Because She Asked

When you’ve beat the odds twice, what does it mean to be terminally ill once again? Author Ruthann Conley explores the emotional toll of cancer with tenderness, humanity, and an incisive humor that stems from her personal experiences. This dramatic and inquisitive musical reminds us that “life can change on a dime, so enjoy the ride.”

a musical by Ruthann Conley

I was commissioned by Ruthann Conley to work on several tunes for this show in summer 2019. She wrote incredible lyrics and a top-notch script and proved to be an invaluable source of wisdom and insight herself. For the voice of this show, I worked from a few different starting points. In order to capture the unique feel of the characters and their relationship to the core conflict, I looked at music that touched on the topic of living in the face of death. This proved to be a rich vein of source material, from Bruce Springsteen to billie eilish to Verdi and Mozart.

The large cast size (6 principal, 16 ensemble) offered an exciting opportunity to paint on a big canvas. I stretched and molded the phrasing to create contrast and depth in the vocal parts.

I hope to continue developing the score for this deeply moving story!