The Saturday List: Don’t Talk, Just Kiss – Ten Great Musical Moments of Love and Longing

Posted on July 6, 2024 by David Fick

Happy International Kissing Day! In celebration of the simple pleasures associated with kissing, let’s take a trip through some of the most memorable, passionate and significant kisses in musical theatre for this week’s Saturday List. These moments capture the essence of love, longing and sometimes, sheer awkwardness. Here are ten kisses that have left an indelible mark on the world of glamour and show tunes. Pucker up – but be warned, spoilers may follow!

10. Maria and Georg in The Sound of Music

The relationship between Maria and Georg comes to a touching culmination in The Sound of Music, which features a score by Richard Rodgers and Oscar Hammerstein II and a book by Howard Lindsay and Russel Crouse. The kiss in the original stage version precedes the dirge-like, but well-intentioned “An Ordinary Couple” and it’s Lindsay and Crouse’s lead-in dialogue that gives one the giggles. ‘When you were a very little girl,’ Georg says, ‘did a very little boy ever kiss you?’ Maria replies in the affirmative, and the Captain tells her it is very different from kissing a man. He then shows her, and she exclaims, ‘It is different!’ This kiss, though giggle-inducing, marks a clear manifestation of their heartfelt connection. It’s a gentle reminder that sometimes, first kisses are a mix of nerves and joy.

Some of Broadway's greatest couple stans, from THE COLOUR PURPLE, RENT and MOULIN ROUGE
Some of Broadway’s greatest couple stans, from The Color Purple, RENT and Moulin Rouge

9. Christian and Satine in Moulin Rouge

In Moulin Rouge, written by John Logan to fit a jukebox score, the kiss during the “Elephant Love Medley” is the climax of a spectacular theatrical sequence. Christian, fully believing in their love, has returned to Satine, who up until now has thought him to be totally ridiculous, and she eventually reciprocates his affections. This kiss is a rapturous epitome of their intense, forbidden romance, setting up the emotional journey of the second act. where they share a second kiss during “Come What May.” That second kiss takes place when the stakes are higher and their passion has matured a little, so it could be argued that it is more impactful – but it simply doesn’t measure up to that moment when Christian holds Satine in his arms and leans over to kiss her in a most romantic of act-closers.

8. Angel and Collins in RENT

Jonathan Larson’s RENT is filled with kisses, but the best ones belong to Collins and Angel. Their duet, “I’ll Cover You,” promises, in fact, ‘a thousand sweet kisses.’ Their sentimental kiss in the snow during “Christmas Bells” and their more performative one in “La Vie Boheme” highlight a deeply profound love that is also politically important. Angel’s death in Act II is heart-wrenching, making their initial kiss all the more meaningful. We weep for the loss of the most authentic individual in the show and for the depth of pain that Collins feels. And to think, it all started with a joyous little bop on the street with some cheeky choreography that lets these two characters dance deep into our hearts without us even realising it.

7. Celie and Shug in The Color Purple

Shug’s kiss with Celie in The Color Purple (with a book by Marsha Norman and a score by Brenda Russell, Allee Willis and Stephen Bray) was a groundbreaking moment of bisexual realness on Broadway. Celie, who has endured a lifetime of abuse first by her father and then by her husband, Mister, finds someone who cares for her well-being in Shug. Shug is a jazz singer who is also Mister’s longtime lover. She is in such bad shape when she arrives that Celie has to nurse her back to health despite disapproval from the local community. While tailoring a dress for Shug’s debut, Celie experiences feelings of warmth for the first time, while Shug learns more about Celie’s relationship with Mister. Their kiss during “What About Love?” is a natural yet surprising event that sets Celie on a path to self-love and empowerment. By the time the show ends, Celie has learned the lesson of love we all need to learn at some point – that true love starts by loving yourself.

Some of Broadway's greatest kisses, from FUN HOME, HAMILTON and WICKED
Some of Broadway’s greatest kisses, from Fun Home, Hamilton and Wicked

6. Elphaba and Fiyero in Wicked

In Stephen Schwartz and Winne Holzman’s Wicked, Elphaba and Fiyero’s kiss during “As Long As You’re Mine” is a passionate and intense moment. It comes at a cost too. Early in the show, Galinda is charmed by Fiyero’s good looks and shallow philosophy, while Elphaba is unimpressed. One makeover and some social protests later, Elphaba and Fiyero rescue a lion cub imprisoned in a cage designed to prevent any Animal from speaking, after which Elphaba revises her take on Fiyero, also lamenting that Fiyero will never love her in “I’m Not That Girl”. One unhappy marriage to Glinda later, Fiyero helps Elphaba – now in full Wicked Witch mode – escape from the Emerald City and decides to go with her, leaving Glinda behind. They confess their devotion to one another in a hidden forest, which leads to a hot and heavy kiss, a testament to their undeniable chemistry and the complicated nature of their relationship. Being wicked has never felt so good.

5. Alexander and Eliza in Hamilton

In Lin-Manuel Miranda’s Hamilton, the song “Helpless” gives us two kisses between Alexander and Eliza. At “A Winter’s Ball” hosted by Philip Schuyler, Eliza falls in love with Alexander, who reciprocates her feelings (“Helpless”), while Angelica suppresses her own feelings for the sake of their happiness (“Satisfied”). Alexander and Eliza’s first gentle kiss, his on her hand, is sweet, while their wedding kiss symbolizes their unity. “Helpless” captures the giddiness and all-consuming nature of love, making these kisses memorable and heartwarming. (Technically, the song gives us three kisses, but one is between Eliza and her father as he gives her away at her wedding. Even so, it’s also sweet – and kisses aren’t just about romance!)

4. Medium Alison and Joan in Fun Home

In Jeanine Tesori and Losa Kron’s Fun Home, Medium Alison’s kiss with Joan is an identity-affirming event. It takes place as part of the lead-in to the fantastic “I’m Changing My Major to Joan,” which in its chorus is a contemporary show tune in waltz time that is right up there with the best of Richard Rodgers’s waltzes from the Golden Age. In the scene, Medium Alison proudly tells Joan she has written a letter to her parents telling them that she is a lesbian, but begins to second-guess herself until Joan kisses her. Alison reciprocates almost immediately with a kiss of her own and later that night, she is delirious with the joy of self-discovery and something that feels a little bit like love.

Sometimes, it's all about the kiss (THE PHANTOM OF THE OPERA); sometimes, it's all about the moment before the kiss (SOUTH PACIFIC and WEST SIDE STORY)
Sometimes, it’s all about the kiss (The Phantom of the Opera); sometimes, it’s all about the moment before the kiss (South Pacific and West Side Story)

3. Tony and Maria in West Side Story

The iconic kiss between Tony and Maria during the “Dance at the Gym” in Leonard Bernstein, Arthur Laurents and Stephen Sondheim’s West Side Story captures their instant, passionate chemistry. Despite the feud between the Jets and the Sharks, their tender kiss stands out as a point of stillness in a whirlwind of conflict. Before this, Tony has been convinced that something important is waiting for him (“Something’s Coming”), while Maria, who has recently arrived from Puerto Rico, is not in love with Chino, the man everyone expects her to marry. This brief kiss sets in motion the tragic events that follow. When Bernardo pulls his sister away from Tony and sends her home, it becomes the moment when the ultimate war between the Jets and the Sharks begins.

2. Emile and Nellie in South Pacific

In South Pacific, the long-awaited kiss between Emile and Nellie is a masterclass in building anticipation. Their initial interactions are loaded with sexual tension, culminating in a kiss after Emile’s formal proposal later in the show. The brilliantly written opening scene brings the pair close to a kiss a couple of times, notably at the end of “Twin Soliloquies” which is perhaps loaded with even more sex and eroticism than any Golden Age show knew how to handle! As each wonders whether the other reciprocates their feelings of love, they drink their snifters of brandy and – well, it’s very, very sexy. A big ballad follows (“Some Enchanted Evening”) as does the hint at a marriage proposal, but any chance of a stolen kiss is interrupted by Henri’s announcement of the arrival of Nellie’s ‘zheep.’ Finally, after Nellie has vocalised her doubts about marrying Emile and even vowed to ‘wash that man right outta (her) hair,’ Emile arrives with a formal proposal. Their kiss, after a glorious reprise of “Some Enchanted Evening,” is a satisfying payoff that highlights their mutual adoration.  It’s brilliant drama from Richard Rodgers, Oscar Hammerstein II and Joshua Logan!

1. Christine and the Phantom in The Phantom of the Opera

The kiss between Christine and the Phantom in Andrew Lloyd Webber, Charles Hart and Richard Stilgoe’s The Phantom of the Opera is a powerful cornerstone of the show’s final scene. Exposed after Christine has removed his mask on stage to a horrified audience, the Phantom drags Christine back to his lair. Raoul comes to the rescue but is ensnared in the Phantom’s deadly Punjab lasso. In a dramatic reprise of “The Point of No Return,” the Phantom offers Christine an ultimatum: if she stays with him, he will spare Raoul; her refusal will sentence Raoul to death. Christine tells the Phantom that he’s not alone and kisses him. her kiss, filled with kindness and compassion, touches the Phantom deeply and he frees Raoul and lets them go. This kiss is the culmination of the entire show’s build-up, making it a long and wondrous moment that resonates with audiences, even as it horrifies Raoul, who simply doesn’t understand the extent of what has transpired between Christine and the Phantom.

Final Thoughts

Kissing in musical theatre is more than a mere romantic gesture; it’s a way to convey deep emotions, pivotal plot points and the complexities of relationships. These ten kisses, whether awkward, tender, or passionate, remind us of the magic of love and the significance of a simple kiss. Which of your favourites have we left out? Let us know in the comments! And remember – it doesn’t have to be International Kissing Day for us to celebrate the beauty and joy of kissing for kissing’s sake. Spread the love!

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Forgotten Musicals Friday: Wartime Unity and Cultural Controversy in THIS IS THE ARMY

Posted on July 5, 2024 by David Fick

Welcome back, theatre aficionados, to the thrilling reboot edition of Forgotten Musicals Friday! Having focused on improving the regularity of our engagement on the site for the last six months, we ran a poll on our Instagram account last week to find out what we could add as a second weekly feature on the site – and the return of Forgotten Musicals Friday came out tops! This week, we’re diving into a wartime classic that certainly boosted military morale during World War II, while simultaneously breaking new ground in the arts and placing itself, in some ways, on the wrong side of the cultural conversations of the time. So let’s dust off our military fatigues and march into the world of This Is The Army!

Irving Berlin and the company of THIS IS THE ARMY on stage
Irving Berlin and the company of This is the Army on stage

Picture it: July 4, 1942. The Broadway Theatre is abuzz with excitement as the military revue, This Is The Army, premieres to an enthusiastic audience. With music and lyrics by the legendary Irving Berlin and a book by James McColl, with dialogue for the minstrel show (more on that later!) by Private Jack Mendelsohn, Private First Class Richard Burdick and Private Tom McDonnell, this revue was no ordinary show. It was a patriotic spectacle designed to lift the spirits of a nation at war, produced by none other than the United States Army – whimsically credited as Uncle Sam in the production credits – itself. And boy, did it deliver! The show ran for 113 performances on Broadway before embarking on a national tour, hitting major cities across the USA from Washington to San Francisco, D.C. to Los Angeles, raising a staggering $2 million for the Army Emergency Relief Fund. This wasn’t just a show; it was a nationwide phenomenon that brought joy and unity during dark times.

The concept of unity is an interesting and complex part of the history of This is the Army, which was a follow-up to Berlin’s World War I wartime revue, Yip Yip Yaphank. In the earlier show, there was no racial integration in the cast. This time around, Berlin insisted on racial integration – or at least a version of it. In 1942, when the show was written and staged, there were no racially integrated units in the United States Army. Because the show was to be performed by a specially formed unit, the company created for This is the Army would be the first to be racially integrated. As such, the soldiers lived and worked together at Camp Upton where the show was rehearsed; ironically, they did not appear on stage simultaneously. Berlin wrote a special number titled “What the Well-Dressed Man in Harlem Will Wear” for the African American performers and sharp ears might note its rhymic similarity to another Berlin song, “Puttin’ On the Ritz,” itself an ode to the 1920s-based social observation of fashionable African American people strutting their stuff in Lenox Avenue. Berlin simply played the song over and over until it took on its new form.

