More than twenty Noel Katz musicals have been produced, mostly in his native New York. But also in Detroit, Los Angeles, Portland, Bethlehem, Birmingham, Newcastle, and thrice in Edinburgh. They’ve won a large number of awards: Such Good Friends picked up five at the New York Musical Theatre Festival; Meet the Composer Grants went to his family musicals, Not a Lion and The Pirate Captains. Camp Ginger won two and so did The New U., which led to his next show being produced a stone’s throw from Lincoln Center. He scored five revues for Second City and two industrials. His songs have been heard in cabarets all over the world.
Musical Theatre is the wonderful thing it is, in part, because of the interplay between live performers and a live audience. Photographs, recordings and videos are but a distant reflection of what goes on. But, hey, it’s a website, so we all have to settle.
The Musicals
| Through the Wardrobe | Area 51 |
| Murder at the Savoy | Our Wedding |
| The Heavenly Theatre | Lunatics and Lovers |
| The New U. | Such Good Friends |
| On the Brink | Learning Curve |
| Not a Lion | Things We Do For Love |
| The Christmas Bride | Baby Makes Three |
| The Company of Women | Identity |
| Spilt Milk | The Influencer |
| The Pirate Captains | Girls Can… |
| The Making of “Larry: The Musical” | Camp Ginger |
| The Love Contract | Rehearsing For Life |
So, Noel, these musicals: what are they like?
“I always try to make every musical I write different from the ones I’ve previously written. There’s usually a lot of comedy, because laughter is part of life. The melodies hit your ears and, nine times out of ten, you’re able to sing along. It’s common for audiences to hum my tunes as they exit the theatre. The lyrics always rhyme, and are filled with fresh and surprising images. A sign over my desk reads ‘Eschew cliché.’ The scripts – usually by someone else – contain unexpected turns, and depths of emotion.”
Photo by Michael Eric Berube
There's Gotta Be a Song 