All in Top Ten

Top Ten Stephen Sondheim Songs To Live By

Top Ten Stephen Sondheim Songs To Live By

Mark Robinson
Top Ten

Stephen Sondheim is perhaps the greatest teacher of all, hiding pearls of wisdom throughout his lyrics that offer uniquely sage perspectives on the world. Now, I am not suggesting that you should adopt all of the philosophies within his musicals, as Sweeney Todd and Assassins might serve as a ticket to prison, but there are some songs that just so perfectly capture the lessons of life that they deserve to be committed to memory for the wisdom they impart. So, today’s “Top-Ten List” will feature my favorite “Stephen Sondheim Songs to Live By.” 

Broadway Poster Art - The Top-Ten Most Successful Designs

Broadway Poster Art - The Top-Ten Most Successful Designs

Mark Robinson
Top Ten

I have always been particularly intrigued by the poster art of Broadway musicals and how a simple image can tell so much while simultaneously enticing the throngs to enter into the theatre and buy a ticket. In my college theatre management class we examined poster art and how the slightest misstep can be fatal. The original poster for Damn Yankees was simply the title of the show with some pennants and other baseball imagery around it. Ticket sales, despite good reviews, were sluggish. The solution: slap a scantily clad picture of star Gwen Verdon over the title and WAMMO! - a home run. Tickets sales went through the roof. 

 

A few years ago, I had the wonderful opportunity to chat with poster designer David Byrd who, among many other achievements in rock poster design, created some of the most iconic theatre posters including those for the original Godspell, Hair, Jesus Christ, Superstar, Little Shop of Horrors and Follies. Mr. Byrd shared the essentials of great poster: they need to first catch the eye, second establish mood, and third impart a quick message. 

Broadway Heartbreaks: The Anti-Love Song

Broadway Heartbreaks: The Anti-Love Song

Mark Robinson
Top Ten, Music That Makes Me Dance

We are a month away from Valentine’s Day, and though many people adore this holiday, I am not one of them. It has nothing to do with the commercialism of Valentine’s Day. I think it is quite fine for greeting card companies, florists, jewelers and candy makers to fleece the couples of the world by making them see that they need to show their love with presents. 

How was that for bitter?

No... I am not the curmudgeon that I painted in the previous paragraph, but I did use a little hyperbole to set up a theme that I have wanted to explore on this blog: the anti-love song. Broadway musicals are full of love songs where people outright declare their love for each other in intimate duets that make you wonder how they can sing so enthusiastically in each other’s faces and not shower their beloved in saliva. These songs are a dime a dozen. The songs that have always intrigued me are the anti-love songs; songs that skirt or altogether dismiss the possibility of love, or songs that rage against the emotion with contempt. Very often these are out favorite songs to be found in a Broadway show. Today’s blog plunges into the world of the shy, the scorned, the bitter and the lonely.

That Bleak Ol' Broadway - When "Jazz Hands" Are Just Too Loud!

That Bleak Ol' Broadway - When "Jazz Hands" Are Just Too Loud!

Mark Robinson
Top Ten

As a bit of a follow up to my article on the "Brash and Bold Musical Comedy" and its growing obscurity, I thought I would devote this week's top-ten list to the other side of the coin: the bleak and depressing Broadway musical. The catharsis of a gut wrenching cry is, for many, as potent as a joyous showtune or a deep belly laugh. Indeed, there have been a plethora of these "jazz hand" silencing pieces that tug on our hearts and keep us coming back for an emotional cleansing.

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