Corporal James Cross, one of the cast members of This is the Army.
Corporal James Cross, one of the cast members of This is the Army.

At the heart of the evolution from “Puttin’ On the Ritz” to “What the Well-Dressed Man in Harlem Will Wear,” there is a transaction founded Berlin’s stereotypical views of African American people and his perception of African American music. It’s a very short road from this kind of discernment to Berlin’s view on minstrel shows and blackface. It is well documented that Berlin had hoped to reproduce the minstrel show sequence from Yip Yip Yaphank, which featured more than 100 soldiers sitting on bleachers in blackface, in This is the Army. Ezra Stone, the director of This is the Army, had an unambiguous response to this idea:

I know the heritage of the minstrel show. Those days are gone. People don’t do that anymore.

Berlin disagreed with him, writing off Stone’s views as progressive nonsense. Eventually, Stone talked Berlin around the idea of having the entire company in blackface, convincing him of its impracticality. Even so, the opening sequence was still sub-titled “A Military Minstrel Show” and it still included the reproduction of the song “Mandy” from Yip Yip Yaphank, in which blackface was still used. It’s a most perplexing muddle of racism and an attempt to move away from it.

Another blight on the vision of unity that This is the Army was Berlin’s later diatribe about the number of Jewish performers in the show. In his opinion, there were ‘too many’ and he wanted to rationalise the inclusion of ethnicities in the show. Given that Berlin himself was Jewish, the son of a cantor, this hits hard. Given the wider context of World War II and the Holocaust, it’s pretty much unforgivable.

Berlin’s personal politics aside, This is the Army played a significant role in building the military’s esprit de corps, humanising the soldiers’ experiences for civilians who saw the show and raising money for the relief fund. By contemporary standards, it’s perhaps easy to dismiss the score, which is full of catchy ditties about army life (like “This Is the Army” and “The Army’s Made a Man Out of Me”), sentimental ballads about the things soldiers leave behind (such as “I’m Getting Tired So I Can Sleep”) and patriotic anthems (including “American Eagles” and “This Time”). But this doesn’t take into account how it landed in the 1940s. One can imagine just how stirring this production must have been back then, when the life of a loved one – or even your own – was hanging in the balance. Suddenly, something straightforward and perhaps even ostensibly trite, takes on another dimension and becomes something extraordinary.

Indeed, the show was so impactful that Warner Brothers paid $250 000 for the film rights, which Berlin granted on condition that the rights and profits from the motion picture were donated to the army. The film version of This is the Army combined elements from both Yip Yip Yaphank and This is the Army, structuring everything around a fictional backstage story about the making of the two shows. It became the highest-grossing musical film of all time for a little more than a decade and was nominated for three Academy Awards, winning one for Best Scoring of a Musical Picture.

Members of the United States Army Signal Corps in drag in THIS IS THE ARMY
Members of the United States Army Signal Corps in drag in THIS IS THE ARMY

The success didn’t stop in the United States. In 1943, the stage version of This Is The Army crossed the Atlantic, performing in London, Glasgow, Naples and Rome, and then leapt into North Africa for some time in Cairo before heading east to perform in Iran and even further afield in New Guinea, Guam, Leyte, Okinawa and Iwo Jima before wrapping things in Honolulu and on Maui in 1945. Berlin joined the tour to sing his signature wartime tune, “Oh! How I Hate to Get Up in the Morning,” and made local adaptations for the show, including “My British Buddy,” as it made its way around the world.

Considering this show’s legacy is not easy. As a topical revue, it’s obviously not the kind of show that can be revived. It also has problematic elements, not only from our modern-day view but from a contemporary perspective too. Perhaps, like the 2016 revival-adaptation of Shuffle Along, retitled A 2016 adaptation, Shuffle Along, or, the Making of the Musical Sensation of 1921 and All That Followed, revisiting this show needs to recognise its social context. This was the approach taken when This is the Army received a tribute in a performance at 54 Below to mark its 75th anniversary. Directed and produced by Jason Ferguson, the concert sported a revised book (also by Ferguson) based on Alan Anderson’s memoir The Songwriter Goes to War and included the expected story of how the first racially integrated army unit came to be alongside tales of openly gay soldiers in the unit who risked military prison and how the company avoided brushes with death during their trips in combat zones. Anderson was the stage manager of This is the Army and his book is one to add to your reading list if you haven’t already read it.

So there you have it – a forgotten gem that not only entertained audiences in the 1940s, but also gives us a snapshot into that place and time, when social and cultural politics were shifting in ways that are, perhaps, not all that dissimilar to the shifts we navigate today. Until next time, dear readers, keep those jazz hands ready and your spirits high!

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The Saturday List: Which Loesser Offers More?

Posted on June 29, 2024 by David Fick

Frank Loesser’s legacy in musical theatre is nothing short of monumental, his creations being a testament to the power of wit, melody and drama. On what would have been his birthday, we celebrate the Broadway works that solidified his place among the pantheon of musical theatre giants. From whimsical misfires to groundbreaking triumphs, Loesser’s Broadway journey is a kaleidoscope of innovation and influence. As we toast the man behind some of the most memorable scores ever to grace this best of all possible theatre districts, let’s rank his five Broadway shows. Which of these productions truly encapsulates Loesser’s genius and continues to enchant audiences today? Well, let’s buckle up for a dive into the work of Frank Loesser on Broadway and see!

More or Loesser? Daniel Radcliffe and John Larroquette in How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying, Shuler Hensley and Laura Benanti in The Most Happy Fella and Faith Prince and Nathan Lane in Guys and Dolls.
More or Loesser? Daniel Radcliffe and John Larroquette in How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying, Shuler Hensley and Laura Benanti in The Most Happy Fella and Faith Prince and Nathan Lane in Guys and Dolls.

5. Where’s Charley? is a whirlwind mixture of courtship, farce and show tunes.

Where’s Charley? wasn’t just Loesser’s first full-scale Broadway musical; it’s a cocktail of bold choices and classic farce. Adapted from Brandon Thomas’s Charley’s Aunt, the play follows the troubles of two Oxonians, Jack and Charley, who cook up a scheme in which Charley will dress up as his aunt, Donna Lucia D’Alvadorez, so that they can avoid the scandal of meeting with their girlfriends without a chaperone.

George Abbott’s book threw caution to the wind by merging two characters (Charley and his aunt’s impersonator) into one, giving Ray Bolger a starring role that let him shine brighter than a Broadway marquee and win a Tony Award for his efforts.

The songs, perhaps more decorative than narrative, hit some high notes. “My Darling, My Darling” and “Lovelier Than Ever” reveal tender portraits of love across generations, while songs like “Better Get Out of Here” and “Make a Miracle” foreshadow Loesser’s later genius in Guys and Dolls. In that latter song, Amy gives us a bouncy prelude to Miss Adelaide as a musical theatre heroine who turns to books when romantic problems arise. The real showstopper is “Once in Love with Amy,” a song so infectious that Bolger’s encores turned the show into an impromptu singalong. Loesser’s attempt at an English period pastiche is mostly charming, even if songs like “The New Ashmolean Marching Society And Students’ Conservatory Band” feel like they escaped from the score of something like The Music Man.

Modern critics might call Where’s Charley? pleasant but not dazzling, yet its 792-performance run on Broadway, its subsequent success in London and 1952 film adaptation tell a different story: in its day, it was the cat’s pyjamas of musical comedy.

4. Greenwillow‘s misplaced whimsy still has a score worth revisiting.

Greenwillow was Loesser’s penultimate Broadway effort, a peculiar and whimsical musical that didn’t quite find its footing. With a book by Lesser Samuels built around Loesser’s music and lyrics, it spins a yarn about the magical eponymous town, where the eldest Briggs men are compelled to obey a “call to wander,” leaving behind their wives, who tend their homes and raise their children, all the while hoping for a reunion with their husbands. The eldest Briggs boy of the current generation is Gideon, who is desperate to settle down with his love, Dorrie, and break this cycle.

Although it premiered in 1960, Greenwillow feels oddly displaced, as if it belongs to the 1940s. It attempts to capture the whimsical charm of Alan Jay Lerner and Frederick Loewe’s Brigadoon and E. Y. Harburg, Fred Saidy and Burton Lane’s Finian’s Rainbow but lacks the stakes and satire that respectively make those shows successful and relevant. The problems must largely have originated in Samuels’s book, as Loesser’s folksy score hit some high notes. Songs like “Could’ve Been a Ring” and “Gideon Briggs, I Love You” bring playful humour to the proceedings, while “Summertime Love” is filled with a delicious sense of yearning. The standout hit, “Never Will I Marry,” which went on to be recorded by icons like Barbra Streisand and Judy Garland, takes on a profound subtext for us today when we hear it sung by its originator, Anthony Perkins, resonating as an LGBTQ-themed torch song just as the gay rights movement gained momentum toward Stonewall.

Greenwillow might just be ripe for a revisal. As it stands, it’s a bit twee, but with a score dotted with fantastic gems, it has the potential to be a grand affair. Perhaps a modern reinterpretation could uncover its latent brilliance.

3. How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying is a sharp satire with timeless tunes.

How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying is a zany workplace satire with a book by Abe Burrows, Jack Weinstock and Willie Gilbert, and a score that showcases Loesser’s undeniable wit. Following the ambitious J. Pierrepont Finch, who skyrockets from window washer to chairman of the World Wide Wicket Company, the musical skewers corporate culture with biting humour. Its acclaim is well-deserved, having nabbed the Tony Award for Best Musical and the prestigious Pulitzer Prize for Drama, also sweeping the Tonys with seven wins out of eight nominations, including Best Author and Best Score.

This show resonated with the social politics of its time and continues to captivate audiences, as evidenced by the gender-fluid revival in London in 2023. Songs like “Paris Original” and “I Believe in You” drip with wit, while “Brotherhood of Man” delivers a rousing, show-stopping 11 o’clock number. The original 1961 production was a smash hit, running for 1 417 performances, and has since seen two Broadway revivals, as well as film and TV adaptations.

How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying has proven a stellar vehicle for stars like Robert Morse, Matthew Broderick, Ralph Macchio, Daniel Radcliffe, Nick Jonas and Darren Criss. Even the casting of the book’s voice has featured notable names like Walter Cronkite, Anderson Cooper and Michelle Visage. This timeless musical remains a brilliant commentary on ambition and corporate shenanigans, with a score that keeps audiences laughing and tapping their toes.

2. The Most Happy Fella is Tony-snubbed but remains an epic Loesser legacy.

The Most Happy Fella might have been the biggest loser at the 11th Tony Awards, overshadowed by the juggernaut My Fair Lady, but in hindsight, it’s clear which show was the lesser of the two. Sorry, not sorry: it wasn’t the Loesser show. Loesser’s ambitious opus, with book, lyrics, and music all penned by him, makes Lerner and Loewe’s efforts look like child’s play. Viewed through the 20/20 lens of hindsight, The Most Happy Fella is a monumental influence on American musical theatre, building on the foundations laid by Show Boat, which were further developed by Richard Rodgers and Oscar Hammerstein II, and paving the way for the sophisticated works of Stephen Sondheim and the lush, mature soundscapes of Craig Lucas and Adam Guettel’s The Light in the Piazza.

Based on Sidney Howard’s They Knew What They Wanted, the musical centres on the romance between Tony, an older Italian-American grape farmer, and Rosabella (whose real name is – spoiler alert – Amy), a San Francisco waitress. Their relationship, sparked by a tip in the form of an amethyst tie-pin and sustained through heartfelt letters, takes a dramatic turn when Amy discovers Tony has sent her a photo of his foreman, Joe, instead of himself – after she has travelled to Napa to marry him. The ensuing drama, which follows Tony’s life-threatening injury on their wedding night and Amy’s tryst with Joe, which leaves her pregnant, unfolds against the vast, mythical backdrop of 1950s America, evoking the grandeur of Edna Ferber’s Giant and the way that the movies viewed the United States in the decade following World War II. The full power of the show culminates in its final scenes, with Tony and Amy standing before each other, sure for the first time of who they are to themselves and each other.

