New York, New York

"Music, Money, Love." Those are the three aspirations everyone coming to this great city of New York wants to achieve. "Music" is your passion, your art. "Money" is what you need to survive. "Love" is that special relationship. For every artist I have known who has come to New York, achieving all three is never easy. You can get one, and if you are lucky, you can get two, but very rarely do you get all three. And if you do, it is sometimes only for a moment. John Kander famously describes "Music, Money, Love" as a major chord, and we're all chasing that perfect harmony.

The show New York, New York has this very theme at the heart of its storytelling – Kander even wrote a song called "Music, Money, Love" for our leading character. Set in 1946, right at the end of World War II, the characters' journeys reflect the hope, determination, and resilience that defined the era. This sentiment resonated with audiences grappling with the challenges brought on by the pandemic. We opened our show in April 2023, when New York City was still struggling to recover from the COVID outbreak, making the production feel even more timely. Just as the city was full of hope at the end of the war, so it was at the end of the pandemic. We could not wait to get back to work, to be entertained, to resume our hopes and passions, to share our lives, to continue our everyday adventures in New York City pursuing our own version of "Music, Money, Love." In 1946, just as in 2023, people were full of hope as they pulled plywood off boarded-up storefronts and gave out smallpox vaccinations. After what we'd all been through during the pandemic, my creative team and I felt the city needed this show.

This musical is a heartfelt love letter to New York City. In fact, the city is a main character in the show – a concrete jungle, fast-paced, exhausting and exhilarating, a cultural kaleidoscope. And if you can survive it, you won't want to live anywhere else. Kander always says, "New York is the greatest social experiment the world has ever known. We manage not to kill each other. For the most part."

New Yorkers live our lives in extremes; we experience the harshest storms, plagues, terrorist attacks – all while celebrating our unparalleled culture and diversity. The city can break you, but it can save you, too. When we first set out to create the musical New York, New York, we wanted the piece to be "inspired" by Fred Ebb's lyrics in the title song: "If I can make it there, I'll make it anywhere."

New York, New York began as many musicals do, with artists sitting around a table. In this case, it was me, John Kander, and Tommy Thompson. To quote John Kander again, "There is no greater feeling than making art with your friends." It is true. Sitting in a room with Kander is like being handed a gift. I have been very lucky to have spent many hours at a table with John Kander, spitballing ideas and eating chocolate chip cookies. One afternoon, we were tossing around ideas and wondered if there was a way to adapt the story in the film version of New York, New York for a contemporary audience. In the movie, the relationship between the two leads is volatile (no one wants to sit through that), and the city of New York, as a character, was not as present as it should have been – the action takes place mainly in LA and in the South. We knew that to use Kander and Ebb's songs from the movie, we would have to secure the film rights. We needed a powerhouse producer who could go to MGM and pitch this new idea.

Sonia Friedman was the most powerful producer working in theater at that time. So why not go straight to the top? I wrote to her, asking if we could have a coffee. We met in London at the Savoy Hotel, and I told her about the idea of creating a new musical based on the screenplay from New York, New York. I said we had some terrific thoughts about a new musical, but we did not want to give it our all unless we knew for certain we had the rights. To my surprise, she said she would see what she could do. The next time I saw her was a few months later in New York City with Kander and Tommy in the basement of the Lyric Theater, where she was producing Harry Potter and the Cursed Child. She told us she had gotten the rights and was ready to make this show a reality. We were thrilled. Sonia was the right producer to tackle this big musical. Known for being incredibly supportive of artists, she is tenacious and prides herself on making quality theater. She enlisted Tom Kirdahy, an old pal of Kander's, to co-produce, and together they made the perfect team to navigate us through all it takes to produce a musical on Broadway. They were always there by our sides to support, suggest, troubleshoot, and do everything they could to sell the show.

Now that we had the rights, we were off and running. Tom and Sonia produced a four-week workshop in a studio at the Signature Theater on West 42nd Street. It was enormously helpful, allowing us to experiment, investigate, and hone the story as we crafted the production. The timing, however, was difficult. This was February 2022. We wore masks the entire time we rehearsed. Singing and dancing while masked was exhausting for the actors. In addition, we had to take a COVID test each morning before we could even enter the rehearsal room. Every theater person was fighting hard to create during these many months.

We enlisted Kander's longtime friend and neighbor, Lin-Manuel Miranda, to add lyrics to many of the new songs Kander was writing. The opening number, "Cheering for Me Now," was a number Kander and Lin-Manuel had already collaborated on. After a few lyric tweaks, it fit perfectly as the opening song to introduce our characters and the show's tone. We also brought on board our friend Sharon Washington, whom we knew from The Scottsboro Boys. Sharon is not only an amazing actress but also a marvelous writer. Our collaboration was strong. Everyone in the group was respectful, kind, and fearless.

