Scene to Song

In this episode, writer Rick Rhobajt Widen discusses bible musicals, running the gamut from Children of Eden, Two by Two, and Jesus Christ Superstar to religion-adjacent musicals like Saved and Leap of Faith . We also talk about the song "Writing a Gospel Play" from Michael R. Jackson's 2022 musical A Strange Loop.

As I prepare to record more episodes, I am sharing a conversation I had with former podcast guest Spencer Robelen on his The Hitchcock Gays podcast about Hitchcock’s 1945 film Spellbound starring Ingrid Bergman and Gregory Peck. I hope you enjoy getting to know Spencer’s podcast, and Scene to Song will be back in two weeks with a new episode.

In this episode, composer, lyricist, music director, and educator Katya Stanislavskaya discusses representations of Russia/the USSR in musical theater from Fiddler on the Roof to Anastasia to off-Broadway's Iron Curtain and many in between. We also talk about the song "The Beauty Is" from Adam Guettel and Craig Lucas's 2005 musical The Light in the Piazza.

In this episode, actress, Chair of Performing Arts at New York Film Academy, and original Wicked cast member Kristy Cates discusses Elphaba's journey in Stephen Schwartz and Winnie Holzman's 2003 musical Wicked. We also talk about the song "No One is Alone" from Stephen Sondheim and James Lapine's 1987 musical Into the Woods.

In this episode, writer, dramaturg, and publishing professional William Forrest discusses the Sherman Brothers' Movie Musicals for Disney, tracing their trajectory from their early pop hits to the sophistication of of the book musical in such films as Mary Poppins (1964). We also talk about the song "Soon It's Gonna Rain" from Tom Jones and Harvey Schmidt's 1960 musical The Fantasticks.

In this episode, five of this season's guests--Robert W. Schneider (Episode 114: Queer Characters in Musical Theater), Christopher Culp (Episode 105: Class, Race, and Gender Anxiety in Little Shop of Horrors), Andi Carter (Episode 112: Andrew Lloyd Webber's Musical Cats Part 2), BethAnn Cohen (Episode 108: The Bimbo or Ditz Character in Sondheim Musicals), and Matt Koplik (Episode 109: Jeanine Tesori Musicals)--return to discuss topics from the season and answer listener questions and comments. We also discuss the song "Wonderful" from the 2003 Stephen Schwartz and Winnie Holzman musical Wicked.

In this episode, composer, lyricist, and playwright Spencer Robelen discusses musical theater in the films of Alfred Hitchcock, from his early silent movies to Waltzes from Vienna to Stage Fright to The Man Who Knew Too Much (1956). We also talk about the song "Miss Up-to-Date" from his 1929 film Blackmail.

In this episode, theatre historian, author, and producer Jennifer Ashley Tepper discusses women writers in musical theater as part of her new book, Women Writing Musicals: The Legacy That the History Books Left Out. We also talk about the song "Old Friend" from Gretchen Cryer and Nancy Ford's 1978 musical I'm Getting My Act Together and Taking It on the Road.

In this episode, artistic director, producer, director, and podcast host Robert W. Schneider discusses queer characters in musical theater as part of his upcoming book. We also talk about the song "I Am What I Am" from Jerry Herman and a book by Harvey Fierstein's 1983 musical La Cage aux Folles.

In this episode, writer John Verderber discusses Rodgers and Hart musicals of the late 1930s and early 1940s, focusing on Babes in Arms, The Boys from Syracuse, and Pal Joey. We also talk about the song "Disneyland" from Howard Ashman and Marvin Hamlisch's 1986 musical Smile.