"Pick-a-Little, Talk-a-Little" - Humor and Exposition

"Pick-a-Little, Talk-a-Little" - Humor and Exposition

Mark Robinson
Music That Makes Me Dance

The Music Man is a marvel for many reasons and I'm tired of all of the arguments that West Side Story was robbed of the "Best Musical" Tony that year (1957-58 season). I'm not knocking West Side Story. It's a special show full of artistry and it was certainly groundbreaking for its use of dance in telling the story. The Music Man, however, is a tightly constructed piece of original musical theatre, combining nostalgia, humor, musical pastiche, sentiment and a terrific concept. At the turn-of-the-twentieth-century, a con man masquerading as a traveling salesman sweeps into a small, uptight, midwestern town to sell the folks on the idea that they need a boys marching band. He hangs around just long enough to collect money for instruments and uniforms and plans to skip town. Along the way, he brings the town together, falls in love with the emotionally stunted librarian, and becomes a father figure to her little brother.   

"Where You Are" - Moments of Perfection

"Where You Are" - Moments of Perfection

Mark Robinson
Music That Makes Me Dance

Every once in a while you experience a moment in theatre of sheer perfection. Maybe not the entire show, but moments that make your heart skip a beat. In 1993, I made my way to the Broadhurst Theatre to see a musical I had been anticipating with every fiber of my being: Chita Rivera in Kiss of the Spider Woman. To be honest, I had not read the book or seen the film and the only allure the show held for me was my first chance to see Ms. Rivera ignite the footlights. She is unlike any of our other divas. There is a humble way about her. She wears her half-century of service like a badge of honor rather than a diva's crown. She is accessible is ways that some of the other big stars are not. I had loved her from the first minute I put on the original Broadway cast of Bye, Bye, Birdie and heard her expertly navigate her way though "An English Teacher." I was hooked.

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."

"Life Upon the Wicked Stage" - The Hammerstein We Forgot

"Life Upon the Wicked Stage" - The Hammerstein We Forgot

Mark Robinson

So many people chide Oscar Hammerstein, II for his Hallmark card-style lyrics of hope and strength that pepper his musicals written with Richard Rodgers (Oklahoma!, Carousel, The King and I, The Sound of Music and many others). They sum up Hammerstein in one broad stroke: sentimentality. I have always found this to be a wrong assessment of the man. Many of his lyrics have an edge, a slight darkness beneath the surface. "Carefully Taught" from South Pacific, "Love Look Away" from Flower Drum Song," "What's the Use of Wonder'n" from Carousel, "How Can Love Survive?" from The Sound of Music, "Lonely Room" from Oklahoma!, and "Shall I Tell You What I Think of You?" from The King and I debunk this theory. What I have always thought made his songs of hope and strength work within the context of these musicals is that they are anchored by the types of songs that I just mentioned. Something is always at stake in a Rodgers and Hammerstein musical, a journey or life-changing decision that must be made and the music tells that story. This is why these shows work. 

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