Hello Listeners! It’s time to start a new school year AND a new season of Broadway Babies! We hope you’re as excited as we are to take a deep dive into the Movie Musicals of the Decades! We will be looking at movie musicals from the 1920s to today, and basing an episode on the musical that we think captures the spirit and the aesthetic of that decade. This episode is on the Academy Award winning classic, The Broadway Melody! We will be discussing the quality of the movie as well as the music, the story, the choreography, and other elements of musicals that apply. Join us in the discussion during the season about the evolution of the movie musical! 

Podcast cover art: David Taylor

Twitter: @bwaybabies Facebook: Facebook.com/broadwaybabiespodcast

Where to watch: Amazon| iTunes| YouTube

Music:

• "The Broadway Melody," performed by Charles King
• "My Boyfriend," by Bessie Love and Anita Page
• "You Were Meant for Me," by Charles King
• "The Broadway Melody (reprise)," by Charles King

Music and lyrics by Nacio Herb Brown and Arthur Freed

Released by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer

Show Notes:

• The New York Times’ review from 1929.
• Turner Classic Movies
• Comet over Hollywood
•  Tap dancing scene!!
• You Were Meant for Me from “Singin’ in the Rain,” this time sung by Gene Kelly
• An interesting...and disappointing story about Arthur Freed in his later years.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Getting to know us, getting to know all about us...PART TWO!

Hello listeners! This Part Two of our Q&A episode, AND ALSO EPISODE 20 OF OUR PODCAST!!!!!! When we first started this podcast, our goal was to learn as much as we can about an artform we love. It is such a privilege to share what we have learned and open up the conversation to the public! Since we have been recording for awhile now, we thought that it would be nice to have a Q&A with surprise questions about our personal and professional lives...but, of course, within the scope of musical theatre! These were super fun to do, so if you want to join in on the fun, let us know the answers to some of these questions on social media, or ask us questions! We hope you enjoy! 

**SO SORRY FOR DAISHA'S SOUND QUALITY!!!! HER CATS UNPLUGGED HER MIC!**

Podcast cover art: David Taylor

Twitter: @bwaybabies Facebook: Facebook.com/broadwaybabiespodcast

Getting to know us, getting to know all about us...

Hello listeners! Since we have been recording for awhile now, we thought that it would be nice to have a Q&A with surprise questions about our personal and professional lives...but, of course, within the scope of musical theatre. These were super fun to do, so if you want to join in on the fun, let us know the answers to some of these questions on social media, or ask us questions! We hope you enjoy! 

**SO SORRY FOR DAISHA'S SOUND QUALITY!!!! HER CATS UNPLUGGED HER MIC!**

Podcast cover art: David Taylor

Twitter: @bwaybabies Facebook: Facebook.com/broadwaybabiespodcast

TOUCH MEEE! IT’S SO EASY TO LEAVE ME! All alone with the memory, of our days in this MEGA musical season… Hello listeners! This is the final episode in the Broadway Babies’ SUPER MEGAMUSICAL MEGASEASON, and they decided to spend it discussing Jellicle songs for Jellicle Cats! Cats by Sir Andrew Lloyd Webber is the O.G. of MEGAmusicals, and Alex and Daisha thought it wise to end at the beginning. Join them as they discuss the usual ins and outs of the musical, the weird impact Cats had on Blockbuster musicals, and who ACTUALLY deserved to ascend to Heaviside Layer. They also wrap up the season with some final thoughts on the value of MEGAmusicals. Hope you’re cat people...or fans of Michael Jackson’s “Thriller” video, because that’s what you’ve gotta work with on this episode of Broadway Babies!

