Life of Brooklyn Creator Mark Schoenfeld to Be Explored in New Musical

By Andrew Gans
01 Aug 2005

Mark Schoenfeld, the co-creator of the recent Broadway musical Brooklyn, will be featured in a new Off-Broadway musical entitled How I Got to Broadway: The Untold Story of the Battles, Wins & Losses On Stage & Off of Mark Schoenfeld.

Scheduled for an Off-Broadway debut in spring 2006, the musical will feature cameo appearances by Brooklyn co-creator Barri McPherson throughout its run. How I Got to Broadway, according to a press release, "tells the truthful tale of an outsider's brush with the insider's world of Broadway. The musical follows the journey of a homeless man who, through persistence, luck and the generosity of stranger, transforms from common street performer to seeing his name in lights in the most famous city in the world."

In addition to original songs — including such titles as "What the F*** Does a Producer Do?," "Raising Money," "We Wuz Robbed," "Thank God for Tommy Tune," "Reviewing the Critics" and "Who the Hell is This Guy Tony, Anyway?" — the musical will also feature a few songs cut from Brooklyn ("Natalie," "To Those That Crossed the Brooklyn Bridge" and "Miracle on 34th Street").

The musical's creative team will be announced shortly.

Born in Brooklyn and raised in the Bronx projects, Mark Schoenfeld fell on hard times and eventually became a street performer. Barri McPherson, a friend from his past, heard him singing on the street one day and invited him to come live in her home. Together, the two wrote the musical Brooklyn, which premiered on Broadway in September 2004. The musical played 28 previews and 283 regular performances before closing June 26, 2005. Brooklyn concerned a band of performers, who "tell a wondrous sidewalk fairy tale about a young girl searching for fame and the father she never knew. With just one clue to lead her, she lands in the city that bears her name, Brooklyn."