Broadway

I have been a fan of Marvin . . .  well, forever.  I adore A Chorus Line, and I also sing the song Nothing all of the time and it has become a mantra for me. Marvin Hamlisch was born to create music.  He was a child prodigy and he entered Juilliard School Pre-College Division at the age 6!  He …

Broadway.  The lights, the energy, the anticipation. . . Broadway has always had a certain feel about it.  Some of the greatest creators and performers have contributed to this art form.  Many of my generation and later generations have experienced movies like The Sound of Music, South Pacific, and West Side Story on film, but these films and so many …

Several years back, my husband and I lived in a very large home. We would often wonder where in the house the other one was. Sometimes we would meet in the hallway. We called it “Into the Woods”. In 1986, the musical “Into the Woods” was first produced. Stephen Sondheim wrote the music and lyrics to this brilliant musical. Based …

The King and I, by Rodgers and Hammerstein, was first produced on Broadway in 1951 with Yul Brynner and Gertrude Lawrence. The producers originally wanted Rex Harrison for the part of the King, as he had played the King in a movie, which was a drama, but Rex Harrison did not want to accept a “supporting role.” So the part …

When West Side Story debuted in 1957, the producers, directors and actors were all worried about the audience reaction. The ending of the show was dramatic and tragic, but the message and meaning was important. The book by Arthur Laurents, and the music by Leonard Bernstein and Stephen Sondheim could not have been better. The dancers, choreographed by Jerome Robbins …

I first saw Richard Burton as King Arthur from Camelot on Ed Sullivan’s show back in the 60’s. It was JFK’s favorite musical, and I believe he tried to model his Presidency on this. Richard Burton was wonderful. Like Rex Harrison in My Fair Lady, Richard couldn’t really “sing”, but he could feel, and he could eloquently, with his magical …

When I first heard that they were going to make a musical based on the sinking of the Titanic, I was horrified. I was afraid to see the show. Then one night…by accident, I heard “The Blame”. I did not know the name of the song, nor the show it came from, but the lyrics made it so obvious and …

Many times some of the most beautiful music has come from Broadway plays that have not been successful. Sometimes the play will open for a week or two or sometimes not at all. Sometimes the composer will be able to use the song in another show. Sometimes not. Two of my favorite songs, Meadowlark (from The Bakers Wife) and Summertime …