Podcast cover art: David Taylor

Twitter: @bwaybabies Facebook: Facebook.com/broadwaybabiespodcast

OBC Cast recording: Spotify | Amazon | iTunes

Video recording: iTunes | Amazon | Amazon/BroadwayHD

Songs:

• "Prologue: Jellicle Songs for Jellicle Cats" performed by  Company
• “The Rum Tum Tugger” by John Partridge and Company
• "The Naming of Cats" by Tony Timberlake, Michael Gruber, and Company
• "Gus: The Theatre Cat" by Tony Timberlake and Susan Jane Tanner
• "Memory" by Elaine Page and Helen Massey

Music by Andrew Lloyd Webber and lyrics by T.S. Eliot

Distributed by Really Useful Films

Show Notes:

• BBC’s “The Story of Musicals” has a segment on “Cats,” its production history and its impact on British musical theatre
• This retrospective by the UK Independent goes into more detail about “Cats’” branding and merchandising impact, as well as its West End and populist legacy
• Does “Memory” sound at all like the flute bridge solo in “California Dreamin’”? Like Ravel’s “Bolero” ballet movement? Listen and decide for yourself!
• I always love watching the “Who sang it best?” videos: This one is of the “Memory” climax!
• A fun read! 
• The source material!
• The singing voice of Jemima! 
• A side by side a fan did of Casteleyn and Massey performing Jemima 
• Entering the gates of Hell
• IT WAS BETTY BUCKLEY (start at 7:25 for an example of enviable breath support, or 4:30 for the whole song, which is beautiful!)

How do you document real life, when real life’s getting more like fiction each day? Good question. Hello listener, there’s no day but today, so the Broadway Babies decided to switch it up on y’all and add an outlier to the MEGA musical season that they felt deserved to be recognized for being the angsty sensation that swept the nation: RENT RENT RENT RE-ENT RENT!!!! Hang out with Alex and Daisha in Alphabet City while they discuss why Rent deserves a MEGA MUSICAL STATUS, as well as their opinions on why Rent hasn’t aged well, but the source material, La Bohème, has. Let us know what you think in the comments!

Podcast cover art: David Taylor

Twitter: @bwaybabies Facebook: Facebook.com/broadwaybabiespodcast

OBC Cast recording (sorry): Amazon |iTunes

Video recording: iTunes | Amazon

Songs:

• “Rent,” performed by Adam Kantor, Will Chase and ensemble
• “Light My Candle,” by Renée Elise Goldsberry and Will Chase
• “Take Me or Leave Me,” by Eden Espinosa and Tracie Thoms
• “I’ll Cover U (reprise),” by Michael McElroy and ensemble
• “Seasons of Love,” by Gwen Stewart and ensemble

Music and lyrics by Jonathan Larson

Distributed by Sony Pictures

Show Notes:

• Everyone has AIDS! AIDS AIDS AIDS AIDS! 
• Gavin Creel and Aaron Tveit’s “Take Me or Leave Me,” maybe the sexiest thing ever seen: 
• "When it comes to 1990s time capsules, though, you can't do much better than Rent. Sure, it was technically set in 1989, but the musical is far more about the decade's response to the '80s than anything else."
• This is horrifying. News stories from 1982-1992 about HIV/AIDS. People were horribly mistreated. 
• The Final Days backstage.
• It's Rent, but the opera version! (Also, we encourage y'all to go see La Bohème live! It's ALWAYS being performed and probably at an opera house near you!)

The PHANNNNTOM OF THE OPERA IS HERE inside our mics *organ theme*...we know you sang it. Join the Broadway Babies in part two of the MEGA musical that everyone thinks is an opera! In this segment, Alex and Daisha talk about how Phantom of the Opera uses elements of actual opera on the stage and in the music, and we discuss our favorite elements of the musical. We also chat about the lucrativeness of the franchise and wrap it up with our pros and cons.

Podcast cover art: David Taylor

Twitter: @bwaybabies Facebook: Facebook.com/broadwaybabiespodcast

Cast recording: Amazon | iTunes

Video recording: iTunes | Amazon

Songs:

• "The Point of No Return," performed by Sierra Boggess and Ramin Karimloo
• “Wishing You Were Somehow Here Again,” by Sierra Boggess 

Music by Andrew Lloyd Webber and lyrics by Charles Hart and Richard Stilgoe. 

Released by Really Useful Group Ltd.

