Episode Details

Everything & Anything…and a Bit Gay
Episode: Billboard-Charting Musical Theater Composer Billy Recce

Billy Recce is a queer composer, lyricist, and songwriter whose work spans Broadway development, off-Broadway productions, pop, and cabaret. He's a two-time MAC Award winner, Jonathan Larson Grant finalist, and William Finn Award winner — and his songs have been performed by Bernadette Peters, Mandy Patinkin, Tituss Burgess, and Rachel Dratch, among others.

In this episode, Zach and Billy cover:

• How Billy started writing musicals in spiral notebooks during third-grade math class and got his first major production as the youngest writer in the NY Musical Theater Festival with Balloon Boy
• His new single "Wanted to Believe" from Big Man — an original musical about Alzheimer's, dementia caregiving, and a character whose condition leads him to believe he's close friends with the Rat Pack. The single is performed by Tony nominee Ramin Karimloo and 100% of proceeds benefit the Alzheimer's Association (alz.org)
• Foul Play — a queer musical comedy about two theater writers hired to create an apology musical for Chick-fil-A, exploring rainbow capitalism and queer identity, directed by Ty Defoe (Titanic)
• Little Black Book — Billy's one-woman musical about Heidi Fleiss living in the Nevada desert with 40 parrots, starring Broadway's Orfe, developed through a 2021 concept album and now heading toward a new production
• What it actually takes to develop a musical — the seven-year journey, packaging, concept albums as momentum-builders, and keeping 18 projects in the fire at once
• His long-term vision: queering the musical theater canon and telling stories across theater, film, and TV
• Advice for young queer artists: get your work out, cold email everyone, find your performers, and use every platform available
• His annual collaboration with P-Town drag performer Paige Turner, writing original songs for her yearly show at the Post Office Café

Listen to "Wanted to Believe" https://open.spotify.com/track/0BvwefSfeKbHvBVtV8YNbP on all streaming and digital platforms — and stream it knowing your listen supports the Alzheimer's Association. 

Follow Billy:

• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thebillyrecce/
• Website: https://www.billyrecce.com/

Everything & Anything…and a Bit Gay is hosted by Zach Randles-Friedman. If this episode resonated with you, share it — and share Billy's single. Subscribe, rate, and review wherever you listen.

Podcast song by SIXFOOT 5: https://www.sixfoot5prod.com

Apple: https://music.apple.com/us/artist/sixfoot-5/1551774977

Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/artist/5rHMzoU0G0fLhaBsrQiOOY?si=laSZ5hiKTYubJJyhrzf2JQ

Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.