All tagged David Yazbek

The Band’s Visit: Cast Album Review

The Band’s Visit: Cast Album Review

Mark Robinson
Music That Makes Me Dance

Any score by David Yazbek is an exciting event. We have witnessed his ever-evolving talents for years, reveling in the delicious character development brought forth in musicals such as The Full Monty, Dirty Rotten Scoundrels, and Women in the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown. It is then, that I have eagerly anticipated Yazbek’s score for the newly opened The Band’s Visit. Proving that his musical styles vary and he can incorporate and blend a wide range of musical styles, I am thrilled to report that the original cast album for The Band’s Visit is an account of a sublimely unique score that reveals a whole new side of Yazbek. The new recording from Ghostlight Records is a haunting revelation of musical complexity that Broadway fans will want to own and absorb over repeated listenings. 

Perpetual Anticipation: The New Musicals of the 2017-2018 Season

Perpetual Anticipation: The New Musicals of the 2017-2018 Season

Mark Robinson
Music That Makes Me Dance

It happens every year (thank god). Fans of Broadway musicals get all excited over the barrage of new musicals announced for the coming season. We are always salivating over the newest sleeper hit, blockbuster, and even flop, anticipating that glorious adrenaline that comes with attending a Broadway show. Since the cycle never really stops, this is perpetual anticipation and as Mr. Sondheim reminds us, such suspense may good for the soul, but bad for the heart. Out of the myriad musicals that arrive in New York each year, only a handful go on to glory (and recoupment).

Broadway is busting at the seams with new musicals slated to open in the 2017-2018 season. Though I am sure that this list is far from complete, here is what we can look forward to this season on Broadway. It’s an exciting and varied list of options, sure to tantalize even the most-discerning among us.   

Giving Them What They Want: The Best of David Yazbek

Giving Them What They Want: The Best of David Yazbek

Mark Robinson
Music That Makes Me Dance

With The Band’s Visit readying itself for its Broadway opening on November 9, I am reminded by how much I love a David Yazbek score. For me, Yazbek comes the closest to bringing the old-fashioned Broadway musical comedy sound into the contemporary musical. His work is tuneful, character-driven, brimming with emotion, and always laced with fun. Distinctly working in his own style, it is also clear that he is influenced by the likes of Cy Coleman, Jule Styne, and Frank Loesser. Today, I want to celebrate Yazbek’s work and revel in how it makes me feel. I am certain we will be adding some songs from The Band’s Visit to this list very soon, but for now, here are ten songs by Yazbek that we already love.

Beckoning Yazbek

Beckoning Yazbek

Mark Robinson
Music That Makes Me Dance

David Yazbek is a composer who really got my attention about 15 years ago, not just for his wonderfully melodic musicals and his sharp, often hilarious, lyrics, but for the fact he is not afraid to create musicals that have a touch of the great musical comedies of the 40s and 50s. That is not to say that his style and musicals are dated. His work is contemporary, but it brims with the musical comedy joy that seems to be void in much of Broadway's current market (It's okay to laugh and to enjoy a great melody, people).

Load More