Show Notes:

• Learn about the Palais Garnier — the real Parisian opera house that inspired “Phantom of the Opera” and that Hal Prince visited
• Lindsey Ellis’ history lesson about the character of the Phantom post-ALW
• Another session of the infernal court in Musical Hell: the movie version of “Phantom of the Opera”
• “Home” from “Phantom” by Maury Yeston and Arthur Kopit
• Snippets of opera ALW probably drew inspiration from:

  • Hannibal seems to be based on Aida’s extra-ness. General exoticism and grand staging and costumes in opera.

  • The Il Muto scenes
    • Laughing choruses in opera such as Verdi’s Falstaff and Mein Herr Marquis from Die Fledermaus.
    • A young girl dressed as a cheeky boy or young man is pretty standard. A pretty standard example this scene was taken from is The Marriage of Figaro, and opera by Mozart with a silly and smitten young man named Cherubino and the cunning Countess he is in love with. Phantom sort of combines Susanna and Cherubino and makes it his own.

 

Listeners, we have gone past the point of no return in this TWO-PART, MEGA MUSICAL EPISODE!!! Masks will be ripped off, costumes will be grand, and chandeliers will swing in this musical spectacular. This week, the Broadway Babies jump in, lassos spinning, to rein in the king of MEGA musicals: The Phantom of the Opera. Join Alex and Daisha as they discuss the 25th Anniversary, Royal Albert Hall performance starring Sierra Boggess, Ramin Karimloo and Hadley Fraser. Phantom of the Opera is glamorously basic, captivatingly simple, and addictively charming, but why? Let us know what you think after listening! 

Podcast cover art: David Taylor

Twitter: @bwaybabies Facebook: Facebook.com/broadwaybabiespodcast

Cast recording: Amazon | iTunes

Video recording: iTunes | Amazon

Songs:

• “The Phantom of the Opera,” performed by Sierra Boggess and Ramin Karimloo
• ”Think of Me,” by Wendy Ferguson and Sierra Boggess
• “Notes.../Prima Donna,” by Wendy Ferguson, Hadley Fraser, Barry James, Gareth Shook, etc.

Music by Andrew Lloyd Webber and lyrics by Charles Hart and Richard Stilgoe. 

Released by Really Useful Group Ltd.

Show Notes:

• Frank Rich’s 1988 New York Times review of the original production had some shade to throw Lloyd Webber’s way … and especially about his wife, y’all
• The unmasking scene is so much scarier in the silent Lon Chaney film; the 2004 movie’s unmasking scene, on the other hand
• The really great book “Razzle Dazzle” by Michael Riedel, among other stories, details the history of both Les Mis and Phantom when they came to the West End and then Broadway — and some of the Drama that ensued when the Shubert Group tried to book it into the Majestic in New York
• Ben Lewis singing "Till I Hear You Sing" from Love Never Dies
• An article about a TV show about how sleazy Times Square used to be. There are cool pictures!

 

Picture it, Merano, 1979. The beauty of the Alps surrounds you and the world is your oyster. Instead of enjoying a charming Alpine town, you are going to watch chess all day at the World Chess Championship: an unlikely setting for extreme drama. Join Alex and Daisha as they discuss the MEGA musical Chess (in Concert at Royal Albert Hall, again). The Broadway Babies will chat about the moldable plot, and how unique Chess' story is because the game and its players are a metaphor for the Cold War. We soon learn that in the end each character is a "prawn"...or "pawn" in the game of war. It's heavy material, but enlivened by beautiful singing and acting from Josh Groban, Adam Pascal, Idina Menzel, Kerry Ellis, and David Bedella!

Podcast cover art: David Taylor

Twitter: @bwaybabies Facebook: Facebook.com/broadwaybabiespodcast

Cast recording: Amazon | iTunes

Video recording: iTunes | Amazon 

Songs:

• "Chess Game #1," by London Philharmonic Orchestra
• "Merano/What a Scene! What a Joy!" performed by West End Chorus & Adam Pascal and Idina Menzel
• "Anthem," by Josh Groban
• "Nobody's Side," by Idina Menzel
• "Someone Else's Story," by Kerry Ellis
• "Golden Bangkok"/"One Night in Bangkok," performed by Adam Pascal and Ensemble
• "Quartet (A Model of Decorum and Tranquility)," by Idina Menzel, Josh Groban, David Bedella and Marti Pellow
• "I Know Him So Well," by Idina Menzel and Kerry Ellis

Music by Björn Ulvaeus and Benny Andersson, lyrics by Tim Rice

Released by Reprise Records

Show Notes

• A review of the Kennedy Center's 2018 production of Chess with a rough critique of the musical and its new book by Danny Strong.
• Yikes!
• Please watch this. (Take note of the chessboard choir folders.)

