News and Views from Musical Theatre International

Many of Frank Loesser’s male characters experience an inexplicable urge to keep moving from place to place, without any obligations tying them down.  From the gamblers and their floating craps game in GUYS & DOLLS to Joe’s beautiful ode to wandering in THE MOST HAPPY FELLA to Finch’s avoidance of Rosemary’s domestic intentions as he leaps up the corporate ladder in HOW TO SUCCEED IN BUSINESS WITHOUT REALLY TRYING, Loesser’s men don’t have settling down in their nature.

There’s no better example of this than in GREENWILLOW.  Loesser and bookwriter/screenwriter Lesser Samuels (best known for his Oscar nominated films NO WAY OUT and ACE IN THE HOLE) created a personal, delicate look at small town life - and the effects unwanted wanderlust can have.

Unlike his counterparts from other Loesser shows, Gideon Briggs hopes to defy the yearning to travel that has plagued his family for generations.  As long as anyone can remember, every eldest male Briggs has suffered from an overwhelming urge to constantly be on the move, even if it means abandoning his family for months at a time.  Gideon’s father being an eldest Briggs son, Gideon has grown up with this phenomenon and has seen firsthand how the hardship of being left behind.  Gideon, as an eldest son himself, vows to end the curse by never getting married; no family means nobody to hurt when he inevitably leaves town, and it guarantees no sons.

This alone is a departure from the usual Loesser model; usually, Loesser’s wanderers fully embrace their lifestyle.  But not only does GREENWILLOW provide an exception in Gideon, but the show also shows the ramifications of wandering in a way that the other shows don’t.  Loesser’s other shows with wanderers contain female characters who want those men to settle down, but those shows emphasize the freedom of wandering more than the pain of the women left at home.

The quietly sorrowful “Walking Away Whistling” does that perfectly.  Dorrie, Gideon’s girlfriend, resolves to keep Gideon out of her heart.  If he’s only going to leave her after they marry, then why bother caring about him at all?  When Dorrie realizes this, her song makes Gideon’s departure seem all too inevitable:

“I could lay him a table to plenty
I could spread him a bed of down
But a wandering man is a wandering man
And he’d never rest easy in town.”

Like Rosemary’s “Happy to Keep His Dinner Warm” from HOW TO SUCCEED, “Walking Away Whistling” expresses the woman’s desire for domestic life.  Only, Rosemary’s song is her dream, and Dorrie’s song is the grim reality she fears is true.

Gideon’s love for Dorrie overpowers his family’s curse, ending the pattern of abandonment once and for all - and avoiding the heartbreak wandering can cause.

To license GREENWILLOW, visit its MTI show page. Discuss GREENWILLOW on its MTI ShowSpace page.

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Jim Caruso’s Cast Party is once again proud to present composer JASON ROBERT BROWN in concert for four nights on Sunday, March 14 at 7pm and Tuesday through Thursday at 7pm. These concerts are part of the long-running Broadway at Birdland concert series, which highlights performers and composers from the Great White Way on the stage of the historic music room.

Pianist, singer and Tony Award-winning composer JASON ROBERT BROWN will be featuring brand new material in addition to songs from his shows, including THE LAST FIVE YEARS, SONGS FOR A NEW WORLD, PARADE, and 13, as well as his solo album “Wearing Someone Else’s Clothes.”  This is a very rare up-close-and-personal evening with JRB - no band, no hype, just one guy at a piano sharing his art and his music.

Who:           JASON ROBERT BROWN
When:           Sunday, March 14 at 7pm and Tuesday - Thursday, March 16 - 18 at 7pm
Where:         Birdland, 315 West 44 Street, NYC
Phone:       212-581-3080
Website:     www.BirdlandJazz.com
Cover:           $30, $40 and $10 food/drink minimum

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If you’re not a fan of Music Theatre International on Facebook, there’s no better time to check out our Facebook page.  MTI Facebook fans get links to the latest MTI Marquee articles on their newsfeed, as well as a feature unique to our Facebook page: the Show of the Day.  Every morning, a clue goes out on our Twitter feed so our followers can guess what they think the Show of the Day might be.  Clues range from a song lyric to  interesting trivia about the show to identities of the creative team and a description of its subject matter.  A few hours later, the show itself is posted on our Facebook page, along with some information about the show and why it was chosen for that day in particular.  The Show of the Day is a fun way to become familiar with the over 300 shows in our catalog!

