Cast albums are a staple of every musical theatre lover’s music collection. Be it digital or physical, we love being able to relive our favourite stage shows. Julietta Frances is bringing the magic of musical theatre to life with her latest project, The Julietta Theatre, and her latest song “Curse of Wisdom”.

1. Could you please introduce yourself to my readers and tell us a bit about “Curse of Wisdom”?

My name is Julietta Frances, and I am a musical theatre inspired singer-songwriter and recording artist. I write songs that function as musical theatre scenes, and bring theatre storytelling, orchestrations and imagery into the modern folk-singer-songwriter style.

To accompany my music, I create supporting elements to build an immersive theatre experience. This includes a Show Map (inspired by a theatre programme) with credits, a script to accompany the song and hand-drawn illustrations as well as short films to introduce the visual world of my work. I call this songwriting mission The Julietta Theatre.

“Curse of Wisdom” is my first musical theatre inspired song release. It is now available on all streaming platforms. This song questions where wisdom goes at the end of your life, while also contemplating what it means to build a life you’re proud of and the meaning of the gift of music.

“Curseof Wisdom” is built around these themes to introduce my songwriting mission while also sharing my reverence for musical theatre. It includes over 100 tracks of instruments to mirror theatre orchestrations, has clear distinctive imagery, and includes references to Greek mythology.

“Curse of Wisdom” is everything I am, and brings together my love of songwriting, world building and musical theatre. I independently wrote the song, performed vocals and flute, and served as co-producer and orchestrator. I can’t wait to continue sharing my musical theatre inspired songs with you.

2. How did you get started in the world of musical theatre?

I first connected to musical theatre when I saw The Phantom of the Opera on Broadway at age 14. From that day on, I was absolutely transfixed by musical theatre and left with a mission to teach myself how to sing. I then spent the next four years singing for hours a day, and extensively studied musical theatre in the process. I consider myself a student of cast albums and learned about the art form through listening to and immersing myself in musical theatre. Before this, I was a classical flute player. This provided me with an understanding of orchestral textures and shaped my musical ear. I remember being captivated by musical theatre orchestra pieces like the Candide Suite and was always listening for interesting instrumental lines during rehearsals.

It was not until my first year at Rotman Commerce at The University of Toronto that I started writing songs. Songwriting quickly turned into my most treasured creative outlet. Thematically, my songs explored themes of reinvention, purpose and passion. I instantly connected to writing music and lyrics, and soon realized that my songs gravitated towards musical theatre.

Going to the theatre or listening to cast albums was a form of escapism for me. Songwriting quickly became a similar experience. I have now written over 400 songs, and I am currently working on recording and releasing more musical theatre inspired songs.

I still constantly listen to cast albums to immerse myself in the art form. It is my greatest wish to bring my love for musical theatre into my music and supporting materials to create an on demand theatre experience.

3. What was your main inspiration for “Curse of Wisdom”?

My main inspiration for “Curse of Wisdom” was my grandfather. Until the very end of his life, hewas reading from encyclopedias, marking pages, making notes and was constantly living in the pursuit of research and knowledge. He was an endlessly passionate and wise man. His work ethic and the wisdom he left behind formed the basis of “Curse of Wisdom.” I wanted to explore this through my song, and contemplate where wisdom goes at the end of one’s life.

The verse and chorus introduce this concept, while the second verse discusses the scarcity of time, and how we must act on our gifts while we have them. I wrote the first half of this song almost twoyears ago, but was inspired to write this section after being a year into my recording process and contemplating what music meant to me.

In terms of my musical inspirations, the chorus was inspired by talk-singing found in Stephen Sondheim’s work (for example “Your Fault” from Into The Woods). Across my work, Sondheim has informed many of the choices I make while writing songs. In its melodic range and chord choices, I was greatly influenced by Joni Mitchell. “Curse of Wisdom” also has thematic reference to The Phantom of the Opera as a nod to how I first connected to theatre.

In terms of building The Julietta Theatre, my inspiration comes from being endlessly passionate about the art form. I wanted to create a system that mirrored how I connected with musical theatre; through self-discovery and no access barriers. I wanted to create a form of theatre that people could experience anywhere, through music, scripts and visual mediums.

4. What do you hope your listeners take away from this album?

I hope listeners of “Curse of Wisdom” understand that while moments do not last forever, living for your passions can make them last longer than they began. By documenting anything you create, you permit your ideas to be reinterpreted and appreciated by others to potentially take on new meanings. I also want listeners to contemplate whether wisdom is a blessing or a curse based on how they are currently living their lives. My intention in releasing this song was to create an opportunity for audiences to contemplate a topic through the lens of a community-based art form like musical theatre.

I hope listeners also feel transported into the musical world of “Curse of Wisdom” through its imagery and motifs. I wrote the song so listeners could be part of the scene of the song, and made sure that every moment melodically, lyrically and orchestrally were aligned to evoke a certain emotional response. I wanted this song to feel like a complete emotional journey from start to finish that reflected real thoughts and the non-linear journey of making decisions about life. I also hope my listeners connect with the multi-layer instrumental approach, and feel as though they are transported into the orchestral pit of a musical.

I also hope this song provides listeners with another interpretation of modern musical theatre. This song is greatly inspired by musical theatre storytelling, but applies those findings in a singer-songwriter space. While there are many wonderful folk-musicals, I would love it if this portable theatre concept could provide listeners a new perspective on this blend of genres.

5. What are your hopes for the future of this kind of musical theatre?

To start off, I want to emphasize that this project was created out of an immense passion and appreciation for musical theatre. The art form has changed my life, challenged the way I think and how I interact with the world. The Julietta Theatre as a concept and songs like “Curse of Wisdom” are not a replacement for traditional live theatre. Instead, my work is designed to be another way for listeners to engage with the storytelling, orchestration, music, lyricism, character development and artistry that make musical theatre so powerful and beautiful.

My hope for this kind of musical theatre is to integrate every aspect of the art form into listeners’ daily lives. Musical theatre stories often teach lessons that can be applied to many aspects of life and resonate way beyond the theatre. Between my original songs, Show Maps and short films, I want to create multiple touchpoints for listeners to connect to musical theatre. My goal is to create listening experiences where no context from a piece of music is missing, and every bit of the story can be understood from a listener’s headphones. It is a mission I am greatly passionate about, and I am excited to build upon.

I want to thank Julietta for taking the time to answer my questions. You can find out more about The Julietta Theatre and stream “Curse of Wisdom” at https://juliettafrances.com/

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