On Sunday, May 14th, Become, a one-night-only showcase of music by up-and-coming writers Benj Pasek and Justin Paul, will be presented. The Joe's Pub concert, originally scheduled only for 7:30 PM, sold out in just three days of ticket sales. A second performance has been added for later that evening at 9:30 PM.
Presented by Jamie McGonnigal (The Secret Garden, Pippin, Children of Eden concerts), "the evening will feature some of Broadway's best, performing the music of some of musical theatre's most promising new songwriters," according to press notes.Benj Pasek and Justin Paul are rapidly emerging as a new songwriting team with a fresh voice in contemporary musical theatre. Collaborating since their freshman year, Pasek and Paul are Musical Theatre majors at the University of Michigan. In the spring of 2005, the team premiered a revue of their work entitled Edges. Originally billed as a one-night event at the University of Michigan, the material was enthusiastically received, spurring performances in Washington, D.C., Philadelphia, Connecticut, and New York City in venues such as The Kimmel Center and the June Havoc Theatre. Edges has since been performed over 20 times across the country, produced at various locations including The Boston Conservatory, Carnegie Mellon University, and New York University, with upcoming debuts at the Universities of Virginia and Miami. Currently, Pasek and Paul are collaborating with Lonely Sky Theatre Company in New York City to a produce a workshop and a full-length production, slated for the summer of 2006.Videos