Dan's Papers - October 3, 2008

A lot of people have been asking me lately how I got Main Beach The Musical, a play that I wrote, to go up on stage at a historic theater in Manhattan. Here is how I did it.

About two years ago, I got an idea that somebody should write a musical about lifeguards. I floated the idea around to a few theater friends who all thought that writing a musical and actually getting it to go anywhere was impossible.

Then I read The Four Hour Work Week, a book by former Springs local Tim Ferriss, and I became inspired to do something outside of work. So I got to writing a musical called Main Beach The Musical, about a boy who dreams of becoming a lifeguard at East Hampton's Main Beach. I wrote the play and lyrics to the music, which I just sang in my head.

I'm not a musician, however, and I needed a composer, and thanks to a tip from Jayne Freedman of Jayne's Family Cuts in East Hampton, I was introduced to Carolyn Feldschuh, who agreed to read the script and then agreed to write the music. After about six months, I had a script and a CD to show local theater groups, and then proceeded to beg them to produce my show. One group, The Springs Community Theater, went nuts for the show and started to produce it. A date was set last August for the theater at East Hampton High School, but as we went into production, one by one, actors and actresses dropped out of the play because they had a conflict with going back to college. We all agreed that we would wait and the show would go up with the Springs Community Theater next March, when more actors would be available.

I was so down about this after feeling so unbelievably close to having a staged production. I also felt a blow to my credibility after telling so many people about the August date.

On a fluke I ran into Joey Brondo after seeing him at the Naked Stage with Josh Perl and Josh Gladstone, where I read a part in a play called Fit To Be Tied, which was produced by Patrick Christiano. Joey and I went to high school together and he told me about how he was a SAG actor and about how much fun he was having with theater. I asked him if he had any idea how to arrange a staged reading in the city. He answered with an enthusiastic "Definitely."

I didn't do anything about it because I didn't want to spend the money or get involved with another production.

About a week later, I saw Stuart Lane, the legendary Broadway producer of countless productions, at my dad's wedding reception. He told me that if I had a reading he would try and make it.

Within about 24 hours I had hired Joey to produce a reading in Manhattan, and he organized a staged reading at the Producer's Club on 44th Street in Manhattan for Main Beach The Musical on October 22 at 6:30 p.m. You should go if you have the time, and can RSVP to Joey at mainbeach-themusical@me.com, since it is just a 90-seat theater and many of the seats are already spoken for.