FEATURE > BROADWAY
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When most people hear a new musical is taking Broadway by storm, they
figure it’s got over-the-top
production, well-crafted songs,
and that palpable energy that
only a live musical can create.
And with Book of Mormon, the
Tony-winning musical from the
same twisted minds that brought
us South Park, you can add
plenty of dirty jokes and crude
humor to the list, too.
Guitarist Jake Schwartz has
been holding down the guitar
chair since the early stages of
development. “My road to
Mormon started back in 2003,
when I started subbing on
Wicked, where Stephen Oremus
was the original conductor and
music director. A few years later,
Guitars:
G&L ASAT Deluxe with
DiMarzio Noiseless pickups,
Ibanez Pat Metheny PM 35,
Takamine TC132SC nylon-string, Martin D-16RGT, Fender
Strat with DiMarzio Injector
and Lindy Fralins
Effects:
MXR Phase 90, Dunlop Cry
Baby wah, Fulltone OCD,
Pro Co Rat, MXR Micro
Chorus, Boss volume pedal,
Wampler Faux Tape Echo,
Boss TR- 2 tremolo
Amps:
Mesa/Boogie Express 5: 25
Book of Mormon
GEAR
Stephen called me to play a
developmental reading for a show
written by Trey Parker, Matt
Stone, and Bobby Lopez. I ended
up doing several readings over the
course of three years, so I guess
that was my audition process.”
Breaking into Broadway
takes many different paths, but
Schwartz says projecting a good
vibe and networking with other
guitarists and music directors
opens doors. After subbing on
everything from Footloose and
Mary Poppins to Jersey Boys and
The Lion King, he landed his
first chair gig in the short-lived
(and very bloody) production
of Evil Dead: The Musical.
Schwartz’s advice is to track
down the chair players and
politely email them to let them
know who you are—but don’t
be pushy. He also says not to
sweat it if you don’t hear back
right away. “Subbing is a great
opportunity to show people
what you can do and make good
money. Word of mouth
is extremely powerful on
Broadway, so if you do
a good job, it will likely
lead to other subbing
opportunities.”
On an average day,
Schwartz shows up 30
minutes before the show to
tune his instruments and make
sure his gear is in working order.
Unlike Spider-Man and Rock of
Ages, his rig for Mormon consists
of a more traditional guitar-into-
effects-into-amp setup. “I was just
bringing my Tele and acoustic
guitar to the readings, but as we
moved to Broadway we added
other instruments that sounded
good on certain songs,” he says.
Along with his G&L ASAT
Deluxe and Martin D-16RGT,
he uses an Ibanez Pat Metheny
PM 35 archtop on “Hello” and
“Turn It Off,” and a Takamine
TC132SC nylon-string.
Strings, Picks, and
Accessories:
GHS Boomers (.011-.052), GHS
phosphor-bronze acoustic
strings (.013-.056), GHS La
Classique medium-high-tension
nylon strings, GHS Precision
Flatwounds (.012-.050), Moshay
107-Blue-Small (thick) picks,
Boss TU- 2 tuner, Avalon U5
DI/preamp
Schwartz plays his G&L ASAT Deluxe in the pit area, which is very tight quarters
and requires dexterity and coordination to navigate quick guitar changes.
in the show where the band is
allowed to let loose. On the
two shred numbers, “Man
Up” and “Spooky Mormon
Hell Dream,” Schwartz
brings in a Fender Strat
that he hot-rodded with
a DiMarzio Paul Gilbert
Injector bridge pickup,
But while Schwartz gets some
freedom to add little licks and
embellishments, he says, “I make
a point to keep the overall presen-
tation of the music as consistent as
possible. There’s someone sitting
in the audience, seeing the show
for the very first time, and I want
to be sure they get the most accu-
rate interpretation of the show
musically—especially if they’ve
already bought the cast album.”
Recording a “cast album”
is part of the gig for the chair
musicians who join a musical
as it’s getting off the ground.
The sessions for the Mormon
cast album took place over the
course of two days, right before
the show opened. “We were in
the studio from the morning
until early evening, and then I
packed up my guitars and pedal-
board and ran to the theater to
play the show that night. It was
a very exciting time—we were
just doing our best, hoping we’d
get some decent reviews and
have a job for a bit when we
opened two days later.”
110 PREMIER GUITAR JUNE 2012
premierguitar.com
