For the second entry in the Dynamic Duos topic, John N. sifts through the catalog of Lynn Ahrens and Stephen Flattery. Prolific collaborators of the stage and screen, Ahrens and Flaherty have given us such shows as Ragtime, Seussical, Lucky Stiff, Rocky the Musical, and Once on This Island - among many others. John gives a brief overview of their history and talks about the concept of humanism in the collaborative process.

 Find the episode on your favorite podcast app or by going to https://anchor.fm/musicalminutes

Intro and outro music ("BeBop 25") provided under Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License by Jason Shaw on Audionautix.com

Have a question for John or John? Want to leave feedback or tell us how wrong we are? Email us at [email protected]

For more info on our hosts - please visit https://norine62.wixsite.com/musicalminutes

As the second half of the Kander and Ebb story, John N. talks about "Chicago: A Musical Vaudeville" and discusses the anatomy of the "Kander and Ebb" sound, the collaborative process and its ups and downs, and how art and life can intermingle.

Music by John Kander

Lyrics by Fred Ebb

Book by Fred Ebb and Bob Fosse

Find the episode on your favorite podcast app or by going to https://anchor.fm/musicalminutes

Intro and outro music ("BeBop 25") provided under Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License by Jason Shaw on Audionautix.com

Have a question for John or John? Want to leave feedback or tell us how wrong we are? Email us at [email protected]

For more info on our hosts - please visit https://norine62.wixsite.com/musicalminutes

John N. is back with a few solo episodes - and trying something a little different.

This week, he introduces the short series of "Dynamic Duos" - pairs of collaborators on Broadway that you may or may not be aware of, but probably should; then pairs it with a show that you'll probably know and maybe even love from that duo.

First up is the writing team of John Kander (composer) and Fred Ebb (lyricist). What began as an introduction in 1962 fermented into a 42-year collaboration with movies, shows, and songs to their credit. They started modestly with "Flora: The Red Menace", but soon had such hits as "Cabaret", "Chicago", and many more.

Find the episode on your favorite podcast app or by going to https://anchor.fm/musicalminutes

Intro and outro music ("BeBop 25") provided under Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License by Jason Shaw on Audionautix.com

Have a question for John or John? Want to leave feedback or tell us how wrong we are? Email us at [email protected]

For more info on our hosts - please visit https://norine62.wixsite.com/musicalminutes

This week John N. is joined by Dr. Aaron and Mark Albin, founders and directors of Art 4, a professional musical theatre production company integrating four different mediums of art - performing, visual, literary, and culinary - to cultivate unique arts experiences that engage the community. Mark, Aaron, and John discuss the show's presentation of race and how our current events might inform the story, the concept of blending historical fiction with historical accuracy, and how presenting a show has changed in the Age of COVID.

Find the episode on your favorite podcast app or by going to https://anchor.fm/musicalminutes

Intro and outro music ("BeBop 25") provided under Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License by Jason Shaw on Audionautix.com

Have a question for John or John? Want to leave feedback or tell us how wrong we are? Email us at [email protected]

For more info on our hosts - please visit https://norine62.wixsite.com/musicalminutes

This week John N. is joined by Dallas actor, director, and stage manager Sienna Riehle to discuss the late 1990's mega-smash hit "Rent". John admits to a bit of (well deserved) hero-worship before the pair discuss whether "Rent" can be considered a period piece, whether Benny is a "bad guy" or a "bad" guy, and opine on Jonathan Larson's intent in either emulating or subverting Giacomo Puccini's opera "La Boheme".

Music, lyrics, and book by Jonathan Larson

Intro and outro music ("BeBop 25") provided under Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License by Jason Shaw on Audionautix.com

Have a question for John or John? Want to leave feedback or tell us how wrong we are? Email us at [email protected]

For more info on our hosts - please visit https://norine62.wixsite.com/musicalminutes

Over the next three weeks, John N. will be joined by various professionals in the theatre world to get a unique take on some beloved musical theatre properties.

"My Fair Lady" has a complicated message - one that is often lost or obfuscated in oversimplification and generalization. But looking a bit closer shows some interesting threads of self-determination, female character agency, and how old-fashioned some "masculine" views can be.

John N is joined by Philadelphia actress (and to be fair, younger sister) Kristen Norine; the two discuss the above and much more.

Music by Frederick Loewe

Book and lyrics by Alan Jay Lerner

Intro and outro music ("BeBop 25") provided under Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License by Jason Shaw on Audionautix.com

Have a question for John or John? Want to leave feedback or tell us how wrong we are? Email us at [email protected]

For more info on our hosts - please visit https://norine62.wixsite.com/musicalminutes

John and John finish off the interview with Justin and get some more info about his background as well as some fantastic stories from some of his more memorable gigs.

To learn more about Justin and his work - please visit www.justinschmitztheatre.com

Intro and outro music ("BeBop 25") provided under Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License by Jason Shaw on Audionautix.com

Have a question for John or John? Want to leave feedback or tell us how wrong we are? Email us at [email protected]

For more info on our hosts - please visit https://norine62.wixsite.com/musicalminutes

John and John were incredibly fortunate to sit down with DC-based sound Designer Justin Schmitz, and had the opportunity to talk about his experiences and anecdotes about working in music theatre - so much so that we had to split the interview into two episodes. In the first part - Justin talks about his work with non-traditional audiences, what to do when everything goes wrong, and how artists are coping with the current pandemic.

To learn more about Justin and his work - please visit www.justinschmitztheatre.com

Intro and outro music ("BeBop 25") provided under Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License by Jason Shaw on Audionautix.com

Have a question for John or John? Want to leave feedback or tell us how wrong we are? Email us at [email protected]

For more info on our hosts - please visit https://norine62.wixsite.com/musicalminutes

We end the month of February (and February Flops) with one of the biggest flops in recent memory.... Spiderman: Turn Off the Dark. Plagued with technical and artistic issues, the show managed to set a record for the longest preview period with 182 performances. John and John talk about the lack of an out-of-town period that could have helped with the technical problems, their views on the score, and how flash does not equal substance.

Music and lyrics by Bono and The Edge

Book by Julie Taymor, Glen Berger, and Roberto Aguirre-Sacasa

Intro and outro music ("BeBop 25") provided under Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License by Jason Shaw on Audionautix.com

Have a question for John or John? Want to leave feedback or tell us how wrong we are? Email us at [email protected]

For more info on our hosts - please visit https://norine62.wixsite.com/musicalminutes

For the third entry in the February Flops series, John and John discuss Kander and Ebb's very first show together, and how it doesn't... really say anything? But it's fascinating to see the birth of this dynamic duo and also the introduction of Liza Minelli into the larger Broadway sphere.

Music by John Kander

Lyrics by Fred Ebb

Book by George Abbott and Robert Russell

Intro and outro music ("BeBop 25") provided under Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License by Jason Shaw on Audionautix.com

Have a question for John or John? Want to leave feedback or tell us how wrong we are? Email us at [email protected]

For more info on our hosts - please visit https://norine62.wixsite.com/musicalminutes