The Odyssey Theatre Ensemble’s stage will be alive with the sounds of Rodgers & Hammerstein and other giants of the American musical theatre when it continues its popular Music at the Odyssey show on Friday.
Though that show is virtually a sell-out, the good news for lovers of the Great American Songbook is that a second show, also celebrating composer and urbane lyricist Cole Porter, has been added for 8 p.m., Friday, April 28. (For details, see below).
Origins
The Music at the Odyssey series is curated and emceed by bass player and actor John Snow. “Beth Hogan (Odyssey associate artistic director) and I started talking in 2021 about bringing back live theatre after Covid. And we wanted to do something with music.”
The result is a series of evenings that have gone from showcases of original music to tributes to composers and singers “that have shaped me,” says Snow.
“Beth knew I’ve toured with a lot of artists and played venues around the world as well as put on shows,” says Snow. “So this seemed like a perfect fit.”
Putting It Together
Snow’s series concept is six singers and a live band, all introduced by Snow as bandleader and host. “It feels like a jam session in a living room with rugs on the floors,” says Bella Hicks, a featured performer for Friday and next month’s show. “It has a very intimate vibe.”
He intentionally programs shows exploring genres ranging from jazz and musicals to pop, rhythm and blues and rock, calling on his friends, classmates from USC and contacts. “The goal has been to put together a community of musicians and singers—people who are nice and have their own voice and technique—to bring people together,” says Snow.
“Sometimes I give the performers an idea of what I’d like them to sing and offer options, but I’m not a dictator,” says Snow. “These are all amazing performers, so if there’s something they really want to sing, and it fits the theme, we collaborate.”
Responsible for arrangements, Snow often co-arranges with fellow band members pianist Nathan Heldman, drummer Zev Shearn-Nance and saxophonist Ben Flocks (a special guest on Friday) for a fresh take on beloved standards.
Snow is on stage the whole show and “plays like a actor,” says Hicks. “He puts so much emotion into his playing, it’s enthralling.” Acting is part of Snow’s heritage. His parents Mary Joan Negro and Norman Snow played the Odyssey, and he was the artistic director and starred in the three-short-play compendium Moments in Time, recently produced at The Odyssey.
Finding Inspiration
Over the sessions, the programs have morphed into evenings dedicated to “poets and storytellers” he admires, says Snow. They’ve included celebrations of Joni Mitchell, Stephen Sondheim, Nina Simone and the current show honoring musical theatre groundbreakers Rodgers & Hammerstein, George Gershwin and Cole Porter. “We learn from our heroes, and these are people who defined my upbringing,” says Snow.
“I’m a big believer in stories that are human and composers and playwrights who speak about humanity,” says Snow, listing masters including Randy Newman, John Coltrane, Bob Dylan and Louis Armstrong along with Shakespeare, Chekhov, Gorky, Arthur Miller, William Inge, Lynn Nottage and Tennessee Williams.
Stand-out Casting
The cast for both R&H evenings will feature a core group of Ken Marshall, Kenton Chen, Bella Hicks and Taubert Nadalini. Malia Civetz, singing Gershwin’s classic torch song The Man That Got Away and India Carney are part of the Friday cast, with Carolyn Mignini and Ren Martinez set for the April show.
Broadway veteran Marshall was Tony in the first revival of West Side Story and created the role of Cinderella’s Prince in the premiere of Sondheim’s Into the Woods at The Old Globe theater in San Diego. “You can’t go wrong with Oklahoma and The Sound of Music,” says Snow. So Marshall will perform Oh What a Beautiful Mornin’ and My Favorite Things in a Ben Flock arrangement, based on Coltrane’s.
Hicks is singing Gershwin’s Someone to Watch Over Me from the Gershwin’s Oh, Kay! and Always True to You in My Fashion from Porter’s Kiss Me, Kate while Nadalini is “doing some musical theatre comedy,” says Snow. In My Own Little Corner, from R&H’s Cinderella is also on the program.
“These are amazing songs that are never going to die,” says Snow. “They get right to the core of our humanity.”
An Irresistible Project.
Hicks went to USC with Snow and knows him “as an engine of creativity. He knew I had done a lot of musical theatre (she recently toured in Waitress and played Frenchy in Grease in La Mirada) and he reached out to me for the Sondheim show,” recall Hicks.
“I just had so much fun,” says Hicks. She sang Being Alive from Company (after just having seen the revival in New York) and Somewhere from West Side Story. “John’s so creative with his arrangements,” says Hicks. “He always gives you exactly what you want and forces you to hear these classic songs in a new way.”
As a singer, Hicks loves the chance to explore new interpretations and special moments. “Nathan is an insanely gifted jazz pianist and when we were doing Summertime live, he improvised a beautiful 16-bar solo that just felt so right.”
For Cole Porter’s sassy number, she’s planning to “keep it simple” so audiences can enjoy the tongue-twisting witty lyrics. “I know John has some ideas about the verses, all 12 of them,” says Hicks.
The Odyssey Theatre is at 2055 S. Sepulveda Blvd., L.A. For tickets, at $30, call 310-477-2055, ext. 2 or visit ww.OdysseyTheatre.com.
