Well, we did it! After over 10 years in NYC, Chrissy and I decided to put on a show. Not knowing quite what to do, we went back to our roots, telling our origin story of getting out of Pennsylvania—a place that we both love, but ultimately had to leave. Under the direction of our friend James Beaman (who helmed my recent collaborations with Richard Skipper and Goldie Dver), a collection of songs by PA-affiliated artists was elevated to Cabaret with a capital C, selling out the beautiful Chelsea Table + Stage, broadcasting a livestream to an additional 50 households, and garnering a terrific review from NiteLife Exchange. 

Our full roster was comprised of some of our dearest friends and musical collaborators—Matt Scharfglass on upright and electric bass; Matt Covey on drumset, and Nate Huvard on guitar and mandolin. Our fellow West Chester University alum Chris Smucker sat in on sax for a few numbers, and background vocals were provided by Kennen Butler and Chrissy's own sister, Eileen Aurelia McHugh. We are happy to be bringing the show back in the fall, and perhaps one more time before next spring, possibly in PA. Stay tuned!

Over the past year, I have had the opportunity to helm two fabulous cabarets with director James Beaman: What a Man! Goldie Dver sings Anthony Newley, and Still Going Strong: Richard Skipper Celebrates 60 Years of Hello, Dolly! Both have been wonderful collaborations with unique performers, each of whom have personal and authoritative connections to their subject matter. I've also gained two dear friends as a result. As an arranger and a cabaret music director, I feel like I am hitting my stride! Please support Goldie in her pursuit of another MAC award for this fabulous Tribute Show.

In the Spring of 2004, I played piano in the pit of Reading High School's production of Little Shop of Horrors; it was the second of three shows I accompanied during my tenure there. Fortunately, the Broadway Revival starring Hunter Foster and Kerry Butler was playing in the city, and RHS sponsored a bus for us to go see it, and I did. Fast forward 20 years, and I'm serving as music director for the same show at a dream regional house, starring the one and only Latrice Royale as Audrey II, with none other than Hunter Foster at the helm, directing the show for the first time. Everything about the production was a gift: Dynamite cast, rockin' pit, wonderfully supportive staff, great reviews, and a beautiful locale. I even got to visit with my cousin Danika, some Greylock friends, and spend my birthday in Acadia National Park with Chrissy. 10/10 LET'S DO IT AGAIN.

In my second year of working full-time as a piano bar entertainer, I have been recognized by the Manhattan Association of Cabarets with a nomination for best piano bar instrumentalist. I am very honored to be named alongside these fine folks, all of whom I consider friends and colleagues. The awards ceremony, for which I happen to be serving as music director, will be on April 15th, at Symphony Space. ​

PIANO BAR INSTRUMENTALIST — DOWNTOWN
GERRY DIEFFENBACH / The Duplex, Stonewall, Don’t Tell Mama
KENNEY GREEN-TILFORD / Marie’s Crisis
BRANDON JAMES GWINN / Marie’s Crisis, The Duplex, Don’t Tell Mama
MARK OLESZKO / Stonewall
DAN PARDO / Stonewall, Marie’s Crisis
FRANCA VERCELLONI / Marie’s Crisis

Wow, it's been a while since I updated anything here on the ol' website. In the last two years, my theatrical highlights took place in consecutive summers at the Cape Playhouse, in Dennis, MA. The Fantasticks, in 2022, directed by my old pal Dave Elliot, who was also serving as the Cape's Artistic Director that season, then the small-cast version of Camelot in 2023, helmed by a new collaborator for me, Josh Walden. Two dream scores, with great casts and pits. It doesn't look like I'll be returning for a third consecutive summer this year, but new and exciting things are on the horizon!

Just before the new year, my friend and frequent collaborator, Eli Bolin, contacted me to see if I was free to music-direct a cabaret with comedy writer, podcaster, singer, and​ creator/star of Hulu's Difficult People, Julie Klausner. They were writing a couple songs together for the show, and her go-to MD, Jon Spurney, had moved to Los Angeles during the pandemic. I jumped at the opportunity, not knowing exactly what it would entail. But Julie and I proved to be great creative partners, and fast friends. And after a sold-out run at both Joe's Pub and City Winery, I can easily say it has been one of the most rewarding projects in recent memory; certainly, the best post-pandemic concert I could have hoped for.

As I was finishing up our third iteration of A Connecticut Christmas Carol at Goodspeed this past December, I was suddenly approached by my friend and colleague Ethan Heard, faculty directing advisor at Yale School of Drama, to step in last-minute to music-direct a new production of the cult musical Alice by Tom Waits and his wife, Kathleen Brennan. The story behind the show was perhaps as interesting as the musical itself, and both were new to me. With a concept by legendary experimental theatre creator Robert Wilson and a libretto by famed author and translator Paul Schmidt in the early 90s, Alice opened in Hamburg, Germany, before touring around Europe and very briefly at BAM before disappearing like the titular character down the rabbit hole. Waits began folding in songs from the musical into his live sets before recording a concept album in 2002, but the recordings were all in his voice, with little to no connection to their onstage antecedents. The only artifacts from the famed European tour (outside perhaps a few protected archival recordings) only exist online due to the songwriter's car being broken into in late 1992.

Enter director, Logan Ellis.

