The New York International Fringe Festival will bring 200 shows to NYC from August 12-28. We spoke with composer Vatrena King and writer Catherine Hurd about Zuccotti Park, A Musical about the Human Side of Economics.
What was the first musical that made you want to make musicals?
Vatrena King: West Side Story.
Catherine Hurd: That's difficult for me, since there were several that really stuck with me. I think Camelot, South Pacific, Cabaret, The King and I, and Hair. Also Evita. They all contributed a lot to my love of musicals. The first one though, I think was South Pacific.
Tell us about your show in 3 sentences or less.
VK: Zuccotti Park is a musical about contemplation. It asks 3 big questions: How do economics really effect people; what does it mean to be loyal to your
country; where does loyalty to an ideal end and loyalty to the Truth begin?
CH: I tried to tell the story, using drama and music, of people from all over the country who left their homes and gathered in Zuccotti Park, NCY, to protest an economic system whose single minded pursuit of profit above all else was destroying their lives. I also tried to find common ground between all of us, a commonality that would unite us as a country and not divide us along social, racial, ethnic, religious and political lines. That's important to me.
Describe the sound of your musical.
VK: it's like Hair meets Rent.
CH: I like Vatrena's answer... But I also want to add, the music in Zuccotti Park is as diverse as the characters in the play. Yet it all somehow fits together.
Who is your favorite classic musical theater composer?
VK: Rodgers & Hammerstein.
CH: Lerner and Loewe, Rodgers and Hammerstein.
And your favorite composer working today?
VK: Stephen Schwartz.
CH: Hmm. Andrew Lloyd Webber, I think.
Why is it important to bring your show to Fringe?
VK: I feel that Zuccotti Park the musical will really connect with this audience. Fringe-going people will enjoy it.
CH: I believe the most important reason for having the show in FringeNYC is for the exposure, and yes, I think Zuccotti Park really needs to be in NYC, the home of Occupy, and the setting of the musical.
What's next for the show?
CH: We have a booking with Justice Theater Project in Raleigh, NC in February of 2017 for a three-week run.