Some people say The Most Happy Fella is more an opera than a musical. They’re wrong. Loesser’s score is an expansive, dramatic tapestry firmly rooted in the musical theatre tradition; Loesser himself accurately described the show as ‘a musical with (a lot of) music.’ The show’s takeaway songs, the whimsical “Standing on the Corner” and the rousing “Big D,” are just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to this gorgeous score. The title tune, “The Most Happy Fella,” is ebullient as is “I Like Everybody,” while “My Heart Is So Full of You” delivers raw emotion and “Somebody, Somewhere” gives us a dreamy ‘I Want’ song for the ages.

Despite being snubbed at the Tony Awards, The Most Happy Fella is a superb drama that deserves full-scale revivals. It’s a testament to Loesser’s genius, a richly woven narrative that we should celebrate and revisit in today’s theatrical landscape.

1. Guys and Dolls is a jackpot of Broadway brilliance and high-stakes romance.

Guys and Dolls is the Broadway musical equivalent of a high-stakes poker game where every hand is a royal flush. Loesser’s second Broadway outing, based on Damon Runyon’s colourful tales, hit the jackpot with a book by Abe Burrows that turned Jo Swerling’s unusable draft into pure gold.

The story follows Nathan Detroit, a man juggling a floating crap game and his exasperated fiancée, Miss Adelaide, and his bet with Sky Masterson that he can’t woo the pious Sarah Brown. Spoiler: Sky wins more than just the bet. This show is a masterclass in musical integration; every song is a gem with the narrative seamlessly woven into the score. From the infectiously catchy “Fugue for Tinhorns” to the tender “I’ll Know” (an exemplary variation on the conditional love song in the Rodgers and Hammerstein tradition) and the joyous “If I Were a Bell,” Loesser’s score is unparalleled. Miss Adelaide’s Hot Box numbers (“A Bushel and a Peck” and “Take Back Your Mink”) are comedic gold, while “Sit Down You’re Rocking the Boat” practically brings down the house. “Luck Be a Lady” brims with tension and drama, proving this score has it all. The characters are vivid and relatable, balancing humour with heart. It’s no wonder the original production ran for 1 200 performances and scooped five Tony Awards.

Personal nostalgia aside — I performed in this show in high school and later choreographed a production — I think it’s difficult to mount a bad production of Guys and Dolls. It’s that foolproof. That said, the 2009 Broadway revival managed to do what seemed impossible and flopped, folding after 113 performances. Nonetheless, Guys and Dolls remains the golden standard for Golden Age musical comedies, a timeless triumph that continues to captivate today’s audiences, something the 2023 London revival of the show does in spades.

Final Thoughts

Loesser’s indelible mark on Broadway is etched into history with phenomenal musicals that continue to resonate with audiences. While we can only imagine what might have been had Pleasures and Palaces been reworked and made it to Broadway instead of folding out of town, we still have an abundance of his genius to celebrate. From the high-flying antics of J. Pierrepont Finch to the heartwarming romance between Tony and his Rosabella, Amy, in Napa Valley, Loesser’s works are a testament to his extraordinary talent and vision. As we commemorate his birthday, let’s toast to the timeless melodies, the sharp wit, and the unforgettable characters he brought to life. Here’s to Frank Loesser, whose legacy will keep audiences singing and smiling for generations to come.

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The Saturday List: Brilliance and Resilience at the 2024 Tony Awards

Posted on June 22, 2024 by David Fick

Ah, the Tony Awards – a night meant to celebrate the dazzling world of Broadway with all the glitz and glamour one can muster. Yet this year, things were more – with apologies to Stephen Sondheim – comedy tomorrow, tragedy tonight, with the ceremony offering an opening number as thrilling as Mister Monotony’s slide trombone and camerawork that might send Guido Contini into an even deeper creative crisis than the one he faced in Nine. As if that weren’t enough, the entire evening was marred by a staggering lack of vision, leaving us to wonder if anyone in charge remembered what these awards signify. But fear not, dear readers, for even in the midst of such calamity, there were diamonds to be found among the rough. As awards were handed out and heartfelt thank-yous were delivered, there were moments that shone brightly. In this column, we will endeavour to sweep aside the lowlights and embrace the highs, celebrating the best of what this year’s Tony Awards had to offer. So, sit back, relax, and let’s find the silver lining in this theatrical storm.

The casts of HELL'S KITCHEN, MERRILY WE ROLL ALONG and ILLINOISE at the Tony Awards.
The casts of Hell’s Kitchen, Merrily We Woll Along and Illinoise at the Tony Awards

Before we jump into the main list, how about a few honourable mentions? All of these moments gave us the feels.

  • Linda Cho’s nod to how much the world has changed since her mom told her, ‘You’re a woman, you’re a minority, you will never succeed in anything artistic.’ Things are changing.
  • David Zinn’s reflection on ‘what turns a room into a poem.’ He was talking about design, but this is the transformative act that is theatre in and of itself.
  • Hana S. Kim’s speechless speech, which just reminds us all of being recognised for who we are, and having that person embraced.
  • Branden Jacobs Jenkins, whose plays have been considered twice for Pulitzer Prizes, thanking Carole Rothman for saying yes to Appropriate, which won the Tony Award for Best Revival of a Play, ‘after years and years of being told I was too risky, I was too provocative and too not commercial enough,’ because staying true to yourself as an artist is one of the hardest vocations of them all.
  • The outstanding “In Memorium” segment, supported by Nicole Scherzinger’s delivery of “What I Did For Love,” which paid tribute to the members of our artistic community we lost this past year.

10. The Opening Montage of Act One

Act One started off with a montage of clips from shows and interviews that gave a recap of the season. Perhaps it lacked a little context in its setup, but it was super to see the focus on the creative disciplines in this segment and to catch moments from shows that would not receive major attention in the full ceremony. What this clip captured that many parts of the main ceremony didn’t was a love for the theatre that felt authentic; there was a stark juxtaposition in this authenticity almost as soon as the hosts for Act One, Julianne Hough and Utkarsh Ambudkar, walked out and started their banter, with bits that just felt pat and flat. To be fair, Hough did have a few moments when she tried to be genuine about her love for dance as a universal language, but even these came across as manufactured and postered. So when returning to the clip upon a second viewing of the ceremony, its sense of truth just stood out even more.

9. The Greasers are Gonna Have Their Way Tonight

In The Outsiders, one piece of choreography and its technical design has already entered the annals of theatrical legend. Late in the show, the Greasers and Socs brutally fight one another in the pouring rain, and part of this sequence was showcased in the performance from the show, alongside “Tulsa ’67” and “Grease Got a Hold.” It’s proof of just how stirring theatre can be when everything comes together perfectly.

8. CJay Philip’s Drama Lesson

CJay Philip was presented the Excellence in Theatre Education Award and ended her address to the audience with a collaborative mantra, something that revealed just how important theatre programmes in our schools are. In the clip that introduced her, Philip said:

I want my students to know that art is connective. It helps us to see each other, to be moved. It gets at the soul and the core of us as creative beings

Watch her acceptance speech below and join her in saying, ‘Let the light within you shine.’ And then go out and shine a light.

7. Dede Ayite’s Winning Speech

Dede Ayite’s words following her win for Best Costume Design of a Play for Jaja’s African Hair Braiding was a fabulous reminder of one of the markers of a truly great speech, meaningful thanks to those who have held you up on the journey; for her, this included ‘all the costume shops and makers who truly move the needle in terms of getting the glitz and glam on stage.’ It was also heartwarming to see an African winner afforded recognition for her role in helping to tell an African story.

6. Illinoise and the Beauty of Dance

No matter how many times it’s said out loud, Illinoise is still not a musical. What it is, is an incrediblepiece of dance theatre, something that was in evidence in the gorgeous performance of “The Predatory Wasp of the Palisades Is Out to Get Us!” Justin Peck’s choreography is a dream and there’s no doubt that Illinoise is a superb theatrical endeavour. But as in the case of Contact, another dance show nominated for and which actually went on to win Best Musical at the Tony Awards, Illinoise is a reminder there is just no space to recognise dance theatre at the Tony Awards. This means that shows like this one, and others that have gone before it, need to be shoehorned in somewhere else and consequently market themselves as something that they aren’t, which limits the development of and the accessibility to dance theatre in the wider context of theatre on Broadway. The best solution the Tony Awards could come up with in the past was a now-retired prize, Best Special Theatrical Event, which wasn’t really suitable to recognise productions told in the medium of dance either. Surely the American Theatre Wing and The Broadway League can do better than this?

5. Kecia Lewis is the Roman Empire of New York’s Hell’s Kitchen

The first performance from a nominated musical was a medley of numbers from Hell’s Kitchen. Much has already been said about the appearance of Alicia Keys and Jay-Z that was appended to this segment, with many citing it as a highlight of the ceremony. Yes, it was a vibe, but the stand-out in the selection performed from the show itself was Kecia Lewis, who would go on to win Best Performance by an Actress in a Featured Role in a Musical. Lewis delivered some smart singing that was emotionally impactful. Her acceptance her trophy was even more moving. Her humourous appeal at the start of her speech, which she read from her phone – ‘People, stop texting me, Jesus.’ – introduced a story of passion, commitment and sacrifice.

Being in this business 40 years I wanted to give up many times…. I’d like to thank my spiritual families over the years for their training and loving me just for me without having me even open my mouth and sing a note, particularly pastors Martin and Gail Watson, Reverend Darling, Palmer, and Dr. Hart Ramsey at Hunger Church Atlanta. To my family, aunt Ruth, who indulged me but still laughs about me standing in the mirror as a kid watching myself cry to see if I looked like a wonderful actress. My parents, the late John Henry Lewis and Betty Mae Lewis, and my heart that walks outside my body, my son, Simon Evans. Lastly, 40 years ago yesterday, I walked into the Imperial Theatre to begin my Broadway career at 18 years old. I have had so many amazing experiences and some heartbreaking ones too. I took a short break from showbusiness and raised a son as a single parent while trying to build a career. This moment is the one I dreamed of for most of those 40 years. So, I say to everyone who can hear my voice ‘don’t give up!

4. The Triumph of Merrily We Roll Along

One of the most infamous flops in Broadway history, Merrily We Roll Along returned to Broadway this season in a revival that took home four Tony Awards, including Best Revival of a Musical, a triumph reflected in Maria Friedman’s observations when the prize was presented to the show.

There was a line that flew out on opening night to me from the show, which is, “Musicals are popular, they’re a great way of stating important ideas, ideas that can really change the world, make a difference.” And then Frank turns to Charlie and says, “Charlie, we can change the world.” Well, Steve and George, “Merrily“ is popular. 

This followed a sterling performance of one of the key numbers in the show, “Old Friends,” which featured the entire cast in its introductory transition before showcasing the performances of Jonathan Groff, Daniel Radcliffe and Lindsay Mendez who made an almost impossible task seem easy, helping us jump into the complex relationships between these three characters without the benefit of seeing it in the context of the show. They let us in – and by the final ‘damn few,’ we were right there with them. The synergy developed between these three stars was also referenced explicitly in two of the evening’s other superlative moments, during Radcliffe’s speech after winning Best Performance by an Actor in a Featured Role in a Musical –

Jonathan, Lindsay, I will miss you so much. I don’t really have to act in this show, I just have to look at you and feel everything that I want feel. I will never have it this good again.

– and in Groff’s speech after he won Best Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role in a Musical –

Daniel Radcliffe and Lindsay Mendez, you are more than old friends, you are soulmates, and I’m looking forward to watching each other change for the rest of our lives.

Groff’s remarks also reflected on the meaning of having a supportive family, one that knows ‘the life-saving power of fanning the flame of a young person’s passions without judgment.’ Could anyone in 1981 have predicted how much joy Merrily We Roll Along would bring us more than four decades later?

