The first collaboration between PS Classics and composer Georgia Stitt, This Ordinary Thursday, inspired Playbill to cheer, “The songs are rich and deep and intelligent, demanding instant repeat listening.” Now, having established herself in the upper echelon of contemporary musical theatre writers, Stitt returns with this exhilarating hybrid of music theatre and art song, drawn from a collection of poems by Marcy Heisler (Junie B. Jones, Dear Edwina).
From Georgia Stitt: “Marcy and I became friends in New York City several years ago, back when we were both starting out as baby songwriters and were playing our respective songs all over town. I was really curious to see what Marcy and I might create if we pooled our talents. After rejecting the ideas of writing a full-length musical or a slew of cabaret songs together, Marcy pulled from her filing cabinet a stack of poems she had written and asked if I’d like to take a crack at setting them. Once we realized that we were on to something and that our songs sounded different from anything either of us had written before, we picked four more poems and kept going. The twenty-minute song cycle here is the collection of those five musical poems.”
Featuring vocals by Tony Award-nominee Kate Baldwin.
Produced by Grammy Award-winner Jeffrey Lesser.
Download “Alphabet City Cycle” Digital Booklet
“Yes, it’s true, sometimes good things do come in small packages. This is a small gem, a download-only glory… consisting of five songs with a total playing time of under 20 minutes. But it’s a a rich and satisfying set, beautifully written and performed. The music alternately employs gushes of melodic force or taut lines that match the rush or control of emotions of the characters’ soliloquies. It’s the work of versatile Georgia Stitt. This piece commands attention and is exceptionally moving.” – Rob Lester, Talkin’ Broadway
“The quintet of tunes here are musical mini-monologues that chronicle things like reeling from a break-up and nesting into a new apartment. Stitt’s melodies are richly atmospheric, captivating the ear, and Heisler’s lyrics are sort of like bittersweet poetry.” – Andy Propst, American Theater Web
“The music and Stitt’s playing (on all but one track) are reminiscent of Sondheim, the musical lines taking unexpected turns and the melodies interesting. The most memorable is the first track, “The Wanting Of You.” It offers enough musical and lyrical repetition to stay in the mind long after the CD player has been turned off.” – Kevin Scott Hall, Edge Publications
“Stitt, with whom you might not be familiar, has an original and refreshing style; she provides a steady beat, with emotion bubbling through her melodies. Heisler has a gift for unconventional but perfect word images. A mundane lyricist will describe her lover’s green eyes, or her lover’s sparkling eyes; Heisler sees them as “green and shimmering angry eyes.” A divorcee, downsizing to a dark and tiny apartment, says “a prayer for good luck and a bucket of Windex.” Heisler can write funny lyrics, as evidenced by the endearing Dear Edwina, but parts of “Alphabet City” show searing and scalpel-like precision. Singers in search of audition or cabaret material be advised that sheet music is already available on-line. Ms. Baldwin, meanwhile, just might be our next best undiscovered musical comedy heroine. She is lucky to have these Stitt-Heisler songs to sing, and Stitt and Heisler are lucky to have Baldwin. Hopefully, they will find a place to perform “Alphabet City Cycle”; in the meanwhile, fans of any of the three — and the unanointed, open to interesting new work — might want to seek out this mini-album.” —Steven Suskin, On The Record/Playbill
