Many musicals open on Broadway in April, especially in more recent years with the Tony Awards deadline at the end of the month. Consequently, there are many opening night anniversaries to celebrate this month. I’ve included a bunch below, including a little feature on Stephen Sondheim and George Furth’s Company because not only did it originally open in April but it’s been on my mind lately with all the understudies taking on different roles in the current Broadway production. With folks out, sick with Covid or otherwise, the cast has been moving around. We even got Broadway’s first Black Bobbie! I don’t have the time or means to return for each cast change, but I love hearing about them. It’s like a little acting company. Productions have done cast switches deliberately (alternates, children in leading roles, Cynthia Nixon and Laura Linney in The Little Foxes), but I wish it happened more often, especially with musicals. Each night, a new experience; each night, a different “Being Alive.”
We’ve had some wonderful guests this past month discussing a history I needed to learn more about and a lesser known show I grew up loving. Check out these episodes and thank you, as always, for listening. — Shoshana
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Recent Episodes
Episode 74: Black History of British Musical Theater 1900-1950
In this episode, music director Sean Mayes and Reader in Musical Theatre Dr. Sarah K. Whitfield discuss the Black history of British musical theater from 1900 to 1950, highlighting performances and looking at how one studies musical theater history itself. We also talk about the song "Memories of You" from Eubie Blake, Noble Sissle, F.E. Miller, and Aubrey Lyles's 1921 musical Shuffle Along.
Music played in this episode:
"Overture" from In Dahomey from "Black Manhattan: Theater and Dance Music of James Reese Europe, Will Marion Cook, and Members of the Legendary Clef Club"
"Weeping Mary" from An Inconvenient Black History of British Musical Theatre 1900-1950 Live at Wigmore Hall
"Memories of You" from An Inconvenient Black History of British Musical Theatre 1900-1950 Live at Wigmore Hall
"Memories of You" from Shuffle Along, or, the Making of the Musical Sensation of 1921 and All That Followed
"Memories of You" sung by Alberta Hunter to Eubie Blake
Purchase their book: An Inconvenient Black History of British Musical Theatre by Sean Mayes and Sarah K. Whitfield
Episode 75: Marvin Hamlisch, David Zippel, and Neil Simon’s The Goodbye Girl
In this episode, filmmaker, actress, podcaster, and singer Tammy Tuckey discusses Marvin Hamlisch, David Zippel, and Neil Simon's 1993 musical The Goodbye Girl looking at why we love this musical and what may not work about it. We also talk about the song "If He Really Knew Me" from Marvin Hamlisch, Carole Bayer Sager, and Neil Simon's 1978 musical They're Playing Our Song.
Music played in this episode:
"No More" from The Goodbye Girl
"Paula (An Improvised Love Song)" from The Goodbye Girl
"My Rules/Elliot Garfield Grant" from The Goodbye Girl
"Who Would've Thought?" from The Goodbye Girl
"How Can I Win?" from The Goodbye Girl
"Don't Follow in My Footsteps" from The Goodbye Girl
"Richard Interred" from The Goodbye Girl
"I Think I Can Play This Part" from The Goodbye Girl
"If He Really Knew Me" from They're Playing Our Song
Meet the Guests!
Sean Mayes is a New York music director active both in New York City and Toronto, with a background in London and the UK. He is an active member of the Broadway music community and is Associate Music Director for Hadestown, and Assistant Conductor for MJ the Musical. He is a vocal coach, accompanist, orchestrator-arranger and pit musician. He has published on the history of music directing and the role of Black music directors on Broadway.
Dr. Sarah K. Whitfield is Reader in Musical Theatre at the University of Wolverhampton, UK. Her research focuses on exploring the historiography of musical theatre, and recovering the work that women and minoritised groups have done. She has published widely on collaborative practice in musical theatre, film musicals, and in queer fan studies. Her most recent books are the edited collection Reframing the Musical: Race, Culture and Identity (2019) and co-authored with her writing partner Sean Mayes, An Inconvenient Black History of British Musical Theatre 1900-1950 (2021).
Hometown and Current Town: Sean's from Toronto, Canada and lives in NYC. Sarah has lived all around the UK but is based now just outside of Birmingham, in the UK.
What are you Working on Right Now: Sean's currently working between several amazing shows - MJ on Broadway which has just opened, and Hadestown. Sarah is working on her next project about women in musical theatre and has just finished as dramaturg on a gorgeous queer musical called Is He Musical written by Jude Taylor.
