"Blog-way": Confessions of a Musical Theatre Nerd

What would a Broadway blog be without a little Stephen Sondheim? Not very much of a Broadway blog at all, I'm afraid. So today, the musical in question will be Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street . Right off the bat, the name sounds dark and twisted, and indeed, dark and twisted it is. Sweeney Todd tells the story of Benjamin Barker/Sweeney Todd, a former convict who has returned from prison to exact revenge on a corrupt judge, Judge Turpin, who destroyed his family. Along the way, Sweeney befriends Mrs. Lovett, a pie shop owner whose business is struggling to keep up due to a lack of supplies. If there is any horror musical out there, this is certainly it, as Todd slits every unsuspecting throat in his bloodlust and vengeance. Notable Songs*: Prelude - From the first note, Sweeney Todd establishes the ominous tone of the story. The organ reminds me of when some sort of creature is sneaking up on an unsuspecting victim, then the sudden screech of the whistle is ...

Aaaaaaand we're back to period dramas...  There are few musicals that are as classic as Les Misérables (yes, I took the time to add that accent. Judge me.). Based on the novel by Victor Hugo, Les Mis tells the story of Jean Valjean, an ex-convict who broke parole but changed his ways to become a good man while being chased by Police Inspector Javert. Filled with timeless songs like "I Dreamed a Dream", "On My Own", and "The Confrontation", Claude-Michel Schönberg's music has endured for generations, with countless revivals and adaptations.  Notable Songs*: Overture/Work Song - (2012 movie) I feel like it's blasphemy to enjoy the 2012 movie, but I honestly didn't think that it was as bad as many "theater purists" said. Sure, Hugh Jackman and Russell Crowe aren't perfect, but there are certain songs where they do a really good job. Exhibit A. Both Jackman and Crowe act extremely well, which makes up for less than perfect ...

As promised, a musical without corsets! Times have indeed changed, and though we have rewound the clock many times on this blog, today we're staying in the present with a review of Cole Porter's classic musical, Anything Goes . The show tells the story of Reno Sweeney and Billy Crocker and their romantic adventures in a funny, charming show of love and friendship. I first came across this musical when searching for potential school musicals. Apparently, if you search "popular high school musicals" on Google, you get a list of the most commonly performed musicals as polled by Playbill , and Anything Goes is fairly high at #6. When I looked it up on YouTube, I came across a full video of a production, and I could not stop laughing. The dialogue was hilarious, and the songs were stuck in my head for days. The video of the production is below! If you have two hours and nothing else to do, check this out!!!  Notable Songs*: You're the Top - If you ever nee...

"War of the Roses, Chaucer's tale, the brutal feudal system, holy crusade, bubonic plague..." Though these all sound like things you would learn about in a European history class, they are also the first lyrics to the show Something Rotten!  Contrary what the name may suggest, Something Rotten! is so much more than just "something", let alone "rotten". Set in Shakespearean England, the musical tells the tale of Nick and Nigel Bottom, brothers who are trying to come up with the next big hit and outdo Shakespeare himself by creating the first musical. I said this in a previous post, but I'll say it again. I love history. The Tudor time period is one of my favorite historical eras, and I'm always excited for a riveting drama featuring Anne Boleyn or Elizabeth I, as played by some British actor whose face I've seen somewhere in the American TV-verse. But this musical takes that background and adds a hilarious musical twist, complete with Tud...

My tale today concerns the firstborn son of Charlemagne... and is entitled... Pippin ! To be honest, Pippin is hardly actually based in history, but that doesn't mean that the album isn't brilliant. Then again, the music is written by Stephen Schwartz, creator of  Wicked , so that shouldn't come as a surprise. I confess, part of the reason that I'm reviewing Pippin is because my high school is doing it for our spring musical, so it's basically going to be the only thing I listen to for the next few months. I'm beyond excited; there's so much amazing music, parts to perform, hearts to warm, kings and things to take by storm... I'm killing two birds with one stone here (don't worry, no ducks were harmed in the making of this blog post), so without further ado, Pippin ! Notable Songs*: Magic to Do - There's a moment at the beginning where you're not quite sure if it's begun. For the first thirty seconds, it's just an orchestra wa...

Let's face it, I couldn't possibly have a Broadway blog without talking about Hamilton . With the borderline insane craze of Lin-Manuel Miranda's hit musical about Alexander Hamilton, I couldn't "throw away my shot" to give my own Free Thoughts on the Proceedings of the Continental Congress original Broadway album. I'm a history nerd. A big history nerd. In eighth grade, we watched the HBO miniseries John Adams , and I loved it. I watch period dramas, and then I look up the history behind the period dramas. Like I said, a history nerd. So when Broadway opened a musical about history, it was like my two favorite things, music and history, had gotten married. I fell in love with the songs instantly, and by the end of three hours, I found myself asking, "Why am I choked up over the Founding Fathers?" Notable Songs: Alexander Hamilton - In a stunning intro to a stunning musical, Miranda sets the stage for the rest of the musical. It gives a ...

When I was little, perhaps eight or nine years old, my dad made for my mom a compilation of her favorite old songs. I grew up with that mixtape playing in the car over and over, on repeat. One of the songs was the title song from The Phantom of the Opera. I remember the chill running down my spine when the familiar "Duuuuuun dun dun dun dun duuuuuun" blasted out of the stereo system (if you've seen the show, you'll know exactly what I'm referring to; if you don't, then listen the song and you'll find out). I would sing along every time, and at the end of the song, I would try to hit that insane E6 Sarah Brightman hits. Frankly, I don't know if I sang that note or screamed it, but either way, I think it matched most some of the time. Last winter, I was fortunate enough to see the show on Broadway. It was an impulse trip, but it was beyond worth it. Starring James Barbour and Rachel Zatcoff, the show completely blew me away. The entire cast was brill...