Waltham councilor takes center stage as music director of Boston show

The musical Swept Away is currently running in Boston through May 23 to strong reviews, and one of the creative forces behind the production may surprise Waltham residents. Ward 7 City Councilor Paul Katz, now serving his third term on the council, is the show’s music director.

The show is produced by SpeakEasy Stage Company, a Boston-based nonprofit theater. Katz has worked with SpeakEasy since 1992, leading the music direction for Swept Away and more than 25 other productions, concerts and benefit performances. 

Swept Away is a folk musical set in the late 1800s using the music of The Avett Brothers. It follows four whalers who survive a shipwreck and are stranded at sea, where limited supplies force them to make difficult choices as they fight to survive. The show was on Broadway in 2024. 

Music plays a central role in the production, and Katz’s job as musical director is to guide performers through the show’s folk-rock sound, helping them shape harmonies to match the Avett Brothers’ blend of bluegrass, gospel, country and rock influences. 

“The music is such a major element in this show and its folk-rock style is extremely specific,” said show director Jeremy Johnson. “Paul understood immediately how the actors needed to phrase the lyrics so that they connect to the various styles of the Avetts. I’ve had so many people mention how beautifully sung the show is, from the leads to the ensemble.”

In addition to coaching the cast, Katz conducts the show’s eight-piece orchestra, which features guitars, banjo and other stringed instruments that give the production its Americana feel. 

“Paul knows how to follow and support the actors as they move through the show, and he even mentioned during our final rehearsals that his favorite place to be is sitting on his perch, conducting the band,” Johnson said.

Katz began playing piano at age four and continued formal lessons through middle school and high school as his studying became more serious. He later attended Brandeis University and completed additional studies at the New England Conservatory. 

After college, he worked with Reagle Music Theatre, where he wrote and arranged its Christmas Spectacular and established himself as a leading pianist and musical director in the region. Over the course of his career, he has worked on more than 100 musicals, ranging from classic shows to more current Broadway productions. 

Katz said the connection between music and storytelling is what continues to draw him to theater. “My job is to help craft the songs to bring out the best performances in the artists,” he said. “Music adds a dimension that you don’t get in a play. It sets a mood, and can make the hair stand up on the back of your neck.”

For Katz, balancing public service in Waltham with life in the theater world may seem unusual, but both roles rely on creativity and collaboration whether it’s in the council chamber or from the orchestra pit.