San Francisco composer/lawyer to direct ‘Party of 1’ at Roxy’s Downtown

Morris Bobrow doesn’t waste a lot of time pondering whether he’s a San Francisco lawyer who writes musicals or an award-winning composer/lyricist who practices law, specializing in estate planning.

“I’m both. I’ve pretty much had a two-tiered career. I’ve devoted full attention to both. And it’s been a joy to do,” said Bobrow, who is in Wichita to personally direct the 30th anniversary production – and Midwestern premiere – of his “Party of 1,” which opens Friday at Roxy’s Downtown.

The four-person cabaret show, which ran for seven years in San Francisco and set the city’s record for longest-running original musical, is a clever celebration of the joys and perils of being single in America circa 1986. Roxy’s owner John Hammer heard from friends about the show and sought out Bobrow to see if it were available.

Bobrow, whose shows have received best music/lyrics awards in New York and Los Angeles as well as San Francisco, said he was so intrigued by the inquiry and a subsequent invitation from Hammer to direct the show himself that he couldn’t resist.

“While my show has had successful runs in Boston, Vancouver, San Diego, Maui, Phoenix and Seattle, it hasn’t been done in the Midwest before. This is a first,” Bobrow said.

“Roxy’s wanted to preserve the 1980s style, so we left in all the cultural references like Janet Reno, Hootie and the Blowfish and Jerry Brown. But the subject matter isn’t dated. Ninety-nine percent of it is still relevant to the singles scene in 2016,” Bobrow said.

“It’s about how people meet and mate. While technology may change, people don’t when it comes to relationships. The subtitle is ‘For Everyone Who Is or Has Ever Been Single,’ which is everyone.”

The upbeat show explores such topics as the pitfalls of dating, pressures to hook up, roadblocks to communication and exhaustion of over-scheduled lives. It looks at stigmatizing and discrimination against singles, but also the freedom of autonomy and, mischievously, “self-love.” And it approaches those topics from all vantage points: male, female, straight and gay.

The two dozen songs range from a rousing vaudeville tribute to America’s only single president, James Buchanan, to a poignant lament about the biological clock and settling for “Mr. Not-So-Bad,” to a hilariously naughty road trip across America exploring ridiculous and outdated laws against cohabitation.

Performing all the various roles are Michael Karraker, Rhonda LaRue, Damian Padilla and Jennie Hughes (who also choreographs). Rich Bruhn is music director, John Hammer is set designer, and Christine Tasheff is in charge of costumes and props.

The show runs at 8 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays through May 21. Tickets are $30, $27 and $20, with an optional $15 catered dinner.

Bobrow, 75, who received his undergrad and law degrees from UC Berkeley, retired just last year after being a member of the California bar since 1965.

“In college, I was in a comedy group in our fraternity that wrote comic songs to perform at parties. We even got up the nerve to audition at the hungry i, but nothing ever came of it,” Bobrow said of San Francisco’s legendary North Beach nightclub that showcased the likes of Mort Sahl, Bill Cosby, Glenn Yarborough and the Kingston Trio.

Later, he was asked by the San Francisco Press Club to be on a committee to oversee its Saturday Night Shows. “I was the only one who showed up,” Bobrow said with a chuckle.

His reputation as a breezy composer/lyricist with an ear for unique rhyme schemes made him in demand for specialty industrial shows for companies like Apple, IBM, Levi Strauss & Co. and Holiday Inn. He was even asked to pen musical tributes to the likes of Mary Martin and Isaac Stern for ceremonies honoring them.

The earliest shows, he candidly admits, he did for the money to supplement his law practice. But with the success of “Party of 1,” he found a new voice, a new forum for his thoughts.

“I’ve always found it interesting to shift between the very conservative world of law, where everybody is following rules and precedents, to show business, where everybody is a little bit crazy and off-center,” Bobrow said.

As a composer/lyricist he followed “Party of 1” with “Party of 2” about the joys and perils of couple-hood; “Are We Almost There?” about travel; “Shopping: The Musical” about, well, shopping; and co-wrote “New Wrinkles” about middle age and “And What, Give Up Showbiz?” about entertainment. His latest – now in its fourth year in San Francisco – is “Foodies: The Musical,” about America’s culinary obsessions.

Along the way, he picked up four awards for best music/lyrics in San Francisco (Bay Area Theatre Critics Circle), two in Los Angeles (Hollywood DramaLogue Critics) and one in New York (Back Stage Bistro Award).

Bobrow says his seemingly disparate interests in law and showbiz actually enhanced each other. Finding just the right word for a comic song helped him keep his legal briefs concise, and the rigors of legal research give him the discipline to be thorough in satire.

“You have to know the subject because if it doesn’t ring true,” he said, “it won’t be funny.”

This story was originally published April 15, 2016 at 3:59 PM with the headline "San Francisco composer/lawyer to direct ‘Party of 1’ at Roxy’s Downtown."