Between Memory and Future: When Music Becomes Legacy

The upcoming premiere of This Is Not A Drill in New York brings with it a story that transcends theatre. It is not only a musical about urgency and humanity, but also a dialogue between generations, carried by the hands of those who have shaped its sound. At its heart are two musicians whose paths, though different, converge meaningfully: Ben Babylon, son of the late Guy Babylon, and Paul Bogaev, whose legendary career on Broadway and in film has left a lasting mark. Together, they embody a bridge between past and future, between memory and innovation.

Today, we step into this universe with two voices who make it grow and shine: Ben Babylon and Paul Bogaev.

Ben Babylon is a young musician and music director who has grown up surrounded by instruments and memories. Son of Kathy Babylon and the late Guy Babylon — keyboardist and arranger for Elton John — Ben has inherited both passion and creativity. His journey has taken him through studio work, production, live performance, and now the world of musical theatre. In This Is Not A Drill, he has been a key figure: recording much of the music, assisting in musical direction, and leaving his mark on the arrangements and atmospheres that define the show.

Paul Bogaev, by contrast, is an established figure. A Grammy Award winner with a long career on Broadway and in Hollywood, he has been music director, arranger, and composer for musicals and films that are now part of history: Aida, Tarzan, Sunset Boulevard, Les Misérables, Cats, Chicago, Dreamgirls, The Lion King… His connection with the Babylon family runs deep: he worked closely with Guy Babylon on Aida, and now, years later, life has brought him to collaborate with Ben. A meeting that feels like a circle closing — and opening again.

And so, with all this in mind, we begin by listening to Ben Babylon, whose personal and creative journey opens the door to understanding how This Is Not A Drill was shaped.

Ben, you’ve played a key role in the production of This Is Not A Drill, from recording much of the music in the studio to assisting with musical direction. What has this experience been like for you?

It has been an incredibly rewarding and exciting experience. I have never done anything like this before, and it has been amazing to watch the process. Around 6 years ago, my mom told me she was starting to work on a musical with Holly (Doubet), and I thought – oh, that sounds fun! But I never could have imagined what it would eventually turn into. They asked me to help them create some demos for some of the songs — but with my mom and Holly, they never do anything halfway. Those demos turned into full-blown productions. It was a really fun process. They really wanted to fully conceptualize these songs, they didn’t want them to sound like demos. So they allowed me the opportunity to really have a lot of fun producing some of the songs with full band and orchestral arrangements, and to explore all sorts of instrumentation. From doing more rock/pop inspired tunes where I got to work with some of my favorite musicians and collaborators — like my incredibly talented friends Tristan Beltrami on guitar, David Kohn on drums, Alex Arnaout on bass, Aaron Burch on vocals; as well as legendary musicians and collaborators of my dad’s, like John Mahon on percussion and Ken Stacey on vocals. They also pushed me and gave me the opportunity to write strings and horn arrangements, as well as exploring all sorts of genres and production/songwriting styles. I also got to work with my mom, which I hadn’t done much of up to this point, which was very special and something I will always cherish. Even after creating some really amazing recordings with all these talented people, I had no idea what it would ultimately become. I only knew these songs as songs, and not really part of a larger story. Soon enough they were doing live readings with casts, and it wasn’t until they did their first reading in Texas that I understood the bigger picture of it all. I didn’t get to attend that first reading, but I got to see it on video, and I got to see these songs in the context of the greater story, and I was blown away. I started to realize that this was all part of something much bigger — something I couldn’t have imagined then, and probably still can’t fully. I got to join them for the next live reading in New York earlier this year, and that is when I truly got introduced to the world of Broadway musicals, and I got to see the process and the incredible amount of work that goes into putting a musical like this on stage. It’s been a really amazing journey, and it still feels like it just started.

How did collaborating with Paul Bogaev on the overture feel, especially working in the same studio where your father recorded for Aida? How did that connection influence your approach to This Is Not A Drill?

Working with Paul Bogaev was really special. I had never written an overture before, and I honestly didn’t even know how to go about it or where to start. Paul was an excellent guide through this process, and collaborating with him was an invaluable learning experience for me. I had musical ideas, but Paul knew how to guide them into the form of an overture. Paul has an amazing mind, and he would have ideas that I never would have thought of that elevated the overture to be not just an interesting musical piece to listen to, but also a captivating storytelling experience. Sometimes, when working with somebody who is much more experienced than you in a certain field, they can have a tendency to make you feel inept, or to fully take command to do it their way. But working with Paul was truly a collaborative process. Even with so much more experience than me, he was willing to hear my ideas and to do things in a way that may not be traditional, and was genuinely excited and inspired doing it in a new, maybe refreshing way. And in turn, I got to learn so much from Paul, and got to see how his brilliant mind works. We recorded it in my family’s home studio, the studio my dad built, and the same studio where Paul and my dad worked on Aida, which brought a whole other meaningful layer to this process. He would have these flashbacks as we were working, telling me stories about my dad, pointing out in which ways I reminded him of my dad, and I got to learn so much not only musically, but also about my dad and what he was like and how he worked. It really was a meaningful experience for the both of us, and I am excited to continue working with him on this project and and hopefully on many more in the future.

Working closely with the cast and creative team, how did you help shape the musical’s sound and atmosphere, and what challenges or surprises did you encounter along the way?

