"Week number one is complete and Saint Heaven is in great shape!  We’ve staged all of Act I and a big piece of Act II.  This afternoon’s run through of the first act went well and we can really see things coming together.

At lunch today, we were talking about what a pleasure it’s been to work on a new musical.  We keep catching each other humming bits of the songs.  Friday night we both were walking to the subway singing “Not One Thing Tying Us Down”.  Stage Managers singing on the sidewalk…not a pretty picture.

Having the show’s creators in the room with us has been an invaluable resource.  Marty has been with us all week, helping the cast shape their characters.  We’ve made several small script changes that really help streamline a scene or sharpen a character.  Marty’s relationship with Matt and the cast has been truly collaborative and a treat to watch.  Keith spent today with us and obviously loved the chance to work with Jeff Waxman and the performers.  He answered all kinds of musical questions we had and really gave us some insight into how he intended the show to sound.  It’s a rare privilege to get to work so closely with a show’s creators.

The cast has been so much fun to work with this first week.  The five cast members who have had a relationship to this show were already a great ensemble and have welcomed those of us who are new to Saint Heaven and taken us into the family.  In this afternoon’s run through of the first act, it was obvious to everyone in the room that this cast is something special.  They are a tight ensemble and they are digging into their roles, each of them really building on what their cast-mates are giving them.  They’re also a lot of fun to be with – we’re looking forward to spending several more weeks with them.

Matt, Jeff and Jeff have really done a tremendous amount of work in these first six days.  Staging four and five musical numbers a day is a huge workload, but they’ve made it a pleasure.  Their collaboration and sense of humor (we all laugh on nearly every rehearsal break) inspire an atmosphere that is warm, friendly and creative. Matt’s skillful direction keeps us working toward the big picture.
 
We’re looking forward to the week ahead.  There’ll be lots to do: we’ll finish the staging of Act II on Monday, there’s a run through for the staff and designers, and then we all move to Connecticut at the end of the week. We’re excited about the work and eager to put Saint Heaven in front of an audience!"

"Wow a new musical not based on a movie... Man what a sweet job! A fellow castmember on the first day of rehearsal said to me he was happy to be working. I thought about it and "it's even better when its with this group [of people]." This first week of rehearsal has felt more like a family reunion with some new cousins... the cast/crew is all back from the reading with the exception of a few, but Deb, Jeff, Kari and Jovon got right into the group. I am eager to see how the show stands up on its feet.. But we are in good hands. Matt really let us explore but not sway from his visions as a director and I am really thankful that we have such a give and take relationship. I really love being on stage/around all of my fellow artists which is not always the case - so we are lucky.

The production team is top notch and really supportive of the show. I tend to like things light and that seems to be the general vibe in the room. When it comes to the show it is quite interesting to watch the volley among everyone about every line to help convey the story... Martin changes a line because something we have done on stage makes him. Keith rewrites a part or changes a key - it is conveyed to us on/off stage and on we plow forward.

We still have time to get it all up which is good cause I need it - "Thom" is a tough Role but I'll find him. We did a run thru of the first act and we learned alot from that and now adding that next act is our task. We will then see what our show is. Well not sure what else to say. Hope this next week is as awesome as the first!"

"For the librettist of a new musical, the first week of rehearsal can be nerve-wracking. However, the Saint Heaven rehearsal process has truly been a joy.  But just to make you laugh, let me tell you about some of the OTHER musicals I've worked on….

In the past I have found that sometimes the actors are lost, not approaching anything near the characters they've been hired to play.  (Hey, that's what rehearsals are for!)  Maybe the director hasn't read those new rewrites and spends an hour or two blocking an old scene.  Perhaps the set designer has built a set with a rake so steep the actor slide off of it.  The overworked costume designer researched the wrong time period.  I’ve been thrown out of dance rehearsals, ignored at production meetings and even asked to take notes because the director's assistant was out sick.  (All on the same show!)

But then there are those first weeks of rehearsal where everything goes right.  You walk around, grinning like a fool, thinking "This is better than sex!  I can’t believe they're actually paying me to do this!"  You want to revel in every minute and for the week to go on forever.  That’s how the first week of Saint Heaven felt.  I couldn't stop grinning.

Director Matt Lenz and I have worked together three times before so we have a shorthand way of working.  We trust each other and there's nothing better for a writer than trusting your director.  We've been working with our composer/lyricist Keith Gordon on Saint Heaven for nearly five years so we were anxious to get it up on its feet.  Since Keith couldn't be with us during the first few days, we were also anxious to care for his baby while he was away.

Starting from the first day, Matt and I discovered that the actors (all of them definitely NOT lost and doing bang up jobs), the designers (you know who you are and you're amazing), our producers Van and Hillary and Barry and Jessica (thank you for making Saint Heaven a real place), and our stage management team (Jovon and Kari, please stage manage every show I ever write – you are gods) were working on the same show.  We were all doing the same play.  By the end of the week, I breathed a sigh of relief....