Okay! I know! We just heard from a Sound Designer, but there have been so many questions about the music choices for
BREAKFAST AT EIGHT, it is clear the audience demands to know more!
Most of you are familiar with David Wald for his work on stage (A NUMBER, THE DOCTOR'S DILEMMA), but what you might not know is David is also an accomplished musician as well. His background in jazz turned out to be a perfect fit for his maiden voyage into the field of Sound Design. Let's learn a bit more about David as he fills out the MST Q&A...
Full given name: David Wald
Hometown: Houston
Zodiac sign: Taurus
What inspired you while preparing for this production? It was my goal to use alternative versions of popular standards: alternate takes, or performances by jazz greats that were different from the more popular recordings. Antonio Carlos Jobim, for example, was a heavy presence in the script. For the intermission music, I found a recording of "Corcovado" performed by Miles Davis and "Girl From Ipanema" performed by Oscar Peterson. Other finds included Diana Krall performing Tom Waits' "Temptation" and Frank Sinatra performing Sondheim's "Send In The Clowns." I also tried, in the pre-show and intermission music, to select songs that reflected the sentiments of the characters in the play. For example: Dianne Reeves' beautiful rendition of "Into Each Life Some Rain Must Fall" began the intermission set, and I thought it was a lovely summation of the state of John and Abby's minds at the end of the first half; or Oscar Peterson's arrangement of "Where Do I Go From Here?", a song cut from the original score of FIORELLO!, which is about a woman in love with a man that didn't seem to adequately notice her, which I thought was a nice summary of Abby's state of mind when John storms out at the end of Act/Scene 1.
Abby mentions Peter Gabriel's "Solsbury Hill" when she describes how she and John first met. This song is about overcoming a toxic circumstance, and I thought it would be an ideal selection for the end of the show. However, the original Gabriel recording was a bit too out of sync with the rest of the selections in the show, so I took the opportunity to arrange and record a version myself that was much sparser, and at the same time more harmonically dense in keeping with the jazz selections in the rest of the show.
First Houston show ever saw: Klein Forest High School's CAMELOT, somewhere in the neighborhood of 1980.
Current show you have been recommending to friends: In New York a few weeks ago, upon Becky Udden's recommendation, I saw Roundabout Theatre's
BRIEF ENCOUNTER, an extraordinary mix of theatre, film, music, and even puppetry. I'd recommend it to absolutely anyone.
Favorite post-show meal: Being a diabetic, I don't tend to eat post-show. However, pre-show and pre-rehearsal, they know me very well at
Chicken Kitchen in Rice Village.
Favorite show tune: Sondheim's "I Remember Sky," from the TV miniseries EVENING PRIMROSE. Barely qualifies as a show-tune, but it's Sondheim.
Performer you would drop everything to go see: Bobby McFerrin. I caught him at a jazz festival in the Midwest some years ago with a small combo and it was the most extraordinary live musical performance I've yet to see. I doubt a single person left that show without feeling that he'd looked them right in the eyes and delivered some of his performance right to them.
MAC or PC? Mac. Always and forever.
Most played song on your iPod: Thanks to a recommendation from the incomparable
Miss Janel Badrina, I can't get enough of Crazy Logic (Gnarls Barkley vs. Supertramp vs. Rockwell) by Arty Fufkin, from the "Best of Bootie 2006" mash-ups album.
Last book you read: Recently re-read Hunter Thompson's "The Great Shark Hunt."
Must-see TV show: Masterpiece/Mystery's "
Sherlock Holmes" miniseries on PBS is quite fun.
Last good movie you saw: Howl. I caught this on my trip to New York a few weeks ago. It's a film about the writing of and events surrounding the Ginsberg poem starring James Franco.
Pop culture guilty pleasure: Star Trek: TNG. I'm a Picard man.
Favorite board game: Krull: The Board Game. Better than the movie. Barely. But, oh, the childhood hours wasted...
Favorite cereal: Cookie Crisp. It's been years since I ate any, but I sometimes stop and stare longingly at a box in the cereal aisle.
Special skills: 3 years Modern, 2 yrs Jazz/Tap.
Most “happy mistake” on a production: While recording "Solsbury Hill" for
BREAKFAST AT EIGHT, I found that the verse for another song prominently featured in the script, Gordon Lightfoot's "Softly," fit perfectly within the chord progression of "Solsbury Hill." So, if you really listen to the song at the end of the show, you can hear strings playing the melody of "Softly" at the beginning and beneath the last verse.
Worst job you ever had: Driver for a courier service in Indianapolis. Horrible, lonely work spent largely in rush hour traffic. I lasted about 3 weeks.
For all you Mr. Wald fan's out there, not to worry! David will once again tread the boards at MST in our upcoming productions of
THE HEIDI CHRONICLES and
A CATERED AFFAIR. For more information about the music for
BREAKFAST AT EIGHT, check out the iTunes iMix below. We look forward to hearing Dave's musical selections again soon!
And that's the word on the street!
Say hello to Carrie Cavins! Newly transplanted to the Houston area, lighting designer Carrie Cavins makes her Main Street Theater debut with our MainStage production of THE HEIDI CHRONICLES.
First Houston show ever saw: An India Festival
Favorite board game: Monopoly – Trivia Pursuit
Fans of the Theater for Youth program already know Richard Solis pretty well. He maintains a constant presence on stage, not only because he is a fantastic actor, but because he is responsible for all the amazing props you see show after show.
Fans of Main Street Theater are very familiar with Set and Properties Designer Liz Freese. Last season she created the world of Willy Wonka for 
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