Video: Tony Yazbeck Talks Directing and Choreographing Manhattan Concert Productions' CHILDREN OF EDEN

Welcome to Backstage with Richard Ridge

One of Broadway's favorite leading men, Tony Yazbeck, is getting ready to direct and choreograph the glorious Stephen Schwartz and John Caird musical Children of Eden from Manhattan Concert Productions

It'll take place on February 18th at Lincoln Center's David Geffin Hall, and I caught up with Tony here at the legendary Sardies

So you are getting ready to direct and choreograph Stephen Schwartz and John Caird's glorious musical, Children of Eden

Children of Eden. How excited are you? I'm absolutely thrilled. I remember thinking of this show about a year and a half ago

and when thinking, oh, I wonder if I pitched this, if we even can get the rights or where is it right now in the Canada

Because I've just been such a fan of this material for decades

and when we pitched it, we got the rights right away, I just couldn't believe it

And MCP and I, we were just thrilled to be able to get our hands on this and get working

So what is it about this musical that you love the most? Oh, I so much. I really love the subject matter

I really resonate with it. Obviously, it's generally just the first ten chapters of Genesis

but there's so many beautiful themes at work in this. subject, this storytelling, so much wonderful things about parenting and doing the best you can

for your kids. And then you only have a short amount of time here to do that. And then you do

what you can do. It's just let them go. Let them go. And that's the best way to love them

And there's also beautiful themes of understanding what pride and ego is and maybe giving over control

to something that's bigger than you. And what that means, there's so many beautiful things. There's so many human things that we go through. And so my job as a director is not necessarily to tell the story

of what happened back then, but actually give us something accessible to 2023 to what we're all

going through as people and how we can relate together. And I think that's the part that's really

exciting for me. Yeah. Let's talk about Stephen Schwartz's score. What a glorious score this show has

Oh my gosh. Yeah. I mean, look, it was a cult classic to me in my eyes

when I was in college, you know, I was at Cincinnati Conservatory, and there was a production of it that I wasn't in it, but I got to see it

And it was children of Eden, and it was all of my friends in it. And I was like, what is this beautiful show

And I remember just grabbing the double-disc album and listening and just listening to these incredible voices

and hearing like Derrista Ha singing to Austin Wilderness and thinking, what is better than this

Thinking, you know, and so every song, and as I've gotten older and become a father

I've listened to these songs with a little more weight, and it's really emotional for me to go through all of that material

And so to be able to dig in and to understand what it all means

and what John Kerr did and Stephen Schwartz. And Stephen Schwartz I've just been a fan of for years

I mean, I think the reason why I have any kind of religious

or spiritual relationship to anything is because of God's Bell in the first place

And then Pippin got me thinking about it, about really living in the moment and being present in our lives

And now Children of Eden, which I think is, I think it's secretly Stephen Schwartz's favorite work that didn't necessarily really get off on its feet the way he probably wanted to

So we have an opportunity here right now. We're really excited about it. Have you had a chance to talk to Stephen about this

Oh, yeah. Yeah, we talk. We're email every day, and that's, it's wild for me

I have yet actually to get him in a room to talk to him, but we've been emailing for months

about different ideas and casting and things like that. He's just wonderful and so gracious

And I'm excited to see how he feels about the 30 pieces, 30 orchestra pieces that we have, instruments in the room

And he's making this better and better. And we thinking about ways we can fine tune and really focus the story and relate it to people That what I want to do I want to connect to an audience so deeply Well let talk about Manhattan Concert Productions MCP

They do such beautiful shows, which you have been a part of. I have. You started two of them

I did two. Actually, I think I did three. We did a concert, something at Carnegie Hall where it was like all of the Broadway shows together with this incredible cast

But MCP has been a company I've been involved with for a while. while and I just I love it because their heart is in the right place it's we're doing this for

the young people and we're the focus is on this beautiful humongous student body choir that is coming

from all over the states and and we're joining up to sing this material and we're bringing in this

incredible Broadway cast to collaborate with them and they get this opportunity of a lifetime and

so that's the part that's really thrilling and especially with children of Eden too it's

You know, the subject matter is really focused on these young people, and they have a lot to sing

And there are going to be 400 young voices singing in a choir, and it's a lot of material

And the new David Giffon Hall is, it's going to be an event

It's going to be an event. See, I love what MCP does because they bring, I love the number this year