Ellis, who grew up both as a Tom Waits fan and a classical violist, had a few connections to the piece before choosing it as his graduate thesis at Yale School of Drama. A mentor from his days in a youth symphony happened to be the violinist on Tom's concept album; she was also his cousin, and provided him a means of contact. Schmidt, who wrote the (German) libretto when it toured Europe in the 90s, was a professor at Yale later in life, and released the English translation in a university publication. With rights approved, a talented creative team, and a cast of MFA candidates, Logan just needed someone to take on the musical reins, after a student music-director had to step down due to illness. Logan and I had a great chat on the phone, and I was brought on board.

There were no theatrical arrangements or orchestrations for the show whatsoever; the only materials given to us by the music publishers were what I call "songbook" arrangements, based off the 2002 concept album, and a couple lead sheets of incidental tunes. The music didn't match the libretto, nor did the materials specify the gender of characters, or vocal designations. My favorite detail was a list of instruments (some quite obscure) that Waits used in his recording, and instructions that basically said, "have fun!" That may seem frustrating, but it was very liberating to the team; we had the freedom to basically do whatever we wanted. I reconstructed the score from the ground up, trying to preserve some semblance of the "Tom Waits Sound" while making the arrangements approachable to the audience, and in service of the book. I was given six talented student musicians, and wrote an orchestration to feature them as best as I could. Thankfully, my work was deemed a success, with some especially kind words from my old boss, Michael O'Flaherty, who came in from Goodspeed to see the show Opening Night.

Concept by Robert Wilson
Music and Lyrics by Tom Waits and Kathleen Brennan
Libretto by Paul Schmidt

Directed by Logan Ellis
Music Direction, Arrangements, and Orchestration by Dan Pardo
Costume Design by Meg Powers
Scenic Design by Anna Grigo
Lighting Design by Riva Fairhall
Sound Design by Dakota Stipp
Projection Design by Brittany Bland
Production Dramaturgy by Evan Hill
Technical Director: HaoEn Hu
Stage Manager: Bekah Brown
Photos by T. Charles Erickson.

CAST
Sola Fadiran
Robert Lee Hart
Daniel Liu
Ilia Isorelýs Paulino
John Evans Reese
Julian Sanchez
Jackeline Torres Cortés
Adrienne Wells
Jessy Yates.

BAND
Jillian Emerson – Cello
Nate Huvard – Guitars/Banjo
Dan Pardo – Piano/Celeste/Concertina/Melodica

Hartford Courant: 'Cult Musical Alice with songs by Tom Waits gets rare production at Yale School of Drama'

Of all my collaborations with the great Eli Bolin (Found, Co-op, Wally Flynn, Volleygirls, Skippyjon Jones, In the Air, Schmoozy Togetherness, etc.) the most exciting and high-profile project came this summer in the form of a children's musical variety show, helmed by one of the biggest names in comedy, John Mulaney. After the success of Original Cast Album: Co-op, which garnered both an Emmy nomination and cult fandom, John called on Eli again to write songs for his newest Netflix project, John Mulaney and the Sack Lunch Bunch. Co-written with John's longtime SNL collaborator Marika Sawyer and directed by Documentary Now founder Rhys Thomas, the special dropped on Dec. 24 after a lot of anticipation and an aggressive media blitz, including a billboard in Times Square! Starring John, 15 incredible kids, and an impressive list of guest stars (Jake Gyllenhaal, André de Shields, David Byrne, Richard Kind, Annaleigh Ashford, and Natasha Lyonne), the show quickly earned a 100% Fresh Rating on Rotten Tomatoes, and jumped to the top 10 Spotify soundtracks. I music-directed the special alongside Mike Pettry, who orchestrated and produced the album; Mike has been another one of Eli's frequent collaborators through the years, having worked on Found, Volleygirls, and an original Christmas piece called The Last Song of Eddie Scourge. Perhaps the greatest gift of the entire special was the trust that John gave me and Eli to hire our own musicians and background vocalists. We utilized the talents our favorite people, including Found alumni Orville Mendoza and Nick Blaemire, Story Pirates bassist Brendan O'Grady, and our amazing wives, Allison and Chrissy.

For the first time in four years, I was able to stay in NYC over the summer, music-directing the Off-Broadway show I Spy a Spy by Jamie Jackson (book and lyrics) and SoHee Youn (music and lyrics). Directed and choreographed by Bill Castellino (Cagney, Desperate Measures, among others) it was a charming romantic comedy with elements of farce and pathos, but didn't quite find its audience, despite a fun, eclectic score and some terrific performances; we closed early, on August 10.

Last week, I came back from conducting a completely revamped production of Working at ACT of CT, a beautiful theatre in Ridgefield, celebrating its inaugural season. Led by Artistic Director Daniel C. Levine, Music Supervisor Bryan Perri, and Executive Director Katie Diamond, ACT was able to get special permission from the legendary Stephen Schwartz, who is both a Ridgefield resident and a member of their advisory board, to make serious rewrites to the book, and conduct 12 new interviews with local workers. They were beautifully integrated into the show through the use of a truly impressive video and projection design, making the musical a contemporary celebration of American Workers, instead of a time capsule period piece, which is a trap of the performing Working in its original version, written in the late 70s. 

For me, the score still holds up tremendously well, so that stayed lovingly intact, with some minor structural changes, one new arrangement, and the inclusion of two newer songs written by Lin-Manuel Miranda for the 2011 London Revival. With a versatile cast of six and a four-piece rock combo, I was so pleased with how the show sounded. I was also lucky to work alongside my wife Chrissy, who served as the standby for all three female tracks.