50 | JUNE 29 • 2023 

P

laywright, compos-
er and performer 
Andrew Lippa gets 
back to Michigan at least 
once a year. He visits with 
his niece, Gabrielle Kerbel, 
studying at the University 
of Michigan (U-M), and he 
connects with the university’s 
School of Music, Theatre & 
Dance about conducting mas-
ter classes.
This year, Lippa has learned 
that his musical john & jen is 
having a Michigan run devel-
oped by a new professional 

theater company. The two- 
actor production, which is 
about a sister and brother and 
then the sister and her son, 
is being featured July 7-23 by 
the Inspired Acting Company 
in Walled Lake. 
“john & jen was my first 
musical produced in New 
York City in the 1990s, and 
it’s the first thing that got me 
some attention,” said Lippa, 
59, who grew up attending 
Oak Park schools, regularly 
participated in Sabbath ser-
vices at Congregation B’nai 

Moshe and graduated from 
U-M.
“It was the first musical 
I wrote that got recorded, 
licensed and published. It’s the 
musical that I got to feel was 
passable. I can be a composer. 
I can write a play. I can do it, 
and there will be people in the 
world who will say I want to 
help you make this happen. 
“It seems that generationally 
people keep rediscovering 
this show because it speaks 
to them about the nature of 
familial relationships.”

Besides the local perfor-
mances, the musical is gaining 
its third recording, which is 
being released in London this 
August with vocalizations 
by Rachel Tucker and Lewis 
Cornay. The Walled Lake pro-
duction spotlights Kristy Glass 
and Jared Bugbee. 
“There aren’t a lot of musi-
cals that deal with the rela-
tionships between a brother 
and sister and then a mother 
and son,” Lippa said. “Those 
are among the primary rela-
tionships in all of our lives, 
and it brings up all kinds of 
feelings for people. 
“We have seen that people 
have good strong reactions to 
john & jen. It seems to have 
become somewhat timeless, 
and it’s something we’re very 
proud of.”
Lippa also has gained atten-
tion for many subsequent 
works that include his writing 
and performing in the theatri-
cal oratorio I Am Harvey Milk, 
writing the music and lyrics 
for the Broadway shows Big 
Fish and The Addams Family 
and developing additional 
music, lyrics and arrange-
ments for the Broadway pro-
duction of You’re a Good Man, 
Charlie Brown.
The beginnings of john & 
jen came about when Lippa 
was asked to write a small 
piece for two actors, and he 
worked with his continuing 
friend Tom Greenwald. Lippa 
collaborated on the script and 
wrote the music.
“Tom went ahead and 
wrote a number of pages and 
sent them to me,” recalled 
Lippa, whose early conversa-
tions took the production in 
a direction that was different 
from the one introduced by 
the actors. 
“It was the beginning of 
what is now about a brother 
and sister living in the 1950s 
six years apart. The boy fell 
under the spell of his abusive 

Family Ties

Andrew Lippa discusses his musical john & jen.

SUZANNE CHESSLER CONTRIBUTING WRITER

Andrew Lippa
ARTS&LIFE
THEATER