Musical Cyberspace

Musical Theatre Haiku Month: ANNIE

Posted on August 4, 2011 by David Fick

To purchase the 30th Anniversary Cast Recording of ANNIE, click on the image above.

Annie

Tomorrow’s promise:
Little girls on Easy Street,
Maybe a New Deal.

Want to write your own Annie haiku? Head to the comment box and give it a try!

Posted in Charles Strouse, Fun Stuff, Martin Charnin, Thomas Meehan | Tagged Annie, Broadway, Charles Strouse, Haiku, Martin Charnin, Musicals, Thomas Meehan | Leave a comment

Musical Theatre Haiku Month: BALLROOM

Posted on August 3, 2011 by David Fick

To purchase the Original Broadway Cast Recording of BALLROOM, click on the image above.

Ballroom

One lonely widow,
A terrific band, nice crowd –
One man disappoints…

Want to write your own Ballroom haiku? Head to the comment box and give it a try!

Posted in Alan Bergman, Billy Goldenberg, Fun Stuff, Jerome Kass, Marilyn Bergman | Tagged Alan Bergman, Ballroom, Billy Goldenberg, Broadway, Haiku, Jerome Kass, Marilyn Bergman, Musicals | Leave a comment

Musical Theatre Haiku Month: TELL ME ON A SUNDAY

Posted on August 2, 2011 by David Fick

To purchase the 2003 London Revival Cast Recording of TELL ME ON A SUNDAY, click on the image above.

Tell Me On a Sunday

Single girl seeks love
Like an unexpected song
But ends up alone

Want to write your own Tell Me On a Sunday haiku? Head to the comment box and give it a try!

Posted in Andrew Lloyd Webber, Don Black, Fun Stuff, Jackie Clune, Richard Maltby Jr | Tagged Andrew Lloyd Webber, Broadway, Don Black, Haiku, Jackie Clune, Musicals, Richard Maltby Jr, Tell Me On a Sunday | Leave a comment

Musical Theatre Haiku Month: JESUS CHRIST SUPERSTAR

Posted on August 1, 2011 by David Fick

To purchase the Original Concept Recording of JESUS CHRIST SUPERSTAR, click on the image above.

August is Musical Theatre Haiku Month at Musical Cyberspace. By the end of the month, I will have posted 31 haikus about 31 different musicals. Hope you enjoy them, dear reader, and if you find yourself similarly inspired, head to the comment box and post your own haiku for each day’s musical!

Jesus Christ Superstar

Know how to love (H)im:
[De]construct, don’t crucify!
Jesus is “the man”…

Want to write your own Jesus Christ Superstar haiku? Head to the comment box and give it a try!

Posted in Andrew Lloyd Webber, Fun Stuff, Tim Rice | Tagged Andrew Lloyd Webber, Broadway, Haiku, Jesus Christ Superstar, Musicals, Tim Rice | Leave a comment

RIP Tom Aldredge

Posted on July 22, 2011 by David Fick

American television, film and stage actor Tom Aldredge has passed away from lymphoma at the age of 83. A wildly prolific actor, he will always be remembered by musical theatre fans for originating the roles of the Narrator and Mysterious Man in Into the Woods and of Doctor Tambourri in Passion. His death comes only six months after that of his wife, the famed costume designer, Theoni V. Aldredge.

Rest in peace.

Posted in Obituaries | Tagged Into the Woods, Obituaries, Passion, Theoni V. Aldredge, Tom Aldredge | 7 Comments

NEWSFLASH: Darren Criss to SUCCEED on Broadway

Posted on July 22, 2011 by David Fick

Above: Darren Criss

So, according to Deadline, it looks like Darren Criss will take some time off Glee to succeed Daniel Radcliffe in How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying, which features a score by Frank Loesser and a book by Abe Burrows, Jack Weinstock and Willie Gilbert. Two Harry Potters in the same role – what fun!

I only recently made the connection between A Very Potter Musical and Darren Criss, something which fleshes out his Glee pedigree to some extent. Given his experience, Criss might work better in the role than Radcliffe, although I’m pretty sure he won’t have quite the same drawing power at the box office, despite his popularity in Glee.

