Thank Goodness! The “Wicked” movie musicals are shaping up to be very “Popular”
What they’re stuffing into the Thanksgiving release may flower into a delightful film
Shalom, Broadway lovers!
In today’s FREE Premium edition of MARQUEE: The Broadway Maven’s Weekly Blast: a quick video preview about the promise of the upcoming Wicked films, the first of which is due this Thanksgiving; a Broadway Blast about South Pacific, a Piano Talk about Sweeney Todd, a review of a book about Jewish Broadway, a video about “Meta Sondheim”; a quiz about time-related song titles, and a Last Blast about The Little Mermaid.
SAVE THE DATE: Join The Broadway Maven for a FREE class on The Phantom of the Opera Monday, May 13 at Noon and 7 pm ET. Details at the end of the newsletter.
VIDEO PREVIEW: Wicked fans worldwide are counting down the days (211) until the release of the film adaptation of the first part of the smash musical by Stephen Schwartz and onetime Broadway Maven guest Winnie Holzman. This three-minute video previews the film, set for a Thanksgiving release.
BROADWAY BLAST: The music of “You’ve Got to Be Carefully Taught” from Rodgers & Hammerstein’s South Pacific starts with a soft and gentle melody and eventually becomes more bitter and biting. It follows the trajectory of the growing children it discusses, who receive the seeds of racism with their lullabies, and who grow into adults with prejudices and hatreds. This poignant transition in melody not only captures the insidious nature of racism but also serves as a stark reminder of how deeply societal biases can embed themselves from a young age, whether it's Nellie Forbush's discomfort with Emile De Becque's half-Polynesian children or Lt. Cable's realization he could never bring Liat home with him.
PIANO TALK: Here, music educator Mateo Chavez Lewis discusses the “madness motif” from “Epiphany” in Stephen Sondheim’s Sweeney Todd and its role in the show. He demonstrates that though the motif sounds scary and chaotic, it’s a combination of simpler melodies.
REVIEW: Given the heavy participation by American Jews in the history of musical theater, any book named Jews on Broadway would have to tackle a massive subject with discretion, judgment, and nuance. Barring a massive tome, the contributions of many important Jewish individuals must necessarily be touched on lightly if mentioned at all.
As I began reading Stewart F. Lane’s 2017 book Jews on Broadway I wished the author much mazel in his effort to cover such a wide-ranging topic.
I was mostly – but not wholly – disappointed.
One strength of the book is the way it puts not only Jews but modern Broadway itself in the context of the early history of American theater, especially regarding Yiddish theater, vaudeville, and the Borscht Belt.
But as the book approaches the modern era, it becomes more scattershot, covering a wide-ranging list of personalities and their contributions more than a coherent narrative of a group and its relationship to an art form.
Admittedly, I enjoyed learning more about colorful and diverse figures like performer Zero Mostel, composer Leonard Bernstein, and producer David Merrick. The book is certainly useful as a broad if disjointed survey of Jews who interacted with Broadway.
One major annoyance, though, was Lane’s periodic discourses into the first person. As an occasional Broadway producer, he clearly wants to be part of the story, and even titles one chapter “Young Playwrights with a Message, Inflation, Disney, and Me.” It’s somehow unseemly, and his personal stories aren’t even all that interesting.
Thankfully, it’s a highly skimmable book, with many subsections only a page or two – or even a paragraph or two – long. Broadway fans of Jewish extraction and those curious about Broadway history wouldn’t be wasting their shekels to buy a copy to keep on their shelves.
BROADWAY MAVEN YouTube GEM: Exploring Stephen Sondheim’s work is like “Opening Doors” that open doors that open doors. This video explores several META ways to look at the Sondheim canon. Shows mentioned include A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum, Into the Woods, Sunday in the Park With George, Company, Evening Primrose, Follies, and Assassins.
QUIZ: In which show would you find these Broadway songs about time? The solution can be found after the Last Blast:
“June is Bustin’ Out All Over”
“Memory Song”
“Memory”
“One Day More”
“Our Time”
“Seasons of Love”
“Sunrise, Sunset”
“The Lusty Month of May”
“Time Heals Everything”
“Who Lives, Who Dies, Who Tells Your Story”
BROADWAY TICKETS GIVEAWAY: Join Broadway Maven David Benkof on Wednesday, June 5 at 7 pm for a performance of the New York Times critics’ pick Mother Play at Broadway’s Hayes Theatre with Jessica Lange and Jim Parsons. The seats are front row center. To enter the drawing, hit “reply” and indicate your interest by the end of the day Monday. Three winners chosen at random will be notified next week.
