Wilder's journey was for a reason: to see his musical
By Julie Jensen, Correspondent, ARGUS/DISPATCH -- June 26, 2003

New Ground Theatre will present `Journey for a Reason,' a musical by Chris Jansen and Andrew Wilder, at 7:30 p.m. Thursday, Friday and Saturday and 2 p.m. Sunday at Rivermont Collegiate, 1821 Sunset Drive, Bettendorf. Tickets are $12 for adults and $10 for students and seniors. Tickets can be reserved by calling (563) 326-PLAY, or purchased at the box office an hour prior to each performance.

Fresh from arranging, orchestrating and directing the musical tribute to Bob Hope at the Library of Congress, Andrew Wilder came to the Quad-Cities for a day to check out ``Journey for a Reason,'' the musical he co-wrote with Chris Jansen, playing this weekend at Rivermont Collegiate.

Mr. Wilder also collaborated with Ms. Jansen on ``The Turnip,'' a musical performed by the Davenport Junior Theater.

They met at the Chapel Hill Chauncy Hall Summer Theater School in Boston, and he said, ``They wanted an original musical, and we had a deadline. We did a fantasy piece about Atlantis with an all-girl cast ages 8-13. We enjoyed working together, and we said we would come back the next year, but we wanted to decide what to do, have older kids, and more time to write.''

That was the beginning of ``Journey for a Reason'' in 1986. Mr. Wilder said, ``Chris had been thinking about someone in her senior class who attempted suicide. It was her best friend, and she didn't know why. She wondered what would happen if the attempt were successful.

``I thought it was very interesting and relevant to the performers and audience we were writing for at the time. As we were writing, I saw it as being more universal. I saw all sorts of musical possibilities, and once that happens, you get excited about doing it.''

Mr. Wilder grew up in New York City with a younger brother who is now a musician in Nashville. Their mother was a professional singer who played violin and piano.

``I started piano lessons when I was six whether I wanted to or not,'' Mr. Wilder said. ``When I was 12 I was allowed to quit piano, and suddenly, with my new freedom, I began to hear music more. I became interested in it.

``My voice had already changed, and I couldn't sing in the choir, so I was in a general music class. I already knew everything they taught, and I gave away the answers. That's when my Mom talked the band director into letting me play drums.''

His whole high school district did a production of Bernstein's Mass with a Broadway director. ``I was playing percussion and taking in this whole theatrical experience,'' he said. ``That's what got me involved in musical theater.''

He majored in music at Columbia University, where he conducted the student-run orchestra and got involved in theatrical activities. He also composed for children's theater and conducted some summer stock shows.

``By the time I graduated, I was working in musical theater already,'' he said. ``I kept adding to my resume, playing piano for auditions and classes and writing as much as I could. I played keyboard in numerous Broadway shows, including `Les Miserables' and ` Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde.'''

Mr. Wilder was assistant musical director for ``The Scarlet Pimpernel'' for its entire Broadway run and musical director for the national tour. He had to hurry back to New York because it is opening Off Broadway.

He lives with his wife, Karen, a dog trainer, in a Manhattan apartment, and they have two dogs, a Golden Retriever named Bella and a Basset Hound named Blueberry.

``Journey for a Reason'' was re-worked and re-written last year, and Mr. Wilder came ``to see the fruits of the re-writing and throw his two cents in as a composer and a seasoned theatrical musical director.’’

``When you come in as an outsider, hopefully you can see things to make the production a little bit better,'' he said. ``I hope people come and enjoy the show. If anybody has trepidation about the subject matter, they will be pleasantly surprised at the way we have treated it. The show is very much about the people around the event, not about suicide itself.''

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