Talking to Music Director James May about working on Broadway, on tour, and the upcoming Bridge Initiative production of A GRAND NIGHT FOR SINGING

James May

by Gil Benbrook

James May grew up in Indiana and attended high school in Phoenix before serving as a conductor and music director on Broadway. While his first Broadway show, Teddy and Alice, didn’t run long he’d go on to work on such iconic shows as Les Misérables and Sunset Boulevard. 

He worked on many other musicals, including the first national tour of La Cage Aux Folles, and tours of A Chorus Line, Beauty and the Beast, and Man of La Mancha, and the Los Angeles companies of White Christmas, The Lion King, and Wicked. May also served as the music director of The Lion King in Spain for two years.

May went to high school at Saquaro High and received his Bachelors and Masters from Northwestern University. After retiring and moving to Phoenix, May has served as the music director for many shows at theatres across the valley, including Arizona Broadway Theater, Theaterworks, and Zao Theatre, winning an ariZoni Theatre Award of Excellenece for his work on Les Misérables-School Edition at Theater Works.

James has also worked with The Bridge Initiative on several cabaret shows they've presented. Next week he serves as the music direction and pianist for A Grand Night for Singing, the Rodgers and Hammerstein song collection, on October 6 and 7, which is a full circle experience for May since his first job out of college was working on a Richard Rodger’s revue.

In between final rehearsals with the cast, May sat down to answer some questions about his career, his upcoming shows, exactly what a music director does.

For someone who doesn't know what a music director does, what are the primary responsibilities of the role, and how do they differ from show to show?     

James May: "A music director is in charge of anything and everything to do with the music in a show, so rehearsing all vocals, training the orchestra (if there IS an orchestra!) and possibly working with and editing tracks, which could involve setting tempos or making cuts and key changes, etc. In a rehearsal period, it is vital to work in collaboration with the director and choreographer, so as to be on the same page regarding the story the show has to tell. In performance, the MD is more often than not the pianist or keyboard player, and controls the ebb and flow of the show."

John Raitt and James May from 
Raitt's concert tour that May music directed

What was your background and education like and how did you become a music director working on well-known Broadway shows?      

I was a classically trained pianist, beginning lessons at the age of four! The plan was to become a concert pianist. But throughout high school, I was involved in the musicals, twice a year, either in the pit or on stage. One show was an original that  two of my friends and I wrote. We had a very esteemed director.....Dick Van Dyke, right here in Scottsdale. But, onto college, and resuming the goal to be a classical pianist. I received my Bachelors and Masters degrees in Piano Performance from Northwestern University. Soon after college though, my first job offer that paid me any money was to work with a wonderful group called THE YOUNG AMERICANS. Interestingly, the show was A SALUTE TO RICHARD RODGERS, for which I was music director, pianist, and dance arranger.. And THAT led to my career in musical theater, but my love for classical music has never left me."

When working on such iconic shows as The Lion King and Les Misérables, how do you approach maintaining the original musical integrity while also adding your personal touch?     

"I did quite a few long runs of big Broadway shows. The original creative team would make sure that all companies, whether Broadway, LA, National tour, or international, were near identical. Sets, costumes, music, vocals, . Of course, little bits of individuality would be there, but all in all, they would be very similar."

Les Misérables is known for its sweeping score and continuous music. How difficult was it to manage such a large and intricate score, and what was your process for working with the cast and their replacements during your tenure working on this sung-through show?      I, and most other Les Miserables conductors, had the score totally memorized, so although the music was on the music stand, it was never opened. Of course, the musicians all had THEIR music memorized too, so their music stands held magazines for those rare moments when they were not playing!! Regarding the cast, we would have brush up rehearsals, understudy rehearsal every Thursday, or if new people were joining the company, we'd work from the beginning, teaching notes, learning lyrics. This was true for all of the shows.

Sunset Boulevard blends musical theater with cinematic grandeur and backstage drama. What are some of the behind the scenes stories you can tell us about working with such iconic actresses who portrayed the musical's leading lady, Norma Desmond, including Glenn Close, Betty Buckley, and Diahann Carroll?        

