Current Musicals

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.

Read Full Post »

Family Musicals

LINK TO FAMILY MUSICALS PODCAST

The family musical is a genre that I just can’t help but love. I have always been a big advocate of Disney films so being able to see some of my favorites performed in a theater setting is a true treat. However, not all family musicals are released by Disney. Perhaps the first family musical I knew of as a child was Peter Pan.

Peter Pan

This musical went in direct correspondence with the fact that I loved anything related to Peter Pan as a child. The Disney film was alright but the Peter Pan based stories were this musical, Hook, and Peter Pan and the Pirates. It never seemed to bother me as a child that Peter Pan was evidently being played by a woman. In fact that notion doesn’t bother me as an adult either. Peter Pan has always been traditionally portrayed by a woman on stage, going all the way back to J.M. Barrie’s time. I loved so many different songs from the production and as an adult, tried my hardest to procure the film on DVD. I have been unable to obtain a true copy of the production and will not settle for the Cathy Rigby Production.

Though I can’t find the DVD, the entire production can be found on youtube. Above is a clip from the production known as ‘Never Grow Up.’

The Lion King

Erika and I with Mufasa, 2010.

I was lucky enough to get to visit New York City for a third time right before our Broadcast for the Family Musical. I had saved up and redeemed all of my Disney Movie Reward points, which allowed me to get two free tickets to see The Lion King on Broadway. I went with my friend Erika, as she helped me to earn some of the movie reward points. Though the trip was stressful (we missed our bus and had to catch another one), the show experience was just as grand as I remember it being when I first saw the show with my father in March of 2003.

The Lion King, thus far, has proved to be the only musical that will continually make me cry on repeat views. I believe this has a lot to do with the emotional connection I personally have to the storyline, as it is my favorite film of all time.

Mary Poppins

I’ve not had the ability to see the musical as of yet and only can rely upon the cast album, but I have very mixed feelings about the changes between the Mary Poppins stage show and the original film. A lot of the songs are out of the order they appeared in during the film and this raises a red flag to me personally as it indicates that some plot changes have been made. It appears as if the stage show is a blending of the film and of the original novels, instead of a direct adaptation of the film. Even though I may be concerned about the changes in plot, it is a very small amount of worry, since I know that Cameron Mackintosh is behind the production. As evident from my earlier postings in the British Imports post, I adore Cameron Mackintosh so I know to not be entirely skeptical of him.

Beauty and the Beast

Beauty and the Beast was the very first production that Disney brought to Broadway. While no longer on Broadway, I am hopeful for a revival as I really wanted a chance to see the production.

Favorite Clips

The ‘Circle of Life’ may not be my favorite song within the musical, but it is certainly the one that causes the most emotion from me. It always manages to make me tear up and it takes a great deal of effort for me not to sob when I see the The Lion King live. This is the original Broadway cast performing the song on the Tony Awards.

The ‘Circle of Life’ may be the main song to make me cry during The Lion King, but Endless Night will always be my favorite song from the production. I had hoped that they’d animate the song and add it onto the DVD special features, but instead they choose to do ‘The Morning Report.’ Jason Raize was a great Simba.

I am still putting research into the Shrek musical, but out of the cast album, this is my favorite track thus far. I aired this song during the initial broadcast but this gives a nice visual to how the scene pans out on stage.

I have posted clips of Hugh Jackman before on the blog so when I ran across this clip, I was ecstatic to see the performer in Beauty and the Beast. Gaston is my favorite Disney villain so I really enjoyed seeing him playing the character. It is also an interesting news segment on Hugh Jackman himself.

Read Full Post »

British Imports

LINK TO BRITISH IMPORTS PODCAST

The Mega Musical

The Mega Musical was something truly introduced during the 1980’s. Generally a Mega Musical is a production that has large ensembles, lavish sets and expensive special effects. The three longest running musicals of all time are examples of Mega musicals. They are also all British Imports.

Cats

I first saw  Cats on home video when my little sister convinced my parents to purchase it on DVD, so she could finish watching the production (they had watched some during one of her classes). I ended up watching the film with her and at first was indifferent about it. Days later though, the songs remained in my head and I found myself re watching the DVD. This continued and I got to the point where I was watching the DVD nearly every day, for several weeks. This isn’t unfamiliar for me. But I began to talk about nothing but Cats. At the time I fell in love with the production, it was still the longest running musical on Broadway, though not for long. Only a few years later was it trumped by Phantom of the Opera. My entry about Phantom of the Opera can be found here.

