by Michael Dempsey

Fred and Randi Sternfeld have been my friends for a long time. I’ve acted in Fred’s shows, taught and directed at Hathaway Brown Theatre Institute, and I’m his web designer. They’ve supported my directing and writing ventures as well. Randi was an early fan of my novel. When the commuting slog to HBTI got too grueling, they put me up in their home. They’ve even traveled to the wilds of Youngstown to see my shows. Over the years, we’ve talked about a lot of things. Art. Theatre. Career. Dr. Who. But truth be told, I don’t recall them ever talking about becoming Broadway producers.

So imagine my surprise when I learned that Fred and Randi had, in the space of two years, become above-the-title producers on not just one, but three Broadway-bound productions!

Well, I had to pick their brains and share it. I wanted the low-down, the dirt, the skinny. What the heck had instigated these major new activities? What experiences were they having? What had they learned?

The Sternfelds, of course, have extensive theatre experience: Randi is a former actress, and Fred has amassed a huge body of work as a theatre director, instructor and artistic director in Cleveland, Seattle and Dallas.

As in all stories—whether on the page, the stage or life—adventures begin with an inciting incident. Fred and Randi’s call to adventure happened when longtime friends John and Danita Thomas approached them to become investors/producers of a musical. Not just any musical, mind you, but a new version of a Broadway classic that was on its way back to New York.

Fred, Randi and composer Lucy Simon at NY Secret Garden lab production

The Secret Garden, the musical based on the beloved novel by Frances Hodgson Burnett, already had an illustrious record—its original Broadway production ran for 709 performances and garnered several Tony Awards. But recently playwright Marsha Norman and composer Lucy Simon had begun working on revisions to the script and score they felt would focus the story and improve some character arcs.

MD: Okay, “inquiring minds want to know.” Tell me how this all started.

FS: John Thomas is another producer on the project, along with his wife Danita. I’ve known John ever since he was in high school, when I cast him as a pirate in my 1987 Beck Center production of Peter Pan. John has followed my work since then, but we’ve never found the perfect vehicle to produce together, until The Secret Garden came along.

MD: Did you jump at the chance?

FS: Well, it was a big decision.

MD: I can imagine.

RS: We thought about it very carefully.

MD: What happened after you were on board?

RS: We joined the producing team, led by Jerry Goehring, who is lead producer and general partner for the show. Jerry’s a Tony and Grammy Award-nominated Broadway producer.

MD: What’s the process behind preparing a new version of a well-known Broadway show?

FS: It’s been in development for the last year and a half, with viewings in DC, Seattle and Houston. Randi and I just returned from a lab presentation in New York that was a huge success. Sierra Boggess, Clifton Duncan and Drew Gehling starred in it. The current plan is to bring the show to Broadway for the 2018-2019 season, with the same creative team and hopefully many of the same actors.

MD: What was it like, the first time you found yourself in a room with Tony Award-winning writer Marsha Norman and Tony-nominated composer Lucy Simon?

FS: Thrilling! They’re immensely talented and successful. We felt honored to be involved.

MD: Has anything surprised you about the process? Was anything different than you expected?

RS: As above-the-title producers, one of your prim

ary responsibilities is to invest and to provide investors under your umbrella. In some cases, that might be the extent of it.

FS: We were able to get involved more than we initially thought, though. That was a surprise.

RS: Jerry and the writers have been open to our input and ideas. We’ve been able to share opinions on story, structure—even a few acting notes. They were welcomed and well-received.

MD: Jerry Goehring said that your input has been taken to heart by the authors, resulting in a direct impact on the final script. That must be gratifying.

FS: Absolutely. One instance that was thrilling for me was when I attended the auditions in New York. The standard etiquette is to only share comments with the lead producer, not the whole room. Marsha Norman, Lucy Simon, the director and other creative staff—they were all right there. But at the end of the evening, Jerry asked me to share my opinion on a few things, in front of everyone. It was exciting to be able to contribute in that way.

MD: Investing in theatre can be a risky business. How do you feel about that aspect of it?

FS: There’s no way to know whether a show will become a hit. So yes, you’re taking a risk. We’ve been very selective about projects.

RS: There has to be a connection with the material.

FS: Exactly. For us, it’s not about the money as much as the experience of shepherding something that we believe in.

MD: That’s a good segue to another of your producing efforts, Be More Chill. It’s a very different kind of show than Secret Garden.

RS: I’m really excited about this one. This show is just so much fun. It has a score by Joe Iconis and book by Joe Tracz, based on Ned Vizzini’s cult novel.

FS: Previews begin July 26 for its Off-Broadway run at the Irene Diamond Stage at the Pershing Square Signature Center. Then it’ll open on August 9.

MD: The show has a science fiction element to it, doesn’t it?

RS: Yes. It’s about a socially awkward teen, Jeremy, who’s uncomfortable in his own skin—he’s unpopular, doesn’t relate to girls, etc. A lot of people go through that. Then he finds a supercomputer in pill form, called a SQUIP. It’s activated by Mountain Dew and is supposed to make people more chill.

MD: That’s hilarious.

FS: The SQUIP starts giving him advice about his problems. It’s actually played by an actor onstage, even though it’s in Jeremy’s head.

FS: It’s a modern updating of a classic story trope—like Cyrano. The science fiction element gives it a whole new spin. Besides being funny, it’s got a strong message and is also quite moving.

RS: This show is unusual because it’s already developed an enormous fan base—even before it’s had a major production.

MD: Jerry Goehring said this about it: The huge following has put it in a completely new world, one we’ve never seen in theatre—all driven by social media. There are not even any bootleg productions online for fans to watch, so they’ve created fan fiction, artwork and anime videos with the songs as a soundtrack—basically creating their own version of the show, solely from listening to the CD.

FS: It’s become a genuine phenomenon within the high school and college demographic.

MD: I take it that Jerry approached you to invest, based on your Secret Garden collaboration?

FS: No, actually! He didn’t push us to be investors or producers, because we were already involved in two other musicals. He basically just wanted to get our opinion about the piece.

RS: Both of us loved it immediately. It just spoke to us. We went back to him and said we wanted to get in on it and help out!

MD: The show is directed by Stephen Brackett and choreographed by Chase Brock. It also looks like it has a really talented cast.

FS: Will Roland is leaving the role he created in Dear Evan Hansen to be in our show. It’s exciting to have such an acclaimed actor joining us. Tickets are selling really well. If it does well, they’ll have a more extended Off-Broadway run, or try to take it to Broadway.

MD: Finally, tell us a little about Intermission! The Musical.

FS: We actually got involved with this one before Be More Chill. It’s directed by Jerry Zucker, who of course is famous for his wacky film comedies like Airplane! and Ruthless People. He also wrote the book to the musical. Currently, it’s being refined and rewritten after a very well-received lab production last year.

MD: If it’s as funny as his movies, it’ll be a blast.

FS: It has the same comic tone as his movies. Very much a meta-musical.

RS: With this one, we just thought it would be a ton of fun.

FS: Other nontraditional musicals, like Spamalot and Book of Mormon, have been big hits.

MD: And this one is Broadway-bound as well?

FS: We certainly hope so!

MD: Man, that’s a lot to cram into a couple years.

FS: Time will tell whether these productions find their audiences, but we think we’ve picked winners. No matter what, we wouldn’t trade the experiences we’ve had for the world.

RS: And to be able to do this together is extra special.

MD: I’m sure there will be lots more news in the near future. For now, break legs—times three!