Songwriting Brothers Shooting for the Stars

By Richard Ouzounian * The Toronto Star * Monday, October 12, 2009

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Back in 2006, I interviewed a pair of Canadian songwriting brothers who were still relatively unknown and predicted: "That's going to change as rapidly as the tempo in one of their jazzier tunes."

Three years later, the Breithaupt brothers (Jeff, words, and Don, music) are enjoying one of those "everything's coming up roses" moments in their career.

Their musical about the world of New York City boxing in the 1930s, Seeing Stars, opened last Wednesday at the New York Musical Theatre Festival to a cheering, standing ovation and a totally sold-out run, both rarities in this cut-throat showcase, which has, in recent years, brought shows such as Altar Boyz and Next to Normal their professional moments in the sun.

Don also won a Daytime Emmy in August for his title song for 6teen on the Cartoon Network and both brothers are looking forward to the release of their first CD later this month.

It's called Toronto Sings the Breithaupt Brothers Songbook and it features an all-star group of local talent, with the likes of Brent Carver, Patricia O'Callaghan, Sarah Slean and Adam Brazier.

The album was recorded last year during the Canwest Cabaret Festival at the Young Centre, and they'll be back again for two shows the last week of October, with all of last year's faves, plus, as Jeff excitedly relates, "Heather Bambrick and Jackie Richardson are joining us this time out and our old high school pal Denzal Sinclaire."

That high school was Applewood Heights Secondary in Mississauga, since these two very Canadian bros were born in the Soo and raised in the Saug. Jeff now lives in Manhattan while Don still favours the True North, strong and free, residing in Bolton.

In fact, the writing of Seeing Stars is a Canadian family affair, with Jeff's wife, Shelley McPherson (born in Aurora, Ont.), providing the book for the musical.

They're especially thrilled about their show selling out all of its performances in advance because, as Jeff points out, "We're in the biggest theatre at the festival with the most seats to sell."

McPherson thinks the show has grabbed the public's imagination because "the audience who shares our taste has found us; 1930s New York is a colourful period. Hell's Kitchen, boxers, reporters, dames, palookas, romance ..."

"Bro-mance," corrects Jeff, referring both to the buddy-buddy plot and his favourite writing partner.

"We set out to write the kind of show we wanted to see," Don explains. "A big, classic-style Broadway musical with 18 songs."

And that's one of the things that's most fascinating about the Breithaupts. They're addicted to the great standard tunes of yesterday and aspire to write like their heroes of that period: Gershwin, Porter, etc.

But they're smart enough to know you can't be a slave to yesterday and so their work is also today enough to attract hip artists to sing it and get audiences in the toughest city in the world to cheer it.

The big question is whether any commercial producers have come sniffing their way and Jeff answers with an admirable mixture of candour and caution.

"As soon as you sell out a run at (the New York Musical Theatre Festival) in advance of the opening ... there's interest!"