The “Pool Boy” (Nikos Tsakalakos) talks about his musical at Barrington Stage

Nikos was really a pool boy. He appeared in ads for the Hotel Bel Air.

In the summer of ’07, Nikos Tsakalakos was Bill Finn’s assistant, and then – as now – was a regular chatterbox. So when Finn, who is a successful composer (Falsettos, Putnam County Spelling Bee)  was trapped in a car driven by Nikos he listened as he talked endlessly about his experiences as a pool boy at the Hotel Bel Air. He recognized the germ of an idea.  He suggested that Nikos write a musical about it. Finn just  happens to run the Musical Theatre Lab for Barrington Stage Company (BSC) so it was good advice.

Nikos looked up from his coffee and said simply: “And so I did.”

A few years later, and Pool Boy, a new musical, is about to get its first real performances beginning July 13 at BSC Stage II on Linden Street in Pittsfield. The road from idea to stage has been a long one.

“You were at the read through of Pool Boy last year, weren’t you,” Nikos asked. “Was it the night we had all those kids on stage because there weren’t enough seats?” “Bingo,” I replied, “and they seemed to have as good a time as the impromptu cast.”

Nikos Tsakalakos talks about Pool Boy. Larry Murray photo.

Turning the tables, Nikos asked me what I thought. “I loved it, it was fresh and different. However, based on what I have heard, I am expecting something substantially different when I see it again fully staged, perhaps even better than that enjoyable look at Pool Boy as a work in progress.”

“And you would be right, it will be changed. Before I came here, we were working on a completely different eleven o’clock number, so the show is building to a whole new place. There is a wonderful new collaboration with Janet Allard. I’ve written the music and lyrics, and Janet has written the book and lyrics and we’ve been revisiting the lyrics since the last reading (from January). She is really helping to deepen the characters and strengthen the structure.  Best of all, we have a new director, Daniella Topol who is terrific,” Nikos enthused.

Jay Armstrong Johnson plays the Pool Boy.

A few days ago the casting for Pool Boy was announced. “We couldn’t be more thrilled, it’s just downright exciting. I mean we have a star in the making in Jay Armstrong Johnson. And have you heard Courtney Wolfson sing? She does it so effortlessly, and has the most amazing voice. She has both a high etherial range, and can belt when you need to punch up a song. So the leads are really stellar, but then you have the experience of actors like John Hickock and Sara Gettelfinger. And I have to mention Sorab Wadia, Cliff Bemis, and Norman Schneider; it’s an exciting combination of talented people to work with.

“Yesterday I presented the cast with a whole new opening number and it’s coming together, developing beautifully. It’s a dynamic process, with changes happening constantly, as happens in theatre. It is all in the “now”.

I wondered if constantly writing new material while rehearsing the existing was a bit overwhelming. “Day by day we do what we can and the to-do list becomes shorter and shorter. There is light at the end of the creative tunnel. Fewer things that need to get done. Sometimes stumbles arrive and we think it could lead to a whole new set of tasks, but then together we solve the problem and move on.” Like any team sport, theatre requires cooperation and collaboration to win the game.

Nikos says Courtney Wolfson has an "etherial" voice.

Hollywood has long found the lifeguard, the pool boy, and the summer resort to be a great source of material for films, especially for the younger movie-goer. Garry Marshall’s Flamingo Kid with Matt Dillon comes to mind.  Saved by the Bell has four episodes set in a Hawaiian resort.

But you have to wonder, what does it feel like to see your life up there on stage?

“Bizarre,” responded Nikos, “because I really worked for three years at the Bel Air as a pool boy before moving up. I then became the personal servant to the Sultan of Brunei, or more precisely with Prince Jeffrey, his brother and his two sons. I have taken a few liberties, but it is based pretty much on reality.

“But when Bill made the suggestion, I didn’t act on it right away. It was only a year later when I happened to be poolside here in the Berkshires that the idea began to germinate. Soon I was writing, being creative, doing what I love to do. You know, all the time I was in L.A., working at other jobs, there were songs in my head even as I ran around doing errands for the rich and famous.

“So that summer the piece began to come together, and finally I wrote the song Poolside at the Hotel Bel Air. Bill Finn heard it at a cabaret I did one summer night here in Pittsfield, and again said ‘You have to write a show about this. That song should be the last song in it. ‘

“Bill is the one who gave me the freedom to write from my own experience, to create from what I know first hand. It’s amazing to think that what I lived through is an interesting enough story to be worthy of a show, but then there is the question of how I approach that. Bill’s master class at NYU is about that, how to get closer to yourself to write meaningful music.

Janet Allard (l) and Nikos Tsakalakos (r) are working in tandem of Pool Boy.

“It also led me to call Janet Allard, who I had met at NYU, and together we had written a song “I Have a Lion” which was well received in cabarets here and in New York. In one of those rare coincidences, we both wanted to work with each other on different projects, and the idea of Pool Boy clicked, and she said ‘let’s do this.’

