Rob Ruggiero: The Making of Make Me a Song
It takes a special leap of faith for a composer to entrust his body of work to a musical revue director. Luckily for William Finn, the collaborator in question was Rob Ruggiero, who had already directed regional productions of Falsettos and Elegies. Ruggiero's current off-Broadway production of Make Me a Song: The Music of William Finn got its start at TheaterWorks in Hartford, Connecticut, where he serves as associate artistic director. His work as a director of both plays and musicals has been seen in regional theaters across the country, and Ella, the show he conceived and directed about Ella Fitzgerald, continues to be produced nationally. Broadway.com asked Ruggiero to talk about his affinity for all things Finn.
I love Bill Finn's music. I love his ruthless honesty, his original and unedited voice, and his spontaneity. I love his stories.
My first William Finn show was a production of Falsettos a few years ago at Barrington Stage Company. I was thrilled to have a go at the material, and to tell that wonderful, inspiring story. I felt a profound, unique connection to the show—that I understood the material in a way that was strangely special. Bill showed up for our final run-through in the rehearsal hall we were all terrified and excited! and he loved the show and what we did with it. So began my relationship with William Finn and his work.
Cut to 2006. I had directed two of Bill's shows at this point, his Spelling Bee was a huge hit on Broadway, and I decided I wanted to create a review of his work. As far as I knew, no one had ever done anything like this and I wanted to make it happen. I had come to know Bill and his voice intimately, and I felt that most audiences still did not have a clear sense of his brilliance. He fought me tooth and nail. He did not want me to do the show, but I persisted to the point of nagging and he finally gave in. Make Me a Song was born.
The title song, "Mister, Make Me a Song," was the inspiration for the show title. I thought it would be a great title, and something to frame an evening around. Originally the show was two acts, but even as a one-act, it still exists in three parts, or "sections." The first part is a collection of different songs and styles from different shows a fun ride of stories and humor, the second part needed to be what I ultimately called "The Falsettos Suite" an homage to his greatest work, and the final section is anchored in what I privately call "Finn's Cycle Life" a stringing together of four songs that reflect the rich experience of parent and child. It was challenging, but I knew I needed to trust my instincts. Somehow it all came together to great success at TheaterWorks in Hartford, and we all knew we had created something special.
After some arm-twisting, Bill came up to Hartford during previews, assuming that he would hate the show. To his surprise and my delight, he really liked it. He moved from total "hands off" to participating in something we all believed so much in. Potential producers came and months later here we are in NYC. Truly a dream come true -- a labor of love for all of us. My hope is that Bill's voice will be heard and understood by a whole new generation of audiences, as well as his fans.
It's such a gift when a labor of love ends up growing more than you can imagine, living longer than you ever expected, and giving you back so much more than you dreamed. That is the essence of what we do as theater artists: create out of inspiration, and hope that what we create will be experienced and shared by many people, and touch the hearts and minds of those who see it. What a gift to see that happening.