Indefensibly Funny (Beastly Bombing's Roger Neill in latest ASCAP Magazine)

You may not know composer Roger Neill by name, but you probably know his work. Perhaps you heard one of his early scores while watching NYPD Blue or Law & Order. Maybe you know him from his music for King of the Hill or The Simple Life (for which he won an ASCAP Film/TV Music Award in 2004). You might recognize one of the commercial jingles he wrote for Hummer or Lifesavers; possibly you've seen one of the numerous independent film projects he scored, attended the premier of one of his award-winning concert music pieces, or heard his orchestral arrangements for pop acts Air, Beck or Stereolab. Most recently, the versatile Neill has turned to one of the few areas of music he hasn't yet explored. As Neill explains, "I do a lot of different kinds of music and different styles. And I think it was sort of a natural thing to try a musical." And oh, what a try it was. For his first foray into musical theater, Neill and librettist Julien Nitzberg created The Beastly Bombing, a madcap comic operetta that follows a skinhead duo and a pair of Al Qaeda terrorists as they attempt to blow up the Brooklyn Bridge. The protagonists fall in love, form unlikely alliances with a Hasidic Jew and a frolicking President (very loosely modeled after our current Commander in Chief), sympathize with pedophilic priests, meet with a gay Jesus, and in the process, cut through the thick tension of our current political climate and skewer all the social mores we hold dear. As if the show's premise isn't ridiculous enough, The Beastly Bombing is set to a light-hearted score reminiscent of a 19th century Gilbert & Sullivan light opera. "We liked the idea of writing something that reflects our modern day political realities," says Neill. "And what better way to reflect our time than to do it in a medium that's completely silly and outrageous?" It's no surprise that Neill and Nitzberg would have a hard time pitching a show with jaunty songs like "I Hate the Jews" and "Song of the Sensitive White Supremacist" to potential venues. "People were pretty afraid of it, because it comes across on the page as being really in-your-face and brutal in its political outlook," says Neill. "The response we got was mostly ‘Wow, that's a really bold and brilliant idea, but we'll get death threats if we open it at our theater." Neill says that he and Nitzberg weren't trying to write a financially successful musical, and acknowledges that "there was a potential for people getting deeply offended." But soon after it opened in July of 2006 at the adventurous Steve Allen Theater in Hollywood, The Beastly Bombing became a cult hit, beginning a sold-out run that has yet to end. Rave reviews from The New York Times, L.A. Times, Huffington Post and the L.A. Weekly propelled the show's success, as did an award for "Best Musical" at the L.A. Weekly Theatre Awards this April. But of course it's The Beastly Bombing itself that reels ‘em in night after night. Neill has his own explanation for the show's unexpected success, reasoning, "As a theatergoing experience, it's a pleasurable one. We really wanted to make sure it was entertaining as well as having the depth of meaning or purpose. And also I think in some ways this show is a bit cathartic…by laughing at terrorists, it takes the piss out of them, it makes them less fearful." Neill even finds some happiness buried underneath all the vicious black humor and depravity: "The show has this weird misguided message of ‘We are all united by the people that we hate.' So at least that's something positive." There's no end in sight for The Beastly Bombing. It's currently one of the longest-running musical in Los Angeles, and there are plans to open it in New York this fall. Once-reluctant venues around the country have begged Neill and Nitzberg to open the show. And even Stephen Schwartz' opinion has softened. "Schwartz and I exchanged some e-mails just this week," says Neill. "I gave him the latest update on the show, and he was very happy for us and wished us the best. He hasn't seen the show, but I hope he does - and when he does see it, I think he'll enjoy it." — Etan Rosenbloom