Dec 29

Dec 29 Remembering Jerry Herman and the Joyous Music He Made

On December 26, 2019 we lost one of Broadway’s greatest composers, one who infused every song he penned with emotion and a deep understanding of the character for whom he was writing. Jerry Herman, with his melody and lyrics, brought to life some of musical theatre’s most colorful and unforgettable characters, reminding us to celebrate life. One should not underestimate the joy, pure, unadulterated joy that he brought to us through songs for characters like Dolly Levi, Mame Dennis, Georges and Albin. This kind of fun, melody and embrace of the human spirit is rare in the contemporary musical theatre, something that is sorely lacking. Though he hadn’t written for the musical stage in some time, with Herman’s passing, we have lost a one-of-a-kind voice from a time where musical comedy scores were joyous, infectious, warm, and, most importantly, illuminating without being starkly literal.

Mar 31

Mar 31 The Best Musical Tony Award Debate: 1966

Mark Robinson

Music That Makes Me Dance

1966 was an interesting year in Tony Award history. Three of the four nominated Best Musicals, Man of La Mancha, Mame, and Sweet Charity, ultimately achieved iconic status and could have easily won the category, each for very different reasons. The three aforementioned nominees had some particularly good things going for them, but none of the three were the perfect musical, each falling short in one way or the other. The fourth nominee, Skyscraper, is simply in the running to round out the category, a weak choice in just about every aspect. We know that Man of La Mancha took home the prize, but did it have everything required to deserve a Best Musical win? Was there another title more deserving? Today we take a look at the 1966 Tony Awards and have that discussion.

Nov 9

Nov 9 Everything’s Coming Up Angie: Celebrating the Broadway Musicals of Angela Lansbury

Mark Robinson

Music That Makes Me Dance

Angela Lansbury is a treasure of the American Theatre. Though she was born in London, she has enjoyed a long and auspicious career on American soil, first as an actress in the old Hollywood movies system in films such as Gaslight, The Picture of Dorian Gray, and The Harvey Girls, and also as a television star for 12 seasons of Murder, She Wrote. It is, however, for the Broadway stage that Lansbury has been her most daring and sparkling. Today, we celebrate the Broadway musicals that starred Angela Lansbury.

Oct 7

Oct 7 Beatrice Arthur: The Greatest of the Vera Charles

Mark Robinson

Music That Makes Me Dance

I happen to be an enormous fan of the musical Mame. I find it so incredibly joyous and tuneful, full of bright humor and characters that are so much fun. My love affair with Mame, believe it or not, started with a high school production I saw back in the 1980s. I knew nothing about the show at all (I was 16 at the time and just starting on my journey into the world of Broadway musicals). When I left the theatre, I knew I had to own the original cast album as soon as possible (unaware that I was that it starred the incomparable Angela Lansbury and my favorite TV actress (Maude AND The Golden Girls) Beatrice Arthur in a scene-stealing supporting role. A few days later, I went with my stepfather to a used record store (he was a D.J. at a local radio station and always looking for old records). I, as I usually did, wandered off to the “Movies and Shows” section of shop. There I found, not one, but two records of Mame: the original Broadway cast album and the Lucille Ball movie soundtrack. We won’t get into the latter (perhaps a discussion for another day), but the former soon became my most played album for at least a year.

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