“We got together in the depth of winter ’08-09 in Minneapolis and we reviewed all the material from my time at the Bel Air, the characters, the situations, the stories. And we’re still at it.”

I wondered if all this had an impact on his other career, as a member of a rock band. “Good question, since I was very involved in being in a band with good friends out in L.A.  But since I have started this project, I have been more involved in theatre, cabarets, though I am itching to continue that as well. But I am consumed by Pool Boy. It’s taken over my life. In time I will get back to being a singer-songwriter.

“I love working with Janet because while I like to think I bring the heart to the story, she brings the vigor and dramatic tension. Some of the songs in the show you will recognize from the reading, but the drama around them is different, and it gives them more impact. The songs are landing in a new way, a deeper way than before.”

Nikos has a quick sense of humor. Larry Murray photo.

Musicals are the most difficult form of theatre to put together with success. And listening to Nikos speak of how it is painstakingly assembled song by song, scene by scene, and even word by word, makes us appreciate the final 90 minutes or so when it all comes together. An audience doesn’t have to be aware of the years that Tsakalakos and Allard have put into the music and story, nor  the nurturing of mentors like Bill Finn and Julianne Boyd, or even the fundraising done to support BSC’s Music Lab, but they are all there, in the making of Pool Boy.

There are additional layers to this production as well. The choreography by Shonn Wiley adds still more subtle touches to the performer’s delivery. Not all of it is obvious, and that’s the point, to supplement the singer’s delivery, to make it more exciting. “The first choreography rehearsal was yesterday, and it is exciting to see these other layers added to story, giving it yet more depth,” responded Nikos.

On a lighter note, I wondered if the composer had hopes to see it as a movie later on, with perhaps Adam Sandler as the Poolboy. Picking up on the humor, he replied, “Actually it is going to be Ewan McGregor.” His choice is not that far fetched. McGregor can not only act, he’s a fine singer as well.

“Actually, I would really like to see Jay Johnson do it,” Nikos proffered.  “He has already had a great career at such a young age, and is ready. He is so capable. The sky’s the limit for him.”

I then let loose a small barrage of questions. How about the instrumentation for the production? “Piano and guitar, and we may layer in some hand percussion later in the process.”

How would you describe the music itself? “Character driven, with a rock-pop sensibility and drive. The most important thing is to capture the groove of the songs.”

And the set everyone is so enthused about? “I think its design is going to look great in that intimate space.” But no real pool, that’s for the audience to fill in.

I wondered if Pool Boy will have a special appeal for younger folks. “Theatre goers of all ages will enjoy it,’ Nikos ventured, “but it should speak most meaningfully to the younger audience which has been discovering musicals – new and old – for themselves. We want that upcoming generation to watch works live on stage and become consumed by them because it communicates so directly. This musical in particular speaks to that generation. Juke Box musicals are ok, they knit great songs together, but original musicals like Pool Boy aim to intertwine real lives with the music and lyrics. It would be great if a few of the songs in the show crossed over into rock or pop, too.”

Nikos (back row, fourth from right, in black shirt) with the cast and company of Pool Boy. Kevin Sprague Photo.

Then Nikos went back to an earlier question.

“You started this interview by asking me how it felt to have my life on stage,” said Nikos. “And though some of the details have been changed, it is pretty personal. But it is more than just a recounting of my summers as a pool boy.

“That’s because they were the most wonderful summers of my life, a difficult time in which I found both myself and my voice. The question of whether it makes a good musical is still very much on the table. But for me personally, it has become how I make art, by being true to myself, and in the end, that is what matters.”

A note to our readers: Given that most of the shows in the smaller Stage 2 theatre sell out easily, it is a good idea to get your tickets sooner, rather than later. Nikos has already developed quite a following in the Berkshires, and tickets for the readings of Pool Boy last year were quickly snapped up. Talking with the Box Office, tickets for this show are already moving very well, and given the work I have seen so far, you are not likely to be disappointed.

Pool Boy begins its run on July 13 and continues to August 8. Performances are Tuesday through Friday at 7:30pm, Saturdays at 4pm and 8pm, and Sunday at 7:30pm at BSC Stage 2, 36 Linden St., Pittsfield. Opening Night: Wed., July 21 at 7:30pm. Tickets: $15-$45. Seniors: $20 all matinees. Pay What You Can Night for 35 year olds and younger: Fri., July 16 at 7:30pm. Post-show discussions with the cast will be held following the Thursday, July 15 and Thursday, August 5 performances. For ticket information call 413-236-8888, stop by the BSC Box Office at 30 Union Street or visit www.barringtonstageco.org. While of interest to anyone who has ever dated or held a summer job, please note that Pool Boy contains adult situations and strong language.