Musical Theatre Mondays

I remember a conversation I had a few years ago with a co-worker. We were discussing an upcoming presentation we were a part of at the advertising agency where we worked and she expressed how nervous she was for her portion of the presentation. Because she and I were the resident introverts of our team, she was hoping I'd divulge my secret nerves as well, but it was on that day that I realized something: Presentations have never made me nervous. That realization stumped me for the rest of the day - "why am I not nervous? I'm so painfully shy that I hope that cashiers at drive-thrus don't try to make small talk." It wasn't until later that night when I was preparing for an audition that it hit me. Theatre. Learning to perform for audiences, to commit to a character, and to focus has changed my life for the good in a million different ways, but to see the effects still lingering 20+ years and how it helps me daily in my career? That's pretty powerful. ...

The Pirates of Penzance; or, The Slave of Duty by W. S. Gilbert and Arthur Sullivan is a comedic opera. It tells the story of Frederic, a young man who has just been released from his pirate apprenticeship and is looking to live an upstanding life. Frederic meets Mabel and falls in love, but due to a most ingenious paradox learns that his apprenticeship isn't over and he must remain true to his pirate duties. Will Mabel wait for him? Will the rest of his pirate band find happiness too? I will begrudgingly own up to the following things: 1. I am not terribly familiar with anything Gilbert and Sullivan. 2. I've seen Penzance two other times in my life and struggle to remember the plot. 3. I am afraid of opera because I'm worried I won't "get it" and feel dumb. But it was silly of me to let these things attempt to dissuade me from this production because the production team, with Direction and Choreography by Liz Christensen and Music Direction by Antho...

Irving Berlin, with hits like "Blue Skies," "Puttin' On the Ritz," and "God Bless America," is one of the greatest songwriters in American history. In fact most might agree with composer Jerome Kern who said "Irving Berlin has no place in American music - he is American music." So it should be no surprise that his first situational musical  Annie Get Your Gun  feels just so derned-tootin American. I had the chance to see it this week at Peery's Egyptian Theater presented by Ogden Musical Theatre and it had me smiling from ear to ear. Annie Get Your Gun is the story of Annie Oakley and her discovery, rise, and success within Buffalo Bill's Wild West Show. Annie, after winning a sharp shooting contest against the famous Frank Butler, is thrust into the world of show business and the highs and lows therein. Annie and Frank find love, but will Frank's ego and Annie's stubbornness get in the way of their very own Old Fashion...

Since the rights for non-professional theaters were released this spring, have you noticed that just about every local theatre is planning to do  Mamma Mia  during the 2019 season? I thought these theaters were trying to capitalize on current events with the new movie that just came out, but the facts below prove that movie or no movie - theatre goers around the world cannot get enough of this show! Mamma Mia! is the longest running jukebox musical in Broadway history and the 9th longest running Broadway show. It opened on Broadway in 2001 and closed in 2015. Whoa!  Unlike other jukebox musicals where the story follows the life of the musician ( Beautiful: The Carole King Musical and The Jersey Boys ), Mamma Mia! has its own story with ABBA songs woven in. The story is adapted from a 1968 film  Buona Sera, Mrs. Campbell. Mamma Mia!  has played in over 50 countries (honestly - look at the Wikipedia list here ) and on  6 continents. In fact, Russia...

Last week's post got me thinking about the wealth of source material that Shakespeare has provided for musicals. West Side Story, All Shook Up, The Lion King, and Kiss Me, Kate all owe their storyline to the Bard. I'm not going to talk about any of those shows just yet, but wanted to focus on one of my favorites that never played on the Great White Way. Love's Labour's Lost was adapted by Michael Friedman and Alex Timbers (of Bloody Bloody Andrew Jackson fame) in 2013 for The Public Theater's Shakespeare in the Park and I cannot rave enough about it. It utilizes the existing Shakespearean text while adding new songs that are funny and beautiful. I am definitely of the belief that more community theaters should be doing Shakespeare on the regular because it's great stuff, but I understand that it's not going to bring in the buckaroos like a musical can. So this seems like a pretty good compromise. Also, I think the songs in this show can help add some ...

A wise director once told me that musical theatre is a "manufactured" art. You take different types of art - music, dance, and acting - and combine it into a whole new form. So it seems to make perfect sense that in order to manufacture a musical, you need to add something else to the combination: A really great piece of source material to drive the story. Some of the most important pieces of musical theatre are inspired by other pieces of art and if this year's Tony Awards were any indication - that number will only continue to grow. I think it's fun to look at how the musical theatre interpretations of these works has added to the fullness of the original piece. Below are three examples of pieces of art that will be forever changed for me because of their musical counterpart. Un dimanche après-midi à l'Île de la Grande Jatte (or A Sunday Afternoon on the Island of La Grande Jatte ) was the painting that inspired Stephen Sondheim's Sunday in the Park ...

When you think of the people who really shaped modern American musical theatre as we know it - the list is short, but distinguished. And whether you're looking at said list chronologically or basing it on clout - I would argue that the Gershwin brothers will almost always be at the top. Their romantic comedy gem Crazy for You  (with book by Ken Ludwig) is one of the essentials for any budding or current musical theatre fan and you're in luck because you can see it right now at Centerpoint Legacy Theatre! Crazy for You is a Gershwin brothers classic formula:  boy meets girl, a little comedy, a lotta romance and beautiful music to underscore the whole thing. Bobby Child, a wannabe dancer who can't imagine a life not on stage, is forced by his well-to-do, judgemental mother to foreclose on The Gaiety Theater in Deadrock, Nevada. Once in Deadrock, Bobby discovers the theater owner's beautiful and talented daughter, Polly, a town full of lovable and talented bumpkins, an...