3. Jack O’Brien’s Reminder of Why We Do It

When Jack O’Brien was presented with his Special Tony Award for Lifetime Achievement in the Theatre, he reflected on the privilege and honour inherent in responding to the calling to a life in the theatre.

We didn’t answer an ad in the New York Times that said ‘glittering theatrical types needed to save a moribund industry’ as a matter of fact I can tell right now that most of the people in this house were discouraged from being here tonight by their parents, their teachers, their lovers, their financial advisors, “Don’t do it.” But we couldn’t help it could we? There is a fragile web of belief we chase each night in these houses. It’s the only real magic accorded to us, and it doesn’t come when called. So when it doesn’t work you’ve got to do it the next night and try to be better. But when it works, it can change lives.

These words speak to the miracle buried in the heart of the theatre and remind us that despite every challenge we face, there’s a deeper “why” for everyone who involves themselves in the arts.

2. Jonathan Tunick’s Win for Best Orchestrations

Jonathan Tunick’s win early on in the night was the first tearjerker of the ceremony. As he mentioned, this was his first win for a Stephen Sondheim musical – an almost unbelievable fact given that he gave voice to Sondheim’s scores for Company, Follies, A Little Night Music, Pacific Overtures, Sweeney Todd, Into the Woods, Passion, the new orchestrations of A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum and The Frogs, Putting it Together, Road Show and the original version of Merrily We Roll Along! The only reason for this is that there was no recognition for Best Orchestrations until 1997. Sondheim mentioned Tunick’s contributions in his thanks each time he won Best Score and advocated for a category recognising orchestrators for their indispensable work, so this was truly a full-circle moment. When Tunick thanked Sondheim in this speech, calling him his ‘old friend and teacher,’ his humility and gratitude were an object lesson to us all.

1. George C. Wolfe’s Special Tony Award for Lifetime Achievement in the Theatre

This segment was one of the overall highlights of the ceremony. Audra McDonald’s introduction shared with us some of the reasons why people love working with George C. Wolfe, namely his brilliance in guiding everyone through the creative process of making theatre and the words he uses to do so. Watching the video tribute was a reminder of just how significant an impact he has had in the theatre, including his work on some landmark Broadway plays and musicals, including Angels in America, Bring in ‘da Noise, Bring in ‘da Funk, The Wild Party, Caroline, or Change, The Normal Heart and Shuffle Along, or, the Making of the Musical Sensation of 1921 and All That Followed. Wolfe’s acceptance of this honour was filled with gems, emphasising the importance of parents telling their children that they are ‘magical and special;’ that in the theatre and in life, we have ‘a responsibility to honour the culture that [we] come from and to join other cultures and connect with them, so [we can learn] that it [doesn’t] need to look like you to be about you;’ and perhaps most importantly of all, the power of theatre to give all of us a piece of ourselves that we didn’t know that we had.’ Before he departed, he left behind a challenge:

As we go through this incredibly complicated time, it’s very important that we approach it not with fear, not with trepidation, but knowing that we work with the dynamic of celebrating and exploring the powerful, fragile dynamic that is the human heart. So we need to do so, more so, with power and command and authority and defiance, and take on the world. And those people that come to see us, see the work that we do, whether onstage or backstage, will hopefully feel empowered from experiencing the work we do.

Final Thoughts

While this year’s Tony Awards might have faltered in their presentation, lacking the polish we expect from Broadway’s biggest night, the event still managed to spotlight the resilience and brilliance of the theatre community. Despite a shaky start and a few questionable production choices, the heartfelt speeches, memorable performances, and deserving winners reminded us why we love the theatre, shining through the evening’s flaws. So, as we look ahead to the continuing current season on Broadway, let’s celebrate these highlights and remember that even in the most imperfect of settings, the magic of the theatre will always find a way to dazzle us.

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The Saturday List: Tony Award-winning Leading Actresses Who’ve Never Appeared in a Best Musical Nominee

Posted on June 15, 2024 by David Fick

Broadway and the Tony Awards represent the zenith of achievement for many musical theatre aficionados, offering a platform to celebrate the crème de la crème from the world of musical theatre, surely the most entertaining, enlightening and moving art form to grace the stages of the world. While accolades and nominations are markers of recognition, some exceptional talents who have won Best Performance by a Leading Actress in a Musical award over the years have never graced the stage in a production that clinched a nomination for Best Musical. Here’s a look at some of those stars, whose incredible performances live on in our memories and the ongoing legend of Broadway.

Tyne Daly in GYPSY, Bebe Neuwirth in CHICAGO and Natasha Richardson in CABARET
Tyne Daly in Gypsy (top), Bebe Neuwirth in Chicago (centre) and Natasha Richardson in Cabaret

Note: The performers mentioned in this list had to originate a role in the original cast of a show nominated as Best Musical. In other words, performers who headlined revivals of such are included here. Rather than being ranked, this list is presented in chronological order.

13. Grace Hartman

Grace Hartman was a dynamo of comedic and musical talent. Her performance in Angel in the Wings earned her a Tony Award for Best Actress in a Musical at the second Tony Awards ceremony. At the first ceremony, only a single award was given to a performer from a musical, David Wayne in Finian’s Rainbow, making Hartman the first recipient of this award. Despite her groundbreaking win, the shows she starred in did not land a Best Musical nomination, only starring in two further revues on Broadway in the years that followed, a testament to her personal brilliance which often outshone the productions themselves.

12. Nanette Fabray

Nanette Fabray, an actress known for her impeccable timing and charming stage presence, won a Tony Award for Love Life, a production never nominated for Best Musical, possibly because at this stage in the history of the Tony Awards, no nominations were announced ahead of the ceremony. Nonetheless, her versatility and skill made her a standout performer, with Fabray having had precious personal success in High Button Shoes and receiving a further nomination many years later for her work in Irving Berlin’s final musical, Mr President.

11. Delores Gray

Delores Gray’s performance in Carnival in Flanders won her a Tony Award, but the show closed after a short run and never received a Best Musical nod. In fact, her performance is the shortest-lived Tony-honoured performance in history, with Carnival in Flanders only having had a run of 6 performances on Broadway. Gray’s extraordinary talent often graced revivals of great musicals made all the more memorable for her presence. Her final major role was Carlotta in the London production of Follies, where she put across an emotional reading of “I’m Still Here,” which she reprised at Broadway at the Bowl the following year.

10. Vivien Leigh

Vivien Leigh, most famous for her film work in Gone with the Wind and A Streetcar Named Desire, also left a lasting impression on Broadway, winning a Tony Award for her only role in a musical as Tatiana in Tovarich. It wasn’t the kind of show that traditionally snags a Best Musical nomination, but even the short clip of Leigh dancing up a storm with Byron Mitchell in “Wikes-Barre, Pa.” on The Ed Sullivan Show shows that her prowess as a performer transcended the acclaim of the work for which she is most remembered.

Liza Minnelli in FLORA, THE RED MENACE (top), Patricia Routledge rehearsing DARLING OF THE DAY (centre) and Natalia Makarova in ON YOUR TOES.
Liza Minnelli in Flora, the Red Menace (top), Patricia Routledge rehearsing Darling of the Day (centre) and Natalia Makarova in On Your Toes.

9. Liza Minnelli

Liza Minnelli, an icon of stage and screen, won her first Tony Award for her performance in Flora, the Red Menace. Minnelli’s star continued to rise regardless, underscoring her unmatched talent. Despite her undeniable star power and dynamic performances, neither this show nor The Act – for which Minnelli won a second Tony Award in the same category – secured a Best Musical nomination. I suppose, given that show’s thinness, this wasn’t surprising – but it’s wild to think that 1984’s The Rink (for which Minnelli’s co-star, Chita Rivera, won the Tony) never snatched a Best Musical nomination either!

8. Patricia Routledge

Best known for her television role in Keeping Up Appearances, Patricia Routledge has also had a stellar stage career, especially on the English stages of her home country. Her performance in Darling of the Day won her a Tony Award, but the show itself didn’t make the nominee list. Similarly, her involvement in 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue brought individual praise without the show – which had a cold critical reception – finding a spot among the Best Musicals of the season.

7. Natalia Makarova

This is probably the most predictable of the names to appear on this list. Natalia Makarova, a prima ballerina, won a Tony for her performance when she transformed herself into a musical theatre star as a fictional star of the ballet, Vera Baranova, in the Broadway revival of On Your Toes. While this transition was seamless, the production was a revival of a show that was by this time, a classic that did manage to take home the prize for the Best Revival of a Musical.

6. Tyne Daly

Tyne Daly’s portrayal of Rose in Gypsy earned her widespread admiration and a Tony Award. Despite this remarkable performance, the show was a revival, so this was a case Makarova’s On Your Toes history repeating itself, a pattern that characterises the rest of this list. Daly would appear in another Broadway musical a quarter of a century later. While the show, It Shoulda Been You, was a timely reflection of the legalisation of same-sex marriage in the United States, it was completely shut out at the Tony Awards, although those who watched the ceremony that year were treated to a number from the show, “Jenny’s Blues.”

5. Bebe Neuwirth

In some ways, Bebe Neuwirth is the biggest surprise on this list. She is a Broadway legend of the ilk which makes it astounding to see she has never started a run in a show that would be nominated for the Best Musical Award. Neuwirth won Tony Awards for her roles in the revivals of Sweet Charity and Chicago, the earlier of the two being in the Best Featured Actress category. Her portrayal of Velma Kelly, in particular, remains iconic, emphasizing her status as a Broadway legend despite the original shows she has headlined, like The Addams Family, not receiving the same plaudits as those in which she has revived roles or served as a cast replacement during a long run.

4. Natasha Richardson

Natasha Richardson’s hauntingly beautiful performance in the 1998 revival of Cabaret won her a Tony Award. It was the perfect match of actor and character in a landmark revival of a classic show. With her main body of work in plays and on film, this performance makes Richardson’s talent and legacy in musical theatre even more profound, all the more so in the light of her tragic death in a skiing accident at the age of 45.

Catherine Zeta-Jones in A LITTLE NIGHT MUSIC, Cynthia Erivo in THE COLOR PURPLE and Bette Midler in HELLO, DOLLY!
Catherine Zeta-Jones in A Little Might Music (top), Cynthia Erivo in The Color Purple (centre) and Bette Midler in Hello, Dolly!

3. Catherine Zeta-Jones

Another star of a musical in revival, Catherine Zeta-Jones won a Tony for her performance in A Little Night Music. Known for her versatile talent in film and theatre, this was a key moment for Zeta-Jones, who had started off her career in musical theatre in shows like The Pajama Game, 42nd Street and Street Scene, and who had also won an Oscar for her portrayal of Velma Kelly in the film adaptation for Chicago.

2. Cynthia Erivo

Cynthia Erivo’s powerhouse performance in the revival of The Color Purple won her a Tony Award, but she has yet to headline a new musical on the Main Stem. Erivo’s career has continued to soar, marked by her exceptional talent and numerous accolades across different entertainment mediums, and we are all looking forward to seeing her when the first of the two Wicked films drops later this year.

1. Bette Midler

Bette Midler’s triumphant return to Broadway in Hello, Dolly! won her a competitive Tony Award, following the special award she received in 1974 for adding lustre to the Broadway season. Despite her magnetic performance, Hello Dolly! was a revival and Midler’s only other credit in a Broadway musical was as a replacement in Fiddler on the Roof. Midler’s illustrious music, film, television and theatre career is as fabulous as she is, with her Broadway work holding a special place in fans’ hearts.

Final Thoughts

These thirteen remarkable actresses have each left an indelible mark on musical theatre history. Their individual achievements highlight their immense talent through a series of performances that continue to inspire current and future generations of performers. With this year’s Tony Awards taking place tomorrow, there’s a small chance that another performer joins their ranks as an individual without a Best Musical Tony Award-winning show on their resume: Eden Espinosa in this season’s Lempicka, which didn’t earn itself a nomination in the category, and Gayle Rankin, who is appearing in the revival of Cabaret. However, this year’s award is Maleah Joi Moon’s to lose, so it’s likely that this group venerated group will remain as is for at least one more season!

