Alexi Melvin has found a new home in the New York theater scene, striving to champion innovative storytelling and artists within marginalized communities. In less than one year’s time, she has co-produced Here Lies Love, and the currently running productions of The Notebook and Illinoise. Born in Redwood City, California but primarily raised in Scottsdale, Arizona, she is an out-and-proud queer woman who has proven herself in acting, writing, and looks to be doing the same with producing. Stage and Cinema’s Gregory Fletcher discusses Alexi’s radiant first year back in New York.
Opening Night of Here Lies Love (Jenny Anderson)
GREGORY FLETCHER: You’ve been involved with four outstanding musicals this year. How in the world does one achieve such an impressive first season on Broadway? I’m guessing you had some amazing mentors who recognized something special in you.
ALEXI MELVIN: Clint Ramos, yes, exactly. Over the pandemic, I was staying with family in Arizona and trying to plot my next move. I’d been involved in the film world and had done some acting. I’ve worn many hats in the arts but wasn’t feeling artistically fulfilled. I’ve always loved musicals since I was a kid, but I’m not a musical theater performer. I always hoped that it would manifest somehow, so I could be involved at some level. After talking to a family friend whose mother had been in the producing world, they said, “A friend is about to do Here Lies Love on Broadway. I think you would really get along. Why don’t I introduce the two of you?” I’d been itching to get back to New York. I had lived here for about 10 years right out of high school and then took a hiatus. But I was feeling the pull to come back, and I met with Clint. I expected he’d give me advice or, maybe I could be his assistant or something. But he told me about Here Lies Love and said, “Given your passion and goals as an artist, I feel like this would be an amazing first go at producing for you.” I had no experience or idea of what that entailed. But he really took me under his wing and walked me through all of it. That was my launching point.
FLETCHER: Launching pad is more like it. It was an amazing theatrical event. How early were you involved?
MELVIN: I think I got involved at just the right time; they had just started to dig out the orchestra level. I felt completely immersed into the process’”something I really enjoyed. That production broke so many glass ceilings. It was the first all-Filipino cast on Broadway, as well as that incredible design by David Korins that allowed for all the orchestra seats to be removed and turned into a dance floor. The show was completely immersive and unique from every angle you might view it from.
Joy Woods (Middle Allie) and Ryan Vasquez (Middle Noah) in The Notebook (Julieta Cervantes)
FLETCHER: As a co-producer, what were you primarily doing day to day?
MELVIN: As a producer, there’s always the raising of the money. That’s first and foremost. So that was a new experience for me’”approaching people to invest in the arts. And believe it or not, a lot of people don’t really want to do that.
FLETCHER: Financially, it’s a huge gamble. Unless you’re one of the lucky few.
MELVIN: So, it takes tactfulness and approaching the right people at the right time. Once I managed to do that, somehow, it was a matter of leaning into my own strengths. I was able to talk about the importance of the show to noteworthy people who were visiting the theater. Also, I was involved with a lot of the social media, having a social media presence of my own. I kept exploring my strengths. As a producer, you’re like a glorified cheerleader; that’s how it felt sometimes.
FLETCHER: And by the end of the run, you wanted more? You were convinced you had found your place?
MELVIN: Yes, absolutely. That’s the first time in my life that it felt so natural, and it just encompassed everything that I had accomplished in my career up to that point.
John Cardoza (Younger Noah), Dorian Harewood (Older Noah), and Ryan Vasquez (Middle Noah)
in The Notebook. (Julieta Cervantes)
FLETCHER: Who would you consider as your second mentor?
MELVIN: Kurt Deutsch. I had actually met him when I was about 19 or 20 when he owned Sh-K-Boom Records, which recorded many musical theater cast albums. I interned for him, and we always kept in touch. I had invested in The Notebook during its Chicago run. When I saw it in performance, I didn’t know if I was going to be involved with it any more than that, but it was an amazing show that really captivated me. I knew it had plans to go to Broadway over a year later, and Kurt really wanted me to be a bigger part of it than just having invested a small amount of money. He wanted me to be his right hand on the project. Again, I was being offered this amazing opportunity to really be a part of this show from an early stage and see it through the whole process from out of town to load-in on Broadway, to the sitzprobe, to opening, to recording of the cast album. It’s been a great journey on The Notebook, I must thank Kurt a lot because he’s been another one of those incredible champions to my career.
FLETCHER: Sounds like the lesson is to keep in touch with old contacts.
MELVIN: Exactly. There’s a stigma around the word networking. It sounds very cold, but really it’s just that I love building relationships and making connections with people who are on the same page as I am artistically.