I was so enthralled by Cats that I was able to convince my parents, with the help of my sister, to take us to see the production live in Washington DC. Right before the play began, I was so overcome by my excitement that I began to cry just from the first few notes of the opening theme. I was ecstatic. My favorite song and pair of cats within the show had always been Mungojerrie and Rumpleteazer, so I kept my eyes upon them for the majority of the show. I had been quite pleased with the experience, even though I knew by the intermission I was the only one who was really excited out of my family.

I had such a reputation for my love of Cats that one of my friends, Alicia, even made me my very own Mr. Mistoffolees arm warmers for Christmas that year.

In the background you may notice on the wall a framed vinyl of the original cast album for Cats. Also, I began to collect figurines that were released over the years that were based off the musical. As you can see, I was thoroughly obsessed. I saw it one additional time as a University production and I have potential plans in the near future to see it for a third time in Hershey Park. The plot of the musical may be minimal but I still adore it.

Les Miserables

The Day I saw Les Miserables, it rained all day. It felt appropriate.

Les Miserables may no longer be on Broadway, but it still is playing on West End. Due it still playing in London, it has now become the longest running musical in history. And for good reason.

The friend I mentioned earlier, Alicia, was one of my true confidants in the world of musical obsession; along with the girl I mentioned in the Phantom of the Opera post, Mary. Les Miserables was one of my first cast albums and during my freshman year of college, I caught a commercial for the tour. Realizing it was going to be stopping in Washington DC, I pleaded with my father for him to get me tickets. Alicia was the girl who I ended up going with for that show.

I am very picky when it comes to Les Miserables. Even though I have three different cast albums, my favorite is the Complete Symphonic Recording. I feel as if the other cast albums will never hold a candle to the Symphonic recording and I rarely listen to the other versions, even though I own them.

“On My Own” was my gateway into the world of Les Miserables. I had heard the song in an episode of “Dawson’s Creek“, way back in the 5th grade, when Katie Holmes was my idol. In other words, along time ago.

I then proceeded to have a friend in the seventh grade who was already obsessed with this musical. She introduced me to “Master of the House” and the recordings were often in the background when we spent time together. Soon enough I got the cast recording myself and not long after that, we had an entire Broadway based marching band show in my high school. I was one of the few who understood that “I Dreamed a Dream” was not a cheery song, without being told by my band director.

Being able to see it on tour solidified the show as my favorite musical of all time. Only recently has this position been rivaled and that has been due to my experience seeing Hair, which now shares the spot of favorite with Les Miserables.

Miss Saigon

I only own a Best of recording for Miss Saigon, a fact that I am very upset over. Eventually I plan to get my hands on the entire cast album, but it doesn’t seem likely any time soon. I hope that one day Miss Saigon will be revived on Broadway, only out of my own yearning to see it.

Favorite Clips

Mungojerrie and Rumpleteazer from the Cats film. It is my favorite song from the musical and I hate the fact that it is impossible to find this version of the song on CD. Originally this song  was much slower and had a jazz feel to the tune. Then there was another version that was sang by Mr. Mistoffelees and the two characters were puppets he conjured up. I believe this peppy duet is the best version of the three choices and the best song from the entire production. Who cares about Memory? Cats has so many rich and lively songs. Memory is just a worn out ballad that really needs to be put to rest.

My favorite song from Miss Saigon by one of my favorite performers. It is a horrible camera video but it really should be viewed for the 30 or so seconds of Patrick Wilson rocking out the tune.

Lea Salonga is also one of my favorite performers. She played the character of Éponine in Les Miserables for a time and is the singer for the part on the Complete Symphonic Recording (as well as the 10th anniversary concert). My love for her vocals is what lead me to Miss Saigon, as I was trying to find more of her work. She plays Kim in the original production and this is a video of her supposed audition for the musical.

Earlier I posted the clip from “Dawson’s Creek” that got me interested in Les Miserables. Here is a video of Lea Salonga performing the song at the 10th Anniversary Concert. She will always be my favorite Éponine and this is a chilling performance. The entire DVD is superb and really worth checking out if you are a fan of the musical.

Read Full Post »