Auditorium Theatre 2018-19 Issue 3 Alvin Ailey

18 | AUDITORIUM THEATRE 2018-19 - March 6 - March 30, 2019 AUD : Do you find a basic storyline and then build songs around that? AM : There are certain storylines that are most compatible with composing a successful musical or song score. Usually they involve a central character who is not extraordinary, someone most people can identify with easily. And that character needs to have a big “want” and a big obstacle. The stories that involve that kind of character can vary immensely. But the basic structure, the overall arc, is defined by the journey involved in that character dealing with the obstacle. And the moments in that arc that are most emotional allow breaking into song. The emotion might be frustration or hope or anger or joy or despair or celebration. If the song deals with the emotion in a way that pushes story forward, meaning that the song ends in a place distinctly advanced from where it started, then it’s promising. AUD : How did you first begin working with Disney? AM : Following our work on Little Shop of Horrors , [lyricist and frequent Menken collaborator] Howard Ashman was recommended to Disney by our producer, David Gešen, as a writer who knew how to integrate music with drama in an original and compelling way. When presented with a few project possibilities, Howard felt most drawn to Disney Animation, where an adaptation of the Hans Christian Anderson fairy tale The Little Mermaid was being developed. Howard then asked me to come aboard to collaborate on the songs and compose the score. AUD : You’ve written songs performed by iconic characters such as Sebastian from The Little Mermaid , the Genie from Aladdin , and countless others. Is there one character who you feel most connected to? AM : As I often say, they are all my children. How could I favor one over the others? They are all family to me. The poster for the movie version of Little Shop of Horrors . Alan Menken and Howard Ashman accepting the Academy Award for “Under the Sea” from The Little Mermaid , which won for Best Original Song. Genie from Aladdin . Sebastian from The Little Mermaid.