The Talk

Panther City Is Back in Panther City!

3/25/2019

Thrilled to see Panther City the Musical on its feet once again.
We're doing a reading in Fort Worth, and an audience is shaping up that will not only give us meaningful feedback, but will help us discern next steps.
So grateful to so many who have accepted the invitation.
Off we go!

Gettin' the Band Back Together

8/6/2018

Wife, Sherry; Academy Award-winning friend, Lynn; and I went to see "Gettin' the Band Back Together," Ken Davenport's new musical, on Friday.

Warning: You should only go see this show if you want to laugh for 2.5 hours straight.

It best compares in tone to the movie "Dodgeball." The humor is silly fun and so often comes from somewhere unexpected. With the exception of Marilu Henner, it's a cast of people you've not seen a lot of and they're great.

Ken is a producer and creator--an impresario, I guess--who shares his knowledge so very generously with people trying to make it in commercial theater. Support him, and go see his show. It's that rarest of rarities--a completely original Broadway musical. It's not based on anything but a good idea. It's light, frothy and a lot of fun.

Back to School!

3/7/2018

So excited to be heading back to school.
The Dramatists Guild Institute offered an outstanding slate of classes for writers this spring.

I started 'Architecture of the Musical' with John Dietrich on Monday, and it was so good. We learned so much in the first two hours about opening numbers and how to craft effective ones.

No better example than comparing 'Love Is in the Air,' which was Stephen Sondheim's first shot at an opener for 'A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum' with 'Comedy Tonight,' which eventually opened the show.

On Saturday, I start Lyric Writing with Marcy Heisler. Breath is held. It will be the first time to sit in class and have my work compared to others. Excited. Apprehensive. Can't wait.

OK. That's it, and that's enough.

The Musicals

Babes At Sea

Set during World War II, Babes at Sea is a throwback musical ‘dramedy’ that knows when to get current . . . and serious.
Babes offers a fresh take on the classic musical setup:
- Boy meets girl.
- Girl hates boy.
- Girl dresses up as sailor and boards a ship to find out
what boy is thinking.
- And hilarity ensues. And so does love. And so does war.
With characters you’ll care about singing songs you’ll hum the next
day, Babes at Sea sets sail on a journey to learn what really
matters . . . and has a great time doing it.

Panther City

Panther City is a new musical that tells the inspiring, true (well, mostly true) story of Fort Worth, Texas' fight back from certain demise when in 1876 a national depression dashed the growing town’s hope of bringing in the railroad. (A Dallas reporter wrote the town was so dead, he saw a panther asleep on Main Street.) Needing to come together, Fort Worth was deeply divided between the town-builders and saloon owners who gave it a well-deserved rowdy reputation serving Chisholm Trail cattle drovers. About the only thing they agreed on was they all hated Dallas! But somehow this town on the Trinity River, teetering on the brink of extinction, would have to find a way . .
Listen to the music of Panther City

Boy, Girl, Boy, Girl

It's "Cyrano de Bergerac Goes to High School" . . . twice
in Boy, Girl, Boy, Girl a new musical about which Show Business Weekly says:
Cozby’s comedic music seamlessly advances the plot with catchy melodies and lyrics that astonishingly generate nostalgia for high school.
The students of Herbert Hoover High prepare to perform an absolutely terrible musical version of Cyrano de Bergerac (Cyranose!), written by the president of the school board. At the same time the students are a Cyrano story, with inarticulate jock Johnny Rocket pining for the unattainable cheerleader Margo Major and imploring drama nerd Marty McCoy (also pining for Margo) to help him woo the girl they both want!

Add in a drama teacher and football coach battling for their programs, a conniving principal pitting them against each other, the tough (and hilarious) kids from the Alternative School bent on mischief and you have a bright, original musical with songs and situations that will alternately tug at your heart strings . . . and your funny bone.

The Dancing Princess

Princess Rosamond is a royal brat only a father could love . . . and she even tests his patience. But young Prince Edward sees something more . . . and she can't stand Edward. When a conniving courtier convinces a merry band of gypsies to kidnap Rosamond, the spoiled princess must learn to dance for her keep . . . and learns a life lesson along the way.

Based on the delightful children's book The Mask of the Dancing Princess by Judith Gwyn Brown, this musical will engage and entertain every member of the family. With music by Bert Draesel, lyrics by Nancy Leeds and book and additional lyrics by Paul Cozby, Rosamond's journey from princess to pauper and back again will have you singing, laughing . . . and learning that people are seldom just as they seem.

Contact