Broadway Director: Bulgarian Musical "The Book of Dreams" Has Some of the Best Dance I Have Seen in the World

Yoana Vodenicharova, Dahnyelle Dymytrov

A poster for the musical (Source: the organizers)

Sofia,

12.11.2023 13:32

(BTA)

In a BTA interview, Broadway director West Hyler who is directing the musical The Book of Dreams in Bulgaria, said that it has some of the best dance he has ever seen. "This is a big show. It has a lot of dance, some of the best dance I have seen in the world," Hyler noted.

The Book of Dreams will premiere in Hall 1 of the National Palace of Culture on November 14.

Its script was entirely written by Bulgarians. The show includes 18 original Bulgarian songs and more than 90 artists.

"This will be the fourth musical I have directed in Sofia. This definitely has the most people in it and it is playing in the biggest hall - by those standards, it is the biggest," Hyler said. "My hope is when you see this musical you cannot tell who is a dancer, who is a circus artist, who is an actor."

The musical tells the story of a young dreamer called Pat, who, through love, finds motivation to face the challenges he stumbles upon in his life.

Hyler said that unlike many directors who, when working on a musical, start with dance, music, or some other thing, he always starts with the story.

The leitmotif of the show is the power of truth and kindheartedness.

"For me, it is a family musical because it is, in the end, a musical about finding a family. That is what the story is about. It is about people who have broken families, who do not have families, who are orphans, finding each other, finding a family, and finding a place where they belong," the Broadway director said.

"This show is exciting because it is a Bulgarian musical. Normally, I direct a show that played on Broadway, has played around the world, and I end up doing it in Bulgaria. But this one is by Bulgarian writers, by Bulgarian composers. It was written for Bulgaria and for Sofia. So, it is very exciting and an honor to be brought back to work on something like this," Hyler added.

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