FLETCHER: Being your second show to be on the producing team, did your experience and confidence allow you to do more the second time around?
Alexi Melvin at The Notebook opening (Michaelah Reynolds)
MELVIN: The Notebook was different because it was already a very well-oiled machine. The team was smaller. They knew exactly what the show was. They knew exactly how to market it. Whereas with Here Lies Love, we were finding this out together. It was a different experience, but I’m very grateful for both because my confidence as a producer grew moving forward.
FLETCHER: Have another mentor?
MELVIN: LaChanze. She was a co-producer on Here Lies Love, and we just hit it off immediately. We clicked. We had very similar goals for what we want to do as producers, and we just got along like gangbusters. She just launched her own production company, and I was fortunate enough to witness her putting it all together. She has some amazing projects on deck. She brought me onto The Outsiders. I helped her raise money on that show and got to see that show take shape’”another incredible production. LaChanze is a powerhouse; I hope to follow in her footsteps.
The cast of The Outsiders congratulating the cast of The Notebook on opening night
(Michaelah Reynolds)
FLETCHER: When it comes to investing in a Broadway musical, is there a minimum to donate? What does it financially take to be an investor?
MELVIN: It’s a little different for each show but typically if you want to invest it’s usually a minimum of 25K. And then it usually goes up in increments of 25K. In order to be a co-producer, you have to raise a minimum of 250K. It’s just a numbers game.
FLETCHER: Are you saying that some people with a co-producing credit simply have garnered around 250K?
MELVIN: Sure, there are some co-producers who invest the money and that’s it. But usually that’s not what the lead producers are looking for. They’re looking for somebody who knows what they’re doing, and who wants to do more than just throw money at them. They want somebody who’s going to be a go-getter.
FLETCHER: Who led you to Illinoise?
MELVIN: Patrick Catullo. Check out his resume as a producer; it’s insane all that he’s done. [To name a few recent productions: American Utopia, Kimberly Akimbo, and the current Merrily We Roll Along.] I admire his passion, his drive, and he’s so smart about knowing what makes a good show or not. It’s a tough call to be able to separate from a creative background. It’s easy to look at a show and say, “Oh, I love this show’”it’s great.” But it’s a whole other side of your brain that knows if it’s going to do well and why. I’m still learning. He had seen Illinoise when it was at the Park Avenue Armory, and he approached me and said, “I’m jumping on board, and I know this is something you’d really appreciate’”I just have a feeling about it.” And I knew his feeling was likely correct. So, I jumped. I did my research on it and felt that it could really push Broadway forward. And I wanted to be a part of it.
Ricky Ubeda and Company of Illinoise (Matthew Murphy)
FLETCHER: Illinoise touched me so much. I just found it incredibly warmhearted, and I loved it from the first note to the last. For me, it surpassed any other dance piece I’d seen on Broadway, no disrespect to Contact (2000) or the Twyla Tharp pieces Come Fly Away (2010) and Movin’ Out (2002). I read that Illinoise had cancelled a preview performance due to a company tragedy. Days later, I read that your production stage manager had lost his life. After seeing a performance, I can only imagine how hard that must’ve been on the company, especially in the section where a character is contemplating death and figures in black keep approaching him. My heart was breaking knowing what a successful career Thomas Gates had had, and opening a show that was bound to have much success coming its way. How did the company survive those days?
MELVIN: I know that it was unexpected. I know that it was a tragedy. I know how deeply everybody in the theater community loved him very much, and there were so many special memories shared about him. It does kind of speak to how connected this community is. The cast and company of Illinoise were able to lean on each other. Certainly, it cracked open their hearts, but luckily, this cast had been together from conception with Justin Peck, and they were incredibly bonded. And strong.
Ricky Ubeda, Ben Cook (back) Tasha Viets-VanLear, Shara Nova in Illinoise
(Matthew Murphy)
FLETCHER: It was lovely to read in the Playbill that each and every performance of Illinoise was dedicated to Thomas Gates. Do you miss acting? In 2014, 2015, and 2016, you had three films come out, crediting you as an actor. Do you miss that time of your life? Still pursuing acting?
MELVIN: I wouldn’t say no. But I do feel like I’m at the right place now. I’m not seeking out potential opportunities. I’m also a writer, so perhaps at some point I’ll write my own show. And I’m not above casting myself because I do love it. When I was involved in acting, it was in the heat of the #MeToo movement. I definitely went through my own traumatic experiences in Hollywood that put me off the business. It made me realize that I have to do this on my own terms and not have to answer to any horrible people.
