Benj pasek gay

After this, in the summer of 2005, Pasek interned for Jeff Marx, the co-writer of music and lyrics for Avenue Q, which had won the 2004 Tony Award for best musical. Join 7th Son, Vox Dominae, and Spite & Malice - the ace ensembles of the Gay Men’s Chorus and Women’s Chorus of Charlotte - on April 11 and 12 at The Long Room in Charlotte for The Stars Are Out.

We can’t wait for you to hear these three amazing Pasek and Paul’s anthems: Ripple (from Spirited), Speechless (from Aladdin), and Runnin’ Home to You (from the TV series The Flash)!

Cole Porter – Did you know that legendary Broadway songwriter Cole Porter (*Anything Goes, Kiss Me, Kate*) was openly gay in private circles, and his sophisticated, witty music remains some of the most influential in American musical theater?

Pasek would note the importance the internet really played into starting their careers. The subject matter is sort of dark, and it is a challenging show. He began writing songs throughout middle school but hadn’t been able to put lyrics and notes into a “cohesive” arrangement. Rose [the character unwittingly thrown into the competition] is a character that I really relate to.”

Still, Pasek attributes much of the show’s success to his solid working relationship with Paul.

“I think the strength in our collaboration is that we are really different people,” he says.

Immediately, you are connected emotionally — although it might be in a twisted way because you want to see how the plot untangles.”

Pasek and his straight collaborative partner, Justin Paul, acquired the rights to the story they considered a “hidden gem.” Along with book writer Peter Duchan, they began the adaptation process, a project that offered extraordinary resonance.

“I think that great human stories can be gay stories,” he says thoughtfully.

“And that kind of visceral reaction is something so inherently musical. And I think that’s exactly why it came together.”

While Pasek and Paul were pleased with the results of A Christmas Story, no one was more surprised than they when, after a run on Broadway, the show received a Tony nom for best musical. LGBTQ+ Music Trailblazers

Benj Pasek – Did you know that Benj Pasek, openly gay composer of Dear Evan Hansen and The Greatest Showman, is half of the powerhouse duo Pasek & Paul, who have redefined modern Broadway with their emotionally charged storytelling?

It’s a marriage in a way: Sometimes it’s rocky, [and] you have highs and lows. “It was our first musical ever to be produced in a major way. If we messed this up, we would have ruined Christmas for a bunch of people. For Pasek, the best part of the nomination was the six weeks leading up to the Tony Awards, when the team was invited to events with other nominees.

However, he quickly found himself temporarily unable to speak.

“I tend not to get totally starstruck by celebrities,” he says. Immediately I lose my function to create sounds.”

Pasek also gained some press recently due to another celebrity encounter of sorts.

Benj Pasek, the gay half of the B’way team Pasek & Paul, talks about the North Texas debut of their musical ‘Dogfight’

 

SCOTT HUFFMAN   | Contributing Writer
scott_in_dallas@yahoo.com

From the moment he read the back of the DVD release, self-professed theater geek Benj Pasek, 29, was intrigued with the idea of turning Dogfight — a 1991 film about a group of young Marines who, on the eve of deployment to Vietnam, contribute money to a pool that will be awarded to the one who brings the ugliest girl to a party — into a musical.

“When you describe the plot, people go, ‘Ugh!’” Pasek says.

“I really do view Dogfight in a lot of ways as a gay story. Don't miss it!! Join 7th Son, Vox Dominae, and Spite & Malice - the ace ensembles of the Gay Men’s Chorus and Women’s Chorus of Charlotte - on April 11 and 12 at The Long Room in Charlotte for The Stars Are Out. We’ve prepared Bussewitz-Quarm’s I Am A Voice That Sings that pairs beautiful music with moving text.

THE STARS ARE OUT next weekend!

"So you could be in Iowa or Singapore, and you could see your content immediately without having to go to New York."

"Waving Through a Window", Dear Evan Hansen

Original Broadway Cast Recording, 2015

"Come To a Party", Dogfight

Original Cast Recording, 2012

Works:

• Edges

• Roald Dahl’s James and The Giant Peach

• Dogfight

• Smash

• The Flash

• A Christmas Story

• La La Land

• Dear Evan Hansen

• The Greatest Showman

Awards:

• Jonathan Larson Award, American Theatre Wing, for Dogfight, 2007

• Richard Rodgers Award for Musical Theater, American Academy of Arts and Letters, 2011

• Lucille Lortel Award for outstanding musical, League of Off-Broadway Theatres and Producers, for Dogfight, 2013

• Drama Desk Award for outstanding lyrics, Drama Desk, for Dear Evan Hansen, 2016

• 6 Tony Award for Dear Evan Hansen, 2016

• (with Steven Levenson) Obie Award for musical theatre, Village Voice/American Theatre Wing, for Dear Evan Hansen, 2016

• (with Justin Hurwitz) Golden Globe Award for best original song, Hollywood Foreign Press Association for "City of Stars," La La Land, 2017

• (with Justin Hurwitz) Academy Award for best original song, Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, for "City of Stars," La La Land, 2017