We chat with Executive Music Producer Ian Eisendrath eisendrathmusic about his experiences working with Shawn Mendes on LyleLyleCrocodile, what to expect in Spirited, and his momentous career from Broadway to Hollywood:
Every so often, a musical film provides the kind of music that transcends the times in which it exists. With Executive Music Producer Ian Eisendrath behind the wheel, Lyle, Lyle Crocodile is that musical of 2022. Eisendrath has quietly boomed onto the Hollywood scene in recent years, coming from a background in Broadway with renowned musicals such as Come From Away and Diana.
It's not about defining a performance, because there are a lot of cooks in that kitchen. Those are the directors. There are the songwriters, and fellow producers of the music Benj Pasek and Justin Paul. And what I'm focused on with them in the prep phase is to be as flexible and buoyant as possible so that they show up confident, able to make choices with a strong point of view about character, and a strong point of view about what the music and lyric is trying to do moment to moment.
Shawn is a singer, a producer and a writer. He has a really clear idea of how he likes to record, choices he wants to make. I take responsibility for making sure that it all goes smoothly and seamlessly, and that everything to do with how the music is being rehearsed, recorded and produced is as great as possible. But Benj Pasek, Justin Paul, Jordan Carroll, the directors. There's so many people that are deeply invested in this alongside me.
On the opposite side of working with actors who have never sung before, you're working with the amazing Shawn Mendes, who has never really acted before, at least in this capacity. What was the process like getting Shawn ready? My personal favorite song is "Rip up the Recipe," and that message of going against the grain, and not doing things the way that people expect of you. I’m curious if you have a favorite song and a favorite message that you've taken away from this soundtrack.
Then “Carried Away” is probably the one that has my heart the most. It’s so beautiful, and almost makes me a little teary, just thinking about the way that it was filmed. That idea of getting so caught up in a relationship in a moment, in thinking something is real and safe and forever, and maybe even thinking you found the solution. I think we all go through periods of our life where it's like, 'Oh, I figured it out. This is the place I want to be forever.
When I was sixteen, there was this really incredible semiprofessional theater in Olympia, Washington, where I grew up. That was a theater company that did some really progressive and serious musicals, like, you know, things like 'Assassins' and 'Pippin,' and I became their resident music director, which I was far too young to have any business doing.
As I worked on comfortably, I moved to New York. I started doing more and more work, producing music in the studio, which is one of my great passions. The pandemic hit and Benj and Justin called and said, 'We think you'd be really good at film.' So I signed on to 'Spirited,' which comes out in a month.
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