BROADWAY NATION

Although nobody knew it at the time, in April of 1968 “The Golden Age of Broadway” came to an abrupt end on the opening night of the “tribal rock musical” HAIR, which took America by storm and created a shocking jump cut into what I call “The Modern Era" of the Broadway Musical.In this episode I share the story of the emergence and rise of the so called “Rock Musical”. To many HAIR, and the "Rock Musical", seemed like a total betrayal of the values, craftsmanship and traditions of Broadway. However, I see it, and the other new forms of musicals that rose to the forefront in The Modern Era, as just part of the inevitable ongoing evolution of a form that had always closely reflected what was going on in American culture. In the immediate wake of HAIR there were many shows that tried to emulate its triumph -- but only three found real success: Jesus Christ Superstar, Godspell, and Two Gentlemen of Verona. Later, the success of Godspell would lead directly to PIPPIN, and the success of Superstar led to Webber & Rice’s 1979 blockbuster EVITA, and the expansion and of their early musical Joseph And His Technicolor Dreamcoat. The term “Rock Musical” is something of a misnomer.Rock music, in is purest form, actually does not lend itself very well to musical theater storytelling. It’s musical, rhythmic, and lyric forms are much too limited and repetitive. The most successful “Rock Musicals” – from HAIR to RENT -- would more actually be called “rock flavored” musicals that employ a variety of rock, pop, R&B, folk, and latin styles mixed with traditional forms of songwriting. Over the coming years both Stephen Schwartz andAndrew Lloyd-Webber would move further and further away from Rock and do what Broadway composers had always done – combine the pop music of their day with an eclectic mix of musicals styles that best suited the story and characters they were dramatizing. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Today’s episode is the second half of my recent discussion with author Grace Barnes whose fascinating new book it titled: National Identity and the British Musical — From Blood Brothers to Cinderella. In this conversation we explore how British national identity has, and often has not, been dramatized in British musical theater, and among the topics that we discuss are the musicals Blood Brothers, Mama Mia, Billy Elliott, The Last Ship, Bend It Like Beckham, and the current smash hit SIX, and, of course, the tremendous impact and domination that the mega musicals of Andrew Lloyd Webber and Cameron Mackintosh have had on the British musical theatre industry. We also discuss why UK critics so seldom give any serious consideration to musical theater , the near complete absence of female voices in British musical theater, and the future of British musicals. Grace Barnes is an independent scholar, director, and playwright who has worked as an associate and resident director on productions of My Fair Lady, Fiddler On the Roof, Into The Woods, Sunset Blvd, The Witches of Eastwick, Martin Guerre, West Side Story, and Guys And Dolls in the United Kingdom, Germany, and Australia.She has a PhD from the University of Technology in Sydney and her previous book is titled Her Turn Onstage — The Role Of Women In Musical Theatre. Become a PATRON of Broadway Nation! This episode is made possible in part through the generous support of our Patron Club members including one of our newest members: Lois Hunter. If you would like to help support the work of Broadway Nation I will information at the end of the podcast about how you too can become a Patron. If you are a fan ofBroadway Nation, I invite you too to become a PATRON! For a just $7.00 a month you will receive exclusive access to never-before-heard, unedited versions ofmany of the discussions that I have with my guests —in fact I often record nearly twice as much conversation as ends up in the edited versions.You will also have access to additional in-depth conversations with my frequent co-host Albert Evans that have not been featured on the podcast. All patrons receive special “on-air” shout-outs and acknowledgement of your vital support of this podcast. And if you are very enthusiastic about Broadway Nation there are additional PATRON levels that come with even more benefits. If you would like to support the work of Broadway Nation and receive these exclusive member benefits, please just click on this link: https://broadwaynationpodcast.supercast.tech/ Thank you in advance for your support! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

My guest today is Grace Barnes whose new book it titled: National Identity and the British Musical — From Blood Brothers to Cinderella. This is a fascinating book that explores how British national identity has, and often has not, been dramatized in British musical theater, and she does this by examining the content and context of musicals such as Blood Brothers, Mama Mia, Billy Elliott, The Hired Man and the current smash hit SIX. And, of course, she also considers the tremendous impact that the "mega musicals" such as Les Miserable and The Phantom Of The Opera (both of which are still running in London), as well as the tremendous power and domination that Andrew Lloyd Webber and Cameron Mackintosh have had on the British musical theatre industry. In addition she explores why UK critics so seldom give any serious consideration to musical theater and — in contrast to the way American musicals are often discussed — why British musicals are so often overlooked in national debates regarding culture and identity. This is the first part of our recent conversation in which we discuss all of that and more! Grace Barnes is an independent scholar, director, and playwright who has worked as an associate and resident director on productions of My Fair Lady, Fiddler On the Roof, Into The Woods, Sunset Blvd, The Witches of Eastwick, Martin Guerre, West Side Story, and Guys And Dolls in the United Kingdom, Germany, and Australia.She has a PhD from the University of Technology in Sydney and her previous book is titled Her Turn Onstage — The Role Of Women In Musical Theatre. Become a PATRON of Broadway Nation! This episode is made possible in part through the generous support of our Patron Club members including one of our newest members: Lois Hunter. If you would like to help support the work of Broadway Nation I will information at the end of the podcast about how you too can become a Patron. If you are a fan ofBroadway Nation, I invite you too to become a PATRON! For a just $7.00 a month you will receive exclusive access to never-before-heard, unedited versions ofmany of the discussions that I have with my guests —in fact I often record nearly twice as much conversation as ends up in the edited versions.You will also have access to additional in-depth conversations with my frequent co-host Albert Evans that have not been featured on the podcast. All patrons receive special “on-air” shout-outs and acknowledgement of your vital support of this podcast. And if you are very enthusiastic about Broadway Nation there are additional PATRON levels that come with even more benefits. If you would like to support the work of Broadway Nation and receive these exclusive member benefits, please just click on this link: https://broadwaynationpodcast.supercast.tech/ Thank you in advance for your support! