Press

Where Are the Next Sondheims?
This Week, They Just Might Be Here
By Nelson Pressley
Special to The Washington Post

Nearly 2,000 musical-theater buffs took advantage of free tickets at the Kennedy
Center Saturday night for "Broadway Today," an evening of conversation and
song with leading theater composers.

Stephen Schwartz played early drafts of material from his show "Wicked," cast
members of the upcoming Michael Korie-Scott Frankel musical at New York's
Lincoln Center came down to give Washingtonians a sneak peek, and Tony
winner Brian Stokes Mitchell brought the crowd to its feet with the "Ragtime"
anthem "Wheels of a Dream."

The event was scheduled to run 90 minutes, but stretched to a pleasant 2 1/2 hours without a break as Schwartz, Jeanine Tesori ("Shrek the Musical") and other writers chatted about their methods, with the occasional musical-theater star popping out to sing a hit or two.

The program marked the 12th anniversary of the center's Millennium Stage, which offers free performances nightly. It also ushered in "Broadway Today & Tomorrow," a week of cabaret performances by up-and-coming composers selected by Michael A. Kerker, who hosted Saturday night's chat-style show.

"These are writers who clearly have Broadway in their future," says Kerker, longtime director of musical theater for ASCAP (the American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers). "People are always asking, 'Are there any new writers?' And the answer couldn't be anything other than a big 'Yes.' "

Many of these writers will arrive at the Kennedy Center with significant songwriting success already in hand, even if Broadway hasn't quite blessed them yet.

Alan Zachary and Michael Weiner have been writing together since they saw the animated film "Beauty and the Beast" in high school. Their response, Zachary recalls, was "hey -- we should write one of those!"

That dream has sort of come true. The duo, who performed yesterday at the Millennium Stage, penned an hour-long Cinderella story, "Twice Charmed," for Disney cruise ships, a show that has been on the high seas for several years now. Zachary and Weiner, rare among composing teams in that each writes music and lyrics, have also written songs for Disney theme parks, and they recently sold a sitcom pilot.

Now they are at work on "Secondhand Lions," with book writer Rupert Holmes, a project that has the backing of Warner Bros. The musical vocabulary for the show, they say, will range from Texas bluegrass to French cancan as the story moves around. Says Weiner: "We're like actors. We like to wear the different styles of character and place."

Does their path mean that Hollywood is the route to New York? Weiner says that of the band of writers playing the Kennedy Center this week, "we're the only

ones who live in L.A., so there is a slightly different bent that you'll get from us." He suggests that one perk of Los Angeles is that while New York-based songwriters typically hustle to support themselves with jobs as conductors or musical arrangers, he and Zachary support themselves "writing for film or TV. Or the Internet."

Like Zachary and Weiner, lyricist Marcy Heisler and composer Zina Goldrich have been nurtured by Disney, which continues to be a huge player on Broadway. The duo, performing here next Saturday, have the family-friendly "Dear Edwina" now running off-Broadway. Their Broadway hope, an adaptation of the film "Ever After," was put on hold late last week.

Heisler thinks the link between Hollywood and the stage is natural: "The animated films work in a conventional musical theater format, and there aren't many outlets for [musical theater] anymore."

Tesori may have put it best onstage Saturday night, when she said of movie producers, "They have shows they want to bring [to New York], and we have craft that they need."

The "Broadway Today" audience didn't seem to care much where the songs came from, as long as they provided that old-fashioned musical-theater kick. Lynn Ahrens and Stephen Flaherty ("Ragtime") scored with their sweetly comic "Times Like This," and the crowd listened attentively as Korie and Frankel ("Grey Gardens") premiered songs from two new shows -- the Lincoln Center project "Happiness" and the in-the-works "Finding Neverland."

Hundreds of people lined up for hours to get the free tickets, which were distributed beginning at 4 p.m. Marit Majeske, 23, of Dumfries, was first in line with her mother, for one reason: "Brian Stokes Mitchell." She was also interested to hear from this week's composers, though: "I'm planning to be here every night," she said. "I love the unknown."

