Broadway Breakdown – BONUS! Making & JULIET Sing w/ Dominic Fallacaro

Podcast Host: Matt Koplik
Guest: Dominic Fallacaro (Music Director, Orchestrator, Arranger for & Juliet)
Release Date: June 26, 2023

Episode Overview

This bonus episode of Broadway Breakdown spotlights the making of the smash Broadway musical & Juliet, with a deep dive into the show’s musical heart. Matt Koplik welcomes Dominic Fallacaro, Tony-nominated orchestrator, arranger, and music director of & Juliet. The conversation explores Dominic’s musical origins, his journey from jazz and pop into theater, the creative intricacies of adapting Max Martin’s iconic songbook for the stage, and the unique challenges of bringing a jukebox musical to transatlantic success.

Dominic Fallacaro’s Musical Background and Path to & Juliet

00:22 – 05:06

• Dominic’s lifelong passion for music began with classical piano but quickly branched into pop and jazz.
• He moved to New York to study jazz, immersing himself professionally in bands and recording studios.
• Early career highlight: Producing a Grammy-winning children’s album in 2016 with Tim Kubart, leading to work with Sesame Street and songwriter/producer Bill Sherman.
• Theater was a new world for Dominic: "Everything has been sort of figuring it out as I go, but it’s been lots of jobs that I do separately all have to fire together for theater." (01:54)
• No significant theater background before & Juliet, aside from high school musicals. Entry into the theater world was a rapid, immersive crash course, leveraging advice from theater professionals like Bill Sherman and witnessing shows from the pit and rehearsals (Wicked, Hamilton, etc.).

Collaborating on & Juliet: Adapting Pop Songs for the Stage

05:06 – 11:29

Entering the World of Max Martin

• Working with Max Martin was a primary draw: “Learning from him sort of everything from synthesizer sounds to working with vocalists in a recording studio ... just every facet of musicality was really, yeah, like, life changing.” (06:42)
• The process was highly collaborative, with input from the director (Luke Sheppard), book writer (David West Read), and musical team.

Transforming Iconic Songs: The Case of "…Baby One More Time"

• The “I Want” moment for Juliet reimagines “Hit Me Baby One More Time” as an Adele-esque, emotive ballad.
  • “We started the process, Bill and I, of thinking about it as a very like guitar-driven kind of like songwriter kind of thing... and then one of our other sort of magic tricks in orchestration is how can we give you the DNA that you know of that piano thing and then present it… in an unexpected way.” (08:19)
  • The iconic piano riff is reworked into string and bass textures to surprise and move the audience.
• The core philosophy: honor the original melody (thanks to Max Martin) while taking narrative and emotional risks.

Unused Material and the “Embarrassment of Riches”

• Max Martin’s catalog meant dozens of songs were considered; many were cut, including deep cuts from Pink (“I Don’t Believe You”) and others, during the workshop process to serve the story best.
  • “There are three other musicals of stuff that is on the cutting room floor.” (10:30)

Navigating Transatlantic Productions and Cast Adaptations

11:46 – 15:21

• The show originated in London’s West End, then went to Toronto before Broadway. Each production meant substantial but targeted tweaks.
• Adapting arrangements for different casts:
  • “You always want to let someone shine as themselves the most... a lot of the originality comes in their delivery that gets us in and out of the songs.” (12:26)
  • Small musical modifications (riffs, endings) suit unique talents, but the foundational structures proved robust across actors.
• On Lorna Courtney (Broadway’s Juliet): “That voice is showstopper. It’s absolutely amazing... Max just sort of looks over and is like, I guess we should do it again.” (15:21)
  • Max Martin was impressed with Broadway performers’ efficiency and vocal prowess.

The Challenge and Joy of Jukebox Musicals

15:21 – 19:02

• Adapting familiar pop hits for musical theater demands balancing audience expectations with new narrative and emotional beats.
• Process often involved deciding whether to present songs “exactly as you know it” (e.g., “It’s My Life”) or to subvert audience assumptions with bold new arrangements (e.g., “Whataya Want from Me” for Francois and May).
  • “There’s a lot of times when Bill and I try to do the trick of...we’re giving it to you exactly as you know it, or...how far away can we go with it?” (16:30)
• The emotional universality and melodic power of Max Martin’s songs allowed the writing team to be daring.

