Interview: Matt Hobbs And Travis Sharp, creators of HOT JAMBALAYA at Horizon Theatre Company

The new musical HOT JAMBALAYA is currently heating up the stage at Horizon Theatre in Atlanta through June 21st, bringing audiences a wildly entertaining mix of murder mystery, comedy, New Orleans flavor, and original music. Created by Atlanta theatre artists Matt Hobbs (Songwriter for WOMAN OF THE YEAR and BLACK NERD, and the viral sensation, PUPPY SONGS) and Travis Sharp (LAWRENCEBURG, SONG OF THE LIVING DEAD, MUSICALS SUCK: THE MUSICAL, and WICKET), the show has been years in the making and has already developed a passionate following after its original run at Dad’s Garage last year.

I caught up with Matt and Travis to talk about their journeys into theater, the evolution of HOT JAMBALAYA, the unique combination of influences behind the show, and what audiences can expect when they step into this fast-paced world of murder, music, and mayhem.

BWW: Thank you both so much for taking time to speak with me. I’m excited to hear more about you and more about HOT JAMBALAYA. I’d love to start by hearing a little bit about both of your journeys into the world of theater, and what brought you to this point.

Matt Hobbs: I moved to Atlanta in 2010, and the coolest thing I did when I was crashing with my former college roommate’s parents out in the suburbs was go to a show at Dad’s Garage. I was like, “Now this is cool.” It was much cooler than Dunwoody. That was where I saw folks like Travis Sharp and Kevin Gillese and Amber Nash and Megan Leahy and all these cool people performing scripted shows and improv shows. There was a cat on the piano on the side and I thought, “I want to do that.” That’s where I joined up with Dad’s and took on a lot of different projects over the years, music directing and working with Travis for many years. Then he and I took a big swing at pitching a scripted musical to Dad’s Garage in 2017. It was not this show, and it did not get a good response. But we went back the next year with this project and have been developing it ever since.

BWW: So, it’s been eight years in the works.

Travis Sharp: Yep. Pretty much pre-pandemic, and this became our pandemic project.

BWW: What about you, Travis? What’s your theatre origin story?

TS: I was always interested in theater and did some in college, but I never really thought of it as a viable career for me. I went into advertising. I was also doing improv in college, but it was terrible. It didn’t leave a terrible taste in my mouth; it just wasn’t something I thought about. Then I had a moment of inspiration when I saw a show at Dad’s Garage in 2000. I had just moved to Atlanta and was taking my then-girlfriend, now wife, out on a birthday date. At some point during the show, I leaned over and whispered to her, “This is what I want to do.” I started taking classes at Dad’s, started doing improv shows, and became an accidental playwright. I basically said, “Hey, could I write a play?” and people were like, “Yeah, try it.” I wrote a play, and then I wrote a musical, and then another musical, and another musical, and another musical. Then Matt and I connected and wrote this musical. It still feels weird to say I’m a playwright, even though I’ve written seven produced plays. It still feels like I’m just this guy trying to be funny with my friends and seeing what happens.

MH: While Trav was writing all of those shows, I was coming up at Dad’s getting more and more gigs being a music director or accompanist or musical improviser. I remember when his show SONG OF THE LIVING DEAD got remounted, I was waist-deep in the Atlanta theater world by then, and I thought, “I want to work with Travis.”

BWW: Let’s talk about the show a bit. For people who may not know much about it, how would you describe HOT JAMBALAYA and what audiences can expect?

TS: The tightest byline we’ve come up with is “the murder mystery musical comedy.” You literally can’t remove any of those words without inaccurately describing the show. It’s also a period piece set in New Orleans in the early 1920s before the bubble burst. It’s a really fun, fast-paced farce with lots of laughs, but it was really important to us to build a legitimate murder mystery into it too. Every character is really distinct and juicy and fun to play. We wanted every role to feel like something an actor would want to step into. But we also took the mystery seriously. If you’re paying attention and you really know your stuff, there’s a chance you might figure it out before we reveal it.

MH: The show is steeped in two things: the confined-space Agatha Christie-style murder mystery genre, and New Orleans. Not just the music or visual aesthetic, but the character aesthetic, the language, and the complicated family dynamic that New Orleans carries. I was born and raised there. Hurricane Katrina hit during my senior year of high school, so I have a complicated relationship with the place I love more than anywhere else in the world. So, the show embraces the good, the bad, and everything in between about New Orleans while also relishing all those cozy murder mystery tropes and traditions we love. When I talk about the show with folks, I say it’s like if THE MOUSETRAP and A GENTLEMAN”S GUIDE TO LOVE AND MURDER had a baby with just a little bit of HADESTOWN thrown in for good measure.

BWW: How has the show evolved from its original run at Dad’s Garage last year to this new production at Horizon Theatre?

TS: I recently heard someone say plays are never finished; playwrights just give up. We definitely learned a lot from putting the show in front of audiences the first time around. Nothing major or structural changed because we had already spent seven and a half years rewriting and revising before the original production. But putting a show in front of audiences teaches you things you can’t learn any other way. Because it’s a murder mystery, we don’t want to hide clues. We want them to be there. So, there were some moments we tightened up, some things we clarified, some jokes we sharpened. I definitely think it’s a stronger show now.

