Composer and PlaywrightBig Picture (2019)
a Full-Length Musical for Voice and Piano
Music by Karl Hinze, Lyrics by Patrick Spencer, Book by Susan Murray
Tony loves movies. It’s his dream to have some small part in movie making—But what? He’s just a bike messenger in LA, and a first-class movie watcher. Then one day Tony delivers a package to Drew at the biggest studio in town, Nero Studios International (NSI). The office is in chaos and Tony, on an impulse, jumps in, ready to help. Drew hires Tony, and Tony’s new life at NSI begins.
This musical comedy takes its underlying story from Claudio Monteverdi’a opera L’incoronazione di Poppea, resetting it in modern-day Hollywood. Fast-paced and fun, this new musical asks: how far are you willing to go to make your dreams come true?
Big Picture has been in development since 2014 and has been workshopped at the BMI Musical Theatre Writing Workshop and the Avaloch Farm Music Institute. A reading of Act One took place in September 2016, and a full show reading took place in October 2017.