Jason Robert Brown

I don’t know about how it works in your house, but in our little corner of show business, the first Tuesday of September feels like someone shot a starter pistol in Times Square and suddenly there’s a guy screaming “BACK TO WORK, YOU WEASELS!” and everyone is running frantically to their desks. I hadn’t heard from my agent or lawyer for months and then at 10 am Tuesday there was a veritable tsunami of emails. Well, all right, welcome back then. I mean, I’ve been here the whole time, but hi. Here’s some fun stuff! Last Wednesday night, I wasRead More »

Analyzing the opening number, “The Whole World Changed,” featuring Yehudi Menuhin, Philip Glass, cameos from two of my previous scores, our next Commander-in-Chief cast in resin, a Yeti with a Tony Award, and so much more!

Last week, I started a new video series called “The Deep Dive,” where I’m delve into the writing process of The Connector in obsessive, microscopic detail. Here’s Issue #1, where I spend about eight minutes talking about … the first measure of the show. And now, I’m happy to announce Issue #2 is live and streaming right here on your computer or tiny device, and it features two songs I cut from the show, briskly underscored dramaturgical explanations, a yeti, Maurizio Pollini, and Sting. Check it out here! And while I absolutely cannot be counted on to follow through onRead More »

For over fifty years, the 92nd St. Y on the Upper East Side of Manhattan has hosted virtually every luminary of the musical theater through its Lyrics and Lyricists series. I am so proud to have added my name to that roster with an epic show this past May, with a stage finally big enough for my full band, nine feet of grand piano happiness, and two of the greatest soloists in this business, the peerless Mykal Kilgore and the luminous Heidi Blickenstaff. The last time Heidi and I got to work together was twelve years ago, and since then,Read More »

Often in these pages I have spoken about seeing Closer Than Ever at the Cherry Lane Theater in 1989 and the powerful effect it had on me. Among the many repercussions of that evening was my total devotion to Sally Mayes, who took New York by storm in that show and has had a glorious career in theater and cabaret ever since. Two years later, after I had settled into my first apartment in the city so I could begin whatever my career was going to be, I was asked to write a song for a benefit concert and toldRead More »