Sarah Bareilles had no problems drawing inspiration from I Wolitzerthe 2013 coming-of-age novel, The interesting thing.
After winning Best Original Score, Tony got the nod A waitress in 2016 Bareilles, 44, has signed on to compose the musical adaptation of The interesting thingwhich is currently in the workshop stage. Pulitzer Prize Finalist Playwright Sarah Ruhl writes the book.
“I read it so quickly,” Bareilles said specifically Us Weekly in November of Wolitzer’s novel. “It had only been a few days and I couldn’t believe how vibrant and alive the world seemed to me.”
Both A waitress and The interesting thing characters who feel far removed from the younger, more ambitious versions of themselves, but Bareilles noted that the latter has a “sophistication” not present in A waitress.
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“(These characters) are hyper-intellectual, whereas A waitress is about a small community, (a) lower south town,” she explained. “These are like intellectuals from New York. So, I think the music (for The interesting thing) reflects that somewhat.”
For Bareilles, the “biggest challenge” of the project was “trying to distill and condense” a 560-page novel into a musical.
“We’re not going to do a six-hour show. They do, but we’re not trying to do that kind of show for this book,” she said. “We’re trying to make sure that what’s distilled are the juiciest parts of that novel, knowing that nothing (we do) is really going to capture everything that that novel contains.” And I will always recommend that people – whatever you like or dislike about the musical – read this book. I think the book is so special.”
The interesting thing follows a group of friends who meet as teenagers at an art camp in 1974. The novel’s central character, Jules, sees herself as less sophisticated than her peers, and these insecurities follow her into adulthood as she romanticizes Ash and Ethan’s lives of her longtime friends and marriage.
Bareilles said she “felt so close” to the characters when reading the book, particularly Jules.
“(She) has a bit of Peter Pan syndrome. “I think we often see that trope played out on men, and I don’t know if we see it as often on women, where it’s just hard for them to let go of their ambition and hopes for their younger selves,” she explained. “This is a topic that is very important A waitressand that’s something I struggle with quite a bit in my life as well.”
Jules’ tendency to dream of greener grass rubs off on her husband Dennis, who can’t help but wonder if their life will ever catch up with her. Bareilles explores this conflict in a song called “Enough,” written from Dennis’ perspective.
When it comes to bringing a new musical to Broadway, producers find inspiration in all sorts of places – including beloved movies. Tina Fey premiered her musical version of the hit movie Mean Girls in April 2018. “The greatest thing about bringing this musical to life is that our creative team didn’t say, ‘Can you (…)
“I wrote ‘Enough’ before I even finished the book,” Bareil said. “I was so moved by Dennis’ character and the themes that came up around childhood and growing up and what is enough and when can we be satisfied with what we have?”
The jury is still out on whether Bareilles will join the cast of The interesting thing. (While Jesse Mueller created the lead role of Jenna in the A waitressBareilles played the role in a run on both Broadway and London’s West End.)
“Right now, I think the only hat I can wear is just the composer and (trying to) help put the pieces of the puzzle together,” the singer-songwriter said. “But I mean, I love the idea of getting back on stage.”
Bareilles, however, performed “Enough” during three shows at The Kennedy Center in September, accompanied by the National Symphony Orchestra. The performances were filmed for PBS Next up at the Kennedy Center series, and the specials — titled Sara Bareilles: New Year’s Eve with the National Symphony Orchestra and friends — the premiere will be on December 31.
“It’s a whole new experience for my audience to hear my work interpreted with the extraordinary touch of a giant orchestra,” Bareilles said of the show. “It was daunting in the sense that we wanted to get the set right and pick songs that would speak really beautifully (with) an orchestra.”
The program features special guests Rufus Wainwright, Emily King and David Ryan Harris and covers different periods of Bareilles’ career. Favorites including “Love Song,” “Gravity,” “King of Anything” and “Brave” made the set list along with some deeper pieces and a few A waitress melodies.
“It’s really a luxury to be swimming in all the music of my life so far,” Bareilles said. “It was just an unforgettable experience.”
Dia Dipasupil/Getty Images Before they were musicals, they were books. Broadway has drawn inspiration from several novels, turning them into beloved musicals over the years. Perhaps the biggest surprise came when Angelina Jolie became the primary champion for the musical The Outsiders, helping to bring Tulsa, Oklahoma to Broadway as a producer. “I feel so strong (…)
The prolific songwriter is also adding more music to his songbook. He is currently working on his seventh studio album.
“I write a lot about grief,” said Bareilles, whose friend Gavin Creel died aged 48 in September, two months after he was diagnosed with metastatic melanotic sarcoma of the peripheral nerve sheath, a rare form of cancer. The pair shared the stage in both A waitress and the revival in 2022 In the forest.
“I lost a dear friend recently (and) lost another friend in 2020. I haven’t written on record since before the pandemic,” Bareil said. “I think in terms of my spiritual metabolism I’m quite slow. I know a lot of people who were making a lot of music during and around the pandemic, and I just wasn’t doing anything. So I think I’m kind of processing that chapter of my life now – the isolation, the grief and the loss.
While Bareilles assured fans that the record “won’t be desperately sad,” she believes it’s important to keep room for “uncomfortable” topics.
“It’s not something our culture supports very well. I think we do a lot of escapism – which I think we need too; I don’t think it’s priceless at all, but I think there’s also a benefit to going to the dark places and resting there and really processing what’s going on there,” she said. “It’s unlike any other record I’ve ever written. It kind of goes all over the place and it’s not formulaic. I feel like I’m just telling stories that need to be told.”
Sara Bareilles: New Year’s Eve with the National Symphony Orchestra and Friends will air on PBS, PBS.org and the PBS app on Tuesday, December 31 at 8:00 PM ET.
