Each day, the Bbox team trolls YouTube for the hot clip—sometimes it's a brand-new moment and sometimes it's a throwback to an oldie but goodie. No matter what praise hands are shot up, pearls are clutched and the repeat button is hit.
"Broke" (Josh Grisetti & John Cariani)
Here's the Deal: The songwriting duo Tor Hyams & Lisa Rothauser will debut a slew of new songs from upcoming musicals at Feinstein's/54 Below on February 8, with special guests Brandon Victor Dixon, Tony Vincent, John Cariani, Leenya Rideout, Drew Gehling, Josh Grisetti, CJ Eldred, Oliver Thornton, Ryan Speakman, Emily Kratter, and Barbara Walsh.
Further Reading: Get to know Tor & Lisa better as they interview each other with questions they've always wanted to know but never asked.
Tor: If the world were going to blow up and there was a spaceship taking some people to another planet and only one of us could go, would you leave me and go?
Lisa: I’d have to. Someone has to get our musicals up on the new planet!
Lisa: How come you never play the music that’s on the page?
Tor: I’ve never been a very good reader and I see those juicy chords and would rather my own accompaniment. It’s probably a control issue.
Tor: What did you think my sexual orientation was when we first met?
Lisa: Gay—was mostly the earrings.. Coke addict—all the sniffing. Turns out you were a rock producer with a deviated septum.
Lisa: Do you want to have sex with me all the time?
Tor: Yes, especially when we’ve just finished writing a new song.
Tor: How do you stay “IN” as a performer?
Lisa: I remember my friend, Erin, telling me what a great performer I was, but there was something missing, a sense of ease and comfortability with the audience. That comment pissed me off at first, but then I realized I had a choice: stay great or become greater. So I got uncomfortable and a lot more vulnerable, not on-the-verge-of-tears-vulnerable, but completely honest 100% of the time.
Lisa: Why are you so passionate about writing musical theatre?
Tor: Because it is the only medium I have written in that allows me to be purely myself. The genre simply won’t allow me to put on airs so I have to be honest and vulnerable all the time. It hurts, but it just means I’m growing.
See Tor, Lisa & their celeb pals in 'The Songs of Tor and Lisa' at Feinstein's/54 Below on February 8.
