Wednesday, February 17, 2016

Meet our Music Director: Robert Meffe

Since music is an essential element of musicals, and is one of the highlights of The Drowsy Chaperone, we're going to kick off our first round of introductions with the leader of our music forces: Music Director Rob Meffe.

When you come to our production, you’ll probably see the head of our distinguished Music Director poking above the orchestra pit, just beneath the front of the stage.  A key player in any musical, there are a number of roles that the Music Director plays, but the most visible role is the primary conductor of the orchestra.

Rob is a professional musician whose credits include numerous Broadway, Off-Broadway, regional theatre, and national tours, as well as music arrangements for TV.  He is also a musical theatre educator and has been San Diego State University's Head of the MFA Musical Theatre Program since 2015.  I recently got the chance to speak with him about his work.

Hi Rob!  So, tell me, what originally drew you to a life in theatre?  What made you choose musical theatre?

Well, as a child I wanted to be an architect.  I wanted to be like Mr. Brady on The Brady Bunch because he spent so much time with his kids.  I admired buildings and design, but learned quickly that I couldn't draw.  I was good at math and science, so I went on the path to become a doctor.  In the meantime, I took piano lessons (my mother made me and my five siblings all take piano lessons through 8th grade). I started playing classical pieces, but gravitated towards ragtime, then pop and rock.  I was a big fan of Billy Joel (I figured that if someone that unattractive could marry a supermodel like Christie Brinkley, then there must be something to this piano man thing).

I auditioned for and got the part of Lane in The Importance of Being Earnest my freshman year in high school and was quickly (and mercifully) moved to the orchestra pit where I played piano for West Side Story and then music directed the school musical, Celebration, my senior year.  I started working at local community theaters and went to college to study pre-med and music at the University of Notre Dame.  I continued working in the theatre and decided to go to graduate school in music rather than go to medical school.  I was very lucky and got an offer to work for Phantom of the Opera right out of grad school, and I have worked in show business ever since.

I was drawn to musical theater because of the wide variety of styles that are required of its performers.  I like to listen to style and see what makes something sound like it should.  I also enjoy the collaborative aspect of the theater.  You are always working with smart, creative and talented people.

What has been your most challenging project?  How about your most rewarding project?

The most challenging project I have ever undertaken was the Off-Broadway production of Myths & Hymns.  The composer, Adam Guettel, had recommended me for the job and this was the first full production of this show in New York City.  Mr. Guettel writes some of the most complicated (and rewarding) music of any musical theater composer and every note and every rhythm had to be precisely in place.  Great collaborators (like Adam) make you a better artist.


The most rewarding project was the recording sessions for the Little Women cast album.  I was the pianist and associate conductor of this show for the Broadway run and the out of town tryout, but there was something extraordinary about sitting in the sessions to make this album.  Theater as an art form is ephemeral; part of its beauty is that every performance is unique and disappears as soon as the curtain is lowered. A cast album freezes an artistic moment in time and lasts forever.  Every time I hear the songs "Astonishing" of "Some Things Are Meant To Be" in an audition or a class, I am brought back in time to my friends in that wonderful cast.

What is one thing that you love about Drowsy?

One thing that I love about The Drowsy Chaperone is that it is completely sincere.  In today's age, much hay is made of sarcasm and self-depracating humor.  Drowsy is a wonderful love song to musical theater; an unabashed celebration of the art form.


Tell me about the exciting work that you have done for SDSU’s production…

To me, the most exciting work that we have done for this production is to welcome 25 musicians from the School of Music & Dance into the pit orchestra for the show.  The original score was written for less than 15 and one of my graduate students, Bradley Behrmann, and I have written new parts for a full string section to expand the score.  This new score will sound big and lush and amazing, and it is something that only San Diego State could pull off.  I am very much indebted to the Director of Orchestras, Michael Gerdes for contracting and rehearsing these musicians.

How would you describe Drowsy?

Drowsy Chaperone tells the story of a man who wants to share his favorite album, a 1928 recording of a fictional show called The Drowsy Chaperone, with the audience who comes into the theater.  The musical comes to life before the audience's eyes and the man periodically interrupts and comments on the show.  It's a delightful and nostalgic celebration of a wonderful age of musical comedy.


What is one thing that audience members should know before coming to see the show?

Here's the top six things that audience members should know before coming to see the show:


1.) You won't see them, but there are twenty-five live musicians in the pit under the stage.

2.) The amazing set design, lighting design, costume design and sound design are all done by SDSU MFA graduate students.  It is top notch and professional caliber.

3.) Eight of the incredible actors are the SDSU MFA Musical Theatre cohort, who are all graduating in May.

4.) Ten of the incredible actors are undergraduate SDSU Performance majors, and most of them have studied in the undergraduate musical theatre curriculum.

5.) Drowsy is the SDSU directing debut of our newest faculty member, Stephen Brotebeck.

6.) The show is performed in one act, so go to the bathroom before the show starts!