Review Fix chats with Composer Dan Furman who discusses his reworked first musical, Impossible But True, in preparation for its revival in April – first in Brooklyn then across the river in Manhattan.
About ‘Impossible But True’:
Impossible But True (IBT) follows Washington Irving’s immortal character of Rip Van Winkle. It follows Rip–an idle storyteller and dreamer–as he goes off to fight in the Revolutionary War and then cannot find his way home. Premiering at the 2011 Midtown International Theatre Festival, IBT – now written in an immersive style and presented environmentally in a tavern, will make its initial return at Franklin 820 (820 Franklin Ave in Brooklyn) on four Mondays: April 30, May 7, May 14, May 21 at 7:00 p.m.
For further info:Â [email protected].
Review Fix: What was the inspiration for this project?
Dan Furman: In a way, Washington Irving’s “Rip Van Winkle†is a story about time travel.  Rip falls asleep and wakes up 20 years in the future. When I realized that the 20 years Rip slept through included the years of the American Revolutionary War, a lot of possibilities opened up. We have characters in Act I who believe that a revolution could never be possible and then we see the town 20 years later celebrating their victory as a fact. That’s where the title “Impossible But True†comes from.

Review Fix:
Review Fix: What’s your creative process like?
Furman: I get obsessed. Apparently, I am not very good company when this happens. I get a lot of work done on the subway. People tend to be in their own world there anyway.
Review Fix: What makes this different or special?
Furman: This is an immersive show. You can drink and eat while the show happens around you. When characters are in a scene, they may be sitting in the seat next to you.  And, as it happens, much of the IBT show actually takes place in a bar.
Review Fix: What did you learn about yourself through this process?
Furman: This was my first show. It began as a collaboration with a wonderful lyricist and book writer, Mary-Liz McNamara. But at a certain point, she had to withdraw from the project.
So I learned I could write a musical—book, lyrics and all.
Review Fix: What are your ultimate goals for this production and for the future?
Furman: I hope to take this show in its immersive format to bars all around the country…and the world!
Maybe I’ll start with New York first, though.
Review Fix: What do you think your audiences will enjoy the most?
Furman: I’m never sure what an audience will enjoy most. I love the characters in this show—I could hang out with them in the bar…maybe even write another show with them. Many people have told me they like the songs.
Review Fix: What’s next?
Furman: I have two other shows I’m working on:  “Ybor City†with book writer Anita Gonzalez and “The Proust Virus,†for which I wrote music, book and lyrics and I’m currently developing with director/choreographer Christopher Noffke.
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