It鈥檚 an understatement to say that the members of PigPen Theatre Company are really good friends. This seven-member collective first formed 17 years ago when they were in college at Carnegie Mellon, to compose music and make plays together. And they鈥檝e all even lived together, first in college and then in New York City in a seven-bedroom apartment. To still love each other, and work well together, that鈥檚 truly a miracle. 鈥淚t's very, very close to a family,鈥� says Alex Falberg. 鈥淲hoopi Goldberg's advice for long-term relationships was: have two bathrooms. And so we have done that, we had seven bathrooms, so that's why I think we've stayed together for so long.鈥�
The rest of the group laughs at the comment. And then, in true band-mate fashion, Matt Nuernberger chimes in immediately, 鈥淲e all still live together. A seven-bedroom/bathroom apartment.鈥�
Ben Ferguson jokes, 鈥淥ur Zillow search history is just wild.鈥�
It鈥檚 not that inaccurate. Aside from one member Arya Shahi (who lives in California), these bandmates actually still live within a 15-minute walk of each other. And they鈥檙e still going strong. PigPen is currently making their Broadway debut as the composers of Water for Elephants on Broadway. Exclusively for 半岛体育, these talented composer-actor-musicians are singing (and playing) one of their songs from the show, called 鈥淭he Road Don鈥檛 Make You Young.鈥� Watch five members of the team perform in the video above, filmed at Open Jar Studios as part of 半岛体育's Spring Preview 2024 series, sponsored by Princess Cruises.
Though they鈥檙e used to performing in their own shows, for Water for Elephants, PigPen is handing over the reins of this circus-themed musical to a team of actors and acrobats鈥攊ncluding The Flash鈥檚 Grant Gustin and Shucked鈥檚 Isabelle McCalla. Which is fine for this bunch, because the actors in the show also have to do acrobatics and other circus-type tricks. 鈥淵ou don鈥檛 want us on a trapeze,鈥� says Nuernberger.
Water for Elephants鈥攂ased on the bestselling novel by Sara Gruen, with a book by Rick Elice鈥攆ollows a young man named Jacob (played by Gustin) whose parents die tragically in a car accident. The trauma, in the midst of the Great Depression, leads Jacob to literally running away to join the circus. Those entertainers become his chosen family.
As musicians who, similar to circus performers, have had to travel from town to town for their work and form a make-shift family in the process, the material spoke deeply to the PigPen crew. They鈥檝e been writing the music since 2015.
鈥淭here's this weird thing when you're in a band. We are a group of the same people who, for 10 years, traveled all around the country,鈥� explains Shahi. 鈥淭hings really start blurring between who is your family and who are your friends? And for us, who are your co-workers? Who鈥檚 responsible for you? Who are you responsible for? Whose health is important to you? Whose love is important to you? I've experienced that with all six of these guys.鈥� At this point, the entire group is looking at him, some nodding in agreement. 鈥淎nd to be able to write a musical where we get to tell a little bit of how that feels. It really does make me kind of sentimental and emotional鈥 know that we were the right people to do it.鈥�
鈥淭he Road Don鈥檛 Make You Young鈥� is considered one of the musical鈥檚 鈥渢entpole鈥� songs (pun intended)鈥攊t anchors the show thematically and also, it takes place on Jacob鈥檚 first day at the circus. The song serves to introduce the different characters in the show, while also letting the audience know what kind of sound they should expect from the music.
鈥淭hat song really establishes the sound of the circus as a company,鈥� explains Dan Weschler. 鈥淏ecause it's composed primarily out of instruments that we imagine that these roustabouts and performers would have on hand鈥攅ither to play in their own acts or because when you're off duty, you have a few minutes to sit and pluck a banjo or blow into a harmonica or whatever. This song begins as a very diegetic song in that sense. And then it becomes this introduction to all of the different individuals and units in the circus.鈥�
Sure, seven composers鈥攑lus the director, the music team, choreographers, and design team鈥攎akes for a very crowded rehearsal room. But PigPen has learned over their many years of making shows together to keep personal ego out of it. Even during the interview, they all took turns speaking and rarely interrupted each other. 鈥淭here's a lot of cooks in the kitchen,鈥� admits Curtis Gillen. 鈥淏ut we're all just trying to tell the story. And it's really exciting to be part of that process where it doesn't really feel like oh, you're driving, I'm driving. It's just like how we work: We throw everything at the wall, and what's doing the job that needs to be done right now. And the best idea usually wins.鈥�
Though in Water for Elephants, PigPen wanted to veer away from the typical bombastic Barnum & Bailey sound. Instead, they took inspiration from the popular music of the 1930s time period: bluegrass, folk, and jazz. Sure, there鈥檚 some circus-type fanfare in the diegetic portions, but the overall sound of the show is quieter, more introspective鈥攖o match the way it鈥檚 structured. The musical is a memory play, with an older Jacob looking back on his life. For PigPen, Water for Elephants is their next evolution into a larger arena. But it鈥檚 also a return to their original artistic impulses.
鈥淲hen we were in college, a lot of us were cast in a production of The Grapes of Wrath,鈥� explains Ryan Melia. 鈥淲e played instruments, and we sang together鈥o we kind of steeped ourselves in that Depression-era music, from college on and we kind of got really into it. And that kind of influenced our own style of music.鈥�
Don鈥檛 worry, PigPen fans, the crew are still making small, intimate shows with shadow puppets and all of them acting and playing instruments. But this Broadway debut is also particularly satisfying because they didn鈥檛 have to compromise who they were or their artistry to get there. Sure, they鈥檝e been able to compose for voices with a different range than their own and learn the beauty of mid-song modulations. But Water for Elephants is an opportunity for them to introduce their distinctive sound to a whole new audience.
鈥淭hat's one of the things that I hope Broadway continues to do and champion,鈥� says Shahi. 鈥淚f you want the future of an art form to survive, it needs to continue to grow and change. And it's very funny to hear us say that as PigPen because we're the folk guys. We are doing what's true to us. I don't think what we're doing is necessarily cutting edge. But I do think it's very unique and I do think it sounds different than what you hear in most Broadway spaces.鈥�
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Dan Weschler
Ryan Melia and Dan Weschler
Ben Ferguson
Curtis Gillen, Ben Ferguson, and Matt Nuernberger
Curtis Gillen, Ben Ferguson, and Matt Nuernberger
Ryan Melia
Ryan Melia, Dan Weschler, and Curtis Gillen
Ryan Melia and Dan Weschler
Dan Weschler, Curtis Gillen, and Ben Ferguson
Ryan Melia, Dan Weschler, Curtis Gillen, Ben Ferguson, and Matt Nuernberger