That's the match the Kennedy Center aims to make this week. Zachary and Weiner say they think their appearance here might help them solidify a connection with audiences, and that's Heisler's hope as well: "I'm just a gal who loves to write," she says. "I sing a little, I write a little, and I love it when people come and clap."

Now Presenting Secondhand Lions: The Musical

by TJ Fitzgerald

It's a trend that seems to be more and more prevalent on Broadway. Films are being revamped for live stage  musicals. And there has been some great success with shows like THE FULL MONTY, DIRTY ROTTEN  SCOUNDRELS, THE PRODUCERS and HAIRSPRAY. Well, get ready because the trend continues with the  musical adaptation of the New Line Cinema's film SECONDHAND LIONS.
At the helm of this collaboration are Los Angeles based composer and lyricist team Alan Zachary and Michael Weiner, writing the music with book by acclaimed writer Rupert Holmes (THE MYSTERY OF EDWIN DROOD). Set in the 1960s, it tells the story of a shy, young boy who is sent to live with his eccentric uncles for the summer and ends up relishing in the wild stories of their youth. This is Zachary and Weiner's first collaboration with Holmes.
Zachary and Weiner's credits include the original family musical, MYSTERY OF THE DANCING PRINCESSES, which was presented at the Pittsburgh Civic Light Opera and the National Alliance for Musical Theatre Festival in New York. They also have a Disney connection which culminated in a stage musical entitled TWICE CHARMED: AN ORIGINAL TWIST ON THE CINDERELLA STORY., which premiered on the Disney Cruise Line. They also wrote an award-winning original song for Disney's animated film CINDERELLA II: DREAMS COME TRUE and are currently finishing work on CINDERELLA III. Soon, they will team up with Broadway producer Adam Epstein for an animated musical film.
A lot of folks have probably heard some of their work in their most recent national Folgers commercial. Zachary and Weiner's songwriting talent extends beyond musicals with their irreverent song for the new Folgers' national campaign commercial. Still hard at work on SECONDHAND LIONS, the guys were up for answering a few questions to give us an inside look at the new work and some background on themselves.
TJ: How did you two guys first meet?
ZACHARY AND WEINER: We attended high school together at the Oakwood School in North Hollywood, California.
TJ: Was it a good match from the start?
ZACHARY AND WEINER: Absolutely. Our sensibilities are very similar, yet different enough that we're able to challenge each other to create the best possible product we can. We began writing together in 1991, after the animated film of BEAUTY AND THE BEAST was released. We were so inspired by the confluence of all the things we loved - musical theatre, animation, and film - that we decided to write our own animated musical. We were 17 years old shopping our screenplay and six song (and very primitive) piano demo to major studios in Los Angeles. Throughout college and beyond we kept plugging away until people finally began to hire us to do what we love to do. Recently, we were at Abbey Road in London, recording a 75-piece orchestra for the songs we wrote for Disney's CINDERELLA 3, and we constantly had to remind ourselves that it was actually happening. We've been extremely lucky!

TJ: All this talent in one place! Did you guys attend school for music growing up?
ZACHARY AND WEINER: We have both studied piano and music theory since childhood. Alan majored in music at Amherst College, while Michael attended UCLA.
TJ: So SECONDHAND LIONS the Musical, how did you guys get onboard for this project?
ZACHARY AND WEINER: We were hired by Mark Kaufman, a fantastic executive at New Line Cinema, who served as executive producer on the film as well. Mark had heard our demo CD, and offered us the opportunity to "demo" some songs for the show. We sent in our demo and didn't have to wait long for a response - Mark called literally the next day with the news that both he and Michael Lynne thought we were perfect for the project.
TJ: What type of preparation goes into creating this musical? Did you have a script to work from or did you watch the movie and go from there?
ZACHARY AND WEINER: Given that SECONDHAND LIONS is based on a successful New Line film, naturally we immersed ourselves in the source material. After that, we and bookwriter Rupert Holmes engaged in a long period of discussions about how to adapt the film to the stage. It was important to all of us to honor the picture, and at the same time create a satisfying and thrilling theatrical experience. At New Line's behest, a new character was to be added right from the get-go, so we felt assured that we weren't bound to create a scene-by-scene translation of the film to the stage. After the three of us talked story endlessly, Rupert went away and wrote a script/treatment of ACT 1. We encouraged him to include any thoughts he may have for song moments. We then in turn wrote songs for those moments, sometimes creating new moments out of scenes he'd written, or brainstorming completely new ideas for numbers. Then we'd send piano demos back to Rupert who would rewrite and then incorporate our songs into the book.