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The Saturday List: Diving “Under the Sea” on World Oceans Day!

Posted on June 8, 2024 by David Fick

World Ocean Day is here, and what better way to honour our magnificent oceans than by celebrating musicals that bring the underwater world to life on stage? This year’s theme, “Awaken New Depths: Catalysing Action for Our Ocean and Climate,” reminds us of the power of the arts to inspire empathy and action when interacting with the real world around us. Let’s dive into these spectacular shows that whisk us away to the depths of the sea and highlight some key songs for your ultimate “Under the Sea” playlist!

The casts of THE LITTLE MERMAID, SPONGEBOB SQUARPANTS and BEDKNOBS AND BROOMSTICKS bring diverse worlds under the idea to life on stage!
The casts of The Little Mermaid, Spongebob Squarepants and Bedknobs and Broomsticks bring diverse worlds under the idea to life on stage!

4. Bedknobs and Broomsticks

While Bedknobs and Broomsticks spends the least amount of time under the sea of any of the shows on today’s list, it features the classic song “The Beautiful Briny,” which highlights the magic of the underwater world. First appearing in the film upon which the recent stage adaptation is based, the Sherman Brothers’ cheerful and catchy tune captures the beauty and charm of the sea as the human characters explore the underwater world into which their magical travelling bed has dropped them. While the film uses animation to bring this little seaside nook to life, the stage musical adaptation uses creative set designs, costumes, puppets and lighting to translate this enchanting sequence to the stage. The humorous and whimsical interactions between characters and sea creatures add to the joyous atmosphere, encouraging an appreciation for the natural world.

3. SpongeBob SquarePants: The Broadway Musical

SpongeBob Squarepants brings the optimistic and adventurous SpongeBob to life, reflecting the quirky charm of marine life that enchants many of us as children. Set in the vibrant underwater city of Bikini Bottom, it extols the creativity and imagination of the ocean. From the heartwarming camaraderie that fills the stage in the show’s opening number, “Bikini Bottom Day,” through the lively and carefree “Best Day Ever,” to Patrick’s humorous and energetic paean to environmental champions in “Super Sea Star Saviour,” the score of the show is a bubbly romp through life under the sea. SpongeBob Squarepants is all about environmental challenges, with the plot focusing on the threat of a volcanic eruption, and promotes the idea of environmental stewardship and the importance of protecting marine habitats. SpongeBob and his friend’s unwavering optimism and determination inspire us all to have a positive outlook on the difference we can make to the significant element of our environment on Earth.

2. The Little Mermaid

Arguably the most famous undersea musical, The Little Mermaid celebrates sea life through its vibrant portrayal of underwater creatures and the enchanting underwater kingdom. “Under the Sea” is an anthem to everything fishy, with Sebastian paying homage to all kinds of marine animals as he paints a picture of the fabulous and vibrant spirit of life under the waves. Elaborate and colourful costumes mimic the fluidity and diversity of underwater life, and the dance routines enhance the feeling of being underwater – although the use of heelies in the original Broadway production was a headscratcher. Nonetheless, The Little Mermaid‘s whimsical tone encourages audiences to appreciate the wonders of marine environments. While we all dream about mermaids and sea witches, Ariel’s dreams about us in “Part of Your Word” remind us that we are all interconnected. We all have a part to play in preserving the unique beauty and wonder of the sea if we only dream about Ariel’s world with as much mindfulness as she dreams of ours!

    1. Finding Nemo: The Musical

    Finding Nemo: The Musical vividly portrays underwater life through engaging storytelling and captivating musical numbers. The stage design and special effects create an immersive underwater world, complete with enough coral-inspired views to evoke the vibrant sea floor of the Great Barrier Reef. Key songs in this delightful little score include “In the Big Blue World,” an opening number following the show’s devastating prologue, which introduces the wonders of the ocean as Nemo drops hints about some of the characters we’ll meet later on, including sharks (‘Haven’t you seen Jaws?’) sea turtles (‘Sandy Plankton said that they could live to be a hundred) and everything in between! Later in the show, “Just Keep Swimming” is a song that turns Dory’s signature catchphrase into a salute to perseverance and positivity. If only all sea life were that resilient, able to bounce back from the damage people have inflicted on the oceans over the ages. Crush and Squirt, the sea turtles, are fan favourite characters and their upbeat song, “Go with the Flow,” recalls the laid-back attitude often associated with The Beach Boys. In productions of Finding Nemo, the elaborate costumes and puppets bring sea creatures to life with bright colours and detailed designs, enhancing the experience of the show. The show subtly promotes an appreciation for marine ecosystems and the need for their conservation, making it the strongest advocate for the ocean on today’s list.

    Final Thoughts

    To protect the real-life equivalents of Sebastian, Nemo, SpongeBob, Norton and their under-the-sea friends, remember to engage your political leaders on ocean issues, eat responsibly sourced seafood, teach kids about the ocean environment and leave nothing behind when you visit the seaside. And while you’re at it, curate yourself an ultimate sea-themed musical theatre playlist, so you can enjoy the magic of the ocean wherever you go! Happy World Ocean Day!

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    The Saturday List: Your Heart Will Lead You to Richard Sherman

    Posted on June 1, 2024 by David Fick

    Last Saturday, the entertainment industry lost a songwriting legend. Richard M. Sherman, who created some of the world’s most-loved song scores with his brother, Robert B. Sherman, passed away at the age of 95 in Los Angeles, his older brother having passed away in 2012. The Sherman Brothers were legends, but I’d wager that most of us who loved their songs knew the tunes before we knew their names – classic hits from Mary Poppins, Bedknobs and Broomsticks, the Winnie-the-Pooh franchise and other releases from Disney, the studio under whose auspices they created their greatest work. Beyond the House of Mouse, the Sherman Brothers also wrote for other films like Charlotte’s Web and The Slipper and the Rose and even for the stage, augmenting their own song stack for Chitty Chitty Bang Bang when it jumped from one medium to the other, for instance, and writing completely new scores for Over Here! and Busker Alley.

    Richard M. Sherman with his brother Robert B. Sherman (top) wrote many great songs. Richard is seen with Mickey and Minnie in the second image, and The Sherman Brothers are seen on the set of MARY POPPINS with Julie Andrews and Dick van Dyke in the third.
    Richard M. Sherman with his brother Robert B. Sherman (top) wrote many great songs. Richard is seen with Mickey and Minnie in the second image, and The Sherman Brothers are seen on the set of Mary Poppins with Julie Andrews and Dick van Dyke in the third.

    The Sherman Brothers were a ubiquitous force in my childhood, my earliest memory of their songs being those from Mary Poppins, one of the records my grandmother used to play for me when I visited her. (The other regular LPs in regular rotation were The Sound of Music, South Pacific and My Fair Lady.) This led to renting the film from the video store, after which my sister and I discovered Bedknobs and Broomsticks. Later, in the age of CDs, it was great to hear the songwriters reminisce about their work on Mary Poppins and The Jungle Book, which was probably when I put it all together and worked out their place in the history of film and stage musicals.

    As a tribute to Richard on the event of his passing, this week’s Saturday List explores ten of the Sherman Brothers’ songs that left the greatest impression on me, each a gift to humanity in its own right.

    10. “The Spectrum Song” (Walt Disney’s Wonderful World of Color)

    Let’s kick things off with something fun: a song written for a segment of the first episode of Walt Disney’s Wonderful World of Color, “An Adventure in Color.” Sung by Paul Frees as Ludwig von Drake, the number is basically a tribute to all the colours of the rainbow – a fortuitous coincidence given the publication of this column on the first day of Pride Month. I first heard this song on a Disney Sing-Along Songs video and almost wore out the tape replaying it. Pop it on and you’ll have a blast before you can say ‘Ing za ri ka fo zi brun brun!’

    Honourable Mentions: There are a lot of once-off Sherman Brothers songs like “The Spectrum Song” that bear a brief mention. “The Green with Envy Blues” from the same episode of Walt Disney’s Wonderful World of Color is just such a number. But let’s not forget “The Monkey’s Uncle,” “The Tiki, Tiki, Tiki Room” and “It’s a Small World!”

    9. “Scales and Arpeggios” (The Aristocats)

    The Aristocats is not my favourite Disney film. It’s not even a favourite Disney film of mine. In fact, it’s probably closer to the bottom of the list than the top as far as I’m concerned. But where the film scores some points is in the songs written by the Sherman Brothers which dot the action and elevate the movie beyond its humble storytelling efforts. While it’s almost a throwaway number in the film, “Scales and Arpeggios” is a number that left its mark on me. As many kids did and still do today, I took piano lessons and this little song brought what I was learning to life. It was one of the first songs I learned to play by ear and I often wonder how many other creative sparks were lit by this gratifying little diversion.

    Honourable Mentions: There is great fun to be had in the charming title song, which was sung by the great Maurice Chevalier, as well as in “Ev’rybody Wants to Be a Cat,” which has found more than nine lives in cover versions by artists like Charles Perry and Jamie Cullum.

    8. “The Good-Time Girl” (Over Here!)

    If anyone doubted the Sherman Brothers’ ability to be sassy, “The Good Time Girl” is enough to banish any such suspicion. It’s alternative title, “The V.D. Polka,” is enough to tell you why. The song is a bold and humorous take on a serious issue, addressing the importance of sexual health and awareness among soldiers, which was a significant concern during World War II, during which Over Here! is set. Giving the song to (one of) The Andrews Sisters to sing was perhaps an even bolder move and the inconguity makes it even more entertaining.

    Honourable Mentions: The cast of Over Here! included a number of young performers who would go on to much greater success, including John Travolta, Treat Williams, Marilu Henner, Samuel E. Wright and Ann Reinking. One of the great treats of the score is hearing Travolta croon about “Dream Drummin’.”

    7. “Doll on a Music Box” (Chitty Chitty Bang Bang)

    There’s nothing quite like the high camp of Sally Ann Howes in doll drag singing “Doll on a Music Box” in the rest of the Sherman Brothers’ repertoire. The song features a delicate melody that mimics the sound of a music box, a distinctive sound makes it particularly memorable. The lyrics hint at feelings of longing and love, which enables what could be a simple diegetic number to underline the romantic tension between Truly Scrumptious and Caractacus Potts, which will only be resolved at the film’s end. To this end, an added layer of interest is provided by Caractacus singing a reprise of “Truly Scrumptious” in counterpoint with “Doll on a Music Box,” his sincere emotion contrasting Truly’s mechanical stylings. It was great to see this song go a little bit viral on social media in the past few years.

    Honourable Mentions: The wistful lullaby “Hushabye Mountain” is a great favourite of many fans of the film, as well as of its star, Dick van Dyke. If I have a choice in the matter though, I’d probably give the infectiously catchy title song a spin. It it was good enough to be played as a wake-up call for Commander Pam Melroy on NASA’s space shuttle, Discovery, then it’s good enough for me!

    6. “Are We Dancing?” (The Happiest Millionaire)

    Many people name The Slipper and the Rose, for which the Sherman Brothers provided the songs, as their favourite musical version of Cinderella. I went through a short, yet intense obsession with it myself! But to my mind, the Sherman Brothers wrote a perfect Cinderella waltz about a decade earlier when they wrote “Are We Dancing” for The Happiest Millionaire. In their performance of the song, Lesley Ann Warren and John Davidson perfectly capture the tentative emotions and budding love between the characters in their interpretation the poetic and romantic lyrics, which are set to an elegant and melodic tune. It’s the kind of song where I catch myself waltzing around the room if I crank up the volume!

    Honourable Mentions: The Sherman Brothers were well known for their wordplay and for inventing words and phrases to suit their needs. The Happiest Millionaire features a song built around a fabricated word, “Fortuosity,” tailored to the talents of Tommy Steele, and it’s one of the highlights of the film.

