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Vivian Reed & Deborah Cox Talk THE COUNTESS OF STORYVILLE
Nov 9, 2022
Amas Musical Theatre and The Countess of Storyville, present a developmental workshop of the new musical by Martin Silvestri (music), Joel Higgins (lyrics) and R.M. Cohen (book). This epic story of lust, love, mystery and murder will begin performances on February 12, 2014 at The Peter J. Sharp Theatre (416 West 42nd Street - between 9th andamp; 10th Avenues) and continue through February 15. Lynne Taylor-Corbett directs. The show's stars, Vivian Reed and Deborah Cox chatted with BroadwayWorld about the production and you can check out what they had to say below!
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Hello, I'm Richard Ridge for Broadway World
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Amon's Musical Theater is presenting a developmental workshop production of the new Joel Higgins, Martin Silvestri, and R.M. Cohen musical
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The Countess of Storyville. Under the direction and musical staging of Lynn Taylor Corbett
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it stars Deborah Cox and Vivian Reed. And I caught up with the company during a break in rehearsal
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When you first heard about the project, how did it come about for each of you? Marty Silverstreet and Joel Higgins both presented the script, the music
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and I took one listen, really, and fell in love. I just fell in love with this character
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She's just a woman of strength, and she's regal. She's very vulnerable, but she never gets to show that until she falls in love
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And I just love that it's such a diverse style of music that you get in this show
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You get a little bit of the Latin flavor. You get great big ballads
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It just runs the whole gamut. So it was very tantalizing to be able to be a part of this project
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And I opened my email one day, and it said, Lynn Taylor Corbett and Donna Trinkle from Amos Repertory Theater
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they want you to do this role in The Countess of Storyville. So I said, okay, well, send me everything
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And then I took a listen. And like Deborah said, the music was absolutely phenomenal
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And then when I looked at the script and the song Let Joyous See
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I said, hmm, this is written very rangy because, I mean, I was born a classical singer
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So I said to Marty when we had our rehearsal and I agreed to do it because just like Deborah I loved the piece And I said do you want this song the way you wrote it it was like yeah if I could get there
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I could get there I said well you know I'm a Juilliard girl so he was he was happy happy happy
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so I think he's probably hearing it for the first time when I did it the way he actually wrote it
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and it's a joy for me because I don't always use my classical side so it's been wonderful and meeting
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this young lady. Yes. This wonderful young lady. We've had some great times
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Oh, God, we have had some really, really good times. And she's going to be
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a lasting friend for sure, you know, and her talent is immense, you know
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So, yes, it's a pleasure to be a part of this cast. I want you to say something
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about Amas, because you've had quite a history with the company, what this company means to you
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and the kind of work they do. Well, I think they've been
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the reason why a lot of shows have gone on to become hits
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And I think we need companies like Amos. And before it was located, I think, on 86th Street in a church. And I think
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it's important because bubbling started there and we had no idea that, and what was I making
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$35 a weekend? $35 a weekend. And then, of course, you know, we had success. We got the money and
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went on. So Amos will always have a special place in my heart. So here we are. Thank you for letting
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us come to your dress rehearsal today. Oh, our pleasure. How do you feel? I'm worried because
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I feel pretty good. That makes me worried, especially after dress rehearsal. It went so
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well. They're supposed to be terrible, aren't they? Let's talk about collaborations. Collaborations
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are so special. Talk about your collaboration with Marty and with Robbie, with working on this
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piece and why it's worked so well. Well, Marty and I, good Lord, our collaboration goes by. I'm
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looking off because Marty over there And he going don tell them how long we known each other But yeah we known each other for 40 years We had a jingle company together
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He used to produce some stuff that I wrote, and I used to work on stuff that he wrote
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And then eventually we both kind of had a wacky idea to write this musical called The Fields of Ambrosia
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and we started working on it. And it's an amazing thing, really, that we're probably best friends, as well as being collaborators
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Most people, I mean, whether it was Harnick and Bach or whoever, they all ended up not speaking to each other
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But Marty and I still hang together. We have a great time together. And I think the joy is in working on this music together, that we are always of one vision
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This was wonderful for me to say thank you for letting us come to your dress rehearsal today
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Gorgeous production. How do you feel today? Pleasantly surprised that it came together in such a short time
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It's a big undertaking to do a musical of this scope, whether in workshop or if you're actually going into a theater
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So I'm pleasantly surprised at how well I thought it played and how it seemed the audience that we had there understood what was going on
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and stayed with it and seemingly moved by it. Let's talk about your cast
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Talk about your leading ladies. Deborah Cox was when she heard the music and agreed to do this
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That was a day of great happiness. And I flew down to Florida because I'd never met Deborah
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I had seen her on Broadway, most recently in Jekyll and Hyde. And flew down to Florida to help her through the tunes
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I had already sent them to her. I knew we were in for a treat because when I got there, she put up her music stand and she knew everything
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She sang it to me. So I love her. And she was great. What can you say about Vivian Reed since Bubbling Brown Sugar I been one of her biggest fans And she proves to be just a gigantic talent a sweet lady and just the hardest worker and a really knowledgeable musical theater singer
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And let's talk about the workshop, what it was like putting the workshop together here for Amas
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and this whole production, what it's meant to you. It's awesome. It's been awesome
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Donna and Amas have been supportive and wonderful since we did the 29-hour read
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a couple years ago. And everybody, everybody just comes in and does their job
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and it somehow all comes together. This is my first time with a musical
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So it's like, I'm starstruck and in awe. But it's been wonderful
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It's been wonderful. Sitting in there with an audience, as a writer, when you write a piece, do you want the audience
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to leave with a certain something like after they see this? What would you like
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the audience to walk away with? Isn't it great to bring back
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old-fashioned, not old-fashioned, but musical theater the way it was in the 40s and 50s and 60s
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and wouldn't that be great to have original material out there again? Big, brassy, with
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incredible people. I mean, this town is filled. We had 172 people at the EPAs, and our casting agent
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said there was only one show that had more, which was four more people, and that show's been running
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on Broadway for 10 years. So, I mean, it's been incredible. I mean, I wanted to hire everybody who came in and auditioned
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We did six days of auditions. And then to get Deborah Cox and Vivian Reed, blessed
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I'm blessed. It doesn't get any better than that, does it? It doesn't get any better than that. Well, you know, opening night on Broadway, that would be it
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I think I see that in the near future. Thank you. From your mouth to God's ears
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Thank you
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