Brent Black
Composer, lyricist and playwright of Khan!!! The Musical
What is the musical about?
On the surface, it’s a fun show that celebrates the weird and wonderful things about the Star Trek universe. We set up a premise that an artificially intelligent android (Data) tries to write a musical comedy based on a serious movie and the result is a parody of both sci-fi and musical theatre. But it goes a bit deeper than that: We have middle-aged lead characters dealing with aging and death in various ways. In my show, they’re often played for laughs, but I try to thread that theme through the show and end up with a message that the march of time is something you have to accept rather than fight it; to embrace the moment rather than dreading the end.
Star Trek has played a fundamental role in the creation of fandoms, being a large contributor to the creation of zines and playing a role in early sci-fi conventions. Can you speak about what draws you to the Star Trek universe? What does it feel like to add to such a long lineage of fandom?
The main thing that draws me to the Star Trek universe is Gene Roddenberry’s vision of a future where people have put aside their petty differences and decided to work for the greater good. It also does what almost all good sci-fi does and deals with controversial subjects in a way that’s just removed from reality enough that we can examine them in a philosophical way rather than a political debate or direct social commentary… also, futuristic technology and weird-looking aliens are fun! As far as adding to the lineage of fandom, I’m proud to say I think I’ve cracked the code on something that’s never been done before, which is a Star Trek-based musical that could break out enough to be in a commercial Off-Broadway run.
What character do you play? What is your take on the source material and how do you make this character feel like your own? What do they learn and how do they grow throughout the play?
While I have acted in a few developmental readings of the show, I’m actually just the writer here (composer, lyricist and playwright). But I’ll tell you, what I’ve learned throughout the process is how to go from writing a musical for Trekkies (full of obscure inside jokes) to a musical that celebrates Star Trek in a way that can let all audiences in and maybe even get them interested in the Star Trek franchise! It makes Trekkies happy with easter eggs and sneaky references without leaving others in the dark.
Who are your collaborators? What do you like about working with them?
My only collaborator in the development of the show was my friend Alina Morgan who came up with the framing device of Data creating a virtual musical on the Holodeck (Alina is credited as the co-conceiver). Beyond that though, this production provided me with a brilliant director named John Lampe who’s fun to work with because our senses of humor are similar and he also understands the Star Trek universe enough to play with it.
What are you most proud of with this production?
After nearly 8 years of development, I’m proud to say that it’s a parody show with a level of craft and fine-tuning that you usually only find in more traditional musicals. Also, the songs are super-catchy and the script is super-funny!
What are you most excited for people to experience?
The most gratifying feedback I’ve gotten from our developmental readings isn’t actually from Trekkies: it’s from their dates, their friends they brought along, and occasionally their grandmas. Every time, multiple non-Trekkies come up to me and say something like “I’ve never watched a single episode of Star Trek and I loved this show.” I’d like to think that, in that way, we’re bringing together audience members of all stripes.
What is your favorite moment, song, or line from the musical?
My favorite line would definitely be a spoiler, haha! But I think my favorite song is “Have I Still Got the Magic?” It retells my favorite scene from the movie where Khan has ambushed Kirk and has him right where he wants him, but Kirk has to find a fast way to outsmart him in order to save his crew. In my version, it’s a toe-tapping swing number where time keeps stopping for us to hear Kirk ponder whether he’s still got the magic that allowed him to save the day when he was younger.
Brent Black grew up in Irving, TX and holds a master’s degree in musical theatre writing from NYU’s Tisch School of the Arts as well as a bachelor’s degree in drama from The University of Oklahoma. In 2008, he created a youth arts curriculum called "Let's Make a Musical" which he led in a program at the Brass Ring Performing Arts Center in Ardmore, Oklahoma. In 2010, he wrote lyrics and co-wrote the book for the musical I’ll Be Damned, starred Mary Testa at ran Off-Broadway at the Vineyard Theater. He is best known for his YouTube channel “Brentalfloss” featuring parody songs and other comedy videos. The channel has garnered over 450,000 subscribers and spawned three major album releases, all reaching the top 10 of the iTunes and Billboard comedy charts. He is the co-creator of the video game Use Your Words which has sold over 100,000 copies across six video game platforms.
