INTERVIEW: ‘Figaro’ musical sets its sights on London
Photo: From left, Ashley Jana and Will Nunziata are members of the creative team behind Figaro: An Original Musical. Photo courtesy of Will Nunziata / Provided by Skollar PR with permission.
Figaro: An Original Musical, conceived and written by Ashley Jana and Will Nunziata, tells the story of Sienna, a woman living in 19th-century Italy. She yearns to break free from from her father’s farm, according to press notes, but she’s unable to find a means of moving out and realizing her dreams of becoming a singer. That is until Figaro, a traveling performer, stops by the farm and offers to make Sienna’s dreams become a reality … with a price, of course.
Figaro, with music and lyrics by Jana and direction by Nunziata, will play the London Palladium in February 2025, but interested theatergoers can get their hands on a world premiere recording right now, courtesy of Center Stage Records.
Recently Nunziata exchanged emails with Hollywood Soapbox. He’s a multi-hyphenate who is based in New York City. His previous film credits include The Old Guitarist and Lillith. He also directed the off-Broadway shows White Rose: The Musical and An Entirely Ordinary Show: A New Musical. He’s also known for his touring and singing days with his twin brother, Anthony Nunziata, according to his biography. Questions and answers have been slightly edited for style.
What did day one look like for this project?
Day one was me reaching out to Ashley over social media after listening to her music online and asking her if she ever wanted to write a musical. She said, “Yes!” and then we were off to the races!
How did you work with Ashley Jana on creating the show? How did you two collaborate?
Because we wrote and created the show in the middle of the pandemic, we met on Zoom once a week. We went through the show chronologically, would talk about each scene, write the scene, and then Ashley went off to write the song or songs associated with that scene. Two years later, we had a full libretto and score!
Could you describe this central character of Sienna? Is she based on a historical person?
Sienna is an original character (not based on a historical person) and is [a] 19-year-old aspiring singer who goes from an innocent girl within the tight grips of her protective father to a ferociously confident young woman who falls in love with the charming and dangerous Figaro.
How does your book and direction honor Italy in the 19th century? Was being historically accurate important?
The social, economic and political unrest in late-1800s Italy is shown through some of the situations our characters go through, but mainly through the psychological journey of our heroine, Sienna. We don’t hit on any specific historic moments in Italy’s history during this time, but the disease occurring in the country definitely adds to the ebb and flow of the emotional arc of Sienna.
“Original” is right in the name of the show. Why is that important to highlight?
The name “Figaro” brings a lot of preconceived notions to it, especially when it comes to The Barber of Seville. Our musical has nothing to do with that opera. How we came up with the name of the title character actually came out of my first Zoom meeting with Ashley. I asked her if she had ever written for the musical theatre, and she said she wrote one song many years ago called “Figaro.” After listening to a demo sung by Ashley (who in addition to being an incredible songwriter is also an amazing singer), I couldn’t get out of my head a woman standing downstage center at the beginning and end of our show singing the song. And, from there, we decided to keep the name of the leading man as “Figaro” and called the show the same title because … well … you will see why once you see the show!
How difficult is it to “sell” a new original show?
I am so grateful that we will be opening our show in the West End at the iconic London Palladium in February 2025. Working with the best of the best in the UK to “sell” this show in an exciting and enticing way has been a thrill: the top-notch Bob King Creative who created our show logo, the marketing team led by Tommy Luck, the press reps at Bread & Butter and the social media team at Storytellers UK. It was very important for Ashley and me that we feature our heroine, Sienna, in the logo, so we are “setting the terms” that this is her story, not the man Figaro’s. The input from and collaboration with our lead producer Michael Lamon, executive producer Van Dean and general managers at Carter Dixon McGill has been a dream.
What are your hopes for the future of the show?
After our limited engagement at the London Palladium on Feb. 3 and 4, 2025, the goal is to then have a commercial run in the West End and eventually Broadway. There’s also already talk of turning it into a film. The reception for the Figaro: An Original Musical world premiere recording released last month has been overwhelming, so I’m excited that we will finally share with the world this thrilling, sexy and entertaining musical on one of the most renowned stages in the world — the London Palladium.
By John Soltes / Publisher / John@HollywoodSoapbox.com
Figaro: An Original Musical will play the London Palladium in February 2025. The world premiere recording of the show is now available, courtesy of Center Stage Records. Click here for more information on the London engagement. Click here for more information on the recording.
