My chat with Neil Sedaka...

My story on Neil Sedaka ran in today's LA Daily News. It was great to talk to this great songwriter and I want to share an excerpt from our conversation with you here:

On Saturday night, the audience of "Breaking Up Is Hard to Do" is in for a treat: Neil Sedaka - whose classic songs make up the musical's score - will be in Thousand Oaks to take a bow.

The legendary singer-songwriter behind such hits as "Happy Birthday Sweet Sixteen," "Calendar Girl," "Where the Boys Are," and, of course, "Breaking Up Is Hard to Do," says he's looking forward to coming in from New York to take in the show with his wife and two adult children.

"I've seen it four times playing in regional theaters," he says. "It's a crowd pleaser, a very cute story."

The Cabrillo Music Theatre's production of "Breaking Up" at Thousand Oaks Civic Arts Plaza's Kavli Theatre is set in 1960 and begins on Labor Day weekend with two friends from Brooklyn seeking romance and good times at a Catskills resort.

"I gave them dozens and dozens of songs, and it sounds like the songs were written for the play," says Sedaka, referring to the 2005 book written by Erik Jackson and Ben H. Winters. "They continue the actions of the story. People always said my songs were very theatrical, and they do come alive."

Sedaka will address the audience at the end of Saturday's performance: "It's wild. I get up there at the end and say a few words. I feel like Cole Porter in a 1930s movie."

Here is a LINK to DailyNews.com where you can find the rest of the story!