Meet Ryan O’Connell (Orchestrator/Music Supervisor)
It’s the unknown aspect of the legend. The lake is so dense with peat that we may never see what lies below. Where there’s no proof, there will always be people to question the truth. Also, it’s fun to wonder if the impossible could be real!
What is it like to work on a world premiere musical?
For the past few years, I’ve mostly worked on new musicals. It’s an incredibly exciting (and scary) process, and to see the finished product gives you such a feeling of accomplishment. And who knows where the show will go? Years down the road, you could be looking at a major hit and be able to say, “I had a hand in that.”
What mysteries or legends captivate your imagination?
I love historical mysteries – the pyramids, Stonehenge, Easter Island, etc. I’m also a fan of cold cases ([like] Serial!).
If you met any of the characters on the street, who would you share a pint with and who would make you turn and walk away? And why?
I’d love to hang out with the French sailors, Pierre and Eclair. I could stand to bone up on my French.
Do you have a favorite moment in the play?
I love the song Nuthin’ I Can’t Do, where Haley and the audience finally get to meet Nessie in all her glory. It’s such a cute, fun, and poignant song.
What’s the biggest challenge for you in this production?
We are expanding the sound of the orchestrations with lots of Celtic instruments and textures. It’s been a fun challenge to research these instruments and figure out ways to incorporate them into the score. Also, the show feels in many ways like a film, so coming up with the massive amounts of underscoring and how to implement it in a live setting is tricky. But we’re making it work.
How do you prepare to work on a project like this?
I spend a lot of time talking with the composer (in this case, the inimitable Marshall Pailet), and really talk with them about their vision for the show. Luckily I was the music director for the first two readings of this show, so I had plenty of experience with the material coming into it.
What was your first job in theater?
In 1999-2000, I toured with the first Broadway national tour of Ragtime as an actor. I was 10 years old.
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