It used to be 200. Now it's 400, and it's even bigger and better

they get a bird's eye view and a hands-on look of how a beautiful professional production is put together

with a Broadway cast, with an incredible director choreographer, learning everything in such a short amount of time

But watching how, you know, the best of Broadway prepares to do a one-night-only show

Right. And I think, you know, you can't learn that anywhere else. You don't learn that in school

You can only learn it by doing it. And that's what MCP offers for these kids

because I've been through, I think, all the Broadway series. I've watched them all happen

I've done Q&As with them. And like for you, when you were watching them

like what did you learn from these young talents that, you know, it's the future

You know, people who are singing in these shows, it's the future of the business. What did you learn from them watching them work

Well, look, time is so fleeting I've learned, and we all sort of learn this

We learn it even more as we get older. But these young kids, this is the moment for them

And this is the moment for a generation like mine to give to them

It's my job. It's my duty. Everything that I've accomplished in my career is nothing if I don't pass the torch down to these wonderful sponges

They're just ready to learn. And they're so excited to be in the presence of people who have had this experience in New York

And that part I love. And I love to teach, too. I have a heart for it

So I feel like I'm in a really good organization that not only produces beautiful

musicals on a concert stage, but we give back to the new generations. And they are thrilled. And

there's a day in which we take a few hours and it's me and a bunch of the people in the company

and we just talk to them. We enlighten them. We ask questions and we make them feel at home. We make

them know like this is possible and this is their new home if they want it, you know, open arms

It's a master class. It is. Because I'll be there for the Q and with all of you

That's right. Yeah, but they learned from you because they, I think a lot of these kids think that, you know

like God tapped you on the shoulder and said, you're going to be Tony Aspect, you're going to have this big career

But you go through the same foibles and everything else that they're going through

Oh, yeah. I mean, it never stops. The struggles never stop. But it's willing to understand that there's beauty in the struggle

If you start to understand how to embrace it, then you realize like, I'm living a good life

And the wonderful thing is that you, you know, you know, you know, you know, you start to understand how to embrace it. The wonderful thing is that you don't have to isolate

That's the wonderful thing about New York City. With these young people coming in, they feel like they're, they don't know if they can ask for help

And I always say ask for help because we want to help. We just don't know if you need it

And so that's the great part of this community, especially with young people coming in, is nobody's alone

You don't have to isolate. And that when they going to feel inspired and feel like okay they okay It hard It difficult But we have people around me that love me and encourage me and I be all right I be all right you know Okay I love that you stepping into directing and choreographing now

Right. This is a big show. It's a big show. You know, I have been an associate of incredible directors for years, and I've put myself in those positions because, frankly, I just love people

in general and I love vulnerable, artful, courageous directors. I have worked with like Tina Landell, Biltie Jones

Hal Prince, Susan Stroman, people like that who not only have, they trusted me to like watch and learn and listen, but, you know

I'm, there's a collaboration that's starting to happen where I'm starting to take over

a little bit and say, what do you think about this? And then they go, oh, this guy kind of has good

instincts, let's listen. And so to be able to have a relationship with really profound

directors lets you realize for yourself, well, maybe I could do this one day. And that started

a few years back, and I started directing concerts and big sort of big event concerts and

settings and got to direct something at the Kennedy Center. And so now, you know, I'm in

developments with certain plays that are trying to get off the ground right now. And this is

this is a big one, though. I'm excited. Yeah, I was going to say. This is the big one for you

No, this one's big. But you starred in Crazy for You and The Scarlet Pimpernel

Yes. How incredible was it learning those shows in such a short amount of time

Well, yes. I mean, those two shows are just like, ah. Like, I have such incredible experiences on that stage

First of all, crazy for you is like one of my favorite Broadway shows of all time. There's so much joy and laughter, song, and dance

And, like, we put it together. And it was just a mad race to the finish with so many props and set pieces

and I know MCP was like, it's like the biggest thing they'd ever done at the time. And we were all so proud and the audience went nuts

And a dream role of mine, right? So fully realized. And then I think it was the year after we did Pimpernel or something like that

And I remember just thinking, like it was like encores on some other planet where we just, it was a race to the finish line

That day of, I'm not sure we ever ran the show. We just did it

But it was so much fun. And just everyone was having a blast that it was just a laugh-a-thon, the entire show

And I thought, well, this is the way to do theater. You know, just surprise yourself in the moment

Sometimes when you're too rehearsed, there's nothing to find. There's nothing to surprise yourself with

