Category Archives: Musicals

Crazy Concepts for Classic Shows: THE PHANTOM OF THE OPERA

Posted on July 12, 2010 by David Fick

Here’s another of those “crazy concepts” proposing to bring new life to a classic show. Such concepts are not necessarily ‘crazy’; they are merely unconventional: you can decide which this is and I’ve offered my opinion on the matter too. … Continue reading →

Posted in Crazy Concepts, Musicals | Tagged , , | 1 Comment

Musical Comedy vs. Musical Play

Posted on July 9, 2010 by David Fick

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 →

Posted in Commentary, Musicals, Theatremaking, Theory and Practice | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 3 Comments

The “Guido” Conundrum

Posted on July 3, 2010 by David Fick

After giving my 1992 Concert Cast Recording of Nine another spin, I find myself wondering yet again whether there will ever be a Guido as effective as Raul Julia. Take this album for instance: closer to complete than any other … Continue reading →

Posted in Cast Recording Reviews, Musicals, West End | Tagged , , , | 1 Comment

“The Small House of Uncle Thomas” from THE KING AND I

Posted on July 3, 2010 by David Fick

Often, when cast recordings are released, there are snips here and there, usually of underscoring or dance music. Rarely does a number fundamental to the score get left out of recordings completely, but that’s exactly what happens to “The Small … Continue reading →

Posted in Cast Recording Reviews, Musicals, Showtune Albums | Tagged , , , | 1 Comment

RAPUNZEL is now TANGLED…

Posted on July 1, 2010 by David Fick

Disney’s Rapunzel has been retitled Tangled due to Disney’s belief that the title of The Princess and the Frog deterred young boys from seeing the film preventing that film from performing as well as they hoped it would at the … Continue reading →

Posted in Disney, Movies, Musicals, YouTube | Tagged , , , , , , | 18 Comments

“Showtunes” – an all-encompassing term?

Posted on July 1, 2010 by David Fick

A recent discussion on Musicals.net that debated the terminology that could be used to classify songs from musicals caught my attention. Thinking about it carefully, I realised that I do not feel that “Broadway” or “showtune” function well as an … Continue reading →

Posted in Broadway, International, Musicals, Theory and Practice, West End | Tagged , , , , , , , | 3 Comments

Genres of Musical Theatre Redux: the 2010 edition

Posted on July 1, 2010 by David Fick

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 →

Posted in Commentary, Dance, Musicals, Plays, Revues, Theatremaking, Theory and Practice | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 3 Comments

Defending Theory and Practice

Posted on July 1, 2010 by David Fick

Every now and then, I’ll get a nasty little message implying that discussions around musical theatre practice, debates around musical theatre terminology and so on are petty and worthless. Let me go on record saying that I do not think … Continue reading →

Posted in Musicals, Theatremaking, Theory and Practice | Tagged , , | 6 Comments

The Alice Ripley Controversy

Posted on June 30, 2010 by David Fick

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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Rhyme in Musical Theatre Lyrics

Posted on June 25, 2010 by David Fick

Here is an interesting question that I’d like people to consider: why do we expect musical theatre to make use of pure rhyme or celebrate lyrics that are crafted using pure rhyme more readily than those that employ other kinds … Continue reading →

Posted in Musicals, Theory and Practice | Tagged , , , | 8 Comments