Editing Adam Guettel (section)

=== 1987–1999: Early work and ''Floyd Collins'' ===
After graduating from Yale University in 1987, Guettel's first major project was the score of ''The Legend of Oedipus'', a retelling of the story of [[Oedipus]] directed by [[Nikos Psacharopoulos]], head of the [[Williamstown Theatre Festival|Williamstown Theater Festival]]. Guettel and Landau collaborated on an adaptation of ''[[A Christmas Carol]]'' produced by [[Trinity Repertory Company]] in Providence, Rhode Island 1989. According to Guettel, the production was a difficult experience. He recalls breaking his pencil point "about 45 times" during a run-through, taking notes on his problems with the way his score was being done. When Guettel told the musical director they needed more rehearsal time, they replied that there was no time. Guettel was "furious" and started punching a wall in the back of the theater, breaking his hand and wrist in three places.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.seattlepi.com/ae/article/A-moment-with-Adam-Guettel-musical-composer-1116687.php|title=A moment with ... Adam Guettel, musical composer|date=June 9, 2003}}</ref> Guettel said this experience taught him that he must "let go" to be a strong collaborator. Marjoree Samoff, producing director of the [[American Music Theater Festival]] saw the show and commissioned Guettel and Landau to write a new piece together.<ref name="latimes.com"/>

Landau began to search for a subject for the two to work on. "The Spark" came when Landau and Guettel discovered a 1976 ''[[American Heritage (magazine)|American Heritage]]'' article titled "Dark Carnival", a recounting of the story of [[Floyd Collins]]. Guettel claims his fascination with Collins' story came from a personal link. "This is right when I'm starting my career in musical theatre with Richard Rodgers as my Grandfather... I think I was writing it, on some level, to process the likelihood that I wouldn't match his career, to answer if there's nobility in failing at something noble" <ref>{{Cite web|title=Floyd Collins' Upcoming Broadway Debut Isn't About Why Now—It's Why Always |url=https://playbill.com/article/floyd-collins-upcoming-broadway-debut-isnt-about-why-now-its-why-always|author=Logan Culwell-Block|date=
February 6, 2025}}</ref> Guettel adds that his confidence in the idea came from his mentor Stephen Sondheim believing it was good idea for a musical. Sondheim was a fan of [[Ace in the Hole (1951 film)|''Ace in the Hole'']], a film loosely based on Collins' story and said it's a "fun idea for a show". ''[[Floyd Collins (musical)|Floyd Collins]]'' was originally staged at the [[American Music Theater Festival]] in Philadelphia, in 1994, in a workshop where Guettel not only wrote the music and lyrics, but also starred as Floyd's brother, Homer.<ref>{{Cite news |title=THEATER;How a Media Circus In 1925 Wound Up As a Musical Today |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1996/02/25/theater/theater-how-a-media-circus-in-1925-wound-up-as-a-musical-today.html?searchResultPosition=3 |date=1996-02-25 |access-date=2024-10-04 |work=[[The New York Times]]}}</ref> On the subject of adapting the true story of Floyd Collins, Guettel stated "We're true to the spirit of the story, but we are circling it for the most dramatic angle". The musical opened at [[Playwrights Horizons]] on February 9, 1996. In ''[[The New York Times]]'' review of the show, critic [[Ben Brantley]] noted "Mr. Guettel establishes himself as a young composer of strength and sophistication, weaving strands from the Americana of [[Aaron Copland|Copland]] and the uneasy dissonance of Sondheim". Later, Guettel would say that it was his time working on ''Floyd'' which made him certain that he would spend his life writing music for the theatre.<ref name=":1">{{Cite web |title=floyd collins reunion - Google Search |url=https://www.google.com/search?q=floyd+collins+reunion#fpstate=ive&vld=cid:fd6809f0,vid:X9cdRFAEEao,st:0 |access-date=2024-09-07 |website=www.google.com}}</ref>

The second project he developed with Landau and Sperling was a song cycle titled ''Saturn Returns'' (recorded as ''[[Myths and Hymns]]''). The piece musicalizes pieces of mythology, including the stories of [[Hero and Leander]], [[Icarus]], [[Medusa]], as well as classic hymns. Discussing its genesis, Guettel stated "I had been writing these myths just because I was just starting out as a writer, and you don't know what to write. I did stuff that was tried and true. That was enough to keep me busy. Then I came across this book in an old antique shop... And it was just the words to a bunch of hymns... For some reason out of this Upper West Side Jew comes all of this music to these hymn lyrics". At first, Guettel was adapting the hymns and myths as separate projects, until Landau suggested they would work well together. "And we realized in some ways that the hymns are who we would have ourselves be, and the myths are basically who we are, and that they can kind of antiphonally talk to each other", said Guettel, in a 2021 ''New York Times'' interview on the online [[MasterVoices]] production of the piece.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Barone |first=Joshua |date=2021-05-25 |title='Myths and Hymns,' a Theater Cult Favorite, Changes Shape Again |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2021/05/25/theater/myths-and-hymns-mastervoices.html |url-access=subscription |url-status=live |archive-url=https://archive.today/20230630191545/https://www.nytimes.com/2021/05/25/theater/myths-and-hymns-mastervoices.html |archive-date=2023-06-30 |access-date=2024-10-11 |work=The new York Times}}</ref> The piece was performed at [[The Public Theater]] and was later recorded by [[Nonesuch Records|Nonesuch records]] with performances by [[Billy Porter]], [[Mandy Patinkin]], [[Kristin Chenoweth]], and Guettel himself.