Trick or Treat? MARQUEE's Broadway crossword spotlights both
Trick or Treat? MARQUEE's Broadway crossword spotlights both
Halloween thrills await fans of theater, puzzles, or both
Shalom, Broadway lovers!
In today’s MARQUEE: The Broadway Maven’s Weekly Blast: an important announcement about the future of MARQUEE and The Broadway Maven; a fun Broadway-themed crossword puzzle; a Broadway Blast about West Side Story; a Broadway Maven Video with the latest headlines; a student report about Musical Con; a Piano Talk about Les Misérables; the homework for Sunday’s class about In the Heights, and a Last Blast about Annie and Anastasia.
ANNOUNCEMENT: MARQUEE is now a FREE publication, the full version available to everyone. And the ALL-ACCESS Pass program is being phased out, with current Passes expiring December 31. Anyone else who'd like to attend all the Broadway Maven classes (starting with In the Heights this Sunday) can become a Member for just $18 a month, which provides access to 5-15 classes and expert-let Broadway experiences. It includes a password to the Clips Archive and periodic giveaways to Broadway and off-Broadway shows, including at least one opening night performance and party. Join this vibrant learning community at the button below, and through December 31 only we’re offering non-Members one month’s FREE membership (cancel at any time).
PUZZLE: Crossword puzzles have long been a popular pastime among musical theater people, and several prominent Broadwayniks are published cruciverbalists (puzzle constructors), including Hugh Wheeler, Richard Maltby, Jr. (who is a MARQUEE subscriber!) and The Master himself. Barry Joseph, author of the forthcoming Matching Minds with Sondheim, even told me that had Sondheim "not had any achievements in musical theater, his passing in 2021 would still have noted mention in The New York Times obituaries" for his role in promoting cryptic crosswords in America.
This year's MARQUEE Crossword is filled with surprises. A button to a page where you can solve it online is above. If you're a Broadway person who's new to crossword puzzles, you might start with these easy entries:
26-Across: "Mamma Mia!" distress signal
69-Across: "Little ___ of Horrors" (award-winning 1983 musical)
70-Across: What Dorothy and friends couldn't do to a crow
9-Down: Picks the title character of "Fiorello!," say
And a big thank-you to the constructors, who volunteered their work for the newsletter:
Ellen Ross is an Illinois native, currently residing in North Carolina, who has achieved acclaim as a humor columnist, blogger, wordsmith, and puzzle constructor. As a member of the National Trivia Bowl Hall of Fame, Ellen has an encyclopedic knowledge of all things Broadway, which came in particularly handy for creating this "Trick or Treat?" puzzle exclusive to the Broadway Maven.
George Barany is an emeritus professor of chemistry at the University of Minnesota who now has more time to devote to puzzles. His puzzles have appeared in The New York Times, the Minneapolis Star Tribune, the Chronicle of Higher Education, and Chemical & Engineering News, among other places. You can find many of his puzzles at this website, with some more recent ones available here.
(For what it's worth, I've had three of my own puzzles published in The New York Times, so it was fun to revisit the puzzle world in editing this one.)
BROADWAY BLAST: In West Side Story, the Jets' name could represent much more than speed and innovation. It could be short for something very different: jetsam. That's a term for material that has been discarded from a ship and washed ashore. In many ways, the Jets themselves are societal jetsam. As children of ethnic immigrants, they feel cast aside by a world that no longer has room for them. This theme of being discarded resonates throughout the show—Tony’s dreams of a better life, Maria’s prayers for peace, and even the crumbling urban landscape represent discarded hopes in a society that has abandoned them. The conflict between the Jets and Sharks is not just about turf; it’s about two groups fighting to reclaim dignity and dominance in a world that has tossed them aside.
BROADWAY MAVEN VIDEO: Start spreading the news! Here, The Broadway Maven shares three headlines and their ramifications:
• The Wicked movie hype, from toys to theme park attractions, is gripping Broadway fans;
• London's MusicalCon highlights the contrast between fan conventions in London and New York
• Which three highly anticipated shows has The Broadway Maven already claimed tickets for?
STUDENT REPORT: I was thrilled to go London's Musical Con the weekend of October 19, but it was the workshops I attended that really made the event. Here are several highlights:
• Lucy Bird brought realism back to The Phantom of the Opera’s makeup as it had gotten too heavy. She explained dealing with dramatic shifts that occur when lighting changes or actors let modern trends creep in. Her brand and routine recommendations were helpful for performers, as evidenced by my reams of notes from her session.
• Jon Robyns (Les Misérables) was in a contagiously good humor, sharing rehearsal tips and fun facts such as the terminology UBI: Unidentified Barricade Injury. His workshop included important insights into how character dynamics are brought to life. For instance, power is bestowed by the attitude of others, so Enjolras has to rely on everyone else to make himself seem a convincing leader.
