The Gig | Douglas J. Cohen

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Book, Music, and Lyrics by Douglas J. Cohen

Based on the film by Frank D. Gilroy

Winner of the Richard Rodgers Award and Noël Coward Prize

The Gig Musical at NYMF!

PTC Performance Space

Thrilled to announce that after selling-out all five performances and receiving wonderful press, THE GIG was voted FIVE NYMF Awards plus TWO honorable mentions! The most awarded show in the 2014 Festival! I was honored to have won in Excellence in Music and Excellence in Lyrics. Please click here for an entire list of the awards: Top NYMF’s 2014 Awards for Excellence

Here are some of our reviews:

“Here’s something that spectacularly deserves a move. It’s The Gig for which Douglas J. Cohen has written music, lyrics and book to help distinguish the NYMF showcasing…Building on Gilroy’s material, Cohen brings an enormous amount of heart to his show. While most of the songs have the swing and the zing of jazz, the beautifully crafted tunes also throb with emotion.” THE HUFFINGTON POST (Full review: First Nighter: The Musicals Pump Boys and Dinettes and The Gig)

“With a stunning score (impeccably orchestrated by Michael Gibson) that incorporates what ought to become new jazz standards with carefully considered numbers investigating the characters’ inner beings, and includes one of the very best opening numbers ever to be heard at NYMF (and which you won’t be able to get out of your head for days, assuming you even want to), as music or theatre The Gig is about as flawless as we get these days.” Matthew Murray, TALKIN’ BROADWAY (Full review)

“Worthy of being picked up for an open run. The evolving story and Cohen’s good songs, along with catchy dialogue inherited from the movie, all combine into steady fun!” John Simon, THE WESTCHESTER GUARDIAN

“The show that deserves to be the fourth NYMF entry reaching Broadway.” THE CLYDE FITCH REPORT

Click on photo to view slide show of The Gig at NYMF

“A WINNING MUSICAL…steeped in the tradition of old-time, goodtime musical comedy! A splendid opening number travels, builds and sustains the feel, the flow and the life of a real musical, following the style of “COMEDY TONIGHT” and “TRADITION”! Under a consistently traceable Sondheim influence, Mr. Cohen is a mellower, softer disciple, chronicling disillusion without a trace of the cynical or the sinister, only the wistful, with a touch of the poignant.” Alvin, Klein, THE NEW YORK TIMES (New Jersey edition)

“A GREAT SHOW! If originality and style mixed with solid music and clever lyrics, all blended with humor and pathos still count in the theater world, this show should have a solid future ahead!” NATIONAL PUBLIC RADIO

“A FUNNY AND TOUCHING NEW MUSICAL. Cohen’s writing, both of dialogue and lyrics, is clever and poignant. His music is similarly telling…Cohen vividly depicts the vicissitudes of life as a paid musician.” THE BOSTON GLOBE

“FOUR STARS! HIGHEST RATING! THE GIG is a rich look at ‘regular guys’!” THE SACRAMENTO BEE

“THE GIG IS A CHARMER – WARM, HUMAN, FAST, FUNNY, UPBEAT & FRESH” THE RECORD (Sacramento)

“Upon pressing the play button, Cohen launched into his bravura opening sequence (“Farewell Mere Existence, Hello Jazz!”) and I was instantly engrossed. Cohen takes six solitary characters, adrift in separate lives, and linked only by their Wednesday night jam session, and in 11 minutes builds the basis for a musical. From there on, I found myself listening intently to just about every moment of The Gig. Cohen, as in No Way to Treat a Lady, is a keen and clever composer/lyricist, with an offbeat sense and a penchant for sly surprises. ” Steven Suskin, PLAYBILL.COM (Review of the CD)