Tiny, Yet Powerful, Clay Mention By An Amazing Man, Steven Rosenhaus

When I first read the following item posted on The Clayboard, I thought, "How nice, a positive Clay mention by a blogger named Steve Rosenhaus". Since I saw that he had written a book called Writing Musical Theater, I decided to see just who Steve Rosenhaus was. Now maybe I'm the only person who has never heard of him. But for those of you like me who don't have a clue who he is, you will be amazed to read about this man whose mention of Clay was simply two short sentences.

First, the item I found on The Clayboard, which was taken from Steven Rosenhaus' Live Journal

Steve Rosenhaus:

Quote:
Yes, I know that because of the book Writing Musical Theater that my co-author Allen Cohen and I are considered experts in musical theater. And I also know that as such there is an expectation to see Broadway, off-Broadway, and off-off-Broadway shows with cynical eyes and ears. But sometimes I just want to be audience, and just sit back, relax, and enjoy the show without thinking about it to any great depth. I can always to do the deep thinking later . . .

Clay Aiken: Yeah, the guy from American Idol, playing Sir Robin, Guard 1, and Brother Maynard. Surprisingly good.

Yeah, that's all he says about Clay - but that's what is so nice about it. He's, I think, the kind of person Clay's looking to reach. And what's really nice is in his blog tags - he doesn't even mention Clay - so he's definitely not looking for hits from the "Claymates". All the more reason to believe he was surpised by how good Clay was.

Be sure to read his complete Live Journal about Spamalot...very interesting!

Now, read about the many musical accomplishments of Steven Rosenhaus, and so see why his short critique of Clay is so powerful, check out his biography at this Sigma Alpha Iota Philanthropies, Inc. web page. Here's a few of his accomplishments:

Yamaha Piano Artist Steven L. Rosenhaus (b. 1952) is respected as a composer, lyricist, arranger, conductor, author, educator, and performer. His concert music has been called "clever, deftly constructed and likable" by The New York Times, and Back Stage magazine has called his music and lyrics for the off-Broadway show Critic "sprightly, upbeat, and in the ballad repertory, simply lovely."...He holds a Ph.D. from NYU, as well as M.A. and B.A. degrees from Queens College, C.U.N.Y.; The book "Writing Musical Theater" by Allen Cohen and Steven L. Rosenhaus is published by Palgrave/Macmillan. William Squier's review for MusicalWriters.Com calls the book an "appealing....practical guide for beginning and journeymen writers....[It is] thorough without being condescending and detailed without being overwhelming." Steven Rosenhaus has received numerous awards and grants from ASCAP, the American Composers Forum, and Meet The Composer, Inc.

After reading that (and check out all of his other accomplishments at the website), I think it is an understatement to say that his short comment, "Clay Aiken: Yeah, the guy from American Idol, playing Sir Robin, Guard 1, and Brother Maynard. Surprisingly good", is an amazing critique!!