"Sunset Boulevard was so exciting for me. I actually replaced the original Associate Conductor. I had to learn it very fast, and actually conducted the show after only having been there 4 weeks!!! Talk about nerves!! Of course, the orchestra was filled with world class musicians who could play the show with anyone waving their arms in front of them!!! So it was intermission of my first show. and Glenn Close came down to the orchestra room to find me. She was dressed in a robe and turban, looking very grim and very Norma Desmond. Uh oh, I thought......that is that!!! But she then grinned from ear to ear and hugged me tightly. All was well!  Glenn AND Betty Buckley had a huge fan base. On Glenn's final show, on a Sunday, the audience screamed so hard for her. I never heard anything like it! THEN, two days later on Tuesday, Betty had her first night. During the song "As if we never said goodbye', she has the lyric "I've come home at last!" The ENTIRE audience shot to their feet, and the show totally stopped. We had to wait at least 2 minutes before finishing the song!!   Gotta love live theater!"

James May with Julie Taymor
at the opening of EL REY LEON (THE LION KING) in Madrid

What specific challenges did you face in your role as music director for the Spanish production of The Lion King, particularly with its complex African rhythms, choral arrangements and having the show performed entirely in Spanish?       

"I had done the entire run of THE LION KING in Los Angeles, so when they asked me to do the Spanish company (EL REY LEON), I was very excited. I had already done BEAUTY AND THE BEAST and MAMMA MIA in Madrid in long runs.  As I stated earlier, these mega shows are pretty much identical, except of course, any English words or lyrics are in the language of whatever country the show is playing in. BUT, in every company worldwide of LION KING, the African languages (there are many) are identical in all companies. The other thing they do, is that in every LION KING company worldwide, they bring in at least 6 singers from Africa to join the company, mostly South Africa. This provides great authenticity!! And in the daily warmups, these wonderful people would teach us all songs of Africa. All of that added to the brotherhood and richness of the show."

James May and Lynn Redgrave
working on the MUNY production
 of The King and I

In your experience, what is the most rewarding aspect of being a music director for a long-running Broadway show, and how do you keep the job fresh when conducting the same score night after night? 

     

"The most rewarding aspect of being an MD for me is turning around and seeing people becoming emotional. I especially remember in LION KING, when Rafiki begins CIRCLE OF LIFE, the doors from the lobby fly open, and all the animals start their procession down to the stage. There were many tears flowing, mine included, even after 1000 performances! Or in WICKED, after FOR GOOD, I would turn around and see the tears. It was a reaffirmation that we were reaching them!"

When serving as the music director on a show, what is the collaboration process like with other members of the creative team, such as the director and choreographer?     

"This is usually only during a rehearsal period. Once a show opens, the director only occasionally would come visit to check up on things. Most dance issues would be discussed with the Dance Captain."

Looking ahead to your work on A Grand Night for Singing, what excites you most about bringing the classic Rodgers & Hammerstein catalog to life in a concert setting?   

"GRAND NIGHT FOR SINGING is a great collection of songs and the arrangements bring a new life to some very vintage songs, making them sound fresh and new!"

How does your approach differ when working on a revue like A Grand Night for Singing, where the focus is on a variety of songs rather than a singular narrative?        

"With a show like this, the main emphasis is learning the music and arrangements. In a revue, there is usually not much of a plot, as in a musical play. But in GRAND NIGHT, there is a definite musical arc. It's a great show which I know people will love."

What do you hope audiences take away from hearing these well-known Rodgers & Hammerstein classics performed in the upcoming production at The Bridge Initiative?     

"These songs of Rodgers and Hammerstein are, for the most part, very well known! So I am sure the audiences will recognize the tunes and then enjoy very fresh arrangements this show provides. Plus with any show produced by Brenda Jean Foley and The Bridge Initiative, people can be sure of a great time! The production is directed by the brilliant Trisha Ditsworth, who is a solid favorite of Phoenix audiences. So I’m sure everyone will thoroughly enjoy themselves!"

CLICK HERE for more information on A Grand Night for Singing, which runs October 6 & 7