The drawing is open to all Broadway Maven students and MARQUEE readers.
JOB OPENING: The Broadway Maven is looking for a part-time administrative coordinator to start in July. Hit reply to this E-mail with inquiries.
Why was Hamilton written the way it was written? Why did it require a non-traditional cast? And why does hip-hop work as the musical style in which to set it?
Howard Ho has tackled these topics and much more in his many Youtube videos on Hamilton in a series titled "How Hamilton Works." But in this lecture, Ho will look more in-depth at the larger cultural context of the show and the reasons why Lin-Manuel Miranda knew that telling the story in this way would create a hit musical.
(ALL-ACCESS Passholders do not need to sign up or pay. Just show up!)
Join us for a FREE immersive online class dedicated to The Phantom of the Opera, Broadway's timeless musical masterpiece. This class offers a deep dive into the show's hauntingly beautiful music, intricate lyrics, and gothic romance that has captivated audiences worldwide. We'll explore its development from its original inspiration to its iconic theatrical elements, such as the mask and chandelier. Enjoy clips from various productions and compare them to the film adaptation and the sequel, Love Never Dies. Additionally, explore analyses by Broadway expert Peter Filichia and a playful Phantom parody. This class is perfect for fans eager to explore The Phantom of the Opera in depth.
(ALL-ACCESS Passholders do not need to sign up. Just show up!)
Note: links to register for ALL classes are always available at TheBroadwayMaven.com.
• Sunday, May 5 4 pm ET: History and Harmony: A Broadway MasterClass: session 5 (registration closed)
• Tuesday, May 7 Noon ET: Hamilton with Lin-Manuel MIranda expert Howard Ho ($9)
• Sunday, May 12 4 pm ET: History and Harmony: A Broadway MasterClass: session 6 (registration closed)
• Monday, May 13 Noon and 7 pm ET: The Phantom of the Opera (FREE)
• Tuesday, May 14 Noon ET: Gail Leondar-Wright on Follies and A Chorus Line (ALL-ACCESS Only)
• Sunday, May 19 4 pm ET: History and Harmony: A Broadway MasterClass: session 7 (registration closed)
• Sunday, May 26 4 pm ET: History and Harmony: A Broadway MasterClass: session 8 (registration closed)
• Sunday, May 26 5 pm ET: Discussion section for History and Harmony: A Broadway MasterClass (ALL-ACCESS Only)
• Sunday, June 16 Tonys Watch Party (ALL-ACCESS Only)
• Friday, July 26-Sunday, July 28 BroadwayCon (three panels hosted by The Broadway Maven)
• Mondays in August: Noon and 7 pm ET Rodgers and Hammerstein series
• Tuesdays in August: Noon ET Stephen Schwartz series
• Mondays in September: Noon and 7 pm ET Jewish Broadway series
• Tuesdays in September: Noon ET Sondheim Academy Act Three
NOTE: As always, ALL-ACCESS Passholders do not have to sign up or pay for anything. Just show up!
LAST BLAST: The fact it’s the song title notwithstanding, Ariel in The Little Mermaid does not say she wishes to be "part of your world" when she sings about life on the surface in her grotto. She hasn’t saved (and fallen for) Prince Eric yet. The song is simply a celebration of the “human stuff” she’s been collecting with fascination. So she sings that she wants to be “part of THAT world.” It isn’t until she rescues the prince from the flaming, sinking ship that she even knows whose world it is she wants to be part of. But in the reprise, she cradles Prince Eric in her arms, singing that she wants to be "Part of [His] World." Ariel is growing up; she’s literally letting go of her toys for the sake of romance. And for Prince Eric, he does not (ostensibly) remember Ariel for her beauty or charm but her singing voice. So the reprise of “Part of Your World” is what’s in his mind as he searches (like Cinderella’s Prince) for the girl he remembers, and it’s the very song Ariel expressed her longing and devotion with.
SOLUTION: Carousel, A Strange Loop, CATS, Les Misérables, Merrily We Roll Along, Rent, Fiddler on the Roof, Camelot, Mack & Mabel, Hamilton
Broadway Maven David Benkof helps students further their appreciation of musical theater through his classes, his YouTube channel, and MARQUEE: the Broadway Maven’s Weekly Blast. Contact him at DavidBenkof@gmail.com.