Scene to Song February Newsletter
"Ladies and gentlemen! The moment you've been waiting for! The pride of Mount Vernon! George Washington!"
Happy President’s Day, however you celebrate. Many musicals feature presidents: Hamilton, 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue, Annie, to name a few. I also enjoy the musicals that feature first ladies, such as Michael John LaChiusa’s First Lady Suite and First Daughter Suite. Perhaps we are all listening to one of these musicals today.
Today I’m also celebrating that season seven is underway. I’m very excited about the first two episodes about Leonard Bernstein musicals set in New York City and the musical Little Shop of Horrors. I haven’t talked about Leonard Bernstein musicals much on Scene to Song, and I’ve talked a good amount about Little Shop of Horrors, though never in this way. I think I could do every episode on Little Shop of Horrors and talk about it through a different lens each time (I won’t do this, however, don’t worry).
I’d really like to hear your thoughts on these episodes and the musicals we discuss, so please let me know by emailing scenetosong@gmail.com, commenting on a social media post, or leaving a review on Apple Podcasts.
And if you are not yet subscribed to these emails and want to be, subscribe here:
— Shoshana
Recent Episodes
Episode 104: Leonard Bernstein's New York City
In this episode, writer, researcher, and New York City historian Keith Taillon (@KeithYorkCity) discusses Leonard Bernstein's New York City, looking at three of his big musicals: On the Town, Wonderful Town, and West Side Story and the neighborhoods that tell their stories. We also talk about the song "I'm Here" from Brenda Russell, Allee Willis, Stephen Bray, and Marsha Norman's 2005 musical The Color Purple.
Music played in this episode:
"Opening: New York, New York" from On the Town
"Christopher Street" from Wonderful Town
"Ohio" from Wonderful Town
"Jet Song" from West Side Story
"I'm Here" from The Color Purple
Episode 105: Class, Race, and Gender Anxiety in Little Shop of Horrors
In this episode, educator and trainer Christopher Culp discusses class, race, and gender anxiety in Alan Menken and Howard Ashman's 1982 musical Little Shop of Horrors, looking at both the stage musical and the film. We also talk about "Somewhere That's Green" from Little Shop of Horrors.
Music played in this episode:
"Da-Doo" from Little Shop of Horrors
"Mean Green Mother from Outerspace" from Little Shop of Horrors (Film)
"Somewhere That's Green" from Little Shop of Horrors
Meet the Guests!
Keith Taillon is a writer, researcher, and New York City historian. He holds degrees in History and Urban Planning and runs the Instagram account KeithYorkCity. He is a contributing writer for the Daily Beast and has been a guest lecturer for the Cooper-Hewitt Museum, City College and the National Arts Club. He has been profiled by Conde Nast, the Times of London, Elle Decor and the New Yorker. Keith is also a licensed New York City tour guide and leads public and private tours all around Manhattan through his own tour company.
Hometown: Born in Plattsburgh, NY, and raised mostly in Abilene, TX.
Current Town: Manhattan
What are you Working on Right Now: Nothing I can share quite yet.
What do you have coming up: Spring & Summer tour dates are available.
Book, TV, film, or Theater Recommendation: Two books to understand NYC history: The Island at the Center of the World by Russell Shorto and Manhattan Moves Uptown by Charles Lockwood.
Where can we find you online/social media: On Instagram @keithyorkcity and book a tour with me at Keithyorkcity.com.
Christopher Culp (he/him) is an educator and trainer with a vast array of experiences teaching and facilitating all age groups. He currently works full time as a trainer and curriculum developer for a capacity building organization that focuses on sexual and reproductive health, while also adjunct teaching music and human sexuality courses throughout Buffalo, and teaching clarinet lessons and chamber groups at a local non-profit. You may find him teaching, performing, or presenting at a conference.
Hometown: I grew up in Northeastern Pennsylvania (too small of a town).
Current Town: Buffalo, NY.
What are you Working on Right Now: My own podcast on TV Musical Episodes.
What do you have coming up: Presenting on Merrily We Roll Along and its marketing campaign at the Popular Culture Studies conference and presenting at StageStruck 2024 about nostalgia, the Hollywood musical, and Everything Everywhere All At Once.
Book, TV, film, or Theater Recommendation: Eurovision 2024 is coming up in May - definitely check it out if you haven't heard of it
Where can we find you online/social media: christosmculp.bsky.social, @christosmculp on Twitter, @thegoofyphilosopher on Instagram.
Musical of the Month
On the Twentieth Century by Cy Coleman, Betty Comden, and Adolph Green
On the Twentieth Century, which opened on this day, February 19th, in 1978, is a Cy Coleman, Betty Comden, and Adolph Green screwball comedy musical about Lily, a Hollywood star, and Oscar, a bankrupt theatre producer on a luxury train to New York in the early 1930s. Oscar tries to cajole Lily into playing the lead in his new play, as well as rekindle their romance. It’s based on a 1934 Howard Hawks film Twentieth Century, which was based on a 1932 play by Ben Hecht and Charles MacArthur, which was inspired by Charles Bruce Millholland's unproduced play about his experiences working for theater producer David Belasco, Napoleon of Broadway.
Maybe because I just re-watched His Girl Friday, a 1940 Howard Hawkes film based on the play The Front Page by Ben Hecht and Charles MacArthur… well, I see some similarities. In both, a man is trying get a talented woman to both work with him again and be with him again while hilarity ensues. I love Rosalind Russell’s character Hildy in His Girl Friday and I love Lily’s character in On the Twentieth Century. Both women are awesome at what they do and are given great dialogue, and in Lily’s case her operatic songs are tours de force. I don’t care as much about their relationships, but I’m drawn to these characters and stories because of, well, probably competence porn.
