Albums
These recordings can be purchased as CDs through Amazon and are available on over 150 streaming and download services including Spotify, Apple Music, iTunes, TikTok, Pandora, YouTube and Deezer.
The ten instrumental tracks on this album were written for a variety of stage productions in Chicago at such venues as Steppenwolf Theatre Company, the Organic Lab Theater and the Getz Theater. In piecing them together for this compilation, Douglas Post has attempted to create a loose thematic structure centered on a factory where art is made as this was the setting for one of the tunes he was asked to take on. He states that he can still remember the night in the recording studio when he and his engineer constructed a drum program that would serve as a basis for this composition and the search for anything in the room that could be played percussively on top of this riff including piano, bells, chimes, pipes, and even an electric typewriter. The rest of the tracks spin in and around this motif starting with the strict and rigid feel of “Real Life” and concluding with the jubilant “You’ve Got to Dance.”
This compilation of demos contains selections from several of musicals written and composed by Douglas Post including The Other Wise Man, Gethsemane, Everyman, The Real Life Story of Johnny de Facto, God and Country, Father to Son and Jericho. The ten tracks, which range in style from rock to folk to tin pan alley, capture these works in their infancy prior to any readings, workshops and full productions. They feature the outstanding vocals of Moshe Adams, Darlin Barry, Frank Farrell, Maddie Sachs, Kirby Wahl and others. Post also sings, plays various keyboards, and pound out a few percussion parts on congas and djembe. The net result is an eclectic set of songs that served as catalysts for his larger theatrical intent, yet are still able to stand up on their own fledgling feet and make a joyous noise.
This winner of the first Cunningham Commission Award for Youth Theatre is an inspiring new musical for American children's theatre about the magic of storytelling. One winter's day, Hans, a farm boy who has lost his way in the woods, stumbles across a golden key. It unlocks an enchanted chest that holds the imprisoned Gerhardt the Great and his troupe of traveling players. To show their thanks, the players perform three tales for Hans: "The Golden Goose," "The Three Huntsmen" and "The Four Skillful Brothers." Their theatrical antics are underscored by a collection of songs that range in style from ballads to blues to rock. Finally, the players depart, leaving Hans with some valuable lessons about generosity, loyalty, and hard work.
This musical was commissioned by the Cunningham Endowment Fund for The Theatre School, DePaul University and was originally produced by Chicago Playworks of The Theatre School, DePaul University in 2006.
"A new musical from DePaul's Chicago Playworks enchants theatergoers."
— Time Out Chicago
"An A+ for kids and an A for parents."
— Chicago Parent
"There's nothing grim about 'Grimm' and the DePaul play's lessons are positively positive."
— The Catholic New World
Poor Ebenezer Scrooge. It is Christmas Eve and everyone in London is finding merriment in the season except for the miserly soul who moves through the chambers that once belonged to his deceased partner. But when the Ghost of Jacob Marley suddenly appears, and is followed in rapid succession by the Ghosts of Christmas Past, Present and Yet to Come, Scrooge's cynical world is turned upside down as he sees who he was, who he is, and what he may hope to become. This musical adaptation of Charles Dickens' classic tale strips the story down to its essence while adding seventeen songs that speak to the heart and to the holidays. Running 90 minutes with no intermission, it follows the transformation of a man of business into a person who truly understands that mankind is his one and only business.
This musical was commissioned by Citadel Theatre in Lake Forest, Illinois and first produced there in 2017.
"This original, 90-minute musical by Chicagoan Douglas Post is filled with delightfully familiar characters, as well as plenty of color, lyrical harmony and Christmas cheer to spice up every theatergoers' holiday season."
— Chicago Theatre & Concert
Reviews
"A tight new musical retelling of Dickens with a focus on the real business of life."
— Chicagoland Musical Theatre
"The musical structure immediately sets the play apart and there are many times when the songs take moments of the familiar script to heights they have rarely reached in other productions."
— Chicago On Stage
"A delightful family entertainment that is perfect for the holiday season."
— Chicago Theater and the Arts
"Douglas Post is one of our most reliable playwrights and I'm delighted to see that he's taken on the challenge of Dickens and the holidays."
— WDCB Radio
Produced at over 250 theatres around the world, this musical tells the story of the friendship of the good-hearted Water Rat, the shy and curious Mole, and the sensible Badger. What tests that friendship are the antics of Mr. Toad, a wily and impulsive animal given to sudden crazes such as stealing motor cars and driving them recklessly around the countryside. Their task is to save Toad from himself and then rescue the magnificent Toad Hall from the devious weasels, ferrets and stoats.
This CD was recorded with the actors and musicians who took part in a production of the musical at City Lit Theater Company in Chicago, Illinois in 2009.
"Douglas Post's music and lyrics will go a long way toward reconciling us to rodents…the music ranges from sweetly melodic to snappy…the title theme is lovely."
— The New York Times
"One of the wisest and most delightful productions to grace a Chicago stage this season…Douglas Post has crafted a poetic, deeply intelligent, and hilariously funny script with lyrics to match. He has also composed a magical and eclectic score that runs the gamut from haunting English ballads and rippling reggae to tongue–in–cheek punk and lilting Latin congas."
— Chicago Sun–Times
"A charming original score by Douglas Post whose songs warm the heart while neatly prodding the intellect…Post has written a dozen memorable and enigmatic songs, rich in simple melody and folk style while simultaneously diversified and hypnotic."
— Chicago Tribune
"A song–dream for audiences of any age…Post is not afraid to blend overt, raffish comedy with quiet reflection, even a sense of spirituality."
— Chicago Reader
"From the elegant title tune to the happy reunion number, this is clearly a score in search of a recording contract."
— WEVD–AM
