Interview: Tom Kitt Celebrates His Career In TOM KITT AND FRIENDS at 54 Below

Tony-, Grammy-, Emmy-, and Pulitzer Prize-winning composer Tom Kitt is returning to 54 Below for a star-studded concert series. In celebration of turning 50 this year, Kitt is taking audiences on a journey through his career - past and future. From Next To Normal to Almost Famous and new works still in development, Kitt is bringing together old friends such as Aaron Tveit (Next To Normal) and Ariana DeBose (Bring It On!), as well as newer collaborators like Maleah Joi Moon (Hell’s Kitchen), Casey Likes (Almost Famous) and more.

We talked with Kitt about what makes this residency unique and the exciting lineup audiences can expect – including some Next to Normal role-swapping from Aaron Tveit and the premiere of new material from a yet-to-be-announced musical with Brian Yorkey.

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What inspired you to share your music in this four concert format? 

Well, I've had the great pleasure of performing at 54 Below a number of times, and after the last concert I did, which was a concert of trunk songs, I thought it'd be nice to do a short run at some point. And so I called up my good friend Jennifer Tepper and asked her about the possibility of that and she said yeah, we could do this four night block, and then as I started to think about it – I just thought it'd be nice to try to do something different as opposed to making it four nights of the same concert. And what could the conceit of four different concerts be? So that was first. I came up with the idea that I wouldn't do just one set - I would do four different sets, and then in thinking about what that could be, it made sense to devote each night to a different point of writing for myself, sort of going chronologically. And then ending in what's ahead, which would also be a wonderful way to spur me to be writing over the course of these last months, so that I would have an actual set to do that last night. And it's been wonderful because it is a combination of things that were already in motion, but some things that have been generated over the last few months. So it's highly ambitious and it's a lot of bells and whistles, but it's come together so beautifully and I couldn't be more excited about it. 

What have you found most enjoyable about re-examining your work like this? 

Well certainly first, just great appreciation and gratitude that I've been able to be in all of the great rooms that I have with all of the great collaborators, all of these shows that I'm going to be going back through for years in the making. They all have their own families, so I just feel great nostalgia and appreciation, and also excitement because in a number of cases there are wonderful collaborators that I've gotten to know and work with, and some who will be coming to this material for the first time. So not only do I get to revisit this material, but I get to hear it in a whole new way with new, great artists interpreting the work. So that's also really exciting. 

Speaking of, you've collaborated with, as you said, some really big musical theater names in your career. Can you share how you chose your guests for this series and what we can expect from them?

Well, it's a combination of wonderful artists that have been in my life that [have been] great friends for years, and then reaching out to some artists who I've always wanted to work with and felt this would be a great opportunity to do so. So, you know, on one end of the spectrum you've got Aaron Tveit – who is now a… I'm trying to do the math, but if we go back to say 2007, that's an 18-year friendship – and the exciting thing about Aaron is, when Aaron first came into the world of Next To Normal, he was playing Gabe. And now – I mean, [he’s] certainly going to be doing some of that material – but I also get to hear him in the world of Dan because he's now in that age to play that role. And of course, Caissie Levy, who has just given an inspiring performance as Diana Goodman in the UK. And Maleah Joi Moon, who actually, early on in the Hell's Kitchen process, sent me a note [asking] how and when can we get together to do some Next To Normal materials. So this seemed like a great opportunity to hear some of that with Maleah. And then there's Denée [Benton], who I've always been an enormous fan of. Lola Tung, who came to the Eugene O'Neill [Theatre Center] with Cameron Crowe and I, and portrayed Penny Lane in a developmental workshop that we did, so we get to have her in concert and perform some of that material as well as other things. And then Casey Likes, who originated William [in Almost Famous], so having him come back. So it's really just a wonderful combination of people who originated roles, people who have portrayed roles, and then people that I get to dream up what it would sound like having their sensibility in certain materials. It's going to be really, really dreamy. 

And oh, and then there's a great friend, Ariana DeBose, who I am so lucky that I got to work with early in her career. I think it was her Broadway debut on Bring It On, and now I get to introduce her as an Oscar-winning actor. She's going to be doing some new stuff, a song from a project that I've never performed in a concert setting that she connected with, so anyway I could go on. I could go through every single artist that I'm working with, but then we would be here all day. 

You have been honored with several different awards, including the rare distinction of a Pulitzer Prize for Next to Normal. What does that honor mean to you? 