Posted in Newsflash | Tagged A Very Potter Musical, Abe Burrows, Darren Criss, Frank Loesser, Glee, Harry Potter, How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying, Jack Weinstock, Willie Gilbert | Leave a comment

FUN STUFF: Top 5 Sondheim Rhymes

Posted on July 21, 2011 by David Fick

To purchase THE MUSICALITY OF SONDHEIM on CD, click on the image above.

In the latest edition of The Village Voice, Michael Musto listed his top 5 Sondheim rhymes – check out the link for his reasons:

1. “When a person’s personality is personable / He shouldn’t oughta sit like a lump / It’s harder than matador coercin’ a bull / To try to get you off of your rump.” – Company

2. “Putting thoughts of you aside in the South of France / Would I think of suicide? Darling, shall we dance?” – Follies

3. “Another chance to disapprove / Another brilliant zinger / Another reason not to move / Another vodka stinger / Aaaaaaaahhhh! I’ll drink to that.” – Company

4. “This is how Samson was shorn / Each in her style a Delilah reborn.” – Follies

5. “The hands on the clock turn, but don’t sing a nocturne just yet.” – A Little Night Music

So what are yours, and why? I might have to think about this for a while before I select mine…

Posted in Stephen Sondheim | Tagged Stephen Sondheim | 1 Comment

NEWSFLASH: Lin-Manuel Miranda in FREESTYLE LOVE SUPREME Pilot

Posted on July 19, 2011 by David Fick

Lin-Manuel Miranda

Playbill is reporting that a pilot based on the Freestyle Love Supreme stage show (described as ‘a non-stop, hip hop improv ride, spinning cues from the audience into instantaneous riffs and fully realized musical number’) will be produced, starring Lin-Manuel Miranda. The pilot would feature original music by Miranda and Bill Sherman.

Miranda is a super wordsmith and I’ve enjoyed a great deal of his work, admiring particularly his work on the revival of WEST SIDE STORY, which must have been a pretty thankless job given the hostile stance so many took to Arthur Laurents’s idea of translating certain of the Stephen Sondheim-Leonard Bernstein songs in that score into Spanish. I guess he has to do something now that the In the Heights film has been canned. Of course, he still has Bring it On going. That show ran in January and a tour begins in November. If there are revisions happening there, I guess that’s what he’s busy with at the moment. I hope he manages to keep his momentum going. I would hate to see him go the way of Meredith Willson.

Anyway, I wonder how this will work given that the show upon which the pilot is based relies on interaction with the audience. Will it be like a live hip-hop version of Whose Line is it Anyway? with a live studio audience?

Thoughts?

Posted in Arthur Laurents, Bill Sherman, Leonard Bernstein, Lin-Manuel Miranda, Meredith Willson, Stephen Sondheim | Tagged Arthur Laurents, Bill Sherman, Freestyle Love Supreme, In the Heights, Leonard Bernstein, Lin-Manuel Miranda, Meredith Willson, Stephen Sondheim, West Side Story, Whose Line is it Anyway? | 3 Comments

INTERVIEW: Lenora Nemetz in THE EXAMINER

Posted on July 17, 2011 by David Fick

To purchase the 2008 Broadway Revival Cast Recording of GYPSY, click on the image above.

Here’s an interesting interview with Lenora Nemetz, the actress who originated the role of Fritzie in Cabaret, who understudied and then went on to replace both Gwen Verdon and Chita Rivera in Chicago, who understudied Liza Minnelli in The Rink and who played Mazeppa in the most recent revival of Gypsy. What a talent. Enjoy!

Posted in General News | Tagged Cabaret, Chicago, Chita Rivera, Gwen Verdon, Gypsy, Lenora Nemetz, Liza Minnelli, The Rink | 1 Comment

Opening Nights: TOMMY at the Colonial Theatre

Posted on July 7, 2011 by David Fick

Since tonight is the opening night of the Berkshire Theatre Festival’s Tommy, I thought it might be interesting to share some photos of the new production of Pete Townshend and Des McAnuff’s show, which stars Randy Harrison (from Queer as Folk), Jenny Powers and James Barry.

Tommy

Just sharing a couple of shots here; the rest can be seen at the Playbill.

Posted in Des McAnuff, Pete Townshend | Tagged Des McAnuff, James Barry, Jenny Powers, Pete Townshend, Randy Harrison, Tommy | Leave a comment