MH: One of the biggest differences has actually been seeing the show in front of a different audience demographic. There’s a joke in Act One about barnacles on a boat being so old they have cataracts. At Dad’s Garage, that joke got maybe a five-out-of-ten response on a good night.

TS: It wasn’t even really a joke at Dad’s Garage. It was accepted as a statement of fact and we moved on.

MH: But at Horizon, there’s been this huge appreciative laugh from the audience. It’s a silly example, but it’s been fascinating to watch. The actors are also still discovering things in these characters, even the returning cast members. That’s the thrill of live theater.

BWW: Was there a specific moment or inspiration that sparked the idea of this show for you?

TS: It goes back to that earlier musical pitch we made that didn’t work. It was this sci-fi concept about Little Five Points being sealed off under a dome from the rest of society. We pitched that to crickets.

MH: Then one night after a show, Kevin Gillese basically gave us advice that changed everything. He said, “Pitch the show only you could pitch.” Driving home afterward, I thought, “I love New Orleans and I love Agatha Christie-style murder mysteries.” Suddenly the pieces clicked together. There were elements we wanted to explore musically in that earlier concept, but this was the right world for them. And because New Orleans is deeply personal for me, it gave the story a lot more depth and authenticity.

BWW: Both of you come from improv backgrounds. I’m curious how that influences your work as writers and creators.

MH: Improv taught me not to be precious about writing. Before all the puppy songs, I was trying very hard to be a serious songwriter and polishing songs endlessly. Then I’d get onstage at an improv show and make something up on the spot that would get a bigger response than songs I’d worked on for years. Improv teaches you to write fearlessly. The worst-case scenario is just writing something else. That mindset really shaped this project.

TS: Twenty-six years of doing improv every week kind of breaks your brain in a good way. Matt and I basically wrote the show through improv. We would slip into character voices and improvise scenes and conversations. We also perform together in improvised music shows, so there were moments where huge parts of HOT JAMBALAYA just appeared in five-minute jam sessions. I remember when we realized the finale needed changing. Matt started playing something, we started singing together, and instantly I thought, “Oh, that’s it. That’s the finale.” You always imagine writers sweating and arguing and chain-smoking while creating musicals, but for us a lot of it was just, “Oh, there it is.”

BWW: Do either of you have creators or artists you feel especially influenced by?

MH: As a songwriter, I’ve always wanted to be Ben Folds when I grow up. I admire everything about him; his musicality, his lyrics, his performance style, and his punk rock attitude. I’m also hugely influenced by Bobby Lopez. We spent a lot of time with THE BOOK OF MORMON, AVENUE Q and that style of musical comedy storytelling.

TS: For a long time, I thought I was a niche playwright because I’d written things like zombie musicals and teenage werewolf musicals and an Ewok musical. But seeing shows like AVENUE Q and THE BOOK OF MORMON really changed my perspective. I remember sitting at BOOK OF MORMON at the Fox Theatre thinking, “Nobody is getting up and leaving. Everyone’s laughing.” It made me realize audiences are willing to go on weird rides if the work is funny and heartfelt and well-crafted.

MH: Another influence for me is Bill Lawrence, especially through shows like Scrubs, Ted Lasso, and Shrinking. I love storytelling where things can get really silly and then suddenly emotionally honest. That balance was really important to us in this show too.

BWW: I know it’s probably impossible to choose, but do you each have favorite songs or favorite moments in the show?

TS: There’s an 11 o’clock number called “Alone Together” that absolutely gets me every time. After all the chaos and comedy, the show slows down for this really emotional moment. Matt wrote such a beautiful song there. Honestly, sometimes it makes me cry.

MH: Another favorite for me is “Shoulda, Coulda, Didn’t” in Act Two. It starts off very BOOK OF MORMON-inspired and then turns into this Dr. John-style New Orleans piece with dense lyrics and internal rhyme. It’s also a key murder mystery moment because two characters are presenting their alibis through song. It really combines the musical and mystery aspects of the show in a fun way.

TS: We should also mention “Lagniappe Handclap,” which is this early crowd-pleasing New Orleans number before bodies start dropping. Audiences want to clap along with it every night.

BWW: One last question for you both: What’s next for HOT JAMBALAYA and for the two of you?

MH: We’re hoping the show has a life beyond Atlanta. We’re already in conversations with some theaters in New Orleans and exploring possibilities elsewhere around the country.

TS: Matt and I are also realizing the Hobbs-Sharp brand might actually be our thing for a while. We’ve got a couple of ideas we’re already beginning to shape for whatever comes next. And tonight, I’m opening in another show, GUTENBERG! THE MUSICAL!, at Dad’s Garage where I’m playing a playwright, which feels very appropriate right now.

HOT JAMBALAYA is currently playing at the Horizon Theatre and runs through Sunday, June 21st. Performances are at Horizon Theatre, located at Euclid and Austin in Little Five Points/Inman Park (1083 Austin Avenue NE Atlanta, GA 30307). Performances are on Wednesdays, Thursdays and Fridays at 8 p.m., Saturdays at 2 p.m. and 8 p.m. and Sundays at 5 p.m.   Tickets start at $40 on weekdays and $45 on weekends. Group pricing is available for parties of 10 or more. Full-time students under 25 may purchase $20 tickets with valid ID. For tickets and more information, visit horizontheatre.com or call the Box Office at 404.584.7450.

Lead Photo: Matt Hobbs and Travis Sharp