What do you have coming up: Sean's working on an amazing new book with Methuen called Conversations in Colour, with interviews with amazing creatives of color working on Broadway right now along with some real Broadway legends.
Book, TV, film, or Theater Recommendation : Sarah is still reeling from Luke Kirby as Lenny Bruce in The Marvelous Mrs Maisel, but bookwise, she’s been rereading Glitch Feminism by the amazing Legacy Russell.
Where can we find you online/social media: On twitter and instagram at @maestromayes and @sarahinthepark
Tammy Tuckey is an Emmy-award winning filmmaker, actress, podcaster, and singer. Since 2011, Tammy has hosted, edited & produced The Tammy Tuckey Show (formerly known as The Tiara Talk Show) podcast. Aside from hosting her podcast, Tammy has starred in over 20 theatrical productions and produced, recorded & released her first cover album - "You'll Find Me on Main Street" in 2018.
Hometown and Current Town: Philadelphia, PA
What are you Working on Right Now: The Tammy Tuckey Show Podcast on YouTube
What do you have coming up: Performing at RetroMagic at Walt Disney World in April
Book, TV, film, or Theater Recommendation: I recently rewatched Yentl and I think it's one of Barbra Streisand's best films. The ending hits it out of the park. I'm also a big fan of Bollywood films, and Om Shanti Om (on Netflix) was a fun, silly, melodramatic film with wonderful musical numbers!
Where can we find you online/social media:
Facebook - www.facebook.com/singertammytuckey
Twitter - www.twitter.com/TammyTuckey
Instagram - www.instagram.com/TammyTuckey
Website: www.tammytuckey.com
YouTube: www.youtube.com/tammytuckey
Musical of the Month
Company by Stephen Sondheim and George Furth
Company opened on Broadway on April 26, 1970. 52 years later we are still talking about this groundbreaking musical as the latest revival runs on Broadway with a female lead. Maybe as marriage is reinvented with each generation, Company will be too. When I saw the latest revival, though, I kept thinking about how this version of marriage, written by Sondheim and Furth (with input from Sondheim’s conversations with Mary Rodgers), just didn’t speak to me as an unmarried woman in her late 30s, even with a woman in the leading role. Deborah Blumenthal and I spoke about this topic in last year’s episode about Company. Is Company a product of its time and most authentically set in 1970? Or can it be updated to speak about marriage and commitment in any era? After seeing this production I am in the 1970 camp, but I know there are different opinions and reactions to this revival. Deborah also recently wrote about this topic here (for paid subscribers only).
Company is also about living in New York City, and that’s beautifully explored in the song “Another Hundred People”, which Holly Sansom and I discussed on episode 69 on Fatness in Musical Theater.
Also in April…
April 4: Follies opens on Broadway (1971). Find out more about this show in episode 48 on Stephen Sondheim and James Goldman’s Follies.
April 7: Rodgers and Hammerstein’s South Pacific opens on Broadway (1949)
April 8: Happy Birthday, lyricist Fred Ebb and Follies director/choreographer Michael Bennett! Celebrate by listening to episode 48 on Stephen Sondheim and James Goldman’s Follies, which also features a discussion of John Kander and Fred Ebb’s song "Class" from Chicago.
April 14: Charles Strouse, Lee Adams, and Michael Stewart’s Bye, Bye, Birdie! opens on Broadway (1960).
April 15: Brian Yorkey and Tom Kitt’s Next to Normal opens on Broadway (2009). Listen to a discussion of “I Miss the Mountains” and Next to Normal in episode 14 on Portraying Mental Illness in Musical Theater.
April 18: Adam Guettel and Craig Lucas’s The Light in the Piazza opens on Broadway (2005) and Beauty and the Beast opens on Broadway (1994). Listen to a discussion of “Fable” from The Light in the Piazza in episode 44 on The Everyman in Musical Theater. And listen to episode 53 on Disney Musicals.
April 19: Rodgers and Hammerstein’s Carousel opens on Broadway (1945) and Micki Grant’s Don’t Bother Me, I Can’t Cope opens on Broadway (1972). Learn more about Micki Grant and her work in episode 71 on Black Women in Musical Theater History.
