Interview: Jeffrey B. Moss directs THE MOST HAPPY FELLA at North Coast Repertory Theatre
THE MOST HAPPY FELLA will be presented this June at North Coast Repertory Theatre.
Few directors speak about classic musicals with the kind of warmth, curiosity, and genuine affection that radiates from Jeffrey B. Moss. When discussing “The Most Happy Fella” at North Coast Repertory Theatre through June 3-28th, Moss spoke less like someone mounting a production and more like he was rediscovering a treasured work of art and inviting audiences to rediscover it with him.
Frank Loesser’s sweeping romantic musical runs June 3 through June 28 at North Coast Repertory Theatre, and while the show is beloved among musical theatre devotees, Moss knows many audiences are encountering it for the very first time.
“It’s everyone’s favorite musical they’ve never seen,” he said with a laugh. “People say exactly what you said to me: ‘I love that score. I’ve never seen it.’”
For a director who has directed over 35 national and international touring companies from San Diego to New York to China, that rarity is part of what fascinated him. “The Most Happy Fella” has often been viewed as too large for most theatres, frequently associated with opera companies or expansive productions in massive venues. Moss saw something different hidden inside the lush score and sweeping romance.
“The Most Happy Fella” follows Tony, a lonely Napa Valley vineyard owner who falls in love through letters with a younger woman named Rosabella, leading to a romance built on hope, longing, and unexpected truths. Filled with Frank Loesser’s soaring score, the musical explores love, forgiveness, and discovering that true connection comes from seeing beyond appearances.
“I was convinced this was actually a sweet, intimate love story,” he said. “And that it could feel very much at home in a smaller theater.”
Photo Credit: Aaron Rumley
That belief only deepened after the Loesser family granted North Coast Rep the rights to produce the musical and sent Moss an extraordinary gift: a copy of “Project Three,” Frank Loesser’s original first draft of what would eventually become “The Most Happy Fella.”
“He had worked on it for three years,” Moss said. “And along the side of every page were his personal notes. Notes about the characters, their backstories, what he thought the scenery should look like, ideas for lighting, choreography, and staging. It was like he was sharing the creative process with me in real time.”
What moved Moss most was not simply the craftsmanship but the humanity he discovered in those pages.
“In the middle of all these detailed notes, he suddenly writes, ‘Sue me, I’m a songwriter,’” Moss recalled. “And there it was. This very humble, emotional man is pouring himself into this piece.”
For Moss, that humanity is what elevates this musical beyond a grand Golden Age musical into something deeply personal.
“This became a play,” he said. “A real play written by one artist who understood every piece of it because he wrote every piece of it. The music, the lyrics, the book — they all come from the same emotional place.”
That intimacy has become central to this production at North Coast Rep, where Moss is intentionally scaling the show inward rather than outward. Using a two-piano arrangement originally created by Loesser himself, the production strips away spectacle in favor of emotional clarity.
“In a theater this size, whispers matter,” Moss said. “The singing doesn’t have to be as large as it would in an opera house. It allows us to get to the very heart of the piece.”
(Front L-R) Andrew Hey, Shinah Hey, Lauren Weinberg, and ChrisHunter
(Middle L-R) Tori Hitchcock, Bethany Slomka, Gregory North, Isabelle Pizzurro aan Eli Wood
(Back L-R) Morgan Hollingsworth, Jason Maddy, and Jacob Caltrider
... J. Caltrider - photo by Aaron Rumle
That approach has also reshaped how the ensemble functions within the production. Moss explained that rather than treating the ensemble as a traditional chorus, every performer now carries the weight and detail of a principal character. The cast of this show includes Gregory North, Jacob Caltrider, Chris Hunter, Jason Maddy, Andrew Hey, Shinah Hey, Bethany Slomka, and Lauren Weinberg, as well as Morgan Hollingsworth, Eli Wood, Tori Hitchcock, and Isabelle Pizzurro.
“You start asking different questions,” he said. “Why is this person singing this song? What are they contributing emotionally? Suddenly, every voice matters in a very personal way.”
That intimacy has flourished in rehearsal, thanks in large part to a cast Moss clearly adores working with.
“We’ve had such a wonderful week,” he said. “Everybody got it immediately.”
During the first table read, Moss asked each cast member a simple question: What is this show about? The answers varied widely.
“One person said kindness. Someone else said forgiveness. Someone said finding out what love really is,” he said. “It spoke to everybody personally.”
That emotional openness is something Moss believes is baked into the DNA of Golden Age musicals, which remain some of his favorite works to direct.
“They’re so well written,” he said. “Frank Loesser was a master of his craft. There’s heart in the work. Humanity. The music speaks directly to the characters.”
He pointed to a restored song for Tony’s sister — one cut from many productions but reinstated here with permission from the Loesser estate — as an example of how instinctively the score guides performers emotionally.
“The actress said to me, ‘It’s telling me what to do,’” Moss said. “And that’s true. If you trust these musicals, they tell you what to do.”
That idea of enduring craftsmanship led Moss to reflect on his father, who worked as a jeweler.
“My dad used to say, ‘Gold is forever,’” he said. “Everything else comes and goes, but gold stays,” and for Moss, Golden Age musicals operate much the same way.
“They’re called golden not just because they shine,” he said. “They’re golden because there’s something deeply human in them that lasts.”
That sense of permanence feels especially meaningful in “The Most Happy Fella”, a story centered on love, forgiveness, and vulnerability. Moss believes those themes resonate just as powerfully today as they did when the musical premiered in 1956.
“It’s about a man taking a huge leap of forgiveness,” he said. “Of somebody else, and of himself. Someone is saved because of that. That’s a beautiful thing.”
From the beginning with the Loesser family to working with the cast and crew, for Moss the real beauty of this piece is that it is a true collaboration of collective storytelling, where every designer, actor, musician, and audience member contributes to the same emotional journey.
“When you come out of a great show, everybody has been telling the same story,” he said. “That’s collaboration. That’s theater magic.”
While he has directed dozens of productions across the country and internationally, Moss still lights up when talking about what comes next.
“If you ask me my favorite show,” he said with a grin, “I always say my next one.”
Hopefully, that leads him back to the North Coast Rep.
How To Get Tickets
“The Most Happy Fella” is running June 3 - 29th at the North Coast Repertory Theatre. For ticket and showtime information, please go to northcoastrep.org
Photo Credit: Aaron rumley and North Coast Rep
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