Peter Filichia, James Marino, and Michael Portantiere talk with Alan Menken about the release of Kurt Vonnegut’s God Bless You, Mr. Rosewater. We review  West Side Story 60th Anniversary Celebration @ 54 Below, Cool! West Side Story 60th Anniversary Reunion at St. Lukes, A Clockwork Orange, Mary Jane, Desperate Measures, and Say Something Bunny.

 

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Panel:

Peter Filichia | [email protected] | Facebook

PETER FILICHIA is a theater journalist and historian with a number of books, his most recent is, “The Great Parade”, available everywhere. His columns appear at MTI, Masterworks Broadway, Broadway Select and many other places.

James Marino | [email protected] | Twitter | Facebook

BroadwayStars

Michael Portantiere | [email protected] | Facebook

MICHAEL PORTANTIERE is a theater reviewer and essayist, and is the chief new york theater critic at TalkinBroadway. He is also a theatrical photographer whose photos have appeared in The New York Times and other major publications. You can see his photography work at FollowSpotPhoto.com.

Matt Tamanini | Twitter

MATT TAMANINI is BroadwayWorld’s Senior TV and Film Critic and the host of the “Some Like it Pop” podcast, which is available on iTunes and Stitcher. You can connect with Matt on Twitter at @BWWMatt.

 

Notes and links for the podcast.

Guest: Alan Menken

AlanMenken.com | Wikipedia | IBDB | IMDB

Ghostlight Records celebrates the premiere cast recording of the musical Kurt Vonnegut’s God Bless You, Mr. Rosewater – based on the recent production by the New York City Center’s Encores! Off-Center musical theater series – with a special new “Making of the Cast Album” video featuring exclusive footage from the recording session and stage production, in addition to commentary from the cast and creative team. The video is available online here. The album is currently available on CD in stores and online, in addition to digital and streaming formats. For more information on the recording, please visit sh-k-boom.com/god-bless-you-mr-rosewater.

Adapted from Vonnegut’s 1965 novel, this was the first musical written by the blockbuster team of Howard Ashman and Alan Menken, before their theater success with Little Shop of Horrors and their animated Disney hits The Little Mermaid, Beauty and the Beast and Aladdin. The production was directed by Michael Mayer and choreographed by Lorin Latarro. Chris Fenwick served as Music Director. The CD’s 28-page full-color booklet includes complete lyrics, production photography, a synopsis and essays from director Michael Mayer and Thomas Schumacher, President of Disney Theatrical Group. The album is produced by Alan Menken and Michael Kosarin, with Rick Kunis serving as executive producer.

The recent Encores! Off-Center production starred Skylar Astin, Derrick Baskin, Jeff Blumenkrantz, Nick Choksi, Eddie Cooper, Kevin Del Aguila, Santino Fontana, Clark Johnson, James Earl Jones, Rebecca Naomi Jones, Kevin Ligon, Marla Louissaint, Liz McCartney, Bonnie Milligan, Brynn O’Malley, and Kate Wetherhead.

The 1979 musical God Bless You, Mr. Rosewater tells the story of Eliot Rosewater (Santino Fontana), a millionaire who drunkenly decides to blow his fortune on the inhabitants of an impoverished town after being inspired by the utopian vision of novelist Kilgore Trout (James Earl Jones). But there are forces who want to put the kibosh on Eliot’s philanthropy—like Norman Mushari (Skylar Astin), a lawyer plotting to have Eliot decl[...]