All in Top Ten

The Top Ten Musical Books - Bookwriters: The Unsung Heroes

The Top Ten Musical Books - Bookwriters: The Unsung Heroes

Mark Robinson
Music That Makes Me Dance, Top Ten

The bookwriter of a musical is probably the greatest unsung hero of Broadway. He or she gets very little recognition when a show works, but when a show fails, the book writer is often the first to be blamed. It is perhaps a thankless task, but their work is essential to designing the framework of the story for the composer and lyricist to hang their score on. Indeed, some of the book writer's best writing is often transformed into musical moments, stealing the best of their thunder. Many books of a Broadway musical are amazingly strong and today's top-ten list is an examination of some of the best. I made my choices by the criteria of originality, intelligently designed character voice, and the book needs to follow strong storytelling structure. I know I will be maligned for leaving certain titles out and I'm glad to justify why I left them off the list. Start the debate and maybe I'll agree. Or...maybe not.

The Top-Ten Films I'd Like to See Made Into Musicals

The Top-Ten Films I'd Like to See Made Into Musicals

Mark Robinson
Music That Makes Me Dance, Top Ten

I am the first person to say that I prefer original musicals, with original stories, to those adapted from films, but realistically, most major musicals of yesteryear were adapted from plays. It was inevitable that we would turn to film as the basis for our musicals. Truthfully, there have been some artful and/or delightful musicals adapted from films that I have quite enjoyed. Among them are Carnival!, Dirty Rotten Scoundrels, The Full Monty, La Cage aux Folles, The Producers, Spamalot, Grey Gardens, and Little Shop of Horrors come to mind as fully realized adaptations that are augmented by the musical form. 

Broadway - The Top Ten Unsung Heroes of Musicals

Broadway - The Top Ten Unsung Heroes of Musicals

Mark Robinson
Music That Makes Me Dance, Top Ten

We all have a deep affection for the underdogs of Broadway musicals, the characters who are truly the good people who make sacrifices for others, often in spite of their own interests or personal sanity. How many of us have cheered for Eponine in Les Miserables, torn by her choices to help Marius, in spite of her own love for the clueless boy? How about Kim in Miss Saigon who takes her own life to ensure that her son must return to the United States with his American father, in order to give the child a better life? We gravitate to these characters and their acts of utter selflessness. Over the years, however, I have noticed that there are certain characters who are the unsung heroes of musicals who do not get their due. This week's top-ten list is dedicated to those who haven't had their moment in the spotlight. 

Holiday Getaway - The Ten Most Underappreciated Broadway Musicals

Holiday Getaway - The Ten Most Underappreciated Broadway Musicals

Mark Robinson
Music That Makes Me Dance, Top Ten

Since its the holiday weekend and I feel like taking a break from analyzing songs for a day, I have decided that Labor Day will kick-off a special part of my series: The Holiday Getaway. On holidays, I will step outside of my usual format of joyously analyzing musical theatre songs and instead use my blog for other musical theatre commentary. This holiday (Labor Day) is about appreciating the hardworking and underappreciated, and I decided to do a top-ten list of "The Most Underappreciated Broadway Musicals."