TJ: Has it been difficult in adapting this piece for the stage?
ZACHARY AND WEINER: Well, we've been lucky to have Rupert Holmes as our bookwriter! The process has been quite exhilarating, and the three of us have really enjoyed our marathon meetings where we talk story, songs, character and themes. It's always a challenge creating a musical, regardless of whether it's an original piece or based on existing source material. But once we found our avenue into the show, the process has been very smooth.
Perhaps the biggest challenge we've faced is that the show takes place in two time periods - 1960's Texas and Morocco of the 1920's. The story from the past informs the characters and the action in the 1960's, so they are connected, but you have half as much time to tell each individual story.
TJ:This seems to be a trend lately, taking films and bringing them to live theatre. Shows like THE PRODUCERS, CHITTY CHITTY BANG BANG, MARY POPPINS, HAIRSPRAY and THE FULL MONTY have had varied levels of success both in the states and abroad. Do you feel extra pressure because a film has had commercial success and now you have part of the responsibility of making the transfer to stage?
ZACHARY AND WEINER: As writers we always hope and pray that people respond positively to our work. We never want anyone to ask: "What were they thinking?" or "Why would they write that?" We were excited by the prospect of musicalizing SECONDHAND LIONS because we felt that we could adapt the film to the stage and add a whole new layer to the piece that you couldn't show on screen. For instance, the film's flashbacks work beautifully with Michael Caine narrating through a voiceover the story of his swashbuckling adventures with his brother. But in the musical, we needed to give an actual "voice" to characters who had no dialogue. Rupert's fresh and clever take on the film's sultan and princess got us very excited, and the songs just flowed from there. So to answer your question, the pressure comes from wanting to honor the original film and at the same time, give the audience a new and engaging theatrical experience.

TJ: OK, speaking of Rupert Holmes, what has it been like collaborating with him on the project?
ZACHARY AND WEINER: Working with Rupert is truly an honor and joy. He is endlessly and effortlessly collaborative - always willing to listen to our ideas – never precious about his own - and always working with a keen eye towards creating the best show possible. He challenges us constantly, and has made our material better than it would have been without his input. We find ourselves working harder just to impress him! The only negative to working with Rupert is that all you really want to do when you're with him is listen to his fascinating stories about the staggering variety of experiences he's had in the business. He is a Renaissance man if there ever was one, and to have the opportunity to collaborate with not only a brilliant creative mind - but a generous human being - is an opportunity for which we'll always be grateful.
TJ: Is the show geared toward a particular type of audience or is it one that the whole family will be able to see?
ZACHARY AND WEINER: SECONDHAND LIONS is a show for the entire family. It's about a young and reserved pre-teenage boy named Walter who is

