I always look forward to drumming for the Street Theatre company in Nashville. I never saw the movie Heathers when it came out in the 80s, but when I mentioned drumming for the play, people would always react something like “Oh, you mean like the movie?” with a touch of horror and surprise.
The music is really fun to play, and most of the beats are right out of the music of my youth. We get to go from disco to synth-pop and throw in a little reggae in the span of a few numbers!
I think that’s my favorite thing about drumming for musical theater — the challenge of playing and reading a wide range of musical styles in less than two hours all while following the musical director and flowing with the actors. Musically, the closest challenge is a Jazz trio gig where you always have to be on your toes.