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It’s time for the latest installment of the webseries KEENAN BLOGGER, presented by MTI ShowSpace. In this wily episode, Andrew Keenan-Bolger takes you backstage of MARY POPPINS the National Tour, and learns that every actor has a process.

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This article is part of a series looking at musical theatre in movies and on television.

The hospital show that’s not a hospital show, SCRUBS seems a natural choice for a musical episode. The first eight seasons of the show are almost entirely seen from J.D.’s point of view, as the medical intern played by Zach Braff transitions to resident and full attending physician. J.D.’s fantasy sequences provide an off-kilter, somewhat surreal foundation for the show’s tone and establish a greater suspension of disbelief than what typical sitcoms require.

Unexpectedly, the musical episode (”My Musical”) isn’t told from J.D.’s perspective, but from a patient’s. Patti Miller, played by AVENUE Q’s Tony nominated Stephanie D’Abruzzo, suffers from a brain aneurysm that causes her to hallucinate that everyone around her is singing. While this solves the problem of creating musical numbers that rise organically from the story, it means the audience’s grounding point is a character they’ve never met before. Fortunately, D’Abruzzo is given enough to act - and witnesses enough of the other characters’ personal storylines - for this to be more of an advantage. Particularly since the episode occurs in the show’s sixth season, slightly removing the audience from characters they’ve grown to love helps keep the show fresh.

With this concept, the structure of the episode is brilliantly done. Each musical number references a musical genre or a Broadway-style number in some way, but without falling into obvious parody. The humor in the episode - and, despite its many funny moments, the episode is actually fairly serious - doesn’t stem from the fact that the characters are singing, but from the characters themselves. Along those lines, the episode isn’t gimmicky, and there are clear plot developments. The episode’s integrity is probably due to SCRUBS writer Deb Fordham writing the script and majority of the lyrics, as well as the participation of AVENUE Q’s Tony winning songwriting team, Robert Lopez and Jeff Marx.

“My Musical” opens with a traditional, introductory-style number, in the vein of “Tradition” from FIDDLER ON THE ROOF and “Belle,” the opening number from BEAUTY AND THE BEAST. The biggest production number in the episode, “Welcome to Sacred Heart” makes the hallucination concept clear and serves as an entertaining introduction to any first-time watchers.

“The Rant Song” is possibly the best number J.D.’s acerbic “mentor” Dr. Cox (John C. McGinley) could have. The businesslike, Gilbert and Sullivan style patter song perfectly captures his sarcastically funny rapid-fire insults and elaborate angry rants. D’Abruzzo’s involvement at the song’s end makes it even funnier.

One of the most popular songs from “My Musical,” “Guy Love” is an ode to the “bromance” between J.D. and his best friend, surgeon Chris Turk (Donald Faison). Modeled after power ballads from musicals such as JEKYLL AND HYDE, “Guy Love” contains many references to previous episodes and perfectly captures the hilarity and sincerity of their closeness.

“Friends Forever/Finale” is clearly based on “We Go Together” from GREASE. The buoyancy of the number expresses the characters’ optimism perfectly, as well as the upbeat feel of the show overall. More importantly, the song gives the audience a much-needed release after the more serious plot points regarding Elliot and J.D.’s relationship and Patti’s medical condition. This is especially necessary since the episode ends fairly ambiguously. While Patti’s surgery is successful, she finds herself missing the songs in her head - just as the other characters miss the things their decisions caused them to leave behind.

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Hey all you teachers, directors and producers - Spring Musicals are right around the corner!  Share the highs and lows of your rehearsal process by writing three (3) blog entries about your experiences backstage on MTI ShowSpace.

Rehearsals are the place for creative experimentation, problem solving, and bonding experiences for everyone involved.   This is your chance to preserve and share those moments. Let the blogs begin!

Instructions:
•    Write three (3) blog entries about your rehearsal experience: we suggest one at the beginning, middle, and end of the rehearsal period.

•    Include hilarious anecdotes, satisfying breakthroughs, tips, tricks, success stories and more.

•    Tag each Blog entry with: Backstage Blog Contest

Prizes:
Three Grand Prizes will be awarded. Each Grand Prize winner will receive a Free Standard Rental Certificate* and an MTI ShowSpace t-shirt.

*Standard Rental up to $1,000 value.  Certificate may not be applied to additional rental, early rental, royalty fees, security deposit, additional resources, etc. Original certificate must be submitted with contract and all other applicable fees. No photocopies accepted. Not to be used in conjunction with other promotions or discounts.  Offer valid through March 3, 2011.

