Episode 96 - Brother, Can You Spare a Dime?
So Much Stuff to Sing
Time for a new miniseries! This time, we're looking at songs originally from Broadway shows that found a greater life outside of them as anthems. Anthems of movements, times, places, industries -- Broadway has given us many anthems over the years. Arguably one of its earliest is one that everyone knows but may not know that it originated in a Broadway show: "Brother, Can You Spare a Dime?" by Y.E. Harburgh and Jay Gorney. The song, written for a 1932 revue called Americana appropriately enough, quickly became an anthem of the Great Depression and has maintained its status ever...
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Episode 95 - It's a Hit
So Much Stuff to Sing
Well, it's that time again -- time to say goodbye to Sondheim for another year. But we're going out with a wide-ranging and multi-faceted discussion of all things Merrily We Roll Along centered around one of the only purely happy songs in the show: "It's a Hit." All clips are from 1982's Merrily We Roll Along: Original Broadway Cast Recording featuring Lonny Price as Charley Kringas, Jim Walton as Franklin Shepard, Ann Morrison as Mary Flynn, and Jason Alexander as Joe Josephson and are protected by the Fair Use guidelines of Section 107 of the Copyright Act for criticism and commentary....
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Episode 94 - Now You Know
So Much Stuff to Sing
For the first time in over 4 years and 90 episodes (!), we return to Merrily We Roll Along, Sondheim's greatest flop and now one of the biggest hits on Broadway. We'll looking at Merrily for our next two episodes, actually, since it has multiple songs that fit this miniseries quite nicely. First up, we have the Act 1 closing number, "Now You Know." All clips are from 2023's Merrily We Roll Along: New Broadway Cast Recording featuring Daniel Radcliffe as Charley Kringas, Jonathan Groff as Franklin Shepard, and Lindsay Mendez as Mary Flynn and are protected by the Fair Use guidelines...
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Episode 93 - Someone in a Tree
So Much Stuff to Sing
We're continuing our miniseries on Sondheim's conversation songs. This episode, we ask a very simple question: can a song simulataneously be about absolutely nothing and abosolutely everything? And we answer it with a resounding, "Yes," -- at least it can if the song is question is "Someone in a Tree" from Pacific Overtures. Join us as we try to pick apart the strands of this masterpiece and discuss Sondheim's favorite of his own songs. All clips are from 1976's Pacific Overtures featuring Mako as the Reciter, James Dybas as the Old Man, Gedde Watanabe as the Boy, and Mary Hsu Syers as the...
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Episode 92 - Waiting for the Girls Upstairs
So Much Stuff to Sing
From "Waiting for Life" to "Waiting for the Girls Upstairs" -- it's Sondheim time once again. This year, we're focusing on conversation songs, a sub-genre Sondheim may have himself invented. We begin with the aforementioned octet (!) from 1971's Follies and talk about why this song may be the key to understanding the whole show. All clips are from 1985's Follies in Concert are protected by the Fair Use guidelines of Section 107 of the Copyright Act for criticism and commentary. All rights reserved to the copyright owners. Note: the DVD does not include all of the songs in...
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Episode 91 - Waiting for Life
So Much Stuff to Sing
We wrap up our miniseries on "I Wish" songs with "Waiting for Life" from Once on This Island by Lynn Ahrens and Stephen Flaherty. Topics include whether being made into a tree is a good thing, The Little Mermaid, and whether Ahrens and Flaherty were the right fit for this source material. DW: This episdoe contains mentions of racism, sexual assault, and self-harm. Listener discretion is advised. All clips are from the 1990 Original Broadway Cast Recording of Once on This Island featuring LaChanze and are protected by the Fair Use guidelines of Section 107 of the Copyright Act for...
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Episode 90 - Home
So Much Stuff to Sing
And we're back again with another "I Want" song, but we're still in the 1970s. This time we're tackling The Wiz and it's end-of-show I want song, "Home." Topics include Stephanie Mills, Diana Ross, and why the 80s really, really sucked. Editor's Note: Yes, this episode sounds different. New computers, new set-ups, etc. We're still ironing out the kinks. Also, the original cast album is cuirrently out of print and not widely available for streaming, so, if you're the rights holder, fix that, please. All clips are from the 1975 Original Broadway Cast Recording of The Wiz featuring...
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Episode 89 - Corner of the Sky
So Much Stuff to Sing
We're just getting started with I Want songs, and we're tackling another classic. This time, from 1972's Pippin, we're talking about "Corner of the Sky." We talk Stephen Schwartz, Bob Fosse, and where cats and children fit. Strap in. All clips are from the 1972 Original Broadway Cast Recording of Pippin featuring John Rubinstein as Pippin and are protected by the Fair Use guidelines of Section 107 of the Copyright Act for criticism and commentary. All rights reserved to the copyright owners. Follow SMSTS on Instagram: Email the show:
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Episode 88 - Wouldn't It Be Loverly
So Much Stuff to Sing
We're back! We're starting our 5th year a little late, but as opinionated as ever! We're looking at "I want" songs here in 2024, and we're starting with one of the most famous and beloved examples: "Wouldn't It Be Loverly" from Lerner & Loewe's Golden Age classic My Fair Lady. But is it beloved by your intrepid hosts? Only one way to find out... All clips are from the 1956 Original Broadway Cast Recording of My Fair Lady featuring Julie Andrews as Eliza Doolittle and are protected by the Fair Use guidelines of Section 107 of the Copyright Act for criticism and...
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Episode 87 - Mary Poppins
So Much Stuff to Sing
Oh, it's a jolly holiday season here at So Much Stuff to Sing! This year, we're looking at one of the all-time great film musicals, Walt Disney's Mary Poppins. With songs written by Richard and Robert Sherman, and featuring seminal performances by Dick van Dyke, David Tomlinson, Glynnis Johns, and (in her film debut!) Julie Andrews, the film is both a landmark of cinema and a timeless masterpiece. But what about its deeply anti-capitalist message? We'll get into that -- and more -- on this bonus-sized end of year episode. Programming note: we'll be on holiday ourselves until the middle...
info_outlineHappy Halloween, everyone! By sheer coicidence, our Off-Broadway miniseries timed up with spooky seaon, creating a wonderful synchronicity whereby our episde about "Science Fiction Double Feature" from The Rocky Horror Show is coming out just before Halloween. Wait...did you not know that Rocky Horror was a smash London and L.A. musical before becoming a movie? Well, grab a seat in the back row and listen...
All clips are from 1975's The Rocky Horror Picture Show: The Original Soundtrack featuring Richard O'Brien are used in accordance with the Fair Use Exemption for criticism and commentary.
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