"...about the 12 - and those rumors you might have heard? They're all true. ALL of them. We are about to break up. we're about to sign with a major label. We're a cult. we're a party. We're dangerous. We're absurd.We're the next big train-wreck-mega-superstar-has been-original retro- semi wonder-book of signs. Buckle up, Dorothy."
That's how the 12 begins, its my favorite moment in the piece, cause it has everyone wondering, what did I just buy a ticket to? What indeed. The 12 is one of the most interesting projects I've ever done. It's on it's way to becoming it's own unique rock/theatre experience.
In a nut-shell, The 12 is an underground band - it's like, if the 6 best band singers in the city met at a bar one night and said, "this is crazy, but what if we all were in the same Band? 6 killer singers, 6 killer musicians". So they do it, but it goes south - egos, everybody fights, no one can agree on a direction, they begin to hate each other and after a string of successful but combative gigs, they are ready to call it quits. So Pete (me) who brought them all together, comes up with an idea - Like THE WHO doing "Tommy" - to have everyone in the band play a character - and he writes a bunch of songs about the 12 disciples/apostles and what happened right after Christ dies - how did they find the courage to go forward? Peter convinces them all to rehearse it and perform it - at least once...
And that's what we do. The Show is a performance of this Band, The 12, doing this story, "THE 12".
We did the show first at The China Club in NYC on Jan 10, 2010 (immediately following the closing performance of RAGTIME). We used what we learned there, went back into rehearsals. This past weekend, we did 3 preview performances at "Riverspace" Nyack, NY. In 2 weeks it has it's official Premiere on April 1st at The Broward Center in Ft. Lauderdale FL. Beyond that? Who knows.
Like all new shows, a lot of work has been done, a lot of work still needs to be done. But this is my blog, so I get to frame the experience -- one of the best of my life. Why? Think Fantasy Rock Star camp. When in your life do you get to sing with a real killer Rock band (with 5 rock singers that you worship) singing all original kick-ass songs? When do you get to hang and jam with Real rockers? Our Lead Guitarist, Dan Spitz, is in Anthrax, for F's sake! I'm surrounded by singers who've worked with Mick Jagger, Joe Jackson, Meatloaf, Trans Siberian Orchestra. pretty thrilling for a guy from the Broadway musical world.
So tomorrow, I go back to being an actor looking for his next gig. But for a weekend (and again on April Fool's Day, how appropriate) I got to play Rock Star. Priceless.