Crying at all is not allowed, not in our podcast on a cloud. Dream the dream with the Broadway Babies as they take on another MEGA musical/MEGA concert: the French-born tear jerker, Les Misérables! Prepare yourself for self-indulgent musical bliss in the form of Lea Salonga, Judy Kuhn, Michael Ball, and the giant chorus screaming in mom jeans and concert T's in the background. Alex and Daisha will chat about the 10th anniversary “Dream Cast” concert version and the pros and cons of a huge musical being pared down into a concert version. 

 

Podcast cover art: David Taylor

Twitter: @bwaybabies 

Facebook: Facebook.com/broadwaybabiespodcast

 

Cast recording: Amazon | iTunes

Video recording: Amazon

 

Songs

• "Prologue: Work Song" (Performed by Colm Wilkinson, Philip Quast and Ensemble)
• "Castle on a Cloud" (by Hannah Chick)
• "On my Own" (by Lea Salonga)
• "Little Fall of Rain" (by Lea Salonga and Michael Ball)
• "Bring Him Home" (by Colm Wilkinson)
• "One Day More" (by Colm Wilkinson, Michael Ball, Judy Kuhn, Lea Salonga, etc. and Ensemble)

Music by Claude-Michel Schönberg and original lyrics by Alain Boublil, English version by Herbert Kretzmer

Distributed by Sony Pictures and BBC Video

 

Show Notes

• The iconic medley of Les Mis' 1987 Tonys performance 
• A pretty thorough video about Les Mis by former Nostalgia Chick Lindsey Ellis (stop after the weird song thing starts).
• Lea Salonga’s audition for Kim in "Miss Saigon" 
• Some major side eye about the movie from the lady (Marni Nixon RIP) who was the singing voice for basically everyone in the 50s and 60s.

What's the buzz, listeners? We'll tell you what's a'happenin'! The Broadway Babies are back and better than ever! Now it’s time to get petty and start our season of MEGA musicals. This season is comprised entirely of "doozies," starting with the NBC concert of the king of megamusicals’ tomb-quaking classic, "Jesus Christ Superstar Live!" Andrew Lloyd Webber and Tim Rice’s rock musical entertains the 5,000 while providing commentary on what celebrity can do to the individual as well as the general public. Alex and Daisha discuss the themes of loneliness, celebrity, and tough choices woven through Webber’s motive-ridden classic. 

Podcast cover art: David Taylor

Twitter: @bwaybabies Facebook: Facebook.com/broadwaybabiespodcast

Cast recording: Amazon | iTunes | Spotify

Video: Hulu | NBC.com

Songs

• "Prologue"/"Heaven on their Minds" (performed by Orchestra/ Brandon Victor Dixon)
• "Everything is Alright" (by Sara Bareilles and Ensemble)
• "Gethsemane (I only want to say)" (by John Legend)
• "King Herod's Song" (by Alice Cooper)
• "Superstar" (by Brandon Victor Dixon and Ensemble)

Music by Andrew Lloyd Webber and lyrics by Tim Rice book by God.

Released by Sony Masterworks.

Show Notes

• Who sang the “Gethsemane” high note (G5) the best? You decide!
• A behind-the-scenes documentary clip from the 2000 film about the idea of Rice’s and Webber’s making the story about Judas’ betrayal and his character
• We barely talked about it at all, but there was a 2012 Broadway revival of this show that was just as Tony nominated as any other production of this (Best Revival and Actor): Here are a couple highlights from the show
• John Legend discussing the role: “I think we've gotten used to seeing Jesus look like he came from Oslo, when, you know, obviously he was born and raised in the Middle East and probably looked a lot closer to me.”
• The second best thing to ever come from early 2000s reality TV (the first being New York from “Flavor of Love)