Read the official contest rules here.

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This is the seventh in a series looking at the work of Stephen Sondheim.

In early April, Encores! will put on a concert version of Stephen Sondheim and Arthur Laurents’ musical, ANYONE CAN WHISTLE.  Tony Award winners Sutton Foster (THOROUGHLY MODERN MILLIE, THE DROWSY CHAPERONE, SHREK) and Donna Murphy (PASSION, WONDERFUL TOWN) will play defiant Nurse Fay Apple and corrupt Mayoress Cora Hoover Hooper, respectively.

Opening on Broadway in 1964, ANYONE CAN WHISTLE quickly became a favorite amongst many Sondheim fans.  Its groundbreaking structure, specifically in the “Cookie Ballet,” and bold declarations on society and “normalcy” weren’t easy for audiences to accept.  Over the past few decades, however, many songs from the show, including the title song, “Everybody Says Don’t,” and the cut “There Won’t Be Trumpets,” became popular cabaret standards.  In recent years, the show has seen a growing number of major productions, such as the Ravinia concert in 2005.

Click here for a summary of ANYONE CAN WHISTLE’s production history. Here, you can view photos from the original production.

Madeline Kahn was Mayoress Cora Hoover Hooper in the 1995 Carnegie Hall Concert

To license ANYONE CAN WHISTLE, visit its MTI show page. Discuss ANYONE CAN WHISTLE and view production photos on its MTI ShowSpace page.

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On March 22, 2010, musical theatre legend Stephen Sondheim will celebrate his 80th birthday.  The composer/lyricist of groundbreaking work such as COMPANY, SWEENEY TODD, SUNDAY IN THE PARK WITH GEORGE, ASSASSINS, and PASSION, and the lyricist of Broadway classics WEST SIDE STORY and GYPSY, Sondheim has redefined what musical theatre can do, and his influence is evident in the generation of writers after him.  Spanning a wide range of subject matter, musical style, and structure, Sondheim’s music and lyrics have made audiences experience great joy, bittersweet sadness, and the love of acceptance. Written with brilliant bookwriters such as Arthur Laurents, George Furth, and John Weidman, Sondheim’s shows are just as relevant today as they were the day they first opened. Revivals of WEST SIDE STORY and A LITTLE NIGHT MUSIC currently light up Broadway, and his latest, ROAD SHOW, played off-Broadway’s the Public Theatre in fall of 2008.

Send Stephen Sondheim Your Birthday Wishes On ShowSpace

What better way to honor a man who has spent over fifty years touching people’s lives than by thanking him personally?  We encourage you to find a photo, article, program, poster, or anything that expresses the meaning Sondheim’s music and lyrics have in your life, and write a note to Sondheim explaining the item’s significance.  If there isn’t any one thing that encapsulates your relationship with Sondheim’s art, simply write a brief letter.   Send us your material so we can compile it into a scrapbook, which we will present to Sondheim himself.  This is your chance to directly thank one of the greatest composer/lyricists in musical theatre history for the songs that have affected your life.

Here’s how to submit your material for the Sondheim 80th Birthday Scrapbook:

We’ll be contributing our own content, as well.  Weekly articles, a special Sondheim’s 80th Birthday logo, a contest, and other editorial content have been keeping our main site (www.mtishows.com) and MTI ShowSpace (mtishowspace.com) Sondheim-centric in the month leading up to his birthday.

We’ve already written six articles on the work of Stephen Sondheim:
Gracious Living: The Pursuit of Wealth and Happiness in SATURDAY NIGHT
Good Thing Going: The Positive Message of MERRILY WE ROLL ALONG
The Sondheim Revues
My Dearest Giorgio: The Use of Letters in PASSION
There Is No Other Way: Suicide in PACIFIC OVERTURES
Song Analysis: “The Story of Lucy and Jessie” from FOLLIES

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MTI ShowSpace is pleased to announce a special partnership with BackStage.com - the leading online destination where casting directors, directors, producers, talent coordinators, agents, and managers publish casting and job notices, promote auditions and workshops, and find the best talent from across the world.

