Gaining recognition from Tokyo to London, Tracy Miller and Carly Robyn Green – Miller & Green – are a rising musical theatre lyricist team whose West End musical, YOUR LIE IN APRIL, has been touted by critics – “a gorgeous new musical which feels destined to become a classic.”
Carly Robyn Green is a BMG songwriter whose songs have been featured as themes and title songs in 175+ TV series and films, including 30 ROCK and DANCE MOMS, and multi-platinum artists worldwide like Anri and K.A.R.A. have recorded her music. Tracy Miller is a Broadway actress who starred as Penny Pingleton in HAIRSPRAY and originated theatrical roles in DRACULA and other musicals. Each are also artists in their own right.
Connecting
In 2018, Broadway composer Frank Wildhorn paired the women for their first musical theatre collaboration for Japan – an adaptation of the massively popular manga, YOUR LIE IN APRIL.
Wildhorn says he connected the women because he believed Green’s pop songwriting sensibilities would fuse well with Tracy’s background as a longtime actress and writer. And he was right.
As a songwriter for international artists and TV/film, Green was a great candidate for the project. She’d written songs for well-known J-Pop and K-pop artists, including Harumi (Sony), Min Hae (CJ E&M), and TWICE (JYP), and her songs have been featured in global TV shows like SCANDAL in Japan. “The songwriting process is the same, whether writing for artists in different cultures and languages – or for different characters on stage,” Green explains.
With Miller’s Broadway background and extensive performing experience in Japan, Miller was perfect for the job as well. Adept in conversational Japanese, Miller spent three years working on a Disney musical project in Tokyo, and has helped characterize roles for several international musicals. Her ability to analyze character motivations and story arcs is a great asset to her lyricism. She says, “I’ve been fortunate to play really cool characters all over the world, so I instinctively write with feelings and motivations in mind.”
Collaborating
The women hail from different musical backgrounds, but their creative connection is evident.
Wildhorn says of their partnership, “Carly’s classic pop timelessness meets Tracy’s whimsical, wonderful spirit in the most beautiful way. They’ve come together as first-class lyricists.”
Miller & Green’s lyrics are emotionally driven while remaining ear-catching and unique.
Miller says, “We want our listeners to hear our lyrics and relate our songs to their own lives – whether it eases their pain or makes them smile.” “We want to convey our characters’ innermost thoughts, hopes, and fears using turns of phrases no one’s heard before,” Green adds.
For example, the women highlighted a section from “One Hundred Thousand Million Stars” from YOUR LIE IN APRIL:
“One hundred thousand million stars hear a billion wishes just like ours,
If just one of them would listen – imagine all that it could do
I’d wish until the morning sun, and wish again until the one
In one hundred thousand million stars come through”
Of this lyric, they explain, “We love the idea of listeners thinking about a wish in a brand-new way.”
Eastern Beginning
The team’s first collaboration to open was their musical adaptation of Osamu Dazai’s acclaimed novel NO LONGER HUMAN, which just celebrated its 100th performance in China. It premiered in Shanghai in 2021 and has since been running and touring to sold-out audiences. The show even garnered several awards at the Beijing Tiaqiao Annual Musical Ceremony, China’s equivalent to the Olivier’s. Of this avant-garde piece, Green says, “we’re pinching ourselves to know that our music is impacting audiences all over the world.”
“The production is so cool and amazing!” Miller adds with a smile.
And how perfectly put, because they have a song called “The Amazing,” from NO LONGER HUMAN:
“Go for the amazing.
Glide until you’re riding in the air!
Get your blaze ablazing
Wonderful is there
Keep singing the amazing
Awesome leaves her footprint everywhere
Jump into amazing,
… Do I dare?”
Following the success of NO LONGER HUMAN, YOUR LIE IN APRIL made its world premiere in Tokyo in 2022 after Covid-19 delays. It starred J-Pop idol Erika Ikuta, and a tour throughout Japan followed, with a return to Tokyo slated for 2025.
YOUR LIE IN APRIL also premieres in Seoul later this month, starring K-Pop idols Lee Hong Gi, Lee Jae-jin, and Kei, and Jung Ji-so from the Oscar Award winning film, PARASITE.
West Ending
Meanwhile on the western front, the English-language concert of YOUR LIE IN APRIL premiered at the West End’s Theatre Royal Drury Lane this past April to five-star reviews.
In response to the buzz, the show’s full English-language production will make its West End premiere at the Harold Pinter Theatre on July 5th, with previews opening June 28th.
A BroadwayWorld UK critic said of the score, “Even the most narrative-laden numbers that feature intricate lyricism never lose control of their poetic flair. They’re singable but deep, sophisticated but accessible. In short, it’s a dream of a score.”
And it’s a dream come true for Miller & Green to make their West End lyric debut with this meaningful show with storylines and themes that resonate for the women on personal levels.
Having both recently lost a parent while writing the show – on the same exact day, no less – Kosei’s grief especially hits home for the women. “Your Lie in April is about the power of music to heal grief through music,” the women explain, and they witnessed firsthand the healing power of music in co-writing the score. Connected like sisters, the lyricists also relate to Kaori’s eternal, unwavering optimism.
What’s Next
After London, the team has six projects forthcoming, worldwide. East to West, Miller & Green are on the rise, word by word and song by song. Readers can follow their journey on Instagram @millerandgreenlyrics.