By this time, of course, Lin-Manuel was a giant star. I would watch people literally crawl over seats to get near him. He was unbelievably professional, gracious, and so supportive of us – Kander especially. Their fun song "Gold" worked so well for the new characters, Sofia and Mateo. Lin-Manuel's love for musical theater radiates around him. I had to pinch myself that I was around such a genius as him. And when he and Kander sat together to work, my musical comedy heart could hardly handle it!

Like the movie, the musical centers on the relationship between an aspiring singer and a struggling musician who have come to the city after World War II – but that is where the similarities stop. Jimmy and Francine are an interracial couple, and their story intersects with a tapestry of characters from all walks of life, including two Cuban immigrants, a talented and ambitious Army veteran, a British producer, a famous photographer, newlyweds, a would-be opera singer, and a very savvy native New Yorker, to name a few. New York City is the central character, showcasing how people come from everywhere to achieve what they cannot do anywhere else. People come to New York City to change their lives. I did when I left Delaware, Kander did when he left Missouri, and Tommy did when he left Illinois. We took our cue to create this show from the movie, but we needed to distinguish our narrative and make the city the focal point.

Choreography plays a crucial role in bringing the city's vibrancy to life. The choreography represents the rhythm that the city rides on. I was able to draw on many of the famous styles popular at the time, like swing, jazz, and, of course, tap. There is also ballroom dance, ballet, some classical moments, salsa, and good old musical-theater staging. There is a whole vocabulary of movement in New York City, a heightened way that people move past each other – dodging, darting, and mainly walking fast. These elements represent a multitude of influences and cultural backgrounds that define the city. Each dance sequence is designed to enhance the emotional arcs of our characters and highlight the rich collage of city life.

The talented dance arranger Sam Davis helped create a score with Kander that set an energetic tone, rhythm, and vivacity, showcasing each character's ethnic roots and their various wants and needs. Besides being very musical, Sam is also very visual. I would say, "I need a sexy dance transition for the characters of Tommy and the Barfly. I'd like it based on the melody from "A Quiet Thing." It happens at night. It has a jazz feeling." And out of his fingers it would come. He hits the keyboard, watches the dancers, and captures the choreography, supporting every move and seizing the right tone.

The collaboration between these genius musical legends – John Kander, Lin-Manuel Miranda, Sam Davis, Daryl Waters, and the spirit of Fred Ebb – made for a top-notch score. Every number lands powerfully, making the experience of listening to the album an absolute delight.

I thought about Fred Ebb throughout this entire experience. He played such a big part in all our lives. He was a real New Yorker. He loved this city. And his presence resonated throughout the production. We would often find ourselves channeling Fred during the process, especially when we needed a joke. Our set designer, Beowulf Boritt, cleverly added Fred's name and date of birth on the steel beams in the set, hidden in the graffiti. That made us laugh because Fred always lied about his age. In the background of the Central Park scene, in the snow, Fred's San Remo apartment was painted on the drop with a light on in the window. There were several Easter eggs like that in the show. I put Fred's favorite dance step, the Push-Away, into the number "Happy Endings."

In the San Juan Supper Club scene, the characters enter the sparsely populated club and hear a song so sad they immediately want to leave. The song is actually the original version of "New York, New York" that Kander and Ebb wrote for the movie. When they first played it for Robert De Niro, he said it wasn't good enough. Incensed that an actor would so cruelly dismiss their song, they went home, wrote a new version in just 45 minutes, and brought it back to set. Robert De Niro and Martin Scorsese adored it, and now that song endures as the iconic, vibrant anthem that embodies the essence of this magnificent city. It still closes every Yankee's home game when they win.

Among the many ensemble characters were the Three Missouri Boys – another Easter egg. These three characters represent John Kander and his two roommates – William Goldman and James Goldman. Can you believe those men were his roommates? William Goldman, winner of two Academy Awards, who wrote The Princess Bride and All the President's Men, and James Goldman, who wrote Follies and the Academy Award-winning The Lion in Winter. The three of them arrived in the city at the same time and roomed together. During the day, they would write in their apartment, and at night they would go to the ballet and the opera together. All three were inspired by New York City.

My genius set designer, Beowulf Boritt, created a gorgeous Tony Award-winning set that captured the grit and glamour of New York City. His inspiration being the famous essay "Here is New York" by E.B. White. Beowulf took us through the four seasons of New York City – from snow and rain to even Manhattanhenge. In fact, Beowulf's set traveled through 70 different locations in the city, many of which are famous landmarks such as Grand Central Station, Times Square, the Brooklyn Bridge, and Central Park. The set is covered with real steel windows and fire escapes, classic bits of New York City architecture. All these elements together create a portrait of the city that the audience recognizes.