dropped off to spend the summer with his two eccentric great uncles. Over the course of one amazing summer, the tales his uncles tell him instill in Walter the courage and strength he needs to become a man. He experiences first love with a girl, and he discovers what it really means to be part of a family. In turn, the older uncles, who have closed themselves off from the outside world, are reinvigorated by their young nephew and because of him, learn that life is to be lived while you are here on this earth.
TJ: It truly is a great story that should translate nicely to the stage.As far as the music, what style of music can we expect from SECONDHAND LIONS?
ZACHARY AND WEINER: The story of SECONDHAND LIONS calls for a variety of musical styles. A lot of the show takes place in Texas in the 1960's, so we've played with a broad country palette - classic western film score music to Patsy Cline ballads to bluegrass and rhythm and blues. Simultaneously, flashbacks occur that take us to France and Morocco in the 1920's, so we've had the chance to explore a mythic Middle Eastern sound as well as some traditional Moroccan music. And of course, there's always room for a French Can-can number.
TJ: Have there been any workshops done on the musical so far and how was the reception to it?
ZACHARY AND WEINER: We are still in the midst of writing the show, and our first reading will take place later this year.
TJ: Is there a target date when we can expect SECONDHAND LIONS to premiere and where will it happen?
ZACHARY AND WEINER: The show will most likely receive an out-of-town tryout in 2008.
TJ: Probably a little too soon, but is there a director lined up for the production and are any performers currently attached to it.
ZACHARY AND WEINER: The current plan is to bring on a director as soon as we finish the first draft. Likewise, performers will be cast for the first reading.
TJ: So, do you guys have any particular influences on your work?
ZACHARY AND WEINER: Our influences range from the classic Broadway greats - Rodgers & Hammerstein, Lerner & Loewe, - to more contemporary writers like Ashman & Menken, Stephen Schwartz and Sondheim. We both also have a great affinity for classic movie musicals as well as the pop/rock music we grew up with - ranging from The Beatles to Billy Joel and Elton John to U2 and Green Day. But most importantly, we're influenced by the characters and the world of the story we're telling. We never write a song without first dissecting exactly why that song must be in the show. After the idea for the song has "fought for its life" and "won," we determine what kind of music will further illuminate the point we are trying to make. We love assimilating musical styles, making them our own, and creating a song that hopefully informs character and/or helps further plot, while providing an audience with a melody and lyric that stirs their emotions -- be it humorous or intensely dramatic.

TJ: OK, everyone has a starting point in their lives where they decide, "This is what I want to do when I grow up."When did you decide this is what you wanted to do for work?
WEINER: My parents took me to see a production of THE MUSIC MAN at the Pantages Theatre in Los Angeles when I was three years old and I begged them to take me back every weekend. We must have seen the show 10 times. Soon after, a revival of CAMELOT starring Richard Harris was in town, which my parents also took me to each weekend. Richard Harris got to know us, as I made my parents wait with me by the stage door to meet the actors. One day, he offered us a backstage tour. It was standing on that stage, looking out at the empty Pantages auditorium, that I first realized that my life would somehow revolve around the theatre. Soon after, I began piano lessons, acting classes, singing lessons. I was hooked.
ZACHARY: I think my parents unintentionally hardwired me from birth. I grew up on a steady diet of classic movie musicals and Broadway shows. I remember as a kid singing "I've Grown Accustomed to Her Face" while in the bathtub. And my family always encouraged any seed of talent I might have displayed, so when I showed a passion for music, they supported me. When

I read my first screenplay at 11 and announced I was going to be a screenwriter, they supported me. And in high school, when I decided that musical theatre was possibly the ultimate and most challenging storytelling venture I could pursue, they supported me. All they've asked for in return is opening night tickets.
TJ: I see that you have done a lot of work for Disney. Has working for them influenced your work?
ZACHARY AND WEINER: It was always a dream of ours to have our songs sung by Disney animated characters, performed in a Disney theme park, and become a small part of one of the most treasured and beloved musical catalogues in the world. But writing for Disney has been no different than writing for the theatre. The songs emerge from the story and characters, and they express themes and ideas that reflect the human condition.
TJ: Thanks guys! We'll talk again soon.
Special thanks to Tom Kidd. And I hope you have enjoyed this first installment in my series on SECONDHAND LIONS. We'll meet again soon.

"The songs have to reflect the characters, or the stories that are being told. Pop music is more about the sound of the music and idea that is repeated over and over. In animation and Broadway, songs are used to tell the stories and define the characters." Adds Zachary, "Pop songs can generally stand on their own." The two have both been influenced by classic singer/songwriters like Elton John and Billy Joel, says Weiner. "We like to do very accessible pop music. We've written stuff in the High School Musical type of genre." Zachary adds that the two can go deeper as well. "We've done stuff that edges more toward Avril Lavigne or Green Day. We love exploring musical styles and assimilating the sounds of a lot of different kinds of music and then finding our own sound within those songs."

