Composer Barbara Anselmi knows what it takes to sustain a career in the theater. From the ripe old age of five, Anselmi was moved by music and the magic of the orchestra and knew it had to be a part of her future. From her early experiences music directing on the Jersey Shore to collaborating with David Hyde Pierce and Brian Hargrove on the Great White Way in this past spring’s It Shoulda Been You, Anselmi continues to keep the spark alive and shares her passion and love for the theater with audiences of all ages.

Drawing on her own personal experiences with weddings, Anselmi infuses much of her own style into the music of this amusing and uplifting production. While weddings may bring out the crazy side of families, it is important to remember that you need to write your own story. It Shoulda Been You features tunes that don’t hold back, and keeps you laughing, reflecting and celebrating the good times. The show’s chutzpah and brilliance will live on through its much-anticipated cast recording available digitally now and in stores this October.

StageBuddy got the chance to speak with Anselmi about how being a musical theatre baby led to a long-lasting career, her experience with the show, the new cast recording and her formula for success in the ‘biz.’

Barbara, congrats on the success of It Shoulda Been You and the new cast recording! Growing up as a Jersey girl, you had a lot of exposure to Broadway and community theater – how did those early opportunities and experiences ultimately shape your career?

Well, it’s very interesting. For me, musical theater started when I was five. My mom took me to Broadway pretty early and we saw 1776. The music is what I remember and I actually ran to the pit at intermission and my mom couldn’t get me back to my seat! I also remember getting my first stereo in sixth grade and picking up the album for A Chorus Line and from the time the orchestra came in, I was hooked. I knew that I needed to be a part of this. Not a dancer (laughs) but I did theater in school and learned several instruments as well as voice lessons. My experience at camp at age 15 also was very influential and I made music directing my goal from the beginning of high school up to college. The opportunity became available when I came across an ad in Backstage for a music director at the Surflight Theatre, on Long Beach Island in NJ, and I knew it would be a fit.

Wow, it seems like the drive and passion were there from the very beginning! Were there any other motivating factors that kept you going on this path?

My father had passed away when I was 22 and the words he spoke have stayed with me. He said, “There’s no use in doing something that you’re not 100% in love with.”

That’s incredibly powerful. I also read about your work to raise money for the victims of 9/11 and the community. Tell me about the experience.

It was actually the day after 9/11 and someone had asked me to orchestrate a medley to help support victims. I remember taking a shower and all of a sudden, a song came into my head and I then got out and wrote it at the piano. The song would come to be known as “Anything but Love” and I always think of that moment as the beginning of my writing career.

What would you say gave you the courage to continue writing after you spent so much time music directing in your career?

It really felt like the universe was giving me a lot of signs. Shortly after “Anything but Love,” I was asked to work on the music for The Orphan Train and then the auditions for the BMI workshop began. Since the age of 14, I was hooked on musical theater but writing was something else. I wanted to practice the craft and go through the process of writing and figuring out scenes.

It sounds like inspiration can strike anywhere – even at a friend’s wedding?! Tell me how your experience helped inspire the music for It Shoulda Been You.

After attending several weddings and thinking about the little crazy things I witnessed watching the guests, I felt that it sometimes was more interesting than the two people getting married. I wanted to find out the backstory. There are so many instances where feelings get hurt when friends and family members are not included in the actual ceremony and all those little details end up becoming more important that the day itself and the wedding doesn’t even feel real anymore. I drew inspiration from that perspective and have been on this road since 2007.

What was it like working with director, David Hyde Pierce, and the cast in general?

Working with David Hyde Pierce is phenomenal. We actually think a lot alike and he is such a professional and such a good person! He’s well centered, very loving and the room always felt safe. I loved that everyone was willing to try things and that David respected people and always listened. I absolutely adore the cast and having those amazing voices – who wouldn’t want that? I feel so lucky to have had this amazing experience and shared the space with everyone.

If you could describe this cast recording in one word, what would it be and why?

I’m going to go for two. I would say that it’s “Very Barb.” Let me explain. It contains a lot of different sides to myself and comes from a very conventional place. It’s such a hodge podge of a person, me being half Italian and half Jewish – with these two different styles working together so well. It also contains so much of the music that I like – it goes from such extreme jazz scores to my beginnings as a musical theatre baby to more standard sounds as well as contemporary musical theater. The show really is what it is - it’s so much of me and hits so close to home. My wish for listeners is to find something about it that they can relate to. I hope that they can find that piece of themselves that they can see in it, like the soundtrack of A Chorus Line did for me.

I know that choosing a favorite song is like choosing a favorite child, but is there one song that impacts you the most?

“What They Never Tell You” really speaks to me. It really sums up what a lot of the show is about – to stop wishing and waiting for life to be perfect. Just go and write your own story with your best friend.

Amen! What has been the biggest lesson you’ve learned about the writing process?

The biggest lesson (laughs) is to have the tape recorder on at all times! Thank God for smartphones – never be without a recorder. Ha! Well, what I’ve learned about myself if that I really need words to start off, I need to know what the situation is and I write best when it is out of a scene and has some kind of hook.

Fair enough, these are gems, Barbara! Anything additional you’d like to add?

Once you are doing something you absolutely love, don’t stop. That advice has gotten me so far. It is such a hard business out there, so you have to love it. Also, find the people that will say, “Yes.” When you audition, you will get a lot of people who say “No.” The key is that the people who say, “Yes” are the people who want to be there and you are going to want to be with them.

Ghostlight Records has released the Original Broadway Cast Recording of It Shoulda Been You digitally; it will be available in stores October 9.  Barbara Anselmi and the cast/creative team of It Shoulda Been You will celebrate the album release on October 12 at 7:00 p.m. at Barnes & Noble (150 East 86^th Street); call (212) 369-2180 for details.