From Lawrence to Nashville to Broadway and coming home again

TLC just released their list of the 10 Best Cities in the U.S. for Music Lovers. It includes all the obvious choices, New Orleans, Memphis, Nashville, New York, Austin, but mixed in there, not even at the bottom, is one that you might not expect to see. Lawrence, KS. Lawrence has always had a great music scene. When I trolled its music scene in the early '80s, there was one band in particular that I followed, The Homestead Grays. This roots-rock outfit, named after a Negro League baseball team was notorious for their raucous live shows and drew a big crowd wherever they played. Their front man was a local kid with a kind of corn-fed Robert Redford vibe by the name of Chuck Mead.

Chuck eventually followed the trail blazed by countless songwriters before him and headed to Nashville, TN. Nashville's Lower Broadway street was full of T-shirt shops, dive bars and tourist traps and every one of them had cleared out a corner so some little band could set up and play for the shopping tourists. Chuck had gotten a gig playing in the corner of a boot store called Robert's Western World and had put together a little band of locals he'd named after a Hee Haw sketch, BR5-49. The thing that set this band apart, was that in a town that long ago turned its back on its musical tradition, BR5-49 was covering real country and people were digging it! Robert's was filling up and overflowing to the point that even the label execs on Music Row had to start paying attention. Seven albums, three Grammy nominations and the Country Music Association Award for Best Overseas Touring Act later, Chuck and his band had introduced American Roots music to millions of fans world-wide who may have never discovered it otherwise. When BR5-49 went on hiatus, Chuck decided to forge some new territory. He released a critically acclaimed solo album, guest lectured at Vanderbilt University and was asked to craft some musical arrangements for a little show being workshopped in Florida called MILLION DOLLAR QUARTET.

MDQ is a juke box musical about a recording session that actually happened in December 1956 when Carl Perkins, Jerry Lee Lewis, Elvis Presley and Johnny Cash all happened to be at Sun Records at the same time and sat down for a jam session. The show started breaking box office records wherever it opened. Chuck found himself supervising music for the show's 2008 premiere in Chicago, creating new music material for the show's Tony-winning Broadway run, producing the original cast album, and overseeing the music for its smash 2011 premiere at London's Noël Coward Theatre.

When we started planning to produce PUMP BOYS AND DINETTES, I overheard Director Richard Carrothers say that he'd love to have the Broadway music director Chuck Mead on the show but that he didn't even know how to get a hold of him. I was pretty sure I knew a friend of a friend of Chuck's and thought I'd give it a try. A couple of Facebook postings and a phone call later I was able to tell Richard that we had landed Broadway Music Director Chuck Mead for our production of PUMP BOYSŠ and we didn't even have to pay for his hotel. True to the guy from Lawrence, Kansas that Chuck still is, he preferred to stay at his folks' house. Enjoy the show

Rob McGraw - Vice President of Sales & Marketing

____________________________________________________________________________________

Dedicated to Marilyn

One of the many things that make us proud to be producing comedies and musicals here in the greater Kansas City area is all the amazing homegrown talent we have. Seriously, ask anyone you know who has been attending New Theatre performances for a while and they'll tell you that our theatre professionals, on stage and behind the scenes, are as good as many that you'll find on Broadway. That being the case, we thought we would tip our hat to a Broadway professional involved with this production of PUMP BOYS AND DINETTES who just happens to call the greater Kansas City area home.

If you are familiar with Kansas City theatre, then the name Marilyn Strauss will definitely ring a bell. Marilyn's love for theatre started as a student at Southwest High, but KC couldn't contain it for long. Her producing debut in Kansas City was a three-day Leonard Bernstein festival with the KC Philharmonic. Somehow, this young wife and mother convinced Bernstein himself to conduct the entire event! With that feather in her cap, Marilyn lit out for the Great White Way, convinced that she could produce for Broadway. With that same combination of natural talent, a keen eye for quality, Midwestern work ethic and a pinch of luck that she had displayed in KC, after just a few months of scouring the NY theatre scene, Marilyn discovered a heartwarming Irish comedy/drama at a small community center. Not even realizing that all the odds were stacked against her, Marilyn fought until that play, DA, opened on Broadway. It won six Tony Awards that year including Best Play, and Marilyn, that young wife and mother from KC, won the Tony for Best Producer.

Marilyn loved finding unknown shows and bringing them to Broadway. A few years later, in a tiny off-off Broadway theatre, she stumbled upon a one-of-a-kind musical called PUMP BOYS AND DINETTES. Her instincts told her that this show would be huge on Broadway. Once again, those instincts were right! PUMP BOYS had a very successful run and garnered numerous Tony nominations including Best Musical. After Broadway, it opened on London's West End to equal critical acclaim.

Though her triumphs in NY continued, it doesn't take long for a Midwestern girl to realize that "there's no place like home." Marilyn knew it was time to come home to Kansas City. But she didn't leave her love for theatre behind. Using her time-tested talents for creating amazing success out of very little, Marilyn founded The Heart of America Shakespeare Festival, which for the past 30 years has been making Shakespeare's works accessible to a diverse audience through free professional theatre and educational programs. For her dedication to art and her hometown and because were it not for her, it's quite likely no one would be able to enjoy PUMP BOYS, we lovingly dedicate this production to Marilyn Strauss.

Rob McGraw - Vice President of Sales & Marketing

____________________________________________________________________________________

PIE, PIE and more PIE

When I was working on this menu's featured dessert, I began to wonder where it all started and how we wound up with our favorite pies we enjoy today.

The first mention I could find about pie was from the mid-1300s. Way back in those days, and for hundreds of years after, pie was not at all what we know today. The crust in those days was made of flour and water and was only used as a vessel for baking, serving and storing the food baked inside it. The crust was often times 2 or 3 inches thick to stand up to the tasks it had to perform and was inedible. Some pies had tops and some did not.
Most pies of that time were comprised of meats and potatoes, basically whatever was on hand.

Before long it was discovered that pie crust could not only serve a utilitarian purpose but could also be a tasty part of the overall dish. Still, most pies were savory and not sweet, at least in early Europe. There are reports of fruits and berries being used in Greek and Roman times. Small pies were among the first origins of "fast food." These small pies could be handheld and eaten without utensils or a place to sit.

The kinds of pies that we are familiar with and love today take many forms and flavors. Our pies today are, for the most part, sweet. I did some research to find out the most popular pie flavor in the U.S. I went to 12 different websites and found 12 different answers. A lot has to do with the part of the country you reside in and what "mom" used to make.

I finally settled on pecan pie. It seemed to be the one flavor that was the most consistent regardless of who makes it. So many other pie varieties have enormous variations based on who's making it, where they live and the intended consumer. My pecan pie is simple and classic, no culinary tricks on this one. I serve it with freshly whipped cream and a generous dusting of powdered sugar; just the way my mom used to do it.

Mark Rohman - Vice President of Culinary & Restaurant Services