Developing Sally Spectre has been very satisfying. I love to put a new twist on an old story or take a brand new idea and fashion it into something no one has ever experienced before. I had a vision for Sally and I didn't try to rush it. I took time with it and allowed it to develop. This musical has captured all of my passionate interests and combined them into one unique project. That's why I'm so tremendously enthusiastic about the show. I feel like so much of my soul is actually in it."
While billed as a children's horror story for adults, Johnson describes the show as a family musical appropriate for children over the age of eight or nine. "It's a very fun production. My hope is that the audience really enjoys the humor and yet ends up being touched by the message. I haven't seen a dry eye in the previous eighteen performances of the show and since this is, in essence, a fable, it delivers a very universal message. The route I took to get the message across may be a little controversial, but the message itself is not.
It's been a fabulous ride working with Theatre West on this musical. Executive Director John Gallogly, Storybook Theatre Producer Lloyd J. Schwartz and the entire company have tremendously embraced me and my work and made this journey possible.
Sally Spectre the Musical opens October 16 and will run through November 29, 2009. Theatre West is located at 3333 Cahuenga Blvd. West, Los Angeles, CA 90068. Tickets are available by calling the box office at 323-851-7977 or online at http://www.theatrewest.org/.
Johnson added one final thought about the many influences on his work in musical theatre. "I can't forget Stephen Sondheim. Sondheim is God. He has had a huge impact on me. I guess you'd say to me, he's the Eddie Van Halen of the musical Theatre World." Now that's something we haven't seen before.