A moment that deeply resonates with me is the tribute to the famous 1932 photograph of ironworkers sharing lunch while perched high on a steel beam of the RCA Building. This powerful image embodies the spirit of New York's ambitious skyline, constantly changing and growing taller and taller. Here, the song is "Wine and Peaches," and our scene revolves around the bold and brash New Yorker Tommy advising his friend Jimmy about the best gift to bring on a first date – wine and peaches. He explains it all while standing on a construction beam high above the city. Tommy continues, saying, "Plus, you need to have balance, daring, and a leap of faith." When we rehearsed this number, we had steel beams in the studio with acrobat mats underneath in case anyone fell off. The sound of the taps against the steel beams evokes hammers and wrenches against girders and metal. Tap dancing on steel beams took some getting used to – balance, daring, and a leap of faith played a big part. The number serves as a metaphor for those navigating their own journeys and showcases the technique and bravery of our own actors.

With each show, I try to create some visual that people will remember, even if they don't remember the show. Something that will stick in their memory. They remember girls as basses from Crazy for You, little old ladies with walkers from The Producers, the Girl in the Yellow Dress from Contact, and I believe they will remember the construction workers tap-dancing on steel beams from New York, New York.

Our costume designer, Donna Zakowska, did an incredible job of capturing the period. I first became aware of Donna from watching the Amazon series The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel. Right away, I recognized she was an extraordinary artist. Donna understands movement – how a dress can add backstory to a character and enhance the choreography. Her fabrics move so beautifully that she makes a dancer look as if she is flying. New York, New York was Donna's first Broadway musical, and it earned her a Tony nomination.

There is a choreographed rainstorm in the show that we use as a set transition. The moment represents the heavy rain we get here in the city and reminds us of the stormy relationship between our two leading characters. Umbrellas flying across the air, broken umbrellas scooting across the floor, and many New Yorkers brushing wet shoulders against one another. Donna Zakowska created rain costumes that looked convincingly drenched. Our fantastic projection designer, Christopher Ash, along with our fabulous sound designer, Kai Harada, made each scene come to life with enhanced sound and visuals – collaborative art at its finest.

Ken Billington's lighting created a spectacular atmosphere throughout every scene. We always know what time of day it is and which season we are in. His pièce de résistance was Manhattanhenge. A moment when New York is at its most magical. New Yorkers love nothing more than crossing a street and seeing the sunset dead center between the tall buildings, flooding the city in gold and pink. In addition to the spectacular lighting effect that bathed the audience in color, David Loud wrote a magnificent choral arrangement of the song "Light" for the entire company to sing as Manhattanhenge formed upstage before our eyes.

The show's design was simply stunning. I adored the design team and found our collaboration exhilarating. Every night, watching the final scene, I actually got goosebumps. It took every department being at the top of their game for this moment to land in such a satisfying way. Up from the orchestra pit, the entire orchestra would rise, with our two leading actors at the helm and the orchestra playing a magnificently orchestrated version of the iconic "New York, New York." Our virtuoso orchestrators, Daryl Waters and Sam Davis, outdid themselves. Kai Harada, master of sound, made that orchestra soar with a spectacular mix and clarity. That was no easy feat. With each performance, I found myself caught up in the infectious energy of it all. Seeing and hearing the audience cheer the song that has become an anthem to the city I love filled my soul, reminding me that we are all part of this grand story of New York – bound together by everything the city has to offer us and our desire for that "Major Chord."

That season, New York, New York was nominated for nine Tony Awards, including Best Musical. Our producers, Sonia and Tom, made sure we had a sensational number for the Tony Awards broadcast, even allowing our talented swings to join the performance. It looked amazing. John Kander was awarded a 2023 Tony Award for Lifetime Achievement in the Theatre. I was recognized for receiving my 15th Tony nomination, 11 in the Best Choreography category. I was told I now share the most-nominated title with Bob Fosse. I admire Fosse and learned a great deal from him. Who knew when he was correcting me on a pelvic thrust 45 years ago that we would someday be matched in Tony nominations!

Although our run was short, due to the running costs and not enough tourists returning to Broadway after the pandemic, the show had so much heart. It made the creative team, designers, actors, and musicians feel alive again after the shutdown. The big, expensive Broadway-sized production was a miscalculation post-pandemic. Ahhh, timing…

I know New York, New York will get done again. The show serves as a poignant reminder that, as New Yorkers, we consistently discover ways to come back.

I wish you all music, money, and love.