Oscar Snubs Woods - Really?

This entry is probably not going to be a popular one, but since it's topic is timely and relates to musicals, I feel compelled to address it: the alleged "snubbing" of Into the Woods for a "Best Picture" Oscar nomination.

I am a bit surprised at the number of people who are acting like it should have been a foregone conclusion that Into the Woods would receive one of these coveted slots. It is true that, had a film of Into the Woods added up to something spectacular that it could have received an Oscar nod. The ingredients were there, but the editing of important content, the caricature notions of would-be character development, and the lack of unique visual storytelling with the camera made it a good film, but not the great film that it should have been. 

Broadway Heartbreaks: The Anti-Love Song

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!

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.

Big and Brash: a Thing of the Past? — What Happened to the Musical Comedy?

Musical comedies: full out, "make them laugh" musical comedies peppered Broadway seasons in abundance from the 1920s through the 1960s. They were everywhere and just about everyone was writing them. Sure, there were always musicals of deeper substance and that had a darker edge making us think, but it was the big and brash musical, filled to the brim with colorful characters, lively music, and zany antics that, for many, became the epitome of what the Broadway musical was. Pure escapist fun like Anything GoesGuys & DollsDamn YankeesBells Are RingingHow to Succeed in Business Without Really TryingHello, Dolly!, Mame, and even lesser revered titles like GoldilocksWildcat, and I Had a Ball were the go-to for a joyous outing of theatre. Why are they just not as plentiful as they used to be?