“And get yourself a writing partner like this.”
I’ve been blessed to work with a long list of great collaborators. Some, but only a few, are listed here. First among favorites is John Kavanaugh.
These photos were taken at the Ovation Awards in 2011, when John and Wendy Perelman, my talented, gorgeous dear friend from CCM, and I were up for 7 of LA Theatre’s most prestigious awards, including Best Musical and Best Book. (We didn’t win any.) Wendy had had this dream of a musical about women, and somehow she ended up with two guys to write it with her, but it seemed to work out anyway. The headline in the print edition of the LA Times review declared “Having It All Has It All.” So, that’s good.
A great composer has full command of both sides of his brain. The technical, left-brain side and the right brain, where the creative, spontaneous sense of where the spark of magic resides. John has an overdeveloped capacity for both.
But he has something else; and that is an enormous, empathic, sensitive heart. And when he pours that heart into his melodies, chords, rhythms and aesthetic sensibilities, the results are undeniable: lush, searing, heartbreaking. Funny and smart. Varied, and yet with a distinctive artistic voice that is all his own. And I know I’m right, because I feel it whenever he sets my lyrics to it. And because he’s got a slew of Emmy Awards and nominations to back me up.
The shorthand between us is hard to describe. We finish each other’s -- sandwiches. We didn’t attend the same schools -- he’s a graduate of Rollins College in Florida, and grew up an Irish Catholic kid from a big family in Virginia Beach, VA. But we have spoken the same language from the first song we ever wrote together, in 1987. It only took us until 2018 to sell one together, to Disney’s Descendants 3. But there’s a good story there too.
“Too ‘Music-Theatre’” was the refrain back from the executives at the storied company, after the first and second attempts at breaking into the popular franchise’s collection of songs for its final installment. “We’re a pop-song show.” We knew. It’s not what we do. “But we love you guys, and I’m sure we’ll find something for you some time.” And with that, another rejection. (John was fine -- he was halfway through his second hit series with the company, Elena of Avalor, after helping to make Sofia the First an international, multi-award winning smash hit.) Anyway, yeah, sure. They’ll find something for us, “sometime.” How does ‘never’ sound? Will you be available never?
Well, sometime came two days later. “We’re thinking we should give Mal (the main character, played by their star Dove Cameron) her big ‘Let It Go’ moment” (everyone… needs… a ‘Let It Go‘ moment). This was right up our alley. We wrote “My Once Upon A Time” for the moment, and sold it.
Two interesting notes about this. One, the original title and hook was “One Once Upon A Time.” It came back from the creative team that this was too much of a “thinker.” And they were absolutely right. And the fix -- to “My Once Upon A Time” was the suggestion of the director, Kenny Ortega -- and he was absolutely right too.
For me, this story was about this: once you know who you are as an artist, be that artist. Let them find you. You might be skillful enough to twist yourself into what they think they want. But if you get good enough at what it is you do, then eventually -- if you’ve got a lot of patience and persistence -- someone will come around to want what it is you do, because you’ll have become an expert at doing it.
John is an expert at what he does. There is nobody better. And nobody I’d rather do it with. Plus, as one of the few people I’ve ever known with a consistently happy relationship that spans over three decades (with his annoyingly gorgeous and brilliant husband Efren, pictured below), he gave me the best advice I’ve ever had, which I carry into my own marriage: “If both of you out-give each other whenever you can, then you can never lose.”
There will be a lot more to share in future pages about various projects with my brother John -- it’s what we do.
(Pictured, top of page): Me and John, in great suits.
Me, Wendy & John at the Ovation Awards, 2011.
(Pictured): John with his husband, Efren Gonzalez, at their wedding, 2014.