• Alice Fearn's belting class was first-rate. She included so much practicable information and showed mastery over her voice by demonstrating the points she made. The highlight demonstrations were her varieties of vocal placements on “Me and the Sky”’s “suddenly, everything’s high” (Come from Away). She also shared useful guidance on warmups, accents, qualities and improvement through analyzing others’ techniques. A key point was taking care of yourself in an industry that may ask for unsustainable results.
• Conference organizers Shanay Holmes and Chris Steward described the transition from the tumbleweed-populated hangar of the first year to the recent mega-sized production. They said that if you wait for an idea to be complete first then you’ll never do it, and I think that playfully experimental approach resulted in the sweet and friendly atmosphere I enjoyed at Musical Con. -Ella Shaul, Maven Scholar Spring 2024
PIANO TALK: Les Misérables has a score that's been heavily celebrated for its repeated gorgeous musical material. But is it brilliant or problematic? Or both? In this video, music educator Mateo Chavez Lewis explains why the answer is "both," and why we should care.
Members (and those who sign up for the FREE Trial) are invited to a special class on In the Heights co-taught by Broadway Maven David Benkof and music educator Mateo Chavez Lewis that meets this Sunday, November 3, at Noon ET.
Then, the following three Sundays in November (the 10th, 17th, and 24th) at Noon and 7 pm ET we will have a FREE class on Hamilton taught by Mateo.
HOMEWORK: Before Hamilton, there was In the Heights. Get ready for The Broadway Maven's month-long exploration of the music of Lin-Manuel Miranda with this 10-minute video summary of In the Heights. What is the theme of the show? Explain your answers in the comments.
Note: A full calendar of upcoming classes is always available at TheBroadwayMaven.com.
• Sunday, November 3 Noon ET In the Heights (Members only)
• Sunday, November 10 Noon and 7 pm ET “Broadway, Rap, and Broadway Rap” — The music of Hamilton (FREE, register here)
• Tuesday, November 12 Noon ET Lyricist Lessons part one (Members only)
• Thursday, November 14 5:30 pm ET Ed Barnes class on Irving Berlin’s “This is the Army” — 20 percent off for non-Members who use the code MAVEN20; FREE for ALL-ACCESS and Members (you’ll receive your own code via E-mail).
• Sunday, November 17 Noon and 7 pm ET The music of Hamilton Act One (FREE, register here)
• Tuesday, November 19 Noon ET Lyricist Lessons part two (Members only)
• Wednesday, November 20 Noon ET Guest speaker Louis Hobson, who played Dr. Fine and Dr. Madden in the original Broadway production of Next to Normal (Members only)
• Sunday, November 24 Noon and 7 pm ET The music of Hamilton Act Two (FREE, register here)
• Monday, November 25 Noon ET “Transition: Broadway's surprising history between Oklahoma! and Carousel“ with Broadway Nation host Prof. David Armstrong (Members only)
• Tuesday, November 26 Noon to 2:30 pm ET SondheimFest part one (FREE, Registration opens soon)
• Tuesday, November 26 7 to 9:30 pm ET SondheimFest part two (FREE, Registration opens soon)
• Monday, December 2 Noon and 7 pm ET A Chorus Line part one (FREE, Registration opens soon)
• Monday, December 9 Noon ET A Chorus Line part two (Members only)
• Tuesdays December 3, 10, and 17 Sondheim: Bit by Bit (Members only)
NOTE: As always, Broadway Maven Members and ALL-ACCESS Passholders (through December 31) do not have to sign up or pay for anything. Just show up!
LAST BLAST: Three things connect the titular characters in Annie and Anastasia—their similar names (Annie could easily be a nickname for Anastasia), the fact that they’re both female orphans, and the role of a pivotal central symbol in their stories. In Annie, the broken locket represents Annie's fragmented identity and hope that her biological parents will return for her. In Anastasia, the music box (which at first is "locked") serves as the key to Anastasia’s royal lineage, unlocking memories of her past. Both characters hold onto these objects as links to their lost families. Interestingly, it’s not these objects alone that complete their journeys—it’s the support of parental figures. Daddy Warbucks in Annie and the Dowager Empress in Anastasia serve as the final confirmations of identity and belonging. While the locket and music box are personal mementos, it’s Warbucks’ unconditional love and the Empress’s recognition that truly give Annie and Anastasia the family and security they seek. Both characters’ stories highlight that while physical objects may link them to their past, it’s the relationships they build that ultimately define who they are and where they belong.
The Broadway Maven is an educational community that helps its members think more deeply about musical theater. Every month, members may attend 5-15 expert-led classes and innovative Broadway experiences, all for just $18. We also foster enthusiasm for Broadway through the FREE weekly substack newsletter MARQUEE and host an expansive YouTube channel. It's your home for Broadway appreciation. Contact The Broadway Maven at DavidBenkof@gmail.com.