Michael Kaplan
Musical Theater and Storytelling

Nathan Beary Loughstein and David Wright perform
YOU DON'T KNOW JACK
Sarah Chapin performs
THE HEIGHT OF MY HIGH
About The Show
What if the dead never leave? What if they’re with us right now?
And what if they’re bored out of their minds?
The Spirit is Willing explores the connection between our every-day world and the afterlife—or spirit dimension. Through dance, lighting, scrims, perhaps even holograms, a world that is overlaid on ours comes into view in tantalizing (and often comedic) fashion.
After Charlie has a near death experience, he suddenly sees spirits around him. For some reason they can’t move on. So they watch the living like they’re soap operas and make bets on what they’re going to do next. This becomes a huge headache when one or two realize Charlie can see them. The only way for our hero to reclaim his normal life is to help these lost spirits find a way to move on. But how?
Book and Lyrics by Michael Kaplan
Music by John Y. Lawrence & Michael Kaplan
Musical Arrangements by John Y. Lawrence
In December 2025 we gathered in Rockville Maryland to record 11 tracks from this musical with a killer big band. David and Dyane Wright were the angels who made it all possible, and John Y. Lawrence's killer arrangements brought the whole show to life.