Four years ago, in the midst of the 2020 lockdown, I found myself with too much time on my hands. As a lot of us did during such an uncertain year, I took comfort in rewatching my favorite movies to pass the time. One night, feeling inspired from binging Marvel movies, I had an idea to write a song about Iron Man. It didn’t stop there though. Over the next two weeks, 16-year-old me wrote 23 songs about the Marvel cinematic universe, telling the story of the Avengers from Tony Stark’s point of view. Tony Stark is such a beloved character with one of the best character arcs the Marvel Cinematic Universe has seen. His story spans over a series of 9 movies and 10 years. I grew up watching the egotistical, arrogant, playboy, become a self-sacrificing hero, mentor, and father. It was inspiring and I wanted to find a way to memorialize his legacy. Being a theater-obsessed kid and an aspiring songwriter, I decided Tony Stark needed a musical and I wanted to be the one to write it.
2020 was the year my friend, Grace Thygeson, and I learned how to use Logic Pro for recording music remotely. I asked her if she could help me produce the songs I’d written and post them to YouTube. That’s how we spent our summer, and the songs caught the attention of not only local news stations, but Mark Ruffalo, the Hulk himself. He shouted out one of my songs on his social media and it gained over 70,00 views. Later that year, a Broadway and West End producer took interest in my project.
For the past 3 years, I have been working with Tegan Summer, a Broadway and West End producer. I have spent this time writing the libretto, cutting songs, adding songs, working with studio musicians, actors, finalizing the script, and shaping the story in a way that I felt truly does Tony Stark’s character arc justice. The musical focuses on all of the Avengers Movies and Captain America Civil War, primarily on the parts of the movies that are integral to Tony’s character development and overarching story. I took the time to carefully consider what the fans enjoyed most about Tony’s story, and shared my demos and rough drafts with a variety of them to get opinions and critiques over the past few years.
This past spring, my university allowed me to do a private staged reading of the finished script so that I could film it and use the footage to pitch my musical. It was an incredible educational experience, getting to work with actors from my university as well as the chair of my university's theater department. The staged reading counted as my junior project, which is a technical theater project I needed to complete to graduate in 2026. I got the opportunity to direct the show as well as work alongside an associate director, Susan Berkompas, and a music director, Sarah Grandpre. I received an A on the project and now my producer and I plan to use footage from the private staged reading in a pitch deck.
Getting a musical to the big stage takes years of planning and lots of support. My hope is to get other producers interested in this project and to pitch the musical to Marvel. This story means a lot to me and has been close to my heart for years. I don’t want the excitement to be forgotten. A tribute musical to these beloved characters will keep this story alive for years to come, and keep future generations invested in the iconic Infinity Saga.
Please, share this video and spread the word! I’m counting on you, Marvel fans.
Disclaimer: The songs and music on were written by Amanda Fagan and are protected by United States copyright laws. All characters from the Marvel Cinematic Universe are the sole and exclusive property of The Walt Disney Company. This video will NOT be monetized. The staged reading was NOT monetized and no profit was made from it. This was done for educational purposes and as a tribute to the Marvel Cinematic Universe. This musical is simply a love letter to the Marvel fans of the world.
The musical currently has 26 songs and 2 Acts. The above footage is from a college staged reading. Actors are on-book and staging is minimal due to the nature of the production.
Book, Music, & Lyrics by Amanda Fagan.
Musical Arrangements by Grace Thygeson.
To see the progress of my project over the semester, check out the Instagram: / starkthemusical
Learn more here: https://starkthemusical.com/
As a San Diegan, born and raised, I'm posting this in honor of Comic Con. I hope everyone has fun this year!
Video Edited by Amanda Fagan.
#marvel
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