Starting a new project is like starting a new love affair. You come in with excitement and high hopes, and you promise yourself that it’s going to go smoothly, fueled on daily progress and sustained industry.

In reality, of course, every day brings its moments of bliss and its moments of blister. Day one was largely bliss. We began with a read-through of the whole show, and while it felt about as long as Die Götterdämmerung, each act didn’t actually run much more than 45 or 50 minutes, a perfectly manageable length. In the previous semester I’d had the leisure to work on most of the solo pieces and duos, and they mostly remained in beautiful shape, with some stunning performances. The ensemble pieces, however, had not gotten as much attention—it was very difficult to get everyone together in one room at the same time during the semester, and we managed it only once. Assembling the group numbers smoothly therefore depended on everyone reading and assimilating my rather detailed messages and my musical scrawls sent as PDFs. This is apparently a mushy area for some people, and I admit there were a few moments when I felt my blood pressure spiking.

There’s no denying, however, that this cast is comprised of seven amazingly stylish performers, endowed with rhythm, humor, sensitivity, and breathtakingly beautiful voices. And it was a blast to watch director Mary Birnbaum and choreographer Adam Cates work their magic. These two bring so much imagination and craft to these songs, most of which I have known for decades. Harry, Hoagy, and Harold is off and running—no, flying.

The picture is from the opening song of the show, Hoagy Carmichael’s “The Old Music Master.” In this piece, Dimitri Katotakis plays a 19th century composer who is visited by two emanations from the future; they tell him that jazz will take over the world in a hundred years and he’d better learn to swing if he wants his music to survive. In Mary and Adam’s staging, the ghostly spirits are Dimitri’s coatrack (played by Amanda Lynn Bottoms) and desk (played by Kelsey Lauritano); they come to life and shake some serious booty. Dimitri, the old music master, is convinced.

Come hear these young talents in Harry, Hoagy, and Harold on January 13, 7:30pm at the Peter Jay Sharp Theatre at The Juilliard School (tickets here) or on January 17, 3pm at Flushing Town Hall (tickets here).