Jason Robert Brown

When I told Randy that Shaina Taub would be joining us for this concert, he said, “Oh, man, she’s the real thing.” Truer words ne’er have been spoken. I first saw Shaina when she performed “The Visitors” at the Lilly Awards last November. Her confidence and command as a performer was really impressive, but it was the assurance and invention in her songwriting that really knocked me out. This was an important writer and an important voice. Turned out I was a little late to the party – she had already given a powerhouse concert at Lincoln Center’s American Songbook,Read More »

Last night, four guys with beards (and one unbelievable woman) opened their mouths at SubCulture and amazing things came out. I wanted to celebrate some great writing on Broadway this season, and I wanted to make some great music with fantastic people, and I got my wish in spades. Back in April 2015, I shared the concert with my friend and colleague Tom Kitt, and we had a fantastic time playing each other’s material and trading handing off the reins. If part of this residency is about me getting to go down different roads, then now, over a year later,Read More »

After Columbine, after Virginia Tech, after Fort Hood, after Tuscon, after Aurora, after Sandy Hook, after San Bernadino, and now, after two horrifying shootings over the weekend in Orlando, I have finally learned the words I need to say. I started writing this song after the massacre in San Bernadino last December, but I couldn’t really figure out how to finish it. The second verse came to me with startling clarity in April, on a day when gun violence had temporarily receded from the front pages. The performance here is the first time I sang the song in public, atRead More »

With many thanks to Jesse Cline and all the folks at Media Theatre for gamely agreeing to a last-minute reschedule when I got the call to go to LA for the MTV Movie Awards with Ariana! It All Fades Away from The Bridges of Madison County I Love Betsy from Honeymoon In Vegas Long Long Road from Wearing Someone Else’s Clothes King of the World from Songs for a New World Being A Geek from 13 The Lamest Place In The World from 13 (Vocal: LEXI GWYNN) What It Means To Be A Friend from 13 (Vocal: ANNA GRACE ROSENTHAL)Read More »

A night of joy and grace. After the amazing response to the April concert, I knew I wanted to go in an entirely different direction for this one, so I stripped the band down to a trio, and we all had the gift of being joined by one of the true lights of the musical theater, La Chanze. The night before this show, I had the privilege to attend a concert by one of my favorite pianists, the astounding Fred Hersch, whose guest was my friend, the wonderful Kate McGarry. What I saw watching and listening to those two longtimeRead More »