “His songs are full of magic, possibility and youthful angst — elements that initially drew me to his music and undoubtedly are still popular with those who are first encountering his songs today.”
OF COURSE, PULLING off a revue requires a top-notch cast, and Bobbit decided to hire performers unknown to much of the Washington theater scene.
“Stephen writes for young characters, so I knew the cast had to be new and fresh,” says Bobbitt, a native Washingtonian. And since he teaches and directs at Montgomery College, and Catholic and Howard universities, he was able to cast some of best young talent in the area, who definitely lend a vibrant energy to the show.
In addition to directing, choreographing and teaching, Bobbitt is currently nearing the end of his first year as artistic director at Adventure Theatre, a children’s theater in Glen Echo, Md.
“The position is challenging. We’re in the midst of transitioning from a community to a professional theater model,” he says. “We’ve also just finished a capital renovation and part of that means expanding the program, so I’m enjoying the challenge of stepping up our game and gaining visibility. Also, I’m striving to bring the diversity of our family [Bobbitt’s partner is Caucasian and their son is Vietnamese] to Adventure Theatre through new projects like ‘heritage month’ shows.”
One of his best critics, says Bobbitt, is his seven-year-old son, Sang.
“It’s great to be producing shows that my son can enjoy,” he adds. “I often wonder what he’ll think of a show, and because he just happens to be the smartest kid in the world, he always lets me know what isn’t working and he’s invariably right.”
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