I Hate Men but Love Nancy Walker

I Hate Men but Love Nancy Walker

Mark Robinson
Music That Makes Me Dance

My dear friend and sparring partner (as I often refer to him) Robbie Rozelle has been trying (for years) to get me to listen to Nancy Walker's I Hate Men album. I think it is a built-in aspect of our friendship that, when he recommends something, I won't listen to it just to aggravate him. Well...the joke is on me. Today, I finally sat down to listen to Ms. Walker superbly wend her way through some of the most humorous, anti-male Broadway show tunes ever written. Not only are the song choices (and their arrangements) infectious fun, but Ms. Walker peppers them with her patented tongue-on-cheek sarcasm. 

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. 

Follies? Broadway the Long-Haul: Stage to Screen

Follies? Broadway the Long-Haul: Stage to Screen

Mark Robinson
Stage To Screen

There has been some whisperings in the air that, with the financially successful transfer of Into the Woods to the screen, director Rob Marshall is considering a screen adaptation of the Stephen Sondheim musical Follies. If that film were to happen today, the gestation from stage to screen would be 44 years. Given that it would take a few years for the film to be completed, we would be looking at closer to 46 years from opening night on Broadway to sitting at our local Cineplex and finally devouring Follies in movie form. This inspired me to start thinking: what are some of the longest gestations between opening night and film adaptation in Broadway history? If Follies does happen, would it hold the record?

Let's Not Whiz on The Wiz!

Let's Not Whiz on The Wiz!

Mark Robinson
Stage To Screen, Music That Makes Me Dance, Tube Tied

The renaissance of the television musical is a wonderful idea that has been executed poorly with the "live" concoctions as of later. Both The Sound of Music and Peter Pan were highly anticipated and resulted in stellar ratings, but artistically lacked any spark of inspiration. The interest is fortunate because this is a terrific opportunity to introduce the uninitiated to the world of musical theatre. The lack of quality is a different matter as the producers of these "events" should strive to not only capture this new audience, but deliver them top drawer experiences. Help them see WHY theatre is magical and life-changing when all of the elements come together into one cohesive, sparkling creation. 
 

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