Peter, Who Writes In Spirals

I actually do not know where to start.

At a dinner party, a guest mentions a Stanford student(?) who writes in spirals. My first question is “Which way?” Then, “Clockwise or Anti-Clockwise?”, “Inverted or straight up? and on and on…

“Peter…” is by far the most organized, thoughtful, and intellectual musical I have ever created, but, and this is awesome, most people do not realize how it was organized, they only know that they love it, and the very clear message of being true to one’s self, a message I also delivered in the musical “Dirty”.

The story is rather simple. A young child gets caught on a roller coaster, at night, that malfunctions and will not stop. The child, Peter, falls asleep. When he awakens the following morning, he is obsessed with spirals. Through the course of the musical well-meaning people try to either support him, or change him, with both efforts proving futile. In the end, Peter must only be Peter, not what any else wants him to be, and, as I told every student in the production, we are all Peter.

Enjoy! Comments are always welcome.

THE SONGS:

Spiral Theme: Based on the opening notes of a “Song of Auvergne” by Canteloube. If you are unfamiliar with the piece, please listen to it as soon as possible. The background tinkling sounds are Fibonacci notes played i a spiral form. I told you it was organized!
Over and Over: The song is circular. Lyrics and notes come back in the song but in reverse order. An oddity about the songs in “Peter..” is that they are variations on the same melody. Listen to “The Football Song” later and you’ll hear the relationship. Lyrically, I had to walk a fine line with the non-Disneyland references.
Beauty of Spirals: As you may have guessed, this song has the same form of all the other songs with the first part returning, and an attention to spiral formation of the melody. I really like the off-set syncopation in the middle.
Write On The Line: The partner to a song coming up. The lyrics were my one attempt to be witty in “Peter…” I think the song goes too fast for the audience to pick up the word play, but heck, I like it!
Anti-Spiral Theme: Exactly halfway through the musical, Peter decides to no longer write in spirals. The “Anti-Spiral Theme” is kind of an inversion of the earlier “Spiral Theme.”
The Only Good Line (Is A Line That’s Bent): Counterpart to “Write On The Line,” this song plays on the concept of “line” fast and free. Historic references, word play, and a country line dance make this one of the most active pieces I have ever staged.
The Football Song: Counterpart to “Over and Over.” It has the same melody and chord pattern, even though not many people notice it when they hear the musical. I am particularly fond of the marching band arrangement.