So as long as you have the perimeter and you know you're going out there to just have fun

and just play with people that you trust, it's the best kind of theater

So that's what I have experienced with MCP most of the time

And I think the young voices, is see that, that you have your craft

you do your homework, and you just let go. And you just let go. Let go and have fun

Yep. Yep. It's the best way. Now, you have a great musical director

Oh, Kimberly Grigsby is just incredible. We work together on Flying Over Sunset on Broadway

at Lincoln Center Theater. And she knows what she's doing. She has been around

She's worked with the best. And you know what she's really great with

is young people and choirs. And I didn't know this until I approached her with the project

And she's like, this is my cup of tea. And I was like, oh, I'm so excited. So she not only has the best taste in musicianship

but she knows how to bring these young people together and make them sound amazing

So I'm really excited about the next steps. And you've got a dynamite cast already

I know you're still finalizing everything. There's a lot of casting going on right now

but we're really excited. I know. And, you know, somebody we picked out early on who, you know

I approached him and he went, Yes, Scott, yes, I've been meaning to do this ever for decades, is Norm Lewis playing this part of Father

slash God, who is going to be thrilling. And thinking about how he's going to sing this material and have 400 people back him up with a 30-piece orchestra

just sort of makes my heart sing a little bit. But yeah this cast is coming together and I can wait to announce when it really comes together Everybody wants to work for MCP do these beautiful productions Yeah it just a beautiful place to work And if you get an experience to work at the new Geffen Hall

which is a brand new experience, the acoustics are incredible, the look is exquisite, it feels like you're not even on this place

It literally feels like you're in another world, and you're experiencing music in such a, just an inward experience

It's a spiritual experience to be in that hall now. So I think as performers, as musicians, but as audience members now, we all get to feel this experience together

You know, you're talked about being a new dad. Actually, you're not a new dad because your son is how old now

He's six and a half, almost seven. It's still a new dad. It changes every year, I'm sure, just watching him grow up, right

But I mean, how is being a dad changed the way you look at your career and how you're looking at this piece of Children of Eden

I mean, it's everything. You know, it humbles me. I'm constantly, I'm in gratitude land every single day for my life

And it humbles me to understand that he's the most important thing in my life and will always

be that. And he will always be the best relationship I ever will have because of the bond we create

And we're so close. And it informs. everything I do because emotionally it builds me outward emotionally even more

It creates a bigger place in my heart for things to exist

So when I'm directing something or I'm even just observing a piece of music, I feel it and

see it and visualize everything in certain big ways because of the way I've experienced my

life as a father. It informs it all. And that's the part that I feel very blessed with

that I'm able to have this opportunity as a father because I can see things from different angles now

And it really, that's the word, it's humbling. And, you know, every day, I'm grateful for that

Every day. Yeah. That's why I think this is a perfect musical for you to direct and choreograph

I love this musical. Yeah. It's too big hats to wear. Yes, it is

But if anybody can do it, you can. Thank you. What are you looking forward to the most

We're getting in the trenches and working on this. Collaboration. Collaboration with people

What I learned from Hal Prince is that when Hal's directing, he hires really kind, generous, vulnerable

yes, and people who don't have big egos, but are confident and bold in their instincts

And he brings them all together. And I learned that closely during Prince of Broadway with him

And sometimes he'll talk about it. He'll say he'll bring them all together

and then he'll just kind of slip out of the way and say, go. And I think there's something beautiful about that

And when you have this openness and you have this want to bring out the best in people

and to let their artistry fly, then you can just kind of just let things live and breathe and let go

And now feel like you have to have control over things, but you can just allow people to do their thing

Now I have to steer the ship and make the decisions and basically problem solved

That's my job. It's just solve everyone's problems. But when you're working with wonderful people, it's just so fun

So, like, I love it. I love that part. And another quick finally, what do you love the most of at MCP

I love the focus. And I love the focus that we are doing this for a reason

We're not doing this to pat ourselves on the back and say, hey, look at that show we did

We're doing this because we want to experience something on the stage

and we want to let hundreds and hundreds of young people have a chance to experience something that they can take home

and build upon and remember an experience. And hopefully they start believing in themselves more

and they encourage each other more in their art form. That is great. If I don't see you beforehand, I will see you on February 18th at David Geffin-Hall

for Children of Eden. Thanks. Always a pleasure, my friend. My pleasure