David Gomez is a “dorm room” name here on Asbury’s campus. Between the many plays, short films, FNLs and bistro shifts this senior has been a part of, Gomez is someone who is not easily forgotten. This semester, he is tackling one of his biggest projects yet, and it doesn’t involve making a pressed sandwich.
Gomez is directing “Mülller,” an original musical that he wrote himself. He came up with the idea over a year ago and has been tweaking the script ever since. Gomez said that he had every aspect of the story thought out before he even began writing the screenplay.
“The story is about an actor who has been bullied his whole life, and he starts becoming the villain he’s playing on a cheap TV show, and that helps him stand up for himself. But at what cost?” said Gomez.
The script as well as the songs in this musical were written and composed by Gomez, who already had many of the songs already written but modified them to fit the story.
Gomez mentioned that although this story was not meant to be personal, he subconsciously let a lot of personal anecdotes make their way into the script.
“This means a lot to me,” he said. “But what’s most meaningful to me is the people involved in this project. It’s always about the people, man.”
Junior cast member Ben Jeffers said that the cast dynamic is different than any other because of the mix of people in the cast.
“There’s a lot of people that don’t usually do theater, also those of us that have been in a lot of shows,” he said.
Although the rehearsal process was only comprised of three weeks, Jeffers stated that they have grown to become a family.
“I was surprised with the cast dynamics,” said producer and senior Katy Patterson. “I wasn’t sure if everyone was going to get along or have the energy that they have, but they have come together so well and it’s just a blast to be in rehearsals with them.”
Directing such a diverse group of actors has been an enjoyable experience for Gomez.
“It’s so, so, so much fun. This is a dream come true for me,” he said.
Müller runs Feb. 6-8.
