LINK TO CURRENT MUSICALS PODCAST
The Stage and Musical Show
Current Musicals are an interesting section to deal with. For instance, a good portion of the musicals that we discussed in our broadcasts over the last few weeks could be considered a current musical. Musicals such as South Pacific, West Side Story, The Phantom of the Opera and Mary Poppins are currently running on the Broadway stage. Yet these plays had already been discussed previously, so it would be unfair to add them into this weeks playlist.
Instead, I decided to focus on the musicals that were unable to fit into the other categories. For the most part, a good portion of the current musicals are either film based musicals, jukebox musicals or revivals. Only a few are original shows.
Wicked
In the broadcast, I played two songs from the musical of Wicked. If I had my way, I’d probably play the entire cast album. It was one of the first cast albums I purchased and my love for Idina Menzel really opened a lot of doors for me when it came to the world of musical theater. I truly wish I had the opportunity to see her shine as Elphaba on stage. Perhaps she will return to the part at some point in her career, but I do hope if she does take on the role of Elphaba again, she takes better care of her voice. Her performances were raw and sent shivers straight up your back, partially because of the scream she manages to do several times throughout the show. But that scream did horrible things to her tones and it was very evident during the Rent film. Her voice was not as strong and it seemed, as a viewer, that she may have damaged it from the volume she hit with her screams during her turn as Elphaba.
Kristin Chenowith is also a performer that I’d really like to see in Wicked as well. I’m not sure how likely it’ll be for her to return to the production, but it’d be a wonderful treat. Kristin Chenowith is simply adorable in her whole physique and her voice is darling. I never get sick of hearing her sing and I do miss being able to hear her perform rather often on the brilliant but canceled television series (of which I am still mourning) Pushing Daisies.
I miss this show so terribly.
And last but not least, Norbert Leo Butz. He is about to debut in Enron on Broadway, a musical I had no interest in until I discovered he was part of the ensemble. He is another one of my favorite vocalists. Just as I do with Patrick Wilson, I’m willing to try anything that Norbert Leo Butz is a part of. While he was great on the cast album for Wicked, in my opinion, his best work will always be The Last Five Years.
Here he is with Sherie Renee Scott, singing “The Next Ten Minutes,” which we played during the introductory playlist.
Hair
I talked a good portion about Hair in a earlier blog posting, so I won’t hit on it again for this blog. But it was featured highly during the on air broadcast, actually finishing out the playlist. The Flesh Failures may indeed be the last song we play on the actual radio show for The Stage and Musical Show. Who knows, really.
Jersey Boys
Jersey Boys became my favorite to win the Tony a few days before it actually won at the ceremony. I remember being blown away by the casts performance on the awards show and it became an almost mission for me to see the play. By a stir of luck, I managed to while visiting my roommate’s family in San Francisco.
Our seats were just a few rows back from the stage, possibly the closest I have ever been to the front row, and I had to sink back some in my seat in order to really see the entire stage set up. But it didn’t matter as I was completely brought into the world of Frankie Valli and the Four Seasons. As I have always been a sucker for biopics in the film genre, it was no surprise that I loved the biopic in the theater setting.
Next to Normal
My sister is the one who introduced me to Next to Normal. While I had seen the performance by the cast on the Tony awards, and enjoyed it, I didn’t put much research into the production. Several days after that broadcast, my sister began to talk of nothing but Aaron Tveit, the performer who plays Gabriel. We are both pretty rabid about musicals in general but rarely was she the one to bring a musical to my attention. The only other time in memory where this occurred was with the Cats film.
While I have not hit a level obsession with Next to Normal, I am quite intrigued by the entire thing. I enjoy the cast album intensely and every performance clip I have seen has been hard to look away from. But what has really caught my attention with Next to Normal was the fact it won the Pulitzer Prize for drama. The last musical to win this award was Rent, over ten years ago. Clearly musicals rarely are honored with this award and when they are, it is for good reason. So my curiosity is now officially a strong desire to see just what about this play is that good. I am hoping to see the production in the near future.
Favorite Clips
I used to watch this video on a constant loop. I truly loved the whole world of the Wizard of Oz and Wicked. I love just how well this performance seems to capture the spirit of the show and the amount of energy that Idina Menzel and Kristin Chenoweth have. Plus, Joel Grey is so excited to announce them and the crowds reaction is just brilliant.
The clip that really solidified my interest in Jersey Boys. John Lloyd Young is quite charming in his portrayal of Frankie Valli.
The Tony performance of Next to Normal.
The Stage and Musical Show 