Lily is a great part for a comedic soprano, a type for which there could be more roles, especially in contemporary musical theater. Stars Madeline Kahn, Judy Kaye, and Kristin Chenoweth all played her on Broadway, either in the original production or 2015 revival. I discussed one of her songs, “Babette,” with guest Victoria Gordon in episode 94 on The Character of Rose in Gypsy. And her song “Never” is a joy as well.
We could use more screwball comedy songs. Maybe someone is working on a His Girl Friday musical….
Also in February…
Black History Month! Listen to episode 71 on Black Women in Musical Theater History and episode 74 on the Black History of British Musical Theater from 1900 to 1950.
February 4: Happy Birthday, Jonathan Larson (1960)! Celebrate by listening to a discussion of Rent in episode 65 on Artist Characters in Musical Theater.
February 6: Dear World by Jerry Herman opens on Broadway (1969). Listen to episode 34 on The Musicals of Jerry Herman.
February 7: Happy Birthday, composer Eubie Blake (1887)! Celebrate by listening to episode 74 on the Black History of British Musical Theater from 1900 to 1950 and episode 87 on Eubie Blake, Noble Sissle, Flournoy Miller, and Aubrey Lyles’s Shuffle Along.
February 14: Hedwig and the Angry Inch opens off-Broadway (1998). Love is in the air, and we talked about our love for this show on episode 68 on Sondheim and Rhyme.
February 15: Happy Birthday, composer Harold Arlen (1905)! In addition to composing the music for The Wizard of Oz film (1939), he wrote the musical House of Flowers with Truman Capote, which we talk about on episode 71 on Black Women in Musical Theater History.
February 17: Happy Birthday, lyricist and librettist Tom Jones (1928)! Listen to episode 23 on The Musicals of Tom Jones and Harvey Schmidt.
February 18: In Dahomey starring Williams & Walker opens on Broadway (1903). Listen to a discussion on In Dahomey in episode 74 on the Black History of British Musical Theater from 1900 to 1950.
February 19: On the 20th Century by Cy Coleman, Betty Comden, and Adolph Green opens on Broadway (1978) and Neil Bartram and Brian Hill's The Story of My Life opens on Broadway (2009). Celebrate by listening to episode 61 on The Musicals of Cy Coleman and a discussion of "The Butterfly" from The Story of My Life in episode 88 on Song Cycles in Musical Theater.
February 22: Happy Birthday, Lea Salonga (1971) and Ellen Greene (1950)! Celebrate Ellen Greene by listening to episode 62 on Alan Menken and Howard Ashman’s Little Shop of Horrors.
February 23: Happy Birthday, composer Robert Lopez (1975)! Celebrate by listening to a discussion of his and Kristen Anderson-Lopez's song "The Big Blue World (Reprise)" from their 2007 Disney parks musical Finding Nemo: The Musical in episode 72 on Disney Parks Music as Musical Theater.
February 25: Two great musicals 20 years apart! Stephen Sondheim and Hugh Wheeler’s A Little Night Music opens on Broadway (1973) and Leonard Bernstein, Betty Comden, Adolph Green, Joseph A. Fields, and Jerome Chodorov’s Wonderful Town opens on Broadway (1953). Listen to a discussion on Wonderful Town in episode 104 on Leonard Bernstein's New York City.
February 28: What a day! Stew and Heidi Rodewald’s Passing Strange opens on Broadway (2008) and Happy Birthday, William Finn (1958) and Bernadette Peters (1948)! Listen to episode 67 about The Musical Roles of Bernadette Peters and episode 58 on Sung-Through Musicals, which features the work of William Finn. Then check out episode 47 on The Bridges of Madison County, which features the song “Keys (It’s Alright)” from Passing Strange and episode 31 on Rock Musicals as a Vehicle for Coming-of-Age Stories and Biographies, which also features Passing Strange.
Find more musical theater history for February 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.
The Connector
I saw this new off-Broadway musical the other week, and I’m still thinking about it. The Connector is playing at MCC Theater (511 West 52nd Street) until March 17th if you’re in the New York area and are able to go. If not, I hope this show moves and has subsequent productions so that more people have a chance to see it. There will be a cast album.
Creative Team: Book by Jonathan Marc Sherman; Music and lyrics by Jason Robert Brown
Synopsis: Set in the late 1990s amid a rapidly changing media landscape we meet a fast-rising journalist, Ethan Dobson, and an assistant copy editor, Robin Martinez, at the revered magazine The Connector. In a world that values the next big sensation, Ethan’s writing prowess and ambition force him to confront how far he’ll go for the ultimate scoop and Robin to consider how far she’ll go to stop him.
Get more info on The Connector.
Something Wonderful
Some additional recommendations for February:
Podcast Episode: “West Side Story and the Making of Lincoln Center” from The Bowery Boys. As I prepped for episode 104 on Leonard Bernstein's New York City with Keith Taillon, I listened to this episode of The Bowery Boys podcast (on which Keith has also been a guest).
Article: “How a Playwright Became One of the Most Incisive Critics of Our Time: The Subversive Vision of Michael R. Jackson” in The Atlantic. An in-depth article on musical theater writer Michael R. Jackson and his musicals A Strange Loop and White Girl in Danger. His off-Broadway musical Teeth with Anna K. Jacobs begins performances on February 21st at Playwrights Horizons.
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.