Currently, they are finishing work on the film Cinderella III. "That was nice, because we got to create our own form,” notes Weiner. "We just recorded in London at Abbey Road with an amazing orchestra." In addition to their work with Disney, their family musical, The Mystery of the Dancing Princesses, was presented at the Pittsburgh Civic Light Opera and the National Alliance for Musical Theatre Festival in New York. Both songwriters are quick to credit ASCAP for the organization's support, and even though their schedules haven't permitted presenting a work in progress at the Society's annual Musical Theater Workshop in Los Angeles, they say that the event fosters a real sense of community. "It’s one of those places where the different musical theater songwriters come together," says Zachary.

For their upcoming projects, the duo are planning to work with Broadway producer Adam Epstein on an animated musical film, and with writer Rupert Holmes on a Broadway adaptation of the New Line Cinema film Secondhand Lions. The team intends to continue leaping across mediums and formats with their songs, because, Weiner says, that different mediums stretch the possibilities. "There are so many ways of getting your music out there. I think it’s important in the business not to get typecast into one genre, style or area of music. Honestly, you never know what's going to lead anywhere. We never thought we'd be doing a song for a commercial for Folgers. As an artist and a musician it’s important to get involved in as many projects as you can, they all lead you down different roads and are helpful." Zachary completes the thought. "As songwriters, people do want to put you in boxes, but we're willing to write any kind of style. Sometimes you don't know what you're really good at until you give it a try."

It's a rare occasion when songwriters are called upon to create intentionally irritating music, but a television spot for Folgers Coffee required a gratingly perky song to accompany spectral images of a host of golden beings performing wake-up chores. Alan Zachary and Michael Weiner, a Los Angeles-based duo, captured the perfect musical moment with "Happy Morning!”, a bouncy tune that could be an homage to the Partridge Family. "The advertising agency (Saatchi & Saatchi) wanted a commercial that appealed to a younger generation," Michael Weiner explains. "They asked for the most annoying and horrific song you could hear it you were in your 20's and had to wake up at six a.m. to go work. They had submissions of different songs, and eventually ours was chosen."

Extending the legacy of the Disney musical catalog inspires the two. "I think it's part of the reason that working for Disney has been so wonderful," emphasizes Zachary. "Historically, music always played such an important role in their projects. It's great to write songs to enhance certain moments." Writing for live or animated characters requires similar sensibilities according to Weiner.

BROADWAY BOUND: Songwriters So Young, So Talented You Love/Hate Them

by Ellen Olivier

“This is really the night to be here,” said cabaret star Andrea Marcovicci, emcee of the second annual ASCAP Songwriters Showcase, held Aug. 19 at the Gardenia in West Hollywood. ASCAP is the American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers.
I couldn’t have agreed with Marcovicci more. After having attended last year’s showcase, I knew this was the place to see some of this country’s best young talents. In fact, one of last year’s songwriters, Adam Gwon, has since won the $100,000 Kleban prize for most promising new lyricist.
So this year, Marcovicci started the program by singing “Young at Heart,” then saying, “When you see how young these people are, you sort of love/hate them.”

True, the songwriters may have been twenty and thirty-somethings, but their accomplishments were already considerable. All had seen their plays produced,
if not on Broadway, then off-Broadway, or in other cities, or in one case, at sea - literally, on a cruise ship. And Marcovicci’s admiration for them soon became clear, as she praised the talented newcomers throughout the evening for the originality, wit and surprise in their lyrics. “And it all rhymes,” she said, “perfectly.”

Songwriters Alan Zachary & Michael Weiner performed some wonderfully clever numbers from their upcoming musicals, "First Date" and "Secondhand Lions."

For Disney, All the Sea Is a Stage
By IRENE LACHER

LOS ANGELES, June 24 - Departure time was set for 5 p.m., but it was 6:30 when the Disney Magic cruise ship actually pulled out of Cabo San Lucas, Mexico, at a quick clip to make up for lost time. The cast for the cruise line's newest musical was in the middle of rehearsing, said Kevin Eld, Disney's vice president for creative production, when the ship suddenly listed.

"It was interesting to try to brace yourself when you're in the middle of a tap number and the floor is lifting 10 degrees," Mr. Eld said. "It was quite unsettling."