FLETCHER: I also noticed that you had quite a history as a journalist. You’ve written for the San Francisco Chronicle, Grit Daily News, Beyond Type One, and many others. Do you still contribute as a writer to any journalism?
MELVIN: I haven’t in some time. I had great fun writing for the San Francisco Chronicle and living in the Bay Area. I was the entertainment writer, and I got to see all the theater there. Also, I was diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes when I was 14. I’ve written for a lot of Type 1 communities, publications, and organizations. That’s a full community of its own.
Photo by Ogata Photo
FLETCHER: Did any of your childhood years prepare you and set you up for a life in the theater?
MELVIN: Actually, I was on the opposite end of the spectrum. My dad’s in baseball, currently the manager of the San Francisco Giants. I grew up watching him in sports, which makes no sense to me. My mom started taking me to musicals at a very early age, so that kicked off an ever-growing interest.
FLETCHER: What was your first Broadway musical?
MELVIN: Phantom of the Opera. As a 3-year-old, I had it completely memorized. I’d run around the house singing it over and over. She was like, “Hmm, have we something here?” Can you imagine being taken to the theater at the age of three? Not an appropriate show for a toddler. I have my mom to thank for nurturing my inclination on the arts. And she kept taking me to see what really pinged for me. Because clearly it wasn’t sports!
FLETCHER: What other shows “pinged” you in your childhood?
MELVIN: After Phantom, it was Beauty and the Beast, later on RENT. Anything by Andrew Lloyd Weber — which is funny because I literally just went to an event as Betty Buckley’s date. I kept pinching myself. What has happened to my life? Wicked in the early days too. Before I was graduating high school, I knew I needed to come to New York. It was theater that has always been the launching point of the different areas of my life.
FLETCHER: You’re out and proud as a member of the queer community. I’m guessing the theater world is pretty accepting in all the letters LGBTQIA+. Is it so for theater producers? Do you feel isolated or alone?
MELVIN: As far as queer women, there are actually really amazing out role models in this community. It’s been lovely. There should be more and, I’m sure, will be with each new generation. But yes, it feels very, very accepting. I feel at home. Over the pandemic, I became something of a TikTok influencer in the queer space. And it’s been fun to use that to talk about the shows I’m involved with. And people seem to get a kick out of it.
FLETCHER: What’s your TikTok handle?
MELVIN: It’s @theonlylex. It’s relatable queer content rooted in comedy.
FLETCHER: You’ve had such an amazing launch to your career as a producer. It’s been an amazing first year. I’m wondering what you see coming up in your second year? And where do you see yourself in 10 years?
MELVIN: It has been such a jam-packed season, which I could not have fathomed in my wildest dreams. Now, I’m leaning into what feels right and what feels natural. Kristin Chenoweth is doing Queen of Versailles [music and lyrics by Stephen Schwartz; directed by Michael Arden]. Which will be amazing. And they’re headed to Boston soon for an out-of-town run. Kristin is somebody who I’ve known since I was a teenager, but we reconnected recently. I think she’d really love for me to be a part of that show, which is what I’m working on. That holds my focus currently. I’m still staying open to other shows and other stories’”not necessarily for Broadway’”even if it’s somewhere else. I want to continue to seek out stories that need to be told, and either push it to Broadway in some capacity or give it a voice to a marginalized community. Those are the stories I’m seeking out. And this goes toward the 10-year plan as well. It’s what I want to continue to do because there’s a code that hasn’t been cracked yet. Queer stories need to be universal; everyone is invited in.
The Broadway Company of Illinoise (Matthew Murphy)
FLETCHER: I loved the way Illinoise invites you in. At the end of the performance, the ushers handed out a copy of the personal journal of the protagonist. A meaningful gift because the stories onstage came from personal stories written in journals by a group of friends. Around a campfire, they share with one another. Everyone is invited in. When I examined the journal, it was a way inside this gay character’s soul. We were given the gift to look inside this person intimate expression. For those who don’t know any gays in their life, it was a wonderful opportunity to peek inside his head and heart. There’s nothing more personal than to read someone’s journals. To realize we’re all the same. Our fears, our doubts, our head and heart’”Illinoise helped make that universal. It’s a beautiful life goal that you have. I hope you will crack the code.
MELVIN: Hearing and seeing queer stories like in Illinoise, it’s a universal human story. We must make these queer stories have the longevity they deserve. And I would love to be a part of that change.
cover photo by Stephanie Diani 2023
ollow Alexi on Instagram @thealexijames and @theonlylex on tiktok.
find Gregory Fletcher at Gregory Fletcher, Facebook, Instagram,
and on TikTok @gregoryfletcherNYC.
