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Episode 137 - Rose's Turn

Release Date: 04/18/2026

So Much Stuff to Sing

1975. The Broadway musical is maturing and evolving, and while it's probing deeper than ever before, this new style of musical has yet to produce a record-breaking smash. Enter A Chorus Line. The first show to set any number of performance records, A Chorus Line was an unlikely smash, seeing as it had no famous stars, was written by a group of relatively unknown theatrical creators, and was about dancers at an audition. And yet, director and choreogreapher Michael Bennett saw the potential in the everyday struggles of Broadway dancers, and he turned it into a landmark. In this episode, we...

Episode 141 - Barcelona

So Much Stuff to Sing

We enter the 1970s: the era of Sondheim and Prince, of a modern Broadway for modern audiences, and of something new and vital that comes to take the place of a Broadway musical formula that had ceased to please. Everything kicks off with Sondheim's 1970 masterpiece Company: directed by Prince, with a book by George Furth and choreogeraphy by Michael Bennet, the show would usher in a new type of Broadway musical, whether audiences and critics were ready or not. Here, we talk about "Barcelona" as capturing much of what defines this new era on Broadway. All clips are from the 1970 cast...

Episode 140 - Black Boys/White Boys

So Much Stuff to Sing

The 60s roll on, and we come to the show that, more than any other, defines the 1960s musical: Hair. The ultimate hippie musical that broke barriers and box office records, Hair has become synonymous with the late 60s counterculture, even though its creators weren't truly a part of it. Still, it addresses sex, race, and numerous other taboo topics head-on in a way that is still uncommon to see, as we learn when we talk about the paired songs "Black Boys" and "White Boys." Please note, this episode contains frank discussions of sex, race, and other sensitive topics. Listener...

Episode 139 - Willkommen

So Much Stuff to Sing

And so, with a seemingly endless wash from the cymbals, we enter the modern era. It's 1966, Hal Prince has taken to directing instead of producing, and John Kander and Fred Ebb are going to give life to his vision of a musical about Weimar-era Berlin that would be unlike anything Broadway had ever seen. Cabaret was the show, and, fittingly enough, we're talking about the first song they wrote for that show: "Willkommen." All clips are from the 1966 cast album of Cabaret featuring Joel Grey and are protected by the Fair Use guidelines of Section 107 of the Copyright Act for criticism and...

Episode 138 - If I Were a Rich Man

So Much Stuff to Sing

The 1960s would eventually completely revolutionize huge swaths of the American cultural landcape, including Broadway. But as is often the case, the early part of the decade looks a lot like the decade before: talented young writers, composers, directors, and producers pushing at the boundaries of what Rodgers & Hammerstein had done. It was the Golden Age of the Broadway Musical, and its last masterpiece was Bock and Harnick's Fiddler on the Roof from 1964. Produced by Hal Prince, directed by Jerome Robbins, and starring the indomitable Zero Mostel, the show was an absolute smash, and...

Episode 137 - Rose's Turn

So Much Stuff to Sing

As the 1950s came to a close, Broadway continued to push and expand what could be done in a musical and what was expected of a night at the theater. Stars were becoming less powerful and less of a draw, though some stars found ways to maintain their status by proving that they had a place in the new style of show tha cared more about the truth of a character than simply star power. Once such star was Ethel Merman, and her final original stage role was also her greatest: playing Rose in 1959's Gypsy. Composer Jule Styne joined most of the West Side Story Team -- Robbins, Bernstein, and Sondheim...

Episode 136 - America

So Much Stuff to Sing

As the 1950s moved on, new talents were emerging, taking up the challenge laid down by Rodgers and Hammerstein to create integrated musicals featuring real characters dealing with real issues. Among others, Jerome Robbins, Leonard Bernstein, Arthur Laurents, and Stephen Sondheim heard that challenge and rose to meet it, creating something brand new and incredibly challening for 50s Broadway audiences. West Side Story debuted in 1957 (Erik says 1959 a few times in the episode, ignore him), and its 1961 film adaptation cemented its legacy as a classic. So why has it taken this long to get...

Episode 135 - Fugue for Tinhorns

So Much Stuff to Sing

Rodgers & Hammerstein ushered in a new style with Oklahoma! in 1943, and soon, the old styles died away, putting up various degrees of resistance as they did so. Irving Berlin and Cole Porter both adopted a more R&H approach with their late 40s musicals, but it wasn't only existing masters who were influenced by the new approach. 1950 brought Guys & Dolls to Broadway, with Frank Loesser making his debut as a Broadway composer. Is it the best musical comedy ever written? It certainly belongs in the conversation, as we discuss in our episode on "Fugue for Tinhorns." All clips...

Episode 134 - Oh, What a Beautiful Mornin'

So Much Stuff to Sing

There's something deeply symbolic -- perhaps almost too much so -- about the Golden Era of the American Musical being ushered in by a song called "Oh, What a Beautiful Mornin'." But sometimes history is not subtle in her imagery, so here we are. The opening number to Rodgers & Hammerstein's 1943 absolute smash hit and epochal achivement, Oklahoma!, "Oh, What a Beautiful Mornin'" is modest and simple. And yet, it -- and the show it's from -- changed everything. Including ushering in the era of cast recordings, incidentally. All clips are from a 1943's cast recording of Oklahoma! and...

Episode 133 - My Funny Valentine

So Much Stuff to Sing

Time marches on, and so does our exploration of the American musical's first century. In this episode, we say a bittersweet farewell to the musical comedy as it existed in the 20s and 30s, the era of the Great American Songbook, and the partnership of Richard Rodgers & Lorenz Hart. Join us as we discuss "My Funny Valentine" from 1937's Babes in Arms. All clips are from a 1953's Chet Baker Sings 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. Warning: This episode contains...

More Episodes

As the 1950s came to a close, Broadway continued to push and expand what could be done in a musical and what was expected of a night at the theater. Stars were becoming less powerful and less of a draw, though some stars found ways to maintain their status by proving that they had a place in the new style of show tha cared more about the truth of a character than simply star power. Once such star was Ethel Merman, and her final original stage role was also her greatest: playing Rose in 1959's Gypsy. Composer Jule Styne joined most of the West Side Story Team -- Robbins, Bernstein, and Sondheim -- to tell this story of the ultimate stage mother. It was Robbins and Sondheim, however, who created the show's 11 o'clock number, and one of the greatest star turns in Broadway history: "Rose's Turn." It has challenged Broadway divas ever since.

All clips are from the cast album of the 2024 revival of Gyspy featuring Audra McDonald 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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