Tony nominee Ethan Slater (“SpongeBob Squarepants: The Broadway Musical”) and Drama Desk nominee Nick Blaemire chatted with Digital Journal’s Markos Papadatos about their new album “Edge of the World: The Musical,” which will be released on August 6 via Broadway Records.
“It is super exciting to be releasing it on Broadway Records, they have been super awesome,” they both concurred.
On the song selection process for the concept album, Slater said, “We wrote it and we were honing in on the essential emotional parts of the story, and how we could tell it as efficiently as possible, and give the full scope of the narrative and the full scope of the emotional arc through the music. I am really proud of what we wound up putting together.”
“Once the songs sit in context with each other, they start telling the larger story,” Blaemire added. “You can really listen to it on its own.”
They listed the songs “Rocks and Things” and “Wolfpack” as their personal favorite tracks on “Edge of the World: The Musical.” “It was a really interesting process to get the right vibe of that moment: the wonderous imagination and the fun of it and tying it into the musical themes of the album,” Blaemire said. ‘I like the way ‘Wolfpack’ juxtaposes with ‘Rocks and Things’.”
“We wanted to make an album that felt atmospheric and that it was evoking emotions,” Blaemire added.
Slater is an actor, writer, and musician (mostly) based in New York. He was nominated for a Tony Award and won the Drama Desk Award for playing SpongeBob in “The SpongeBob Musical,” which also happened to be his Broadway debut.
On his Tony nomination, Slater said, “That was a totally surreal experience. It was awesome. Doing the show itself was the most fun thing in the world. The Tony nomination was an amazing recognition. It was an added bonus to having a dream job.”
As a writer, some upcoming projects include the films “Intervenors” and “Silent Mode,” both of which he co-wrote and co-stars in. Slater noted that he will be playing Lee Harvey Oswald/The Balladeer in “Assassins” at Classic Stage Company. “I am really excited about that,” he admitted.
Blaemire is a writer and performer based in Brooklyn. At 23 years old, Nick wrote the Broadway one-night-sensation rock musical “Glory Days,” which has since had over 50 productions around the world, and will re-open in Japan in the fall of 2021. He has written five other original musicals, and as an actor, he most recently completed the National Tour of Falsettos as Mendel, recurred on “Dash & Lily” on Netflix, and was nominated for a Drama Desk Award for his performance as Jon in the Off-Broadway Revival of “Tick, Tick…Boom!”
“I was so lucky to be a part of that,” Blaemire said about “Dash & Lily.” “I just can’t believe how well-written it was. It was a holiday teen romance with a really cynical protagonist and a really smart female lead. They are both really holding the story together. IT was such a great cast with great directors.
Blaemire shared that he is looking forward to a show called “Space Dogs,” which he co-wrote with his friend, Van Hughes. It will be at the MCC Theatre in January of 2022.
In “Edge of the World,” when young Ben (Ethan Slater) and his father Henry (Norbert Leo Butz) move to a remote patch of land in rural Alaska, Ben uses his imagination to cope with his new surroundings. But as he learns more about the circumstances that brought him into isolation (Lilli Cooper), the line between lie and reality begins to blur. It’s a sweeping, handmade fable about the world we’re given, and the one we make for ourselves.
“Edge of the World” is produced by Bonnie Comley and Stewart Lane, mixed by Aaron Ankrum, and mastered by Hans Dekline. The recording features Slater on guitar as well as Marco Paguia (piano), Michael Dobson (drums), Christian Ankrum (bass), and Ankrum (horns, strings, and other instruments).
On the title of the current chapter of his life, Slater said, “Moving Again: Transitioning between spaces and time both globally and personally.” “That puts a lot of things into perspective,” he said. “It’s an interesting upheaval moment.”
“Adaptation is on my mind a lot,” Blaemire added. “Adapting to our new circumstances.”
Slater defined the word success as “being able to work on the things that are meaningful to him and his collaborators.” “Just putting this album out is a success since it was a creative thought that we wanted to bring to fruition,” Blaemire added.
To learn more about Tony-nominated actor Ethan Slater, check out his official website, follow him on Instagram and Twitter.
For more information on writer and performer Nick Blaemire, follow him on Instagram.
