The Grass Harp - The Real Miracle Show

The Grass Harp - The Real Miracle Show

Mark Robinson
Music That Makes Me Dance

A musical that a lot of people do not know, but will kick themselves when they realize what they have been missing out on, is the glorious The Grass Harp based on the novella by Truman Capote. It's a delightful story about a group of misfits and eccentrics in a small, southern town, who decide to renounce conventionality and move into a tree house in the woods. No, it is not a big splashy musical. In fact, its true pleasures can be found in its intimacy and  quaintness. With a score by Claibe Richardson and Kenward Elmslie, the show ran a mere 7 performances on Broadway in 1971, but The Grass Harp has lived-on through its sumptuous cast recording featuring Barbara Cook, Russ Thacker, Carol Brice, Ruth Ford and an explosively wonderful Karen Morrow

My Love-Hate Relationship with ALW

My Love-Hate Relationship with ALW

Mark Robinson
Music That Makes Me Dance

There was a time, mostly in the early stages of my love affair with musical theatre, that Andrew Lloyd Webber was the perceived god of Broadway and the West End. It is true that, especially in the 1980s, that his musicals ran for a very long time. Being the good little musical theatre student I was, I used my allowance to buy Phantom of the Opera, Cats, Evita, Joseph, and Jesus Christ Superstar on cassette (yes...it was that long ago). What I found (adding Aspects of Love, Starlight Express, and Sunset Boulevard to my schema) was that most of these musicals only featured one or two songs that stuck with me (in a major way) and the rest was just background noise. I don't write this to bash Sir Andrew, but rather to explore my own experiences with his music. How could I be so transfixed by one or two songs and so unmoved by the rest? I will go, show-by-show, through the recordings I listened to regularly, and discuss my favorites and least-favorites. 

And Another Hundred People Just Got Off of the Train

And Another Hundred People Just Got Off of the Train

Mark Robinson
Music That Makes Me Dance

There is something exciting and almost entrancing about the world of train travel. It affords efficient transportation, but with infinitely better views than you can get at a distance on an airplane. With the forthcoming revival of On the Twentieth Century about to make a station stop at the American Airlines Theatre, courtesy of the Roundabout Theatre, I started thinking about how many musical theatre moments take place aboard a train. I was surprised, as I started digging, just how many have moments aboard such a vessel. Have the Pullman Porter grab your baggage and climb aboard for a ride through the best musical theatre moments to take place on board a train. We'll call this list a "Train of Thought" exploration.

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