Jennifer Weber (‘& Juliet’ and ‘KPOP’ choreographer) on being ‘inspired by the explosion of numbers in pop concerts’ [Exclusive Video Interivew]
”I love working with actors, it’s so fun,” says Jennifer Weber in our recent webchat. She adds, “Because you get to find what’s unique about each person and the way they bring their own personality to the journey of the character.” The choreographer made her Broadway debut this season with two musicals, “& Juliet” and “KPOP,” which both required her to investigate specifics of how actors would live within distinct pop music worlds. Watch the exclusive video interview above.
“It’s the choreographer’s job to make each performer in the show able to bring their character to life in a really specific way,” explains Weber. For the jukebox musical “& Juliet,” that meant tapping into the specific physical language found in the live performances of today’s top artists. “We are really inspired by the explosion of numbers in pop concerts,” she notes. Pop stars incorporate larger-than-life performance elements in their shows, and Weber wondered how she could integrate those epic moments within Broadway storytelling.
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She uses the “& Juliet” staging of Kesha’s “Blow” as a prime example of how to weave pop star grandeur into a theatrical setting. The ensemble explodes with percussive movements alongside a thumping bass, a few dancers leaping over and onto a bar. Juliet (Lorna Courtney) grabs hold of a sparkling chandelier as the song reaches its climax and ascends towards the proscenium as the dancers pulsate below her. That impressive final feat isn’t inserted without careful planning. “It happens because the emotion rises to that point,” explains Webber, “and that visual matches where we are in that journey.”
Weber also contributed choreography for “KPOP,” which delved into behind-the-scenes drama within the titular music phenomenon. Though the musical’s Broadway life was sadly short-lived, Weber worked on the piece for eight years, back when it was a more intimate, immersive theatrical experience Off-Broadway. “There’s hardly any steps from the Off-Broadway show,” admits the choreographer. The show was re-staged for a three quarter thrust configuration for its main stew bow, which did not immediately compliment the unique style of kpop dance. “Kpop as a style is really meant to be seen from the front,” Weber describes. An immense amount of graphs and charts were required to ensure that audience members on all three sides of the action would experience the proper visuals of an authentic kpop concert. “It was such a mathematical challenge,” Weber quips.
Weber has spent years with both “& Juliet” and “KPOP,” across many iterations. Her work has experienced massive shifts, cuts, and alterations over the course of all the various productions. She even admits that the sensuous “I Kissed a Girl” number from “& Juliet” began as a tap dance, though that version was quickly scrapped. “Shows evolve, that’s the magic. The collaboration and what happens in the room,” she describes.
SEE ‘KPOP’ composer Helen Park poised to make Tony Awards history
She conjures a mantra from songwriter Max Martin that sums up her process for the continually evolving process of making a musical: “dare to suck.” Choreography must lean into the needs of the actors and the story if it’s going to succeed, and sometimes that means tossing out entire numbers. But Weber believes that trying new things allows for the possibility of greatness. ”It’s so important to try things, and then for it be ok to fail,” she describes, “If we as artists put pressure on ourselves, that everything we choreograph, the first time out the gate has to be perfect, then I feel like we’re not going to take the chances to push art forward.”
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