Theatre Time Machine: Looking Back at Gentlemen Prefer Blondes

Theatre Time Machine: Looking Back at Gentlemen Prefer Blondes

Mark Robinson
Theatre Time Machine, Music That Makes Me Dance

Though it isn’t produced anywhere near as much as it should be, Jule Styne, Leo Robin, Joseph Fields and Anita Loos’s Gentleman Prefer Blondes was a wonderfully delicious satire in its time and it served up a frothy, delectable score that counted amongst its many standards, the show-stopping “Diamonds Are a Girl’s Best Friend.” The musical, about a platinum-crowned, gold-digger named Lorelei Lee and her escapades to find herself a rich husband, made a star out of Carol Channing who would go on to become one of Broadway’s most enduring divas. The musical was based on Anita Loos’s best-selling novel of the same name.

Broadway Musical Musings - Hamilton Abandonment

Broadway Musical Musings - Hamilton Abandonment

Mark Robinson
Broadway Musical Musings

Well, Hamilton swept the Tony Awards and before the trophies could gather dust on the mantelpiece, news of original cast members departing the production began to get people (especially those who haven't seen it yet, down). In the coming weeks, the two male leads, Lin-Manuel Miranda and Leslie Odom, Jr., will depart the show, breaking the hearts of legions of zealous fans. True, they have spent quite a few months performing this show eight-times a week and have probably earned some time away, and they will most-likely return to the show for limited engagements. It's hard for many to imagine Hamilton without these two powerhouse performers.

Defying Urgency: Waiting for the Film Adaptation of Wicked

Defying Urgency: Waiting for the Film Adaptation of Wicked

Mark Robinson
Broadway Musical Musings, Cinematters

This week, musical theatre lovers were greeted with the bittersweet news that the film adaptation of the mega-hit Wicked is going to happen, but we will have to wait until 2019 before they will see their favorite green lady on the big screen. The producers have been talking about the film version of Wicked for years, but they seem to be defying urgency in its path to fruition. Is there a reason why it is taking so long, or are they just waiting for the Broadway production's popularity to peter out? 

Musical Theatre Time Machine: Looking Back at Carousel

Musical Theatre Time Machine: Looking Back at Carousel

Mark Robinson
Music That Makes Me Dance

With their first collaboration Oklahoma!, Rodgers and Hammerstein created a new model for musical theatre that integrated score, plot, character and dance into a tightly-woven theatrical experience that was all of one piece. If they secured this evolving style with Oklahoma!, they cemented it with the far more compelling, and ultimately more satisfying, Carousel. For many, Carousel was (and continues to be) a hard pill to swallow, with it themes of domestic violence and of enduring abuse, imperfect characters who make bad choices, and generally for its hopeful, if not exactly happy, ending.

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