All tagged Annie Warbucks

Broadway Blip – Musicals Based On Comic Strips

The Daily Comics and the Sunday Comics used to be an essential part of America’s reading. Little strips of humor, divided into panels of three, eight, or sometimes sixteen, we all had our favorites that we looked forward to. Interestingly, there have been several Broadway musicals based on comic strips. Considering the simplified nature of storytelling in comic strips, it is somewhat surprising that the authors of musicals were attracted to such properties. This may be why most of the musicals based on comic strips have struggled to run.

Charles Strouse in the House

The other day, I woke up and found myself humming songs from Annie (it may have had something to do with the use of “Tomorrow” in an insurance commercial), and realized that I adore so many of his melodies. Though he has had an up-and-down career on Broadway, his music is always infectious and the highlight of a show. I spent the better part of the day singing his songs while I cleaned the house, and then asked my readers on Twitter what some of their favorite Strouse songs are. I enjoyed listening to the ones you sent me and decided to make up a playlist of my favorite Charles Strouse songs. Hopefully, you will enjoy them as much as I enjoyed yours.

Broadway Sequels Are Never Equal

It's easy to understand why Broadway musical sequels happen, especially sequels to the big ones  that people adore. Audiences love a show so much that it seems likely they would like to spend more time with them and hopefully enjoy more showtunes from the same composers. On paper, that might make sense, but in execution Broadway musical sequels are almost always a bad idea. Let's take a look at some Broadway musical sequels and assess.