Doug Peck shows off musical prowess with Goodman's 'Wonderful Town'
Doug Peck always knew he would make music his career. He was destined for it the first time he sat down at his grandmother's piano.
The question was: What kind of music would he make? Would he conduct operas? Score films? Lead a jazz trio?
Fortunately for musical fans, Peck chose theater.
"I can't imagine doing anything else," said Peck, one of the area's top music directors and arrangers.
His most recent success as a music director is with Goodman Theatre's acclaimed revival of Leonard Bernstein's "Wonderful Town," a production that reunited him with Tony Award-winning director Mary Zimmerman. Peck and Zimmerman also teamed up for Goodman's productions of "The Jungle Book" and Bernstein's "Candide."
Representatives from the Bernstein estate contacted Zimmerman and Peck about "Wonderful Town," a rarely produced show that Peck says is a longtime favorite of Goodman artistic director Robert Falls.
"It's a musical from the 1950s. I expected it to be dustier than it is," said Peck, who grew up in Evanston and graduated from Northwestern University.
Peck was delighted at how fresh the "Wonderful Town" score sounds. He was also delighted to work with such a large orchestra. At 18 musicians, it's Goodman's largest orchestra ever.
"Nothing replaces hearing a grand orchestra, the richness of sound," said Peck, who - as the composer's proxy - is determined to realize his or her vision.
"My favorite day is when the musicians and actors come together for the first time."
Officials from the Bernstein estate were so pleased with "Wonderful Town" there's now talk of Zimmerman and Peck reviving Bernstein's 1950 musical "Peter Pan," based on J.M. Barrie's 1904 play, as part of the two-year Bernstein centennial celebration, which begins Aug. 25, 2017.
Peck, a six-time Joseph Jefferson Award winner, has no problem keeping busy. He works regularly at large theaters such as Paramount, Drury Lane, Court, Chicago Shakespeare and Writers, as well as with smaller ensembles like TimeLine and Porchlight Music Theatre, where he is an artistic associate.
Writers Theatre artistic director Michael Halberstam describes Peck as a valuable collaborator who has strong ideas but is willing to adapt to those his colleagues propose.
"He has intelligent, informed opinions about the music," said Halberstam, who worked with Peck on "Sweet Charity" and the world premiere of the chamber musical "Days Like Today."
"He encourages the ensemble at every stage," said Halberstam. "He has high expectations for the company and he nurtures them so they can achieve those expectations."
Peck does it so subtly you're almost not aware it's happening, said Halberstam. He described Peck as "a shadow drifting around the (rehearsal) room working with people, pulling people to the side ... You won't know it, but he's had a rehearsal."
Peck will spend the next few months working with director Rachel Rockwell on the off-Broadway production of "Ride the Cyclone," a cult musical by Jacob Richmond and Brooke Maxwell about six high school students killed in a roller-coaster accident who compete for a second life. Peck and Rockwell collaborated on the Canadian hit's 2015 U.S. premiere at Chicago Shakespeare Theater.
Next up is John Kander and Fred Ebb's "The Scottsboro Boys," which opens at Porchlight in February. His wish list includes "Nine," the Maury Yeston musical based on Federico Fellini's "8½," which he directed in college. He says he'd "drop everything" to adapt Jacques Offenbach's opera "The Tales of Hoffmann," and he'd like to again tackle "Dreamgirls," a show he's directed twice before.
The fact is, as a performer and a director, Peck is never entirely satisfied.
"There's always something that could have been tighter, cleaner," he said.
As for his favorite show, it's the next one.
"Something that hasn't been written yet," he said. "Something new."