5 Questions with Alan Paul

The year end “5 Questions” interview finds us chatting by email with Alan Paul, who just finished his first season – which was wildly successful – as artistic director of Barrington Stage Company in Pittsfield, Massachusetts.

Paul’s production of “Cabaret” was an audacious critical hit this past season, winning eight Berkie Awards from the Berkshire Theatre Critics Association including nods for Best Musical and Best Director for Paul himself. I can’t wait to see what next season brings and know very little beyond the announced productions of “La Cage aux Folles” and “Next to Normal,” which Paul will direct, so I am grateful for his time to answer my five questions.

QUESTION: What was the biggest surprise in your first year as artistic director of BSC?

ANSWER: Once I felt confident in the role I was surprised by how much fun it was to be the ringleader and host of so many artists and audiences this summer. I felt like I was welcoming people to an all-summer party, which in a way I was! 

Q: Was there a specific goal you had for your first year and how did you do?

A: With “Cabaret” and with the other shows I wanted to come in swinging, and show the audience that I would direct and produce shows of substance. I also wanted the audience to know that I value risk — and many of those risks I took, like Bill Finn’s wonderful “A New Brain,” paid off. 

Q: You’ve got two shows announced for next season. How and why did these get chosen, and what elements are you looking for to fill the rest of your season?

A: Next summer we’ll be deep into the election cycle, so it was important to select two musicals that let the audience escape – both for different reasons. I chose “La Cage Aux Folles” because it will be a night of raucous singing and dancing, and my hope is that the club that the show takes place in will be an immersive experience for the audience. It’s also a story about love and relationships that is tender and genuine. “Next to Normal” has been on my bucket list of shows to direct, and I find it one of the most cathartic and uplifting musicals about a modern family. In many ways both “La Cage” and “Next to Normal” examine what it means to be a family, and both question what “normal” really means.

Q: What is your greatest hope for your second season at BSC?

A: I want to find shows that entertain and provoke — and I don’t want to repeat anything we did last summer. 

Q: What is a play that changed your life, and how?

A: “Sweeney Todd” is probably the musical that had the most influence on me because of its gripping story about revenge, its style (the Grand Guignol) and its incredible score. In my opinion it’s Sondheim’s most complete work — full of passion, hope, rage and heartbreak. I can’t think of any other piece of musical theater with all those elements combined as masterfully as “Sweeney.” Maybe one day I’ll direct it.