    5. “Let’s Get Together” (The Parent Trap)

    This is a song that has stood the test of time, despite being so reflective of the period in which The Parent Trap was made. If its opening rock ‘n’ roll vamp weren’t catchy enough, its upbeat tempo and cheerful tune make “Let’s Get Together” instantly appealing and memorable. The lyrics are playful and capture the spirit of togetherness and fun. It’s a standout moment in the film – taken to the next level through the gimmick of watching Hayley Mills duet with herself, thanks to the film’s clever split-screen technique – and it was fantastic to see a tiny hat tip to the number in the 1998 remake starring Lindsay Lohan.

    Honourable Mentions: There aren’t many other songs from The Parent Trap, as it was not a musical, but the title song, sung by Tommy Sands and Annette Funicello, is quite amusing, and its shout-out to “Tea for Two” is genius! And every time I hear Maureen O’Hara sing “For Now, For Always,” I wish she had been cast as Anna in the film version of The King and I. Deborah Kerr arguably had more Hollywood glamour to offer, but how great would it have been to have someone in the role who could actually sing it?

    4. “Winnie the Pooh” (Winnie the Pooh and the Honey Tree)

    The title song from Winnie the Pooh and the Honey Tree is one of those songs that can make you smile and cry all in the short span of a few minutes. As an adult, it takes you back to a time of simplicity and imagination, things we crave once we’ve left behind our childhood days. As children, the melody is inescapably playful, a joyful earworm that’s as warm and whimsical as the stories it introduces. The Winnie the Pooh franchise is very much an element of contemporary popular culture, the source of several memes and even a social-media-driven mental health reading in which the various characters represent depression, social anxiety, OCD and so on. This latter interpretation originated in a journal article titled “Pathology in the Hundred Acre Wood,” which was published by the Canadian Medical Association Journal rather than being an inherently allegorical element of A. A. Milne’s work. But I digress – the song’s presence in the public consciousness transcends all that. Its theme of friendship and the world of enchantment that it represents make it timeless, whether it is sung by the Disney Studio Chorus in its original version or by more contemporary singers like Carly Simon and Zooey Deschanel.

    Honourable Mentions: The Winnie the Pooh franchise is full of little songs that bop along to the rhythm of sheer glee. Who could forget tunes like “The Wonderful Thing About Tiggers,” “Heffalumps and Woozles” or “Little Black Rain Cloud?”

    3. “My Own Home” (The Jungle Book)

    The Jungle Book is an adventurous romp of a film, but what ties it all together is Mowgli’s quest to find a place where he truly belongs. It’s like The Wizard of Oz on safari, with Bagheera, Baloo and the rest of the gang taking the place of the Scarecrow, the Tin Man and the Cowardly Lion. We even get a wizard with no magic in the form of King Louie and a villain as wicked as the Witch of the West in Shere Khan. There are a couple of great songs to be heard as Mowgli bounces from species to species, but it all leads up to his intimate observation of another human being, a young girl fetching water to take home to her parents, and it’s this song that convinces him to follow her into the village. Tapping into themes of belonging and identity, the song poignantly embraces Mowgli’s transition from one world into another. Its melody is soothing, gentle and beautifully crafted, fitting the reflective and tender nature of the song and its lyrics are simple yet evocative, capturing the essence of what a home means to many people. The uncontrived simplicity and sheer beauty of “My Own Home” give it a universal appeal that enables it to stand out in a film full of flashier songs.

    Honourable Mentions: Is there a bad song in The Jungle Book? Whether you’re dancing along to “I Wanna Be Like You” or belting out “That’s What Friends Are For,” you’re sure to have a good time when someone in this movie starts to sing.

    2. “Jolly Holiday” (Mary Poppins)

    Most people would probably pick the Oscar-winning “Chim Chim Cher-ee” or the undisputed classic “Feed the Birds” as the highlight of Mary Poppins‘s score. For me, it is “Jolly Holiday.” Even if I hadn’t wasted many childhood afternoons reenacting the number in our garden at home, the song includes what I consider to be the best marriage of lyric to music in a Sherman Brothers number:

    When Mary ‘olds your ‘and
    You feel so grand
    Your ‘eart starts beatin’ like
    A big brass band!

    It’s one of those moments when the intention of the words is perfectly mirrored in the score. It really feels like your heart could burst with joy when that lyric comes along. While I much prefer the film over the more recent stage adaptation, the final moments of “Jolly Holiday” in the stage show masterfully build on that emotion in its gorgeous vocal arrangement and orchestration. As for the rest of the song, its playfulness perfectly captures the essence of Mary Poppins’s transformative magic. The world is a better place when she is around, and we become better versions of ourselves.

    Honourable Mentions: It is true that the aforementioned “Feed the Birds” holds a rightful place among the greatest songs of all time. It offers an outlook on life that makes it all seem so simple – so why can’t we get it right? Elsewhere, “Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious” is as giddy a delight as is the obligato in “A Spoonful of Sugar.” This is an iconic score, much of it in the hands of Julie Andrews, a singer who is just as much of a legend as the film is.

    1. “The Age of Not Believing” (Bedknobs and Broomsticks)

    Placing this song in the number one spot almost surprises even me. When I first watched Bedknobs and Broomsticks, this song just wasn’t in the film. Its melody was, in the sequences when the bed rocketed through the skies from one location to the other, but along with quite a bit of the rest of the movie, the song itself was missing. Over the years, the film had been shortened time and again, with more than 40 minutes of material edited out. The material was treated with so little care that even when a reconstruction of the original film was commissioned in the 1990s, the footage for one song, “A Step in the Right Direction,” along with some of the soundtrack recordings, was unsalvagable. By the time I eventually saw the song in context in the film, I had already heard “The Age of Not Believing” on a CD titled And The Winner Is… A Collection Of Honored Disney Classic Songs, where Angela Lansbury’s wistful delivery of the song caught my ear. A tune that had been catchy and thrilling suddenly had an overwhelming emotional resonance. Its reflection on the bittersweet nature of growing up, the loss of youthful innocence and the onset of the doubt and cynicism that comes with adolescence and adulthood, hits hard. For me, it’s become a paean to the power of finding those dreams we’ve lost up on a shelf, and an anthem for believing in yourself, knowing that somewhere in the hopeless circles of our busy lives, there is still something wonderful in all of us.

    Honourable Mentions: There are a couple of other great songs in Bedknobs and Broomsticks, in including the haunting “Portabello Road,” the delightful “The Beautiful Briny” and a classic Sherman Brothers wordplay number, “Substitutiary Locomotion.” Many people think of this score – and indeed, the film itself – as a Mary Poppins knockoff, but I think it holds its own.

    Final Thoughts

    In the wake of Richard M. Sherman’s passing, reflecting on the profound impact of The Sherman Brothers’ songs is more than just a stroll down memory lane; it’s a journey through the timeless melodies and lyrics that shaped our childhoods and continue to resonate with us today. Their music wasn’t just background noise; it was the soundtrack of our lives, instilling in us a sense of wonder, joy, and, most importantly, a belief in the power of our dreams. Their ability to capture the essence of storytelling in music was second-to-none in Hollywood, and their legacy lives on in the hearts of countless fans worldwide. This is music that will continue to uplift, inspire and unite us all.

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    The Saturday List: Leslie Uggams’s Broadway Musicals Are Bustin’ Out All Over!

    Posted on May 25, 2024 by David Fick

    Leslie Uggams, an acclaimed actress and singer with a career spanning over six decades, is probably best known for her performance in the historic television mini-series, Roots, as well as for her more recent appearances in the musical drama television series, Empire, and Amazon’s post-apocalyptic drama series, Fallout.

    Leslie Uggams in HALLELUJAH, BABY!, JERRY'S GIRLS and ANYTHING GOES on Broadway
    Leslie Uggams in Hallelujah, Baby!, Jerry’s Girls and Anything Goes on Broadway

    On the big screen, she’s leapt back into pop culture consciousness in Deadpool, having also appeared in the sequel to that tongue-in-cheek comic book delight, with a return appearance slated for the upcoming Deadpool & Wolverine. However, Uggams has also left an indelible mark on the musical theatre scene, where her captivating presence, warmth and versatility have given us some thrilling performances over the years. In celebration of her 81st birthday today, 25 May, we’re ranking the six Broadway musicals in which Uggams has starred.

    Honourable Mentions

    While some great shows are not a part of her Broadway resume, Uggams has also delivered remarkable performances on stages beyond the Main Stem. Her roles in Stormy Weather, Gypsy, Pipe Dream and Jelly’s Last Jam further demonstrate her sheer talent. Additionally, her famed performance of “June Is Bustin’ Out All Over” where she was compelled to improvise the song’s lyrics during a live telecast due to a prompter mishap, reflects the unique joy she brings to her performances.

    6. Her First Roman

    Her First Roman places last on our list, representing an intriguing but ultimately less successful entry in Uggams’s Broadway career. This musical adaptation of George Bernard Shaw’s play Caesar and Cleopatra paired Uggams with Richard Kiley in a story that mixed romance and political intrigue. Indeed, enough political intrigue was contrived to allow Cleopatra to accompany Julius Caesar when he left Egypt at the end of the show. So much for Mark Antony. Uggams played Cleopatra, bringing her signature effervescence and vocal strength to the role in songs like the catchy “Many Young Men From Now.” Despite valiant performances from the two leads, Her First Roman struggled with Ervin Drake’s uneven writing and a lacklustre score, leading to a short run – despite a lot of show doctoring on the road, including the addition of three numbers by Jerry Bock and Sheldon Harnick. One thing Uggams’s portrayal of the iconic Egyptian queen was able to reinforce was her ability to tackle diverse and challenging roles. While Her First Roman gave musical theatre history little else than one of its greatest flops, it certainly provided a reminder of just how multifaceted a performer Uggams could be even in the face of material that must have prompted audiences to ask – in the words of one of the songs from the show – “What Are We Doing in Egypt?”

    5. Blues in the Night

    Blues in the Night may be one of the least celebrated of Uggams’ Broadway outings, but it still gave her a chance to showcase her immense talent, notably in ”Lover Man.’ the moving torch song most associated with Billie Holiday. This revue-style musical comprised a series of similar blues and jazz songs, highlighting the highs and lows of love as three women negotiate their respective relationships with – what else? – a “Dirty No-Gooder” if ever there was one. The show’s lack of a cohesive plot and character development places are two big factors that see it placed it at the bottom of this list. While it was nominated as Best Musical at the Tony Awards, it lost to Cats – ironically another musical that is often (some would say unfairly) criticised for its plot and character development. Frank Rich probably summed up the show’s key issue in his review for The New York Times: on paper, the idea works, but it doesn’t make the leap from the page to a fully realised night of musical theatre brilliance. Whatever it is that makes a great revue like Ain’t Misbehavin’ work – well that’s what Blues in the Night just doesn’t seem to have.

    4. Jerry’s Girls

    When it comes to Jerry Herman”s musicals, both those that hit and those that miss, there is one thing they all have in common: great songs. Jerry’s Girls, the second revue to appear on this list, celebrates Herman’s greatest tunes (and the women that in many cases have sung them) and started modestly as an act at Onstage in 1981 before being transformed into a full-scale production that toured and finally landed on Broadway in 1985. Uggams shone in this revue alongside two other Broadway legends, Dorothy Loudon and Chita Rivera, delivering memorable renditions of songs like “I Won’t Send Roses” from Mack and Mabel and “It Only Takes a Moment” from Hello, Dolly! alongside some lesser-known gems like “Shalom” from Milk and Honey. While there is no cast recording of the Broadway version of the show, thankfully Jay Records produced an album of the touring version, in which Uggams appeared alongside Carol Channing and Andrea McArdle, so posterity can enjoy the best songs she delivered in the show, “If He Walked into My Life,” the only rendition that rivals Angela Lansbury’s original version, and “I Am What I Am,” in which her charisma and vocal prowess are undeniable. What could have been better than Uggams in Jerry’s Girls? Well, how about Uggams in a Hello, Dolly! or Mame? It’s true that she appeared in both of those shows for Houston’s Theatre Under the Stars and Boca Raton’s The Wick Theatre respectively – but how great would it have been to see her headline those shows on Broadway too?