As a thank you to our valued friends on MTI ShowSpace, users will receive a 50% discount when posting notices with Back Stage. The benefits of posting a notice with BackStage.com include: Inclusion of your notice in Back Stage’s weekly newspaper, digital magazine, Casting/Job Alert e-newsletters, and popular online casting/jobs database; plus, your project will be promoted across Back Stage’s RSS, Facebook, and Twitter feeds; and you’ll get free access to Back Stage’s Resume Inbox applicant management system, searchable Talent Database, and additional Casting Center tools. You can post notices calling for cast and crew, interns, new members for your theater groups, and participants for open mikes, workshops, classes, panels, and events, and more. To get started, visit the Casting Center Toolbox at http://BackStage.com/FindTalent

How it Works
To receive the special 50% discount code, all you need to do is Log in to or Register with MTI ShowSpace in order to view the code you’ll use when working with Backstage.com.

After you have the code, visit http://BackStage.com/FindTalent and click on the “Post a Notice” button. Create your notice, and then enter the special MTI discount code in the “Promotion Code” box during the online check-out process.

This code is available exclusively to members of MTI ShowSpace, can be used multiple times and expires 12/31/10.

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Don’t forget to follow MTI on Twitter!  Follow @mtishows for the latest theatre news, articles from the MTI Marquee, and highlights from MTI ShowSpace such as this EDGES video.  On Twitter, you’ll also be able to guess the Facebook Show of the Day, and participate in live Tweeting events.  We’re looking forward to Tweeting with you!

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As you’re thinking of songs to request to enter our MTI Radio Request-a-Song Sweepstakes, why not use the changing seasons for inspiration?  We’re in the process of assembling a spring-themed playlist, as April and warmer weather are fast on their way.  So think of your favorite songs that are literally about springtime, songs that deal with the themes of spring, or songs that simply remind you of spring, and request them on MTI Radio’s wall!

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Broadway’s Sutton Foster put down her tap shoes to guest star on last night’s episode of LAW & ORDER: SPECIAL VICTIMS UNIT.  Known for her breakout, Tony winning performance as Millie in THOROUGHLY MODERN MILLIE and more recently for her turn as bride-to-be Janet Van de Graff in THE DROWSY CHAPERONE, Sutton Foster plays an assault victim in this clip:

The same episode also saw self-proclaimed D-lister Kathy Griffin and Broadway talent Leslie Kritzer of LEGALLY BLONDE and the upcoming SONDHEIM ON SONDHEIM.

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Available 24-hours-a-day, 7-days a week, MTI Radio is a free audio player serving up songs from over 300 titles in the MTI catalog. Request your favorite MTI show tune today.

Instructions:

* Visit the MTI Radio “user profile” on MTI ShowSpace.
* Add MTI Radio as your “friend”
* Write your song request on MTI Radio’s “wall”

Prizes:
Winners will receive an MTI Prize Pack including:

* Original Cast Recording CD of Winner’s Choice*
* several MTI sampler CDs featuring our latest acquisitions over the past few years, and compilation CDs from some of our authors
* MTI ShowSpace t-shirt

One entry per user. Three (3) winners will be selected through a random drawing and notified through email.

*We will make our best efforts to provide the cast recording of your choice, but MTI ShowSpace reserves the right to offer a different CD based upon availability.

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This is part of a twice-monthly series on musical theatre in television and movies.

Currently in its 21st season, THE SIMPSONS established itself early on as a show able to smartly incorporate popular culture references into character-specific storylines.  The off-beat, unpredictable world of Bart, Lisa, Homer, and Marge easily lends itself to all sorts of fantasy sequences, unconventional story structure, ridiculous plots…and musical numbers.  In addition to original musical material, such as a musical version of A STREETCAR NAMED DESIRE that Marge starred in one season, THE SIMPSONS have parodied a number of MTI musicals.

When Lisa and Bart inadvertently get their favorite cartoon, Itchy and Scratchy, cancelled, it’s replaced by this educational cartoon–a clear parody of “I’m Just A Bill” from SCHOOLHOUSE ROCK.

In an episode that parodies 101 DALMATIANS, Mr. Burns rejoices in his wardrobe made from various animals with “See My Best” - a parody of “Be Our Guest” from BEAUTY AND THE BEAST.

Finally, this “Monorail Song” is a SIMPSONS’ version of “Ya Got Trouble” from THE MUSIC MAN. The episode on the whole parodies the musical, as a con man (obviously inspired by Harold Hill) sells Springfield a defective monorail.

These are only a few musical parodies seen on THE SIMPSONS over the years.  What are you favorites?

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