Audience Reactions & The Art of Theatrical Surprise

19:02 – 24:39

• Dominic relishes watching the audience experience “aha” moments as favorite songs begin—most notably with “I Want it That Way.”
  • “There’s nothing like getting to ‘I Want It That Way’ where you sort of hear the collective like, ‘Oh, like, we’re going here…’” (19:13)
• Host Matt discusses similar audience surprise with Mamma Mia!’s “The Winner Takes It All,” noting the strategic placement of hits to maximize narrative and emotional payoff.
• Crafting musical “buttons” and tension:
  • “The applause is something that you can not manufacture, but you can be strategic about when that happens and how you sort of button certain songs or move through things.” (23:31)

Inside Broadway Music Direction: The Unexpected and the Routine

24:39 – 27:43

• Dominic reflects on the “octopus arms” nature of Broadway MD work: juggling band leadership, teaching actors, adjusting for subs/swings, maintaining sound and tech, and running notes mid-show.
  • “Developing the split-your-brain-into-four-parts skill set is definitely a new and surprising part of things.” (27:27)
• Admiration for the dexterity and reliability of pit musicians, who might play multiple Broadway shows in a week.

Tony Recognition and the Orchestration Process

28:06 – 31:14

• Dominic details the “gauntlet” of Tonys season: press, TV performances (“Good Morning America” at 5 a.m.), and prepping the show’s Tony performance.
• Tony night itself:
  • “You show up for the red carpet super early and…orchestration is pre-telecast…sitting and clapping and soaking it in.” (30:36)
  • Getting to see other musicals’ work for once.
• Being part of the Broadway community, including highlights like jamming with Sara Bareilles during a “Ham4Ham” event.

Musical Influences, Future Projects, and Advice

32:08 – 45:20

• Exposure to diverse pit setups and technological approaches (e.g., Wicked, Dear Evan Hansen, Hamilton) has deepened Dominic’s interest in marrying tech and live musicianship.
  • “I want to break stuff…like, how could we execute this with live musicians in a theater setting…” (33:54)
• He’s now collaborating with younger writers, keen to “break things” musically in future projects.
• Genres: Jazz is a passion, but pop remains his first love—especially the intersection of electronic and acoustic sounds, as exemplified by “the disco renaissance” in current pop.
  • “I love pop music…I love things that have some sort of marriage between electronic components and some sort of band components…” (35:09)
  • Host and guest both admire the lush string work in Dua Lipa’s “Dance the Night” (Barbie soundtrack).

Weekly Challenges and Broadway’s Demands

• The biggest weekly challenge is adapting to cast changes, swings, and keeping the show consistently fresh while managing personnel curveballs.
  • “The sheer relentlessness of Broadway is very difficult and very demanding. But it presents you with these human beings that are unreal.” (39:17)

Key Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On adaptability:
  “You always want to let someone shine as themselves the most.”
  (12:26, Dominic Fallacaro)

• On collaboration with Max Martin:
  “And then to have these very trained Broadway singers come in both in the West End and over here and show up. Do take one lights out... Max just sort of looks over and is like, I…guess we should do it again.”
  (15:21, Dominic Fallacaro)

• On audience response:
  “There’s nothing like getting to ‘I Want It That Way’ where you sort of hear the collective like, ‘Oh, like, we’re going here. This is where we are going.’”
  (19:13, Dominic Fallacaro)

• On the art of musical tension:
  “Allowing that kind of tension and release in certain ways or subverting it is just as much musically a part of things as it is story part of things…”
  (23:31, Dominic Fallacaro)

• On the Broadway musical machine:
  “Developing the split-your-brain-into-four-parts skill set is definitely a new and surprising part of things.”
  (27:27, Dominic Fallacaro)

• On building a music career:
  “Anything that you want is behind the door of discomfort in a lot of ways. Like, anything good is behind that initial barrier and the act of doing and kind of stepping past that initial kind of pang of discomfort…”
  (43:53, Dominic Fallacaro)

• On community:
  “I don’t do this alone ever. I think building community and finding your artistic community and just your friend community is such a big and invaluable tool of everything…”
  (44:32, Dominic Fallacaro)

Fun & Personal Insights

41:34 – 45:20

• Dominic began work on & Juliet in 2017, with two years of international workshops before launching in the West End.
• Favorite London spots: The Coral Room (cocktails), Bao (bao buns), typically walking everywhere in Soho during tech and recording.
• On saying yes: Both Matt and Dominic emphasize openness to new experiences, especially those beyond one’s comfort zone, as key to building a creative career.

The Episode Closes With:

• Dominic’s advice for young musicians/theater aspirants: Say yes, step into discomfort, and build a supportive, challenging community.
• Dominic’s contact:
  • keyofdom.com
  • Twitter: @keyofdom
• You can find Dominic at the Sondheim Theatre with & Juliet for the foreseeable future.
• Closing musical selection featuring Lorna Courtney’s powerhouse vocals.

For & Juliet fans, jukebox musical lovers, and anyone curious about the modern Broadway creative process, this episode offers rare, detailed insight into what it takes to make a pop-driven show sing night after night.