    3. Thoroughly Modern Millie

    In Thoroughly Modern Millie, Uggams played Muzzy Van Hossmere, a glamorous and wise character who helps guide the protagonist, Millie, through the challenges of 1920s New York City. The role was originated by Sheryl Lee Ralph on Broadway and gave Uggams, who replaced Ralph in the show’s second year, a chance to showcase her elegance and charm in numbers like “Only in New York” and “Long as I’m Here with You.” The musical’s lively score, engaging plot, and vibrant characters made it a standout production in its debut season on Broadway, and although Jeanine Tesori and Dick Scanlan’s songs for Muzzy weren’t among the greatest hits of the show score, their sophistication and warmth almost make them better than flashier songs like “Forget About the Boy” and “Gimme Gimme.”

    2. Hallelujah, Baby!

    Jule Styne, Adolph Green, Betty Comden and Arthur Laurents’s Hallelujah, Baby! (a musical we’ve taken a look at in our old Forgotten Musicals Friday column) was a groundbreaking musical in its time, addressing the struggles and triumphs of African American people in the 20th century. Uggams starred as Georgina, a young woman who wants much more than the life she has been born into. She works towards her dream of stage stardom through the Great Depression and World War II and by the time the 1950s arrive, so has she. Georgina becomes a popular singer in an exclusive nightclub and just as it seems her dreams have come true, an old love interest, Clem, who has become a civil rights activist, challenges the worth of her personal triumph in the context of the wider struggle for justice and equality for African American people. As Georgina, Uggams delivered a Tony Award-winning performance that captured the resilience and spirit of the character. The show’s ambitious scope and powerful message were well received in its original and only outing on Broadway and Uggams’s ability to navigate the emotional and historical complexities of the role made her a bona fide Broadway star.

    1. Anything Goes

    Topping our list is Anything Goes, a timeless classic where Uggams took on the role of Reno Sweeney in a 1980s revival. The story – in case you don’t know it – is a bit like A Midsummer Night’s Dream on a boat. Billy Crocker is in love with Hope Harcourt, an heiress who is engaged to Lord Evelyn Oakleigh, and Reno is in love with Billy. After a series of madcap encounters, Billy marries Hope and Evelyn, Reno. Replacing Patti LuPone might be a daunting challenge for any Broadway star, but Uggams was up to it. Her portrayal of the brassy nightclub singer was commanding and charismatic, perfectly balancing humour and heart. With a score by Cole Porter, including iconic numbers like “I Get a Kick Out of You,” “Blow, Gabriel, Blow” and the title song, Uggams’s performance was a tour de force. Her impeccable timing, powerful vocals, and magnetic stage presence make this fabulous production one of the crowning jewels of her Broadway career. If only we had a cast recording of Uggams in the show as a memento of her star turn.

      Final Thoughts

      Uggams’ contributions to Broadway are a testament to her extraordinary talent and enduring legacy. Each of these musicals, from the jazzy Blues in the Night to the long-lasting charm of Anything Goes, highlights different facets of her abilities as a performer. As we celebrate her birthday, we honour not only the roles she’s played, but also the indomitable spirit she brings to the stage every time the curtain rises. Brava, diva ultima!

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      The Saturday List: A Final Sense of Genius in Sondheim’s HERE WE ARE

      Posted on May 18, 2024 by David Fick

      The release of the cast album of Here We Are, the final new musical to feature music and lyrics by Stephen Sondheim, seamlessly integrated into a book by David Ives, marks the end of an era. Following a limited run at The Shed’s Griffin Theatre, which started late last year and ended in January this year, the release of the cast recording offers to many more of us than those who could see the show, the last first listen of a new Sondheim musical.

      The original cast of HERE WE ARE featured Francois Battiste, Tracie Bennett, Bobby Cannavale, Micaela Diamond, Amber Gray, Jin Ha, Rachel Bay Jones, Denis O’Hare, Steven Pasquale, David Hyde Pierce and Jeremy Shamos.
      The original cast of Here We Are featured Francois Battiste, Tracie Bennett, Bobby Cannavale, Micaela Diamond, Amber Gray, Jin Ha, Rachel Bay Jones, Denis O’Hare, Steven Pasquale, David Hyde Pierce and Jeremy Shamos.

      Here We Are is based on two films by Luis Buñuel, The Discreet Charm of the Bourgeoisie and The Exterminating Angel. It’s about a group of people – the kind of rich folk who are easy to satirise and whom we love to hate – looking for a place to have brunch. In the face of an apocalyptic social revolution, they grapple with what it all means to be “here,” wherever that may be.

      For my part, I’ve tried to avoid much of the press about the show, including its reviews, and the social media circus that surrounded the run. I wanted to have the experience of discovering Here We Are on my own terms as far as possible. So after a first listen of the cast album, here’s a list of five ways we see Sondheim’s sense of genius in his last original cast album. The road awaits… so let’s find our way down it together.

      5. A Sense of Completion

      Avoiding the word on the street when it came to Here We Are meant missing much of the gossip about how complete the show was, given Sondheim’s death in November 2021 and thus, its post-humous premiere. Listening to the album, I never experienced the sense that the show was unfinished and was then delighted to read David Ives and Joe Mantello’s views on the point of view that the show as produced is some kind of compromise of Sondheim’s vision:

      In spring 2021, Joe happened to re-read the script and realized that, though there were musical transitions and underscoring and orchestrations to be added, the piece was complete as it stood. Steve had written numbers up to a point in the action where the characters had nothing to sing about. Small wonder his Blackwing pencil had stalled . Following his own dictum, the content had dictated the form and told him to stop. He didn’t need to write another note.

      We two did some tightening on our own and set up a reading. After hearing the results, Steve agreed: that indefinable thing, The Show, was all there. He gave the nod to a production and by the time he died two months later, Here We Are was already pointed toward the stage.

      As the show headed into production, rumors and opinions and misinformation flew about whether the show was “finished” – rumors almost exclusively floated by people who had nothing to do with the show. One would have thought we were trying to put something over on the world rather than giving it what everybody wants: i .e ., more Sondheim. Were we supposed to just ditch all his work? Lock away what a great and perpetually game-changing American artist had had on his mind during the last years of his life? People quoted Steve toward the end as saying that the show wasn’t “finished” yet, but nobody knew better than Stephen Sondheim that a show isn’t finished until the curtain call on opening night. Sometimes not even then.

      For me, Here We Are tells a story on its own terms. It doesn’t adhere to any impression of what a musical is meant to be and it is all the stronger for it. Browsing some of the reviews and social media criticism of the show after my listen, there seems a sense that the second act lacks musical material, but to my ear, it feels as though what is needed to drive the action forward is all there. I will concede that in terms of the way the show plays, as Jesse Green puts it in his review for The New York Times, it may feel like a ‘not quite fully solved puzzle of a show’ – but in terms of what’s written, it is both entertaining and philosophical, and more to the point, feels finished.

      4. A Sense of Occasion

      Almost as exciting as starting to listen to the cast album of Here We Are was the moment before I hit play. In the theatre, there is that moment where we enter the transaction of the play, when the house lights fade and it all begins. I had that same feeling when I waited to start listening to this gorgeous score. And when the first notes of “Here We Are,” the overture, played, I was immediately transported. The show draws you into the world of Leo and Marianne Brink’s fabulous apartment on this most glorious day and by the time we first hear one of the show’s catchphrases – ‘Everybody into the car!’ – we’re all right here with this modern-day Ben and Phyllis as well as Fritz, Claudia, Paul and Raffael. The forward movement of this show’s opening is simply wonderful and there is absolute joy in hearing the music, lyrics and dialogue all come together to serve something greater as “The Road I – Part 1” kicks into high gear.

      3. A Sense of Song

      Here We Are is much more in line with Sondheim’s later work where everything is folded into one integrated structure. Structurally, it has a great deal in common with Passion and Sunday in the Park with George, although it’s worlds away in tone, perhaps more like Anyone Can Whistle or Assassins than anything else in that sense. This means that there are fewer standalone songs than in his shows of the 1970s and that everything just flows once the score gets going. Its overall momentum is simply breathtaking. That said, there are some great songs woven into the action. In the first act, set pieces like “Waiter’s Song” and “It Is What It Is” are just hilarious. Elsewhere, we get some great unexpected rhymes that pull together a thought, as in “The Road 1 – Part 2”

      I’m completely undone
      By the endless abundance of life,
      Aren’t you?

      It’s a great enough lyric on its own terms, but combined with the melody, it falls so brilliantly on the ear. Later in the song, Marianne sings:

      Buy this day for me, darling,
      Buy this perfect day.
      Put it on display,
      Let it stay Just this way
      Forever.

      It’s the simplest of rhymes, but it points towards some of the underlying questions the piece asks about ownership and materialism, making the lyric stand out just enough to plant a seed in our heads. The idea of the perfect day becomes something of a motif in the show’s first act too; this is not the last time we’ll hear about it. Sondheim is also famous for his lists, and he gives Fritz a good one in “The Road 1 – Part 3.” While there’s a key rhyme at the start to hold things together, the sounds unravel as Fritz starts to rant:

      Wake up, it’s the end of the world,
      You morons,
      Welcome to the end of
      Power brokers and hydrofractors
      And underpaid teachers and overpaid actors
      And disappearing polar bears
      And bought-and-sold elections
      And infinity pools
      And Damien Hirsts
      And phony bank accounts —
      With safe deposit boxes in
      Corrupt banana rat holes
      Like Moranda!
      They’re gonna blow your mergers
      And your laptops
      And your bitcoins
      All to bits!

      which then goes on to rhyme with Claudia’s reaction, ‘Fritz,’ masterfully tying up the whole idea and restoring order and balance to the song.

      The original cast of HERE WE ARE in action.
      The original cast of Here We Are in action.

      Later on, Sondheim and Ives play with metatheatricality in “The Soldier’s Dream.” If the message that something is very odd in the world of the play hasn’t reached us yet, this song leaves us with no doubt. Where are these people? In our world? Are we in theirs? Is this soldier’s dream more real than the characters’ reality? Or ours? What are we meant to think when the house lights bump up mid-song and the actor playing Paul proclaims ‘I don’t know my lines’? As we start seeing the world of the characters unravel and their uncertainties become clearer in terms of our own experience, suddenly we’re complicit in their view of the world. We can see ourselves in them, and them in us and hang on – weren’t we judging them all for their behaviour just minutes before? It’s a bold move that changes our investment in this particular ritual of theatrical performance.

      The second act also has some highlights, including “Shine,” where Sondheim couches a criticism of Marianne’s attitudes in a way we can relate to all too well. First:

      I like things to shine —
      Shoot me.
      I like things to glow.
      Why can’t I be free
      To like what I see
      And not what I know?

      and then

      I want things to shine —
      Hit me.
      Is that so bizarre?
      I want things to gleam.
      To be what they seem,
      And not what they are.

      Don’t we all, sometimes? It’s the definition of superficiality, but isn’t it something we’ve all thought about in moments when everything seems so tiring and the world and its complexities just don’t let up?

      Act 2 also offers us a new Sondheim anti-love song in “Double Duet” and the delicate and meandering “Interlude1: Marianne and the Bear,” two pieces that highlight perhaps the two strongest aspects of Sondheim’s work in Here We Are, both of which are prominent throughout his body of work. The first is his sense of collaboration as a composer and lyricist with the writers of the books of his shows. In these sequences, music and drama are one, and Ives’s contribution can’t be underestimated. The other is Sondheims’ capability to make his characters sound individualised and human. This is evident not only in these numbers but also throughout the score. In a contemporary musical theatre landscape where so many characters sound like each other, written to show off vocal styling rather than character-specific voices, Sondheim’s work here reminds us how much music can characterise, something the best musical theatre theatre-makers who are carrying the torch into the future haven’t forgotten.

      2. A Sense of Story

      Everyone has a favourite story, right? Mine is probably The Wizard of Oz. All of this goes back to the idea that there are only a handful of unique stories in the world that we keep on retelling in our own way to suit our own time and our own needs, which means we see the same patterns – overcoming the monster, the quest, voyage and return, rebirth and so on – playing out again and again. And some of these patterns resonate more than the rest in a profoundly personal way with each of us. There’s a definite sense of universality through specificity in Here We Are.

