paul loesel

We’re late on the draw, here, but it’s about time we offered some public congratulations to former student and friend Paul Loesel, whose new musical, LMNOP, received a full-scale workshop production this summer from Goodspeed Musicals.

“When letters begin to fall from a monument in town, government officials ban them one by one. Chaos ensues until a determined teenage girl rallies the community to fight for freedom of speech. This unique musical is part romance, part clever word game and part adult fable that reminds us of how precious our liberties are; how quickly unbridled extremism can take them from us; and how important it is to have the courage to stand up for what we believe. A captivating story you’ll n_v_r forg_t!”

Based on Mark Dunn’s novel, Ella Minnow Pea, with music by Paul and book/lyrics by Scott Burkell, LMNOP received its first production at University of Michigan and, later, a three-week Lab production in New York, ultimately leading them to this gorgeous production at Goodspeed’s Norma Terris Theater.

We were lucky enough to attend a performance in August, and were blown away by both Paul and Scott’s work and the work of the cast and creative staff.

For a taste of what you may have missed (and what we’ll hopefully all have a chance to see in its next incarnation!), check out this “Sizzle Reel” from Third Coast Creative:

Congratulations, Paul and Scott! Read more about their work at scottandpaul.com.