Staff Picks: DANI GIRL

Staff Picks is a regular series where Samuel French staff members get the chance to chat about their favorite musicals or plays.

All right, let’s get started. Name and job title?
Ashley Byrne. Theatrical Specialist.

And what’s one of your favorite musicals?
Dani Girl.

Who wrote it?
Michael Kooman & Christopher Dimond.

What genre would you say it is?
It’s a full-length musical, a dramatic comedy.

Okay, so when did you first listen to it?
The first time I listened to the music was actually when I saw a production of the show. I went with a small group of Samuel French employees to a performance in a loft in NYC. We sat in the middle of a room on couches and the show was performed around us. The authors were also in attendance, so it was a really unique experience. I loved seeing the show and hearing the music for the first time in that small, cozy, intimate setting. It is a very beautiful, warm piece that I think does best in a smaller venue.

How did it become one of your favorites?
First of all, the music is amazing. It is incredibly catchy and I found myself singing in for days after the performance. This show somehow takes the sensitive and scary issue of cancer and turns it into a beautiful and hopeful magical journey. The characters were loveable and the plot was completely engaging. I felt for the characters and their struggles and laughed with them and cried with them. I’m also a sucker for dramatic comedies so this was an instant favorite.

Favorite song, name it.
Too many to choose! But probably, “My Hair.” It’s so catchy and empowering! Take a listen and I promise you won’t stop singing it.

And favorite character?
Dani. Because it is mostly her story — and I love her spunk and outlook on life.

Time to sell it. Why should a company produce this show?
I think this would be a fantastic show for a high school, a college or a community theatre to produce in a black box or smaller performance space. It would also be a wonderful show to pair up with a local children’s hospital as a fundraiser for theatres looking to connect more with their community.

Photo: Caroline Wolfson (Dani) and Zach Brewster-Geisz (Marty). Credit: Kate Erin Gibson.