Musician Gaelynn Lea burst onto the scene in 2016 when she won National Public Radio’s tiny desk concert, playing her hauntingly-beautiful violin upright like a cello from her wheelchair.
Her music caught the right ears in New York City, where she was chosen to write the original music that is helping bring Shakespeare’s “Macbeth” back to life on Broadway. That would be Shakespeare starring former "007" Daniel Craig.
Lea, who will play the violin during performances, has been in the thick of rehearsals and previews since early March, working with the director to place the music she composed in the right places. She told WCCO's Laura Oakes that she's making the most of this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.
“It’s a very surreal experience,” Lea says. “It’s really, really fun to see it in action, you know, because you get so close to the music. I’ve been listening to it non-stop since November. It’s been on my mind.
Just being on the stage is really gratifying.”
Lea also told Oakes seeing the behind-the-scenes activity on Broadway is very different than theater experiences back home.
“There’s a lot going on, a big cast of moving parts behind the scenes,” Lea says. “It’s been interesting. I’ve been around theater a lot because my parents had a theater coming growing up but it was a much smaller operation, obviously, than Broadway. To see the same thing, on such a bigger stage with a much bigger team, it’s humbling. We’re all a little part in this big clock. It’s a realliy fun experience and I’m glad to get this behind-the-scene experience.”
Opening night is next week. When Lea gets home to Duluth she says she's planning to finish the autobiography she's writing, and will be releasing the music she composed for Macbeth in the coming months.
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