They may fly under the radar, but it’s not like hot composers are totally unheard of. John Kander was pretty dashing back in the day. Even Jerry Herman and Steve-O Sondheim, in their respective youths, worked a kind of turtle-necked, swaggering, 1970s-style cool. Here are the composers of right now, and sort-of-right-now, who we’d marry. Or we’d at least allow each of them to serenade us from across the table at Westway Diner.
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Alex Timbers: The first time we saw Alex Timbers, he was sitting in the row in front of us at his own show, Bloody Bloody Andrew Jackson, and we mistook him for a Tisch TA kicking back between classes and not, say, the hottest up-and-coming musical theater writer/director in New York. When we saw him that first time, we had a single collective thought: He’s real cute. Besides having what must surely be the best hair this side of Jonathan Groff, there’s something both sweetly vulnerable and rebellious—like a less ass-y John Mayer—about Timbers’s look. We dig it. And we suspect his photo shoot for Vanity Fair is already scheduled.
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Tom Kitt: The thing about Tom Kitt is that his hotness is under cover. Sweet-smiling and unassuming, you probably wouldn’t know at first glance that he hangs with rockstars and has won a Pulitzer Prize. His Broadway-working-man thing is totally charming—and totally accessible. Would we have a beer with Tom Kitt? Yeah. And other things.
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Adam Guettel: The annoying thing about Adam Guettel is that his whole life story is basically perfect. He’s musical theater royalty. He’s handsome and unfailingly well dressed. He’s got a moderately-romantic addiction problem in his past, which gives him the air of having valiantly struggled, despite having been born with like nine silver spoons in his mouth and a major professional edge. But we can’t help lovin’ dat Adam Guettel of ours. He’s too good not to love—and let’s be real—too good looking to ignore.
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Stephen Trask: Fine. He looks like a weasel. Not like a dishonest person, but like the animal. But. We have a massive weakness for punk-rock posturing on Broadway (see below), and Trask fits the rebellious bill. He played in the house band at a drag bar before the fateful day when he sat next to John Cameron Mitchell on an airplane and, voila, Hedwig was born. Plus, he beat Billie Joe Armstrong to the guyliner-n-showtunes punch by about a decade.
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Billie Joe Armstrong: Not technically a musical theater composer by profession, Billie Joe Armstrong’s very existence obliterates boundaries, and therefore necessitates his inclusion in this list. He’s a family man, a guitar hero, a theoretical bisexual, and a captivating performer, despite being like 5’4”. Plus, he wears makeup, is massively tattooed, and looks 22. And he’s going to write another musical. Like, a real one this time.
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Honorable Mention: Jeanine Tesori: She’s not a guy, but we had to include her. Strong-featured and regal, we love her because she plays with the boys—and because always looks amazing while she’s doing it.
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Photos: NYTimes.com, Columbia.edu, Broadwayworld.com, Westernedge.org, Examiner.com, CYWorld.com
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