Cruise line entertainment has come a long way since Julie was the recreation director on "The Love Boat." Cirque du Soleil, the Second City troupe, Tommy Tune, Andrew Lloyd Webber productions and even the Royal Academy of
Dramatic Art in London (which sends recent graduates aboard Cunard's Queen

Mary 2), have all performed for affluent seagoing vacationers. Now Disney has upped the ante with its latest attempt to gain a competitive edge in the crowded and growing cruise market: a musical premiere, "Twice Charmed: An Original Twist on the Cinderella Story," with 21 performers and a backstage crew of nine - double the cast of a typical show on a ship.

"Cruise lines are trying so hard to bring in younger, sophisticated people, and they can't serve up the same stuff they have on traditional cruises," said Carolyn Spencer Brown, editor of cruisecritic.com.

Disney Cruise Line has an edge in creating top-flight productions because its parent company is an entertainment behemoth, enabling it to draw on huge financial resources as well as a rich trove of copyrighted material.
"We are an entertainment company, so everything we do has to be over the top," said Tom McAlpin, president of Disney Cruise Line.
Disney is promoting "Twice Charmed" as a Broadway-style musical packed into the 52-minute performance that is typical of cruise ships. The show presents a version of the classic tale, giving Cinderella a wicked fairy godfather who sends her back in time to see whether she'll have her happy ending if the glass slipper breaks. (This is Disney, so of course she does.)

In part, cruise lines are following the lead of the Las Vegas hotels that have raised the bar on entertainment. "We are floating resorts, and one of our biggest competitors is Orlando or Las Vegas," said Dietmar Wertanzl, senior vice president of fleet operations for Celebrity Cruises. "When it comes to branding today, it's all about how you differentiate yourself."
Celebrity commissioned Cirque du Soleil, the premier entertainment organization in Las Vegas, to design a floating version of the VIP Tapis Rouge lounges it offers before shows, where patrons wine, dine and watch.
As part of a six-year deal, Cirque created theme lounges for two ships. The first "Bar at the Edge of the Earth" set sail aboard the Constellation in December with surreal characters like The Wave Correspondent and The Lantern Tuner, who interact with passengers in a club heavy on ambience. An early review on cruisecritic.com reported that guests were divided, with some passengers saying they weren't seeing a show. The circus theater company says it is exploring ways it might mount a Cirque-flavored show scaled down to fit a ship.
When Second City in Chicago learned of Cirque's deal, the improv troupe approached Norwegian Cruise Line, an innovative company that had worked with

Disney Magic has a 977-seat theater with a 40-foot-wide proscenium stage, full flying capabilities for scenery, a projection system for animated backdrops and scrims, stage lifts and even the capacity for pyrotechnics.
"You can make scenery and performers arrive and disappear the way you can on land," said Mr. Eld, a former production manager who helped stage "The Phantom of the Opera" and "Cats" for the London producer Cameron McIntosh.
But doing so is trickier at sea. "Twice Charmed" has 10 automated scenery changes that are minutely calibrated so that pieces don't bang into each other when the boat rocks. And despite a backstage that is only three-quarters the size of an average theater's, the venue has to provide storage for two other shows that are staged in rotation. Performers must act, sing and dance and be versatile enough to play different parts in all the shows. And they must be willing to uproot themselves for two months of rehearsals in Toronto and six months at sea.
Such a scenario tends to attract more young performers, who may consider a cruise an exciting side trip as they're embarking on their careers. "A friend had

Mary 2), have all performed for affluent seagoing vacationers. Now Disney has upped the ante with its latest attempt to gain a competitive edge in the crowded and growing cruise market: a musical premiere, "Twice Charmed: An Original Twist on the Cinderella Story," with 21 performers and a backstage crew of nine - double the cast of a typical show on a ship.

"Cruise lines are trying so hard to bring in younger, sophisticated people, and they can't serve up the same stuff they have on traditional cruises," said Carolyn Spencer Brown, editor of cruisecritic.com.

Disney Cruise Line has an edge in creating top-flight productions because its parent company is an entertainment behemoth, enabling it to draw on huge financial resources as well as a rich trove of copyrighted material.
"We are an entertainment company, so everything we do has to be over the top," said Tom McAlpin, president of Disney Cruise Line.
Disney is promoting "Twice Charmed" as a Broadway-style musical packed into the 52-minute performance that is typical of cruise ships. The show presents a version of the classic tale, giving Cinderella a wicked fairy godfather who sends her back in time to see whether she'll have her happy ending if the glass slipper breaks. (This is Disney, so of course she does.)

