Superbia by Jonathan Larson

[Dom_Wood]

Posted: 1/4/10 at 2:11pm

Hi guys,
This is my first thread, and I dont want to seem cheeky by it being a personal request... but I have something that needs sorting!

I was lucky enough to catch this INCREDIBLE early musical by Jonathan Larson back in it's intital workshop development stages (whatever you want to call it, I dont know what it's official title was, me being 14 at the time) but I can remember the show VERY well, and fell in love instantly!

ANYWAY, I now run a fairly new and small theatre company in the South of England, and each year, our season is based around ONE composer (usually doing 2/3 musicals by thus composer and then, if possible, a play that fits in with there style)
For our 2010/2011 season, we are planning for Jonathan Larson to be our focus, and even though we have the rights to perform Rent and Tick, Tick... BOOM! we would LOVE to be able to get the performance rights for "Superbia" (Which would make it the first production outside of USA I believe)
However, as this show never got past inital stages, I wouldnt know who to turn to about gaining performance rights and who owns them, so could anyone on here possibly help me out??

Cheers Guys!

[gvendo2005]

Posted: 1/4/10 at 2:30pm

I'd talk to the Jonathan Larson Performing Arts Foundation that his parents run. They would know something about it, I would think. More than likely, though, I don't foresee the rights being available. If you want to include other "nouveau rock" pieces, I'd recommend (if you're an edgy company) Hedwig and the Angry Inch, or if you're looking for something like all the above, but lighter, Bright Lights, Big City.

[winston89]

Posted: 1/4/10 at 4:43pm

I don't think the rights are available at all. I do remember reading something a while back that spoke about how his parents would like to see a production of it somewhere down the line. But, I believe that it never made any progress after the early readings etc.

[myshikobit]

Posted: 1/5/10 at 10:15am

i've always been interested in this score- were there any recordings? PM please?

[mybigsplash]

Posted: 1/5/10 at 1:47pm

Unfortunately, "Superbia" will and cannot be presented, as the estate of HG Wells forbids it, and has threatened legal action for anyone who plans to present it. As you know, "Superbia" is a musical adaptation of HG Wells book "1984," and Jonathan Larson never acquired the rights to the material. Why would the estate of HG Wells release the 1984 rights for Jonathan's "Superbia" when it's not a straight adaptation with HG Wells name attached or even called 1984?

[temms]

Posted: 1/5/10 at 2:41pm

There's a lot of bad information in the post above. First off, George Orwell wrote "1984", not H.G. Wells. Second, the show was not directly based on 1984 at all. As I understand, there was never really a "final" finished version of the show, so it would take someone doing reconstructive work like they did on "tick tick boom". No real vocal score or definitive script or anything - just various versions from different readings and concerts and workshops and nothing ever finalized.

There are some tracks from it on the "Jonathan Sings Larson" CD which are interesting. "Come To Your Senses" is fairly well-known, of course. But the Larsons are firmly in control of the material and no dead sci-fi novelists are holding up the rights. It's just not in any condition to be sent out and produced at the moment, and I can understand why they would want to make sure when it's done it's done well and by the right people.

[Unknown User]

Posted: 1/5/10 at 2:44pm

I love my Superbia CD and listen to it all the time.

[emo_geek]

Posted: 1/6/10 at 1:23am

Maybe now is the time to get that production his parents hoped for down the line?

[MusicSnob1]

Posted: 1/6/10 at 1:27am

Nope.

[emo_geek]

Posted: 1/6/10 at 3:01am

My message served as an inspirational boost to Dom_Wood, I don't really care about your thought MusicSnob1

[MusicSnob1]

Posted: 1/6/10 at 12:19pm

No no.. I'm telling you - it's not going to happen, per past meetings with the Larson estate. xoxo

[gvendo2005]

Posted: 1/19/10 at 3:42pm

So like I said...try Hedwig, Bright Lights, Big City...both are of a similar ilk. If you want to just do rock musicals in general, try HAIR, JCS, even Two Gents might be good considering the British audience.

[best12bars]

Posted: 1/19/10 at 4:25pm

Having listened to "Superbia" in Jon Larson's living room on a demo tape that he played for us (back around 1985), I can tell you that it's not based on 1984, and it could only be loosely associated with it in the very broadest sense. I remember a utopian society with a magic box that is filled with all the evils of the world (ala Pandora). The music was great, from what I remember. A "theatre meets rock & roll sound," of course. It's been 25 years now. I only heard it that one time with our mutual friend Marin Mazzie singing part of it. Jon was really on cloud nine back then, since he had just played the score for Sondheim who loved it and was very supportive.

[Orangesaretuesdays]

Posted: 11/7/10 at 11:40am

I wonder if anything will ever come of it? Maybe if the Off Broadway Rent Revival is successful then we will see an Off Broadway production of this.

[Katurian2]

Posted: 11/7/10 at 12:33pm

If you're doing a Larson theme why not Sacrimmoralinority? I have no idea on the status for rights on that, but at least then you'd be working with something that was actually staged at some point.

[heytravistravis]

Posted: 5/6/13 at 8:48pm

JoeKv99
Do you really have a CD recording of this?

I've been wondering for a few months if anyone was able to find or knows anything about this piece of work past what's said in "tick, tick...BOOM"

[Orangesaretuesdays]

Posted: 5/6/13 at 9:03pm

I've read various drafts of the show. (They're available for anyone to read in the Library of Congress in DC.) It's an interesting concept, but I couldn't see how it would work on stage. The set was described pretty elaborately and the dialogue isn't the greatest although there is a bunch of Musical Theater references throughout. I would have loved to be able to listen to some of the songs!