30 Days Of NYMF: Day 16 THE GREENWOOD TREE

The Greenwood Tree
By Will Reynolds, music and concept

Shakespeare is sexy. Right? When I first discovered the sonnets during an acting project at Carnegie Mellon, I couldn't put them down. It was like reading someone's journal. It was like Shakespeare's blog. We all know Shakespeare's stories, his famous characters and all their dramas, but what about his own? I was so moved and intrigued by the relationship between this poet and the man that inspired him to pour his soul onto the page. Was it a friend? Was it something more? And who is this mysterious "Dark Lady" he suddenly starts writing of so passionately? This guy had a lot going on outside of work, clearly.

I wanted to tell that story. About a young poet, using his art to navigate the tricky channels of the heart. About that time in your life when you are starting to discover who you are and who you love. About friends, and the blurred lines you sometimes find between them. About that beautiful stranger who turns your life upside down and your heart inside out. About the magic spark of inspiration. Okay, and yes, about sex and the many delightful ways it gets us in trouble. Yeah, that too.

This is Shakespeare as you have never seen it. I know I never have. I sat on the floor with all 154 sonnets ripped out and scattered around me. Bit by bit, they showed me where to go, how the story would twist and turn ... it was very Da Vinci Code. Out came the scissors, and line-by-line, suddenly this trio of characters had a lot to say to each other. Then they wanted to sing.

Most people know the songs that are in Shakespeare's plays. They have been set by countless composers in countless forms. But drawn together and free from the very different worlds of their respective dramas, they started to sing like modern musical theatre. Suddenly our favorite poet and his friend are jamming together with a guitar. Suddenly there's a whole new answer to "Who is Sylvia?" And she has major soul.

I wanted to bring Shakespeare's most personal work to life. I wanted to let his lost cast of characters finally take their bow. But secretly? I think I just wanted everyone to leave the theatre thinking, "wow... Shakespeare is sexy." Come see for yourself.