Lord Lloyd Webber to customize shows for its ships. Second City began offering performances and workshops on the Norwegian Dawn in January and plans to expand to the Norwegian Jewel in November.
For theater companies like Second City, cruise lines offer a valuable marketing opportunity. "I see this as a way to reach a different audience, who might not know what Second City is because we don't have a TV show," said Kelly Leonard, Second City vice president.
Disney brought in a theater professional to design their shows. In 2000, Anne Hamburger, the founder of the Off Broadway company En Garde Arts, joined Disney Creative Entertainment, which creates new productions for the company's theme parks, resorts and cruise line. As the division's executive vice president, Ms. Hamburger said she had been tapping her theater contacts to put a fresh spin on the Disney characters audiences expect to see. She declined to comment on the cost of the productions.
Ms. Hamburger recruited the director Joe Calarco, for example, after catching his production of "Shakespeare's R&J" Off Broadway. She also hired the authors and composers Michael Weiner and Alan Zachary, Disney regulars who are collaborating with Rupert Holmes on a Broadway-bound musical of "Secondhand Lions" for New Line Cinema. They wrote six original songs for "Twice Charmed," which also features two classics from the animated film "Cinderella" - "Bibbidi-Bobbidi-Boo" and "A Dream Is a Wish Your Heart Makes."

In part, cruise lines are following the lead of the Las Vegas hotels that have raised the bar on entertainment. "We are floating resorts, and one of our biggest competitors is Orlando or Las Vegas," said Dietmar Wertanzl, senior vice president of fleet operations for Celebrity Cruises. "When it comes to branding today, it's all about how you differentiate yourself."
Celebrity commissioned Cirque du Soleil, the premier entertainment organization in Las Vegas, to design a floating version of the VIP Tapis Rouge lounges it offers before shows, where patrons wine, dine and watch.
As part of a six-year deal, Cirque created theme lounges for two ships. The first "Bar at the Edge of the Earth" set sail aboard the Constellation in December with surreal characters like The Wave Correspondent and The Lantern Tuner, who interact with passengers in a club heavy on ambience. An early review on cruisecritic.com reported that guests were divided, with some passengers saying they weren't seeing a show. The circus theater company says it is exploring ways it might mount a Cirque-flavored show scaled down to fit a ship.
When Second City in Chicago learned of Cirque's deal, the improv troupe approached Norwegian Cruise Line, an innovative company that had worked with

mentioned how much she liked doing cruise ships and traveling and singing and said, 'I think that would be a good place for you to go next,' " said Rebecca Larkin, 24, an ensemble member. "It all just clicked in."

When she went into the field, Ms. Hamburger, who made her reputation producing works designed for particular sites, like New York rooftops, may not have envisioned creating musicals for a cruising public, but she said her new role isn't as odd as it might seem. "I feel like I'm doing site-specific theater of a different kind," she said.

Disney Magic has a 977-seat theater with a 40-foot-wide proscenium stage, full flying capabilities for scenery, a projection system for animated backdrops and scrims, stage lifts and even the capacity for pyrotechnics.
"You can make scenery and performers arrive and disappear the way you can on land," said Mr. Eld, a former production manager who helped stage "The Phantom of the Opera" and "Cats" for the London producer Cameron McIntosh.
But doing so is trickier at sea. "Twice Charmed" has 10 automated scenery changes that are minutely calibrated so that pieces don't bang into each other when the boat rocks. And despite a backstage that is only three-quarters the size of an average theater's, the venue has to provide storage for two other shows that are staged in rotation. Performers must act, sing and dance and be versatile enough to play different parts in all the shows. And they must be willing to uproot themselves for two months of rehearsals in Toronto and six months at sea.
Such a scenario tends to attract more young performers, who may consider a cruise an exciting side trip as they're embarking on their careers. "A friend had

zacharyandweiner.com

the official site of songwriters/screenwriters Alan Zachary & Michael Weiner