So Much Stuff to Sing

Some great shows have a few mediocre songs, and some great songs come from otherwise mediocre shows. Such is the case with this episode's selection -- or is it? Join us as we continue our journey of inspiration with "The Impossible Dream (The Quest)" from Man of La Mancha. All clips are from 2002's Man of La Mancha: The New Broadway Cast Recording featuring Brian Stokes Mitchell and are used in accordance with the Fair Use Exemption for criticism and commentary.

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Welcome to 2023! As we enter a new year, we could all do with some inspiration, so we're starting the year off with a miniseries of inspirational songs. First up, we look at The Sound of Music for the first time, with "Climb Ev'ry Mountain." The last Rodgers & Hammerstein collaboration, this 1959 musical is one of the best known and best loved of all Broadway -- and film -- musicals. All clips are from 2103's The Sound of Music: Music from the NBC Television Event and are used in accordance with the Fair Use Exemption for criticism and commentary.

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It's the most wonderful time of the year! For our third annual holiday special, we're being the rules a bit and looking at a festive movie musical -- namely, 1992's The Muppet Christmas Carol starring Michael Caine and the Muppets. We talk about the meloncholy air surrounding the making of the movie, the performances, and, of course, all of the songs written for the film by the great Paul Williams. Happy Holidays! See you in 2023! All clips are from 1992's The Muppet Christmas Carol: Original Motion Picture Soundtrack are used in accordance with the Fair Use Exemption for criticism and commentary.

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The second and final part of our look at songs that escaped the shows they were written for brings us to arguably one of the greatest songs never to be performed on Broadway -- "Meadowlark" from the ill-fated Stephen Schwartz musical The Baker's Wife. The show may be forgettable, but the song certainly is not. All clips are from Lindsay Mendez's 2017 performance of "Meadowlark" at Feinstein's/54 Below and are used in accordance with the Fair Use Exemption for criticism and commentary.

Watch Lindsay Mendez perform "Meadowlark" at 54 Below.

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Listen to the SMSTS playlist on Spotify.

Follow the show on Twitter: @somuchstuffpod

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And now for something completely different. We're embarking on a mini-mini-series: a 2-part look at songs that managed to have a life even if they shows they came from didn't. First up, it's "You've Got Possibilities" from the almost totally forgotten 1966 musical "It'sa Bird...It's a Plane...It's Superman". A score by Charles Strouse and Lee Adams -- and production and direction by Hal Prince -- didn't save this show from being the biggest flop in Broadway history at the time, but somehow this song managed to find a place for itself. We discuss why. All clips are from the 1966 Orignal Broadway Cast Recording of "It's a Bird...It's a Plane...It's Superman" featuring Linda Lavin and are used in accordance with the Fair Use Exemption for criticism and commentary.

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Follow the show on Twitter: @somuchstuffpod

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We conclude our tour of musical theater blindspots with Jason Robert Brown's 2014 The Bridges of Madison County and the sweeping love duet "One Second and a Million Miles." Will Shannon persuade Erik that this score deserves to be known far and wide, or will his cold, stony heart be unmoved? All clips are from the 2014 Orignal Broadway Cast Recording of The Bridges of Madison County featuring Steven Pasquale and Kelli O'Hara and are used in accordance with the Fair Use Exemption for criticism and commentary.

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Follow the show on Twitter: @somuchstuffpod

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We're trying to take care of musical theater blindspots, and this time it's Shannon's turn to introduce Erik to something new. So, how will he respond to "I Believe" from 2011's The Book of Mormon? Will he be converted, or will he slam the door in her face?

All clips are from the 2011 Original Broadway Cast Recording of The Book of Mormon featuring Andrew Rannells and are used in accordance with the Fair Use Exemption for criticism and commentary.

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Listen to the SMSTS playlist on Spotify.

Follow the show on Twitter: @somuchstuffpod

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Email the show: [email protected]

We just couldn't stay away from the Andrew Lloyd Webber/Time Rice songbook as we cover our musical theater blind spots. This time, it's Evita with Patti Lupone singing "Don't Cry for Me Argentina." What will Shannon make of this truly strange show that she'd never experienced before?

All clips are from the 1978 Original Broadway Cast Recording of Evita featuring Patti Lupone and are used in accordance with the Fair Use Exemption for criticism and commentary.

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Listen to the SMSTS playlist on Spotify.

Follow the show on Twitter: @somuchstuffpod

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Email the show: [email protected]

We're back after our brief end of summer hiatus, and we've got a new miniseries in store. We all have our blind spots -- shows that we feel as if we should know, but don't. In this miniseries, we're trying to clear up some of those blind spots -- 2 from each host -- and we're starting with a biggie. Join us as we talk about one of the greates roles in musical theater: yes, it's time for 1959's Gypsy and "Everything's Coming up Roses."

All clips are from the 2015 London Cast Recording of Gypsy featuring Imelda Staunton and are used in accordance with the Fair Use Exemption for criticism and commentary.

Buy/stream the album on Amazon! Watch Imelda Staunton perform the song.

Listen to the SMSTS playlist on Spotify.

Follow the show on Twitter: @somuchstuffpod

Follow SMSTS on Instagram: @somuchstufftosing

Email the show: [email protected]

To close out our look at the Broadway megamusical, we turn our attention to one of the most popular -- and controversial -- entries in the subgenre: Miss Saigon. Join us as we dicuss "I Still Believe" and the enduring debate about this show's depiction of its Vietnamese characters.

All clips are from the 1989 Original London Cast Recording of Miss Saigon featuring Lea Salonga and Claire Moore and are used in accordance with the Fair Use Exemption for criticism and commentary.

Buy/stream the album on Amazon!

Listen to the SMSTS playlist on Spotify.

Follow the show on Twitter: @somuchstuffpod

Follow SMSTS on Instagram: @somuchstufftosing

Email the show: [email protected] For further reading:

"I Am Miss Saigon, and I Hate It" by Diep Tran "The Battle of Miss Saigon: Yellowface, Art, and Opportunity" from the New York Times