      In many ways, Here We Are was like a reinvention of The Wizard of Oz for me. Marianne and her pals follow a road that takes them away from home and back again. While Dorothy makes new friends, Marianne and her various Totos discover new places – three of them, Café Everything with its apologetic waiter, Bistro à la Mode with its distraught waitress and Osteria Zeno with its poetic soldier – before heading off to a veritable Emerald City at the Embassy, where they encounter a Wizard in the form of a Bishop, and are transported to the horror of a Wicked Witch’s castle when the Embassy transforms into a luxuriously hellish prison in the second act. We even get a speech from the Bishop of the ilk that both Professor Marvel and the Wizard himself give Dorothy and her friends in Kansas and Oz respectively, words that frame the themes of the show as a whole in “Interlude 3: Snow.” There’s even a more straightforward allusion to The Wizard of Oz when the Soldier talks about his dream and says, ‘And you and you were there, And you and you and you’ – a moment that defines the real world from Dorothy’s dream in the MGM version of her story, but which here pushes us out of the dream the characters are presenting as their reality.

      Why reflect on this? Is it relevant? Maybe. I think I was worried that Here We Are was going to be difficult to access and understand. I don’t know why. Perhaps it was the idea that the show is based on two quite heady surrealist films. I should have remembered that Sondheim’s craft (as he expressed it in Finishing the Hat) has always focused on

      Content Dictates Form

      Less is More

      God is in the Details

      all in the service of

      Clarity

      without which nothing else matters.

      That’s what Here We Are delivers: clarity – all in the form of an age-old story, transformed by a master for us and the world in which we live.

      1. A Sense of Conversation

      Listening to this show, I deeply felt its connections to Sondheim’s body of work. There are catchphrases, ideas, motifs, rhythms of speech and song – all reminding us of Sondheim’s distinctive approach, his unbounded and personal brand of making theatrical art. Listening to the piece I felt it was in the same family of shows as Assassins. I’ve already mentioned the show’s seamless weaving in and out of music, and shifts from lyric to dialogue and back again, reminded me of the unity of Passion, an ideal to which Sondheim strove. In “The Road 1 – Part 3,”
      Fritz asks the other characters, “Can’t you hear the sound of that distant drumming?” That moment is a pure echo of “There Won’t Be Trumpets.” Fritz, like Nurse Apple, is shaking up the world around her. I felt the weight of Follies in the lightness of touch seen in Here We Are. Marianne isn’t going to tragically proclaim, as Sally does, “Oh dear God, it is tomorrow.’ She simply reflects on where they are and says, ‘Perfect . Now where do we want to eat?’ When Paul delivers an expletive to complete a triple rhyme started in “Waiter’s Song” (‘Right, who had the duck? You’re out of luck…’), we’re taken all the way back to Sondheim’s original intentions for the final line of “Gee, Officer Krupke” in West Side Story. And overall, I had such a great sense of Dot’s philosophy: ‘Just keep moving on. Anything you do, let it come from you – then it will be new.’ Sondheim gave us more to see.

      Final Thoughts

      Even when it seems you have everything, you still can’t always find what you want. This becomes evident through the characters’ journey in Here We Are. While some have been qualified in expressing their feelings about this final show, I’m going to go out on a limb and say that for me, Here We Are is a perfect swansong for this master craftsman of story through song. Sondheim leaves us in the only place we can be, here: hesitant to move forward, caught looking back at his masterworks, running faster and faster all the time as the world swirls around us and hoping to catch a glimpse of something that helps us to make sense of it all. At this point, we have everything Sondheim gave us over his incomparable career and ironically, if we explore the worlds he created, there is everything we could ever want from the greatest musical theatre works: complexity, passion, heart, thought – everything that it takes to fill a blank page, or finish a hat.

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      The Saturday List: Art Isn’t Easy – and Artists are Bizarre!

      Posted on May 11, 2024 by David Fick


      Musicals about artists and their artworks can be fascinating. When vibrant canvases meet soaring melodies, there’s a huge amount of creative potential – even if success in this subgenre of musical theatre is as elusive as a perfect brushstroke. Broadway’s latest musical about an artist’s life and work is Lempicka, which also happens to be the first casualty of the season following the announcement of the 2024 Tony Awards. Lempicka scored three nods, for Eden Espinosa and Amber Iman’s performances and the show’s scenic design, but did not earn nominations in the big writing categories or for Best Musical of the season. A show that has sharply divided critics and general audiences, Lempicka will play its final Broadway performance on 19 May. As it bids farewell, let’s look at how it measures up against similar musicals about great artists. Grab your palettes – and let’s go!

      Jake Gyllenhaal in SUNDAY IN THE PARK WITH GEORGE, Tyler Peck and Kyle Harris in LITTLE DANCER and Amber Iman and Eden Espinosa in LEMPICKA.
      Jake Gyllenhaal in Sunday in the Park with George, Tyler Peck and Kyle Harris in Little Dancer and Amber Iman and Eden Espinosa in Lempicka.

      5. Goya: A Life in Song

      Has Goya ever really been developed enough for it to be considered a full-scale musical? Perhaps not, but there’s always cause to include a score by Maury Yeston on a list like this. Plácido Domingo, who was a fan of Yeston’s work for Nine, instigated the idea of a musical about Spanish painter Francisco de Goya. The most significant Spanish artist of his time, Goya is often considered to be a transitional figure between the so-called “Old Masters” of art and modern artists. His work, which deals with war, politics, religious corruption and mental health, offers fascinating insights into the world in which he lived and continues to meet our modern eyes with questions and challenges. Goya ended up as a concept album due to Domingo’s schedule and spawned one hit song, “Till I Loved You,” which was released as a single by Barbra Streisand and Don Johnson ahead of the concept album’s release, as well as in two versions with Domingo and Jennifer Rush and Dionne Warwick respectively. Domingo also recorded two further versions of the song, one in Spanish with Gloria Estefan titled “Hasta amarte” and another in Portuguese, “Apaixonou,” with Simone Bittencourt de Oliveira, as well as a full Spanish version of the album itself, titled Goya: Una vida hecha canción. So where does that leave us? Well, there is a fair deal of attractive raw material in Goya from which a musical can be fashioned, but it’s just not quite there. One can envision it as a concert piece and perhaps that is all it will ever be; as such, it makes for a great listen you give the concept album a spin: a musical of the mind.

      4. Little Dancer

      While not yet attaining its full potential and reach as a musical, Little Dancer still offers a compelling exploration of art and its impact on life. With music by Stephen Flaherty and libretto by Lynn Ahrens, this musical draws inspiration from the iconic Edgar Degas sculpture, Little Dancer of Fourteen Years. Premiering at the Kennedy Center in 2014, the show follows the story of Marie van Goethem, the young ballerina who posed for Degas. Marie’s journey, one of family poverty, her debt to Degas and the allure of wealth, reflects the timeless struggle between life and art. Ahrens and Flaherty, known for their work on Anastasia, deliver memorable tunes like the simply gorgeous “Musicians and Dancers and Fools,” the catchy opening number, “C’est le Ballet,” and a reflective soliloquy for Degas titled “Marie,” which points to the ineffable complexity of his muse. Indeed, it is stylistically more like Anastasia, an accessible and intimate historiographic metafiction, rather than an epic meditation on society like Ahrens and Flaherty’s masterwork, Ragtime. Nonetheless, it remains a poignant exploration of the complexities of creativity and the human spirit and will hopefully find a fully realised place alongside the rest of this formidable musical theatre team’s creations.

      3. Lempicka

      In one of the first-act songs from Lempicka, “Perfection,” a lyric proclaims ‘we need art that speaks to where we live now.’ That’s clearly what this show, the most recent Broadway musical about a real-life artist, Tamara de Lempicka, a bisexual icon most famous for her stylised portraits, often nudes and often of women, aims to provide to musical theatre audiences of today. The most obvious nod to this ideal is the use of a pop score to tell a story that happens in the past, reaching all the way back to the Russian Revolution, moving through the Art Deco scene of post-war Paris to moments later in the artist’s life that offer a framework to the narrative. It’s an easy choice to force the connection between a story from the last century and today; it is also one that sets up the busy theatrical language seen in the original Broadway production, making a lot of noise through which co-creators Matt Gould and Carson Kreitzer’s words and music have to cut. It’s in moments where the fantastic projection design by Peter Nigrini and the less fantastic choreography by Raja Feather Kelly let the material breathe that the show really has the opportunity to say something, to make a point about being “Unseen” or consider what it means to “Stay.” This show has a lot of valuable things to say, but there seems to be an awful lot in the way of it getting said. Ultimately, speaking to a generation through an artwork takes more focus. While Lempicka certainly has a passionate fanbase, its Main Stem production seems not to have enabled its meaning to transcend toward the universal.

      2. The Highest Yellow

      If Lempicka attempts to speak to a generation, The Highest Yellow aims to speak to a very specific target audience: its early, defining lyric is ‘You need the dark to make the light lighter; you need the scream to make the quiet hurt.’ With a book by John Strand and a score by Michael John LaChuisa, anyone who isn’t expecting a complex and sophisticated experience might be bewildered by this show, which premiered two decades ago at Arlington’s Signature Theatre under the direction of Eric Schaeffer. The Highest Yellow finds LaChiusa more in the mode of Marie Christine than The Wild Party as it tries to capture in music the kind of brilliance Vincent van Gogh captured in his art. Set in the period after Van Gogh cut off his ear, the piece also observes the world around the artist, dramatising a fictionalised set of circumstances that would lead, in real life, to the painting of (among others) Portrait of Félix Rey. Rey, the medical trainee who treated Van Gogh. In this story, Van Gogh presents the ear to a sex worker named Rachel and a complicated love triangle develops between the three characters. The three roles were played in the original production by Marc Kudisch (Van Gogh), Jason Danieley (Rey) and Judy Kuhn (Rachel), making for a starry, starry night in musical theatre terms. There are some gems in the score, including the title song and Rachel’s “His Heart,” but The Highest Yellow is by no means a show for the masses. Rarely produced, it is a show that deserves more exposure, but sadly, there’s not even a cast recording to lead new ears to engage with it.

      1. Sunday in the Park with George

      When it comes to musicals about art and artists, the Pulitzer Prize-winning Sunday in the Park with George is the gold standard. In this dazzlingly beautiful musical, Stephen Sondheim and James Lapine piece together the story that could have inspired one of the world’s most famous paintings, Georges Seurat’s A Sunday Afternoon on the Island of La Grand Jatte. Following the first act’s juxtaposition of the rocky relationship between George and a model, Dot, with the painting of the artwork from ‘white. A blank page or canvas’ to its completion through ‘design, composition, tension, balance, light and harmony,’ the second act shifts in time and space to examine similar issues related to art and love in our more recent history, in which George and Dot’s fictional great-grandson, also named George, considers the value of his own art and legacy. In a small conversation with his grandmother, Marie, we see that a world in which people ostensibly ‘do not belong together’ is the same world in which they ‘will always belong together.’ There is so much in this show that is moving and nothing more so than “Sunday”, the song that brings both the first act and later, the show to a close. What makes Sunday in the Park with George so successful is not simply the emotional journey of the characters, its astute observations about art and life or a series of memorable songs; it’s that every element knits together seamlessly. As Sondheim himself believed, ‘content dictates form’ and ‘God is in the details.’

      Final Thoughts

      And there you have it: our journey through some of the most memorable musicals about artists and their masterpieces is at an end. Through stirring songs and captivating narratives, each musical offers a unique and enchanting glimpse into the world of creativity and passion. And although its time is coming to an end, let’s not forget to celebrate the Broadway production of Lempicka. If you find yourself in New York City before its closing next weekend, be sure to catch the show live on stage. Whether you’re a seasoned theatregoer or a newcomer to the world of art-themed musicals, let’s raise a toast to the power of art and the magic of musical theatre – may they continue to inspire and enchant audiences for generations to come!

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