Episode 119 - Anything You Can Do I Can Do Better
So Much Stuff to Sing
A few days late, but we hope it's worth the wait: it's new miniseries time! This time, we're looking at comedic duets, and we start with one of the most iconic examples of the genre: "Anything You Can Do I Can Do Better" by Irving Berling from 1946's Annie Get Your Gun. We talk a lot about the show, the song, and why the latter seems destined to outlive the former. All clips are from 1999's Annie Get Your Gun: The New Broadway Cast Recording featuring Bernadette Peters and Tom Wopat and are protected by the Fair Use guidelines of Section 107 of the Copyright Act for criticism and...
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Episode 118 - Talent
So Much Stuff to Sing
One final SondheimB-side before we depart. This time, we're looking at a show that's gone by many names, but has failed to make a huge impression under any of them. We're discussing at "Talent" from Road Show, aka Bounce aka Wise Guys. Never heard of it? You're not alone. N.B.: There is a very light swear in the song, at the very end. If you don't want your kids to hear it, just stop when we say goodbye. All clips are from 2009's Road Show: Original Cast Recording featuring Claybourne Elder and are protected by the Fair Use guidelines of Section 107 of the Copyright Act...
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Episode 117 - It's Only a Play
So Much Stuff to Sing
We're talking The Frogs, perhaps the ultimate curio in the Sondheim canon. Originally staged at Yale as a side project during Sondheim's golden 70s, the show was eventually brought to Broadway in 2004 -- still the most recent Broadway debut for Sondheim -- by Nathan Lane, who expanded the original version and got Steve to write some new songs. Now a more recognizable work -- though still an off-beat one -- another major production is set for the London stage. But where do Shannon and Erik come down on this most peculiar of Sondheim shows? We discuss "It's Only a Play." All clips are from...
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Episode 116 - With So Little To Be Sure Of
So Much Stuff to Sing
Moving on with Sondheim B-Sides, we come to his very next show after Forum, namely the complete catastrophe that was Anyone Can Whistle. Co-written with Arthur Laurents, who also directed, the show was a massive flop, but it did give the world Broadway star Angela Lansbury, as well as an incredicle score. In this episode, we look at "With So Little To Be Sure Of," but not how it is in the show, necessarily. Curious? Listen and find out! All clips are from the 2020 online concert event Take Me to the World: A Sondheim 90th Birthday Celebration featuring Brandon Uranowitz and are...
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Episode 115 - Comedy Tonight
So Much Stuff to Sing
It is our annual tribuite to the God of Musical Theater, Stephen Sondheim, and for this year's festival we are exploring some songs of his from the shows that people rarely place among their favorites. The unloved, the ignored, the obscure, and the forgotten. Or, in this case, a show that many know, but doesn't tend to get thought of as a "Sondheim" show. It's time for a song from his first produced show writing both music and lyrics: "Comedy Tonight" from A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum. All clips are from the 1996 revival cast recording of A Funny Thing Happened on...
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Episode 114 - The Field
So Much Stuff to Sing
Okay, don't panic! No, you've probably never heard of this song "The Field" -- or maybe even this show --Octet -- but what if I told you it was Dave Malloy's follow up to The Great Comet? And then what if I told you it was a weird chamber musical about internet addiction? Well, maybe listen to the episode anyway, and join us as we discuss the nature of Art, whether the internet is bad, and the fundamental nature of reality. Y'know, the stuff of musicals. All clips are from the 2019 original cast recording of Octet and are protected by the Fair Use guidelines of Section 107...
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Episode 113 - The Song of Purple Summer
So Much Stuff to Sing
Our next ensemble song takes us to 1890s Germany via Broadway in 2006. Spring Awakening, with book and lyrics by Steven Sater and music by rocker Duncan Sheik, is based on an 1891 German play that explores many of the worst things that can occur to a person, especially during adolescence. Winner of 8 Tonys, the show speaks frankly about sexuality, abuse, and mental health, and while "The Song of Purple Summer" -- which we talk about in this episode -- doesn't address those issues directly, the show definitely does, as does our discussion. Listener discretion is very much advised: parents,...
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Episode 112 - Do You Hear the People Sing?
So Much Stuff to Sing
What's that I hear? Why, it's another ensemble song...but this one...is angry! Yes, for our next installement in our Ensemble Song miniseries, we're discussing "Do You Hear the People Sing?" from Les Miserables, by Claude-Michel Schoenberg, Alain Bubil, and Herbert Kretzmer. Opening in 1985 under the auspices of the Royal Shakespeare Company, the song has been a global phenomenon for 40 years. But is it any good? And why, exactly, are these men so angry? All clips are from Les Miserables (Original 1985 London Cast Recording) and are protected by the Fair Use guidelines of...
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Episode 111 - Pick-a-Little, Talk-a-Little
So Much Stuff to Sing
Time for another year and another new mini-series! This time, we're turning our spotlight onto the ensemble. From the Greek chorus to the modern Broadway ensemble, the act of a group of people singing together has often been a crucial part of theater. While we're not going to go all the way back to Ancient Greece, we are going to look at 4 examples of choral numbers in shows and the effect they have on their shows and their audiences. First up, we're returning to an old favorite, 1957's The Music Man written by Meredith Wilson. One of the most enduring celebrations of Americana ever seen on...
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Episode 110 - The Ballad of the Witches' Road
So Much Stuff to Sing
For our holiday episode, we're turning our sights to a song written for television for the first time. This fall the internet went mad for a song with ample Broadway cred -- "The Ballad of the Witches' Road" from Agatha All Along. Let's talk about what made it such a hit, about its songwriters -- the formidable Bobby & Kristen Anderson Lopez -- and about Patti Lupone, of course. All clips are from Music from Agatha All Along featuring Kathryn Hahn and the cast of Agatha All Along and are protected by the Fair Use guidelines of Section 107 of the Copyright Act for criticism and...
info_outlineWe're back with another Elphaba, and this time they're singing a role essentially built for them! Except...well...join us as we talk the great Eden Espinosa and the show that maybe doesn't rise to her level: 2024's Lempicka. Written by Matt Gould and Carson Kreitzer, the show underwent a long workshop process before an ultiamtely unsuccessful Broadway run. We explore what went wrong, in our opinions, at least, as we discuss "Woman Is."
All clips are from the Lempica Original Broadway Cast Album featuring Eden Espinosa 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.
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