I think a lot of the mark I've made on this project comes from the original "demo" productions that I produced before a cast, book, or large creative team was even in the picture. The songs my mom and Holly wrote were truly special, and when I approached the production of the demos, I was hardly thinking of the "Broadway" sound or anything like that — I just wanted these songs to feel fully realized on their own and I approached the production like I would with any other pop or rock song. Holly and my mom definitely kept their vision intact, but they allowed me to put my mark on the arrangements and production. When later translated to stage, I think this is part of what sets these songs apart from other musicals. Because while we definitely re-arranged the songs to be better translated to stage, we still emulated a lot of the production and arrangement elements from those original demo productions. Now, as we prepare for the full production of This is Not A Drill premiering in a couple weeks, I am working closely with the insanely talented music director, David John Madore, which is also a wonderfully fruitful collaboration. David has amazing sensibilities for adapting these songs for stage, and I don’t think we could have a better person for the job. The collaboration is great, because he is able to figure out how these songs can be translated best for this medium, and the kinds of sacrifices, changes, and improvements we need to make in order to be the most impactful it can be within the context of full story, while I bring different sensibilities relating to the original intention of the arrangements and vibe that we desire for each song. There have been a lot of ideas David has come up with that have really surprised me and taught me a lot about this foreign world to me. There are just certain things that are different when you produce a recorded song versus when you translate that to a live band for stage in the context of a complete story, and that is what David and I have been working on. There are all sorts of challenges and elements to think about — things like scene transitions, song endings crafted to spark a specific audience reaction, or arrangement changes that inspire the actors to fully dive into their characters, that you just don’t think about when producing a song. And luckily, the whole team we are working with — including Holly, my mom, the director Gabe Barre, the whole cast and crew — is extremely talented, and willing to collaborate and to change things in order to achieve the best possible outcome. Everybody is working unbelievably hard to help This is Not A Drill come to life, and believe me — it takes a lot of work from a lot of people to make something like this happen, and no one is underdelivering. We truly have an amazing group of people, and that is making all the difference.

David John Madore is a musical director, pianist, composer, and vocal coach based in New York. With an established career in musical theatre, he has been involved in numerous notable productions, particularly at the cabaret 54. In addition to his work as a musical director, Madore is also a vocal coach and composer, offering services through his website and sharing his expertise in musical direction, accompaniment, and composition (www.madoremusic.com)

So Ben, what current projects are you working on, and how do you see your career evolving in the near future?

Other than This Is Not A Drill, I have been working in California, producing artists and bands out of my home studio. Over the past couple years, I’ve produced a several projects I am very proud of, including Mar Solis’s debut album Colors of Love, Kudos To’s first single Jackie, and an upcoming album for the band Sir Please of which a couple singles have been released including 21st Century Funk, Trippin, and Fever. I’ve also been composing music for film and TV with my good friend and collaborator Tristan Beltrami. We recently scored the HBO docuseries about Ted Turner, Call Me Ted, with the music supervision of Marco Beltrami, and we are currently working on a very exciting Netflix documentary. And there’s some more projects in the works, but that’s where I’ll leave it for now!

Thank you, Ben, so nice to be with you. When Ben speaks of working side by side with Paul Bogaev, there is a clear sense of respect, admiration, and learning. It feels natural, then, to turn now to Paul Bogaev, whose decades of experience meet the enthusiasm of a new generation.

Paul, Ben has just described how meaningful it was to collaborate with you on the overture, especially in the studio that once echoed with your work alongside his father. How did you experience this collaboration, and what drew you to this project in the first place?

Kathy Babylon called me and told me about a show they were working on called 38 MINUTES. I knew the basic history behind it and was intrigued with the human element involved. I had worked with Kathy’s late husband, Guy Babylon on Elton John’s AIDA and I was very impressed with the songs and their arrangements by Ben Babylon, Guy and Kathy’s son.

Collaborating with Holly Doubet, Kathy Babylon, and Ben Babylon on the overture must have been a unique experience. Could you share what that collaboration was like and how it influenced the musical's direction?

I loved working with Ben on the overture and felt he “got” my way of insisting on telling a story with the music that would lead well into the beginning of the show and not just putting together a bunch of songs that sounded good. Holly and Kathy responded immediately to our work and the fact that we are all on the same page about the music bodes well for the next phase of the show.

Given your extensive background in both Broadway and film, how did you approach the musical direction for this production, and what challenges did you face in translating the story's emotions into music?

All good musical direction, I believe, stems from using the lyrics of each song like a 3 act play. The musical choices come from that whether on stage or on film.

Working in the same studio where you previously collaborated with Guy Babylon on Aida, and having worked with Elton John projects before, how did that environment and past experience influence your work on This Is Not A Drill?

It was wonderful and very meaningful for me to work with Ben in the studio where his father and I worked. I know Guy would be so proud of his son!

Looking ahead, what projects are you currently working on, and how do you see the evolution of musical theatre in the coming years?

I am now writing music and lyrics for a musical piece that will be performed in January. It involves a meeting of The Holocaust and Black History. The finale of the piece is called NEVER AGAIN if that gives you an idea of how much this subject means to me. I am also planning performances of NO SURRENDER -A songs by Bruce Springsteen and Tom Waits, my solo show that I did last year in London.

Thank you, Paul, such a blessed to be in touch with you too

Their voices, divided by generations and experiences, converge on the same stage: music as a living legacy. Ben brings the freshness and energy of a new vision; Paul brings the wisdom and memory of a long journey. And in the background, like a constant presence, resonates the memory of Guy Babylon, inspiring them both. This Is Not A Drill is not just a musical: it is a shared story, a dialogue between past and future, sung in the present.

Pictures courtesy of Kathy Babylon