April 21: Charles Strouse, Martin Charnin, and Thomas Meehan’s Annie opens on Broadway (1977). Listen to a discussion of “Tomorrow” and Annie in episode 56 on Adaptations of Comics in Musical Theater.
April 23: Jerry Bock, Sheldon Harnick, and Joe Masteroff’s She Loves Me opens on Broadway (1963) and Maury Yeston and Peter Stone’s Titanic opens on Broadway (1997). Listen to a discussion of the song “The Blame” from Titanic in episode 52 on Diegetic and Non-Diegetic Music in Plays and in Musical Theater.
April 28: Richard Maltby, Jr., David Shire, and John Weidman’s Big: The Musical opens on Broadway (1996). Listen to a discussion of the song “It’s Time” from Big: The Musical in episode 39 on Andrew Lloyd Webber and Tim Rice’s Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat.
April 29: Gerome Ragni, James Rado, and Galt MacDermot’s Hair opens on Broadway (1968) and Jonathan Larson’s Rent opens on Broadway (1996). Listen to a discussion on Rent in episode 65 on Artist Characters in Musical Theater.
April 30: Happy Birthday, lyricist Sheldon Harnick (1924)! Celebrate him by listening to episode 28 on Bock and Harnick’s Musicals Fiddler on the Roof and The Rothschilds.
Find more musical theater history for April at musicals101.com.
New Musicals!
While Scene to Song mainly looks at musicals already part of the canon, I definitely want to highlight new musicals and musicals in development.
How to Dance in Ohio
The new musical How to Dance in Ohio will premiere at Syracuse Stage this fall (September 21 to October 9). Find out more about the musical How to Dance in Ohio!
Creative Team: music by Jacob Yandura, book and lyrics by Rebekah Greer Melocik
Synopsis: How to Dance in Ohio follows a group of young adults on the autism spectrum as they prepare for an iconic American rite of passage - a Spring Formal. A heart-filled new musical, based on the Peabody Award-winning documentary of the same name that explores what it means to belong, the courage it takes to put yourself out in the world and the universal need to connect. Set at a Counseling Center in Columbus, How to Dance in Ohio follows seven autistic young adults as they come of age and find their ways in the world. This musical adaptation adheres closely to the documentary in narrative and spirit and the cast will include autistic actors in the seven principal roles.
Development History Highlights: The musical is dedicated in loving memory to the late Harold Prince, who was reportedly instrumental in its inception.
Get more info on How to Dance in Ohio.
Something Wonderful
Some additional recommendations for April:
Book: An Inconvenient Black History of British Musical Theatre by Sean Mayes and Sarah K. Whitfield. Listen to the episode on Black History of British Musical Theater and then read the book! Mayes and Whitfield as take readers on a journey through a historically-inconvenient and brilliant reality that has long been overlooked.
Film: The Last of Sheila. This is not a musical but it’s the only screenplay written by Stephen Sondheim (with Anthony Perkins). I recently rewatched it and think it’s a rare artistic expression of Sondheim’s love of puzzles and games, which his musicals don’t convey. Rent it on Amazon Prime, and if you’re in the New York City area, it’s playing April 30th and May 1st as part of the Museum of the Moving Image’s See It Big: Sondheim series this month. Check out all the films.
Article: “Michael R. Jackson: What If”. My article on A Strange Loop writer Michael R. Jackson from 2019 before A Strange Loop opened off-Broadway.
Hosted by writer Shoshana Greenberg, Scene to Song brings on a guest to talk about a musical, musical theater writer, or a topic or trend in musical theater. The theme music is by Julia Meinwald.
You can write to scenetosong@gmail.com with a comment or question about an episode or about musical theater, or if you’d like to be a podcast guest. Follow on Instagram at @ScenetoSong, on Twitter at @SceneSong, and on Facebook at “Scene to Song with Shoshana Greenberg Podcast.”
Shoshana Greenberg is a lyricist, librettist, singer, and theater journalist. Her musicals include Days of Rage with Hyeyoung Kim and Lightning Man with Jeffrey Dennis Smith. She has also written the opera “The Community” with Kevin Cummines. Her songs have been heard at venues from Lincoln Center to the Duplex, where she performed her one-woman show Not Coming Back. She’s written for American Theatre Magazine, is a contributing editor for the publication Musical Theater Today, and created and hosts the musical theater podcast Scene to Song. She holds an M.F.A. from the Graduate Musical Theatre Writing Program at NYU and a B.A. from Barnard College.