It's still kind of unbelievable to hear that because it really is something that you can never imagine happening. What I've said about it is, the whole process of that moment is something I'll never forget because it came about very late, that we knew we were in contention, and I'll never forget finding out while I was in tech for American Idiot, and Michael Mayer announced it on the ‘God mic’ – and Doug Hamilton, who did this wonderful documentary on American Idiot called “Broadway Idiot” was filming that day, so the whole thing happened on camera and then, it’s me just kind of screaming expletives in the theater and then everyone kind of just rushing out, and it was such a moment. And so special for Brian [Yorkey] and I. We met at Columbia, so the fact that the award was presented in the Law Library up at Columbia, and to be an award about the writing, and to be around so many great writers from so many different genres of journalism and writers of fiction and nonfiction and classical music, and it just was this incredible room to be in and feel like we, for a moment, belonged with all of those incredible writers. It just kind of came and went like a dream and it still feels that way, but obviously one of the great honors of my life. 

Staying on Next To Normal, there's been a resurgence of sorts as you mentioned, particularly with the West End production with Caissie Levy that's about to air on PBS. What does this chapter of the show's life mean to you, and how do you feel about how accessible this new production will be? 

I couldn't be more thrilled that it's going to be airing on “Great Performances.” That's also a dream come true, to get to experience Next To Normal again 15 years later. [I] always dreamed of getting to open a production on the West End. And Caissie, who's been a dear friend of mine for a number of years – first working together when I was lucky enough to work on that beautiful revival of Hair, which ended up being in the same season [as Next To Normal]. We didn't know that Next to Normal was going to transfer to Broadway when I was working on Hair. So it ended up magically being in the same season, and now to see Caissie play this role. What she brought to it, it was just mesmerizing and so moving. With any work that you do a number of years ago, you're always wanting to see how it feels in the current moments, and whether any of it feels dated – does it still feel relevant? And the good news at least for me, was that I felt a huge connection with the audiences in the UK and it felt very much in the moment – mental health and the struggles that we all go through, certainly that is something that will never go away. If we are part of a conversation that helps people talk about that and be inspired to take any steps in their life, or find support either for someone that they care about or for themselves, that's certainly a great honor for Brian and I. So I certainly felt that connection in the UK and that was incredibly gratifying. 

As you mentioned, the fourth concert is going to focus on some new work – could you share anything about the new work that you're gonna present? 

I'll leave some of it for surprise, but I'll talk about a few things that I know have been in the press already. I'm working on a new musical based on a Philip Roth novella called The Ghost Writer that Mandy Greenfield is producing with her company, and I'm writing with Daniel Goldfarb, so I'm excited to present a few songs from that. Also a big musical comedy that I'm working on with one of my heroes, Jerry Zucker, part of the legendary writing team with his brother David Zucker and Jim Abrahams – The Naked Gun, Airplane, Top Secret, just a few of their iconic films – so there'll be a few songs from that. And then some other surprises: There's some new songs that I've written with Brian Yorkey on a new project that… I can just say it's sort of a rock-and-roll tale that centers around a rock star in performance. 

Is there anything you're looking forward to the most about these four nights?

Oh, I'm looking forward to just being up on stage with great friends. My drummer Damian Bassman, who I met at Interlochen when we were teenagers, has been such an important part of all of the music I've created, and just the whole band now has become musicians that I've worked with on a number of projects, so I can't wait to make music with all of them. What each night is gonna feel like: because they’re all from a different period, you know that first night being in the Next To Normal / High Fidelity-world, and then the next night going into Freaky Friday and If/Then. And then Almost Famous and Superhero and Reflect the next night. So, I'm just looking forward to the unpredictable and kind of hard-to-know emotions that are going to come up. The great thing about live performance is you never know how somebody's going to feel or what discoveries will be made, and I just am so grateful to everyone who has jumped on board this and is giving their time and their energy and their creative spirit to me. That's the greatest. From the moment that I first, in the BMI workshop, had singers come in and learn songs of mine and perform them – it's always been the greatest gift, artists taking that time and putting their brilliant essence into my writing, and I'm just going to be feeling that gratitude and joy over and over again over these four nights.

Is there anything else you want to share? 

I'll just also say that I've got some family coming to perform, so that will be another surprise as well because my family's always been such an important part of my journey; for those early BMI years when it was my family that was actually performing with me and helping me get my songs out there. And then, now my family and my children who have grown up listening to the songs I've written, and I get to now share that element in my work as well, which I'm really excited about. 

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Tom Kitt & FRIENDS will be at 54 Below April 29-30 and May 2-3 at 7 pm. Tickets can be purchased here. 

Learn more about the lineup and concert details here. 

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