Category Archives: Commentary

A TANGLED Song

We’re now able to hear one of the Alan Menken/Glenn Slater songs from Disney’s Tangled Rapunzel project: I’m not really sure what to make of it. It’s a sweet song, but I don’t get the stylistic link between the song … Continue reading

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Second TANGLED Trailer

The second trailer for Disney’s Tangled has been released: All in all, this leaves me feeling better about the film than I did after the previous trailer. Although I’m still not won over by the look of the film as … Continue reading

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Musical Comedy vs. Musical Play

Following my 2010 redux blog on “Genres of Musical Theatre“, I received a message from Hans Anders Elgvang, a regular visitor of this site, asking: ‘What are, in your opinion, the differences between the form categories musical comedy and musical … Continue reading

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Genres of Musical Theatre Redux: the 2010 edition

In a discussion around different kinds of musical theatre, I think the first step is to define the terrain of musical theatre. Musical theatre does not include all theatre that uses music. Musical theatre excludes – for example – opera, … Continue reading

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The Alice Ripley Controversy

Musical theatre sites are buzzing with conflicting opinions around the “Alice Ripley” controversy. Haven’t heard about it yet? Here’s the 411: From PopWatch: (Alice Ripley) came under fire for using a gay slur in her Facebook status, a response to … Continue reading

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O/T: Brecht and Didactic Theatre

I was recently reading a rather mundane series of posts around the issue of adaptation at Musicals.net, which then delved into the realm of Bertolt Brecht and his vision of theatre. Here’s the bit that I found interesting: Hans wrote: … Continue reading

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Thoughts on THE BOYS IN THE PHOTOGRAPH

I went to see the 14:00 show Ben Elton and Andrew Lloyd Webber’s The Boys in the Photograph today. What follows are my thoughts on the show, a revised version of the 2000 musical The Beautiful Game. I shall also … Continue reading

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Deconstructing Disney: AIDA Part 5

This is Part 5 in a series of posts that examines Disney’s Aida in detail. Aida has a book by Linda Woolverton, David Henry Hwang and Robert Falls, lyrics by Tim Rice and music by Elton John. Act 1 Scene … Continue reading

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Deconstructing Disney: AIDA Part 4

This is Part 4 in a series of posts that examines Disney’s Aida in detail. Aida has a book by Linda Woolverton, David Henry Hwang and Robert Falls, lyrics by Tim Rice and music by Elton John. Act 1 Scene … Continue reading

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PROMISES, PROMISES Opening Night

Rob Ashford’s Broadway revival of Promises, Promises, starring Sean Hayes and Kristen Chenoweth, opens on Broadway tonight. here are some clips from the show to celebrate the event: I think the show promises pretty good things in terms of its … Continue reading

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