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This is an encore presentation of my conversation with author Liza Gennaro, regarding her fascinating book : Making Broadway Dance. Liza is currently the Dean of Musical Theater at the Manhattan School of Music and prior to that she had a very active and successful career as a dancer and choreographer on Broadway and with prominent theater companies across the country.Most notably she choreographed the hit Broadway revival of Frank Loessor’s The Most Happy Fella. As she writes in the introduction to her book, Liza came to her love and interest in musical theater dance genetically.Her father was Peter Gennaro, the Tony Award winning choreographer and star dancer of Broadway musicals and TV variety shows.And her mother, Jean Gennaro, was a ballerina turned Broadway dancer who danced for Bronislava Nijinska, Agnes De Mille, and Michael Kidd. As you might imagine, Liza grew up immersed in the world of Broadway, and all manner of dance, and she is able to weave all of that life experience into this remarkable book.I can’t think of anyone more uniquely qualified to write it. This episode focuses largely on two great female choreographers — Katherine Dunham and Agnes de Mille.I have stated that De Mille is arguably the most important woman in the history of Broadway musical – not including the star performers, of course — and she has received quite a bit of focus in previous episodes of this podcast.However, I am especially happy today to shine a spotlight on Katherine Dunham whose influence on Broadway dance — like that of many other black artists — has often been overlooked and undervalued.But her impact and significance cannot be denied. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This is the fourth and final segment of my recent conversation with author Geoffrey Block regarding his latest book: A Fine Romance — Adapting Broadway To Hollywood In the Studio System Era This fascinating new book explores the passionate and often rocky relationship between Broadway musicals and the movie studios that brought them to the big screen. To accomplish this, Geoffrey Block takes an in-depth look at 12 stage musicals and their film adaptations and on today’s episode we focus on the final musical he covers — CABARET and its many incarnations on page, stage, and film. But first we discuss the demise of that Hollywood studio system that was able to produce so many classic movie musicals, why the system fell apart, and what great musicals such as Cabaret were still able to be made after its collapse. If you missed the first three episodes in this series you may want to catch up with those before listening to this one Geoffrey Block is Distinguished Professor Emeritus of Music History and Humanities at the University of Puget Sound and the author of eight previous books including Enchanted Evenings: The Broadway Musical from Show Boat to Sondheim and Lloyd-Weber and The Richard Rodgers Reader.He is also the editor of Oxford’s acclaimed Broadway Legacies Series. Become A PATRON of Broadway Nation! This episode is made possible in part through the generous support of our Patron Club members Anne Welsh, Ruth Oberg, & Ellie Schaffer. If you would like to help support the work of Broadway Nation I will information at the end of the podcast about how you too can become a Patron. If you are a fan ofBroadway Nation, I invite you too to become a PATRON! For a just $7.00 a month you will receive exclusive access to never-before-heard, unedited versions ofmany of the discussions that I have with my guests —in fact I often record nearly twice as much conversation as ends up in the edited versions.You will also have access to additional in-depth conversations with my frequent co-host Albert Evans that have not been featured on the podcast. All patrons receive special “on-air” shout-outs and acknowledgement of your vital support of this podcast. And if you are very enthusiastic about Broadway Nation there are additional PATRON levels that come with even more benefits. If you would like to support the work of Broadway Nation and receive these exclusive member benefits, please just click on this link: https://broadwaynationpodcast.supercast.tech/ Thank you in advance for your support! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This is the third part of my conversation with author Geoffrey Block regarding his recent book: A Fine Romance — Adapting Broadway To Hollywood In the Studio System Era. This very interesting new book takes an in-depth look at 12 Broadway stage musicals and their Hollywood movie musical adaptations.And today we discuss two of those shows — West Side Story and Rodgers & Hammerstein’s second to last musical, Flower Drum Song.When compared to their Broadway originals, these are two of the most faithful and complete film versions, but as you will hear, many changes still had to be made in bringing these shows to the screen and Block has captured them all in fascinating detail. If you missed the first two segments of this discussion you may want to catch up with those before listening to this one. Geoffrey Block is the editor of Oxford’s acclaimed Broadway Legacies Series and the author of eight previous books including Enchanted Evenings: The Broadway Musical from Show Boat to Sondheim and Lloyd-Weber and The Richard Rodgers Reader. Become A PATRON of Broadway Nation! This episode is made possible in part through the generous support of our Patron Club members Anne Welsh, Ruth Oberg, & Ellie Schaffer. If you would like to help support the work of Broadway Nation I will information at the end of the podcast about how you too can become a Patron. If you are a fan ofBroadway Nation, I invite you too to become a PATRON! For a just $7.00 a month you will receive exclusive access to never-before-heard, unedited versions ofmany of the discussions that I have with my guests —in fact I often record nearly twice as much conversation as ends up in the edited versions.You will also have access to additional in-depth conversations with my frequent co-host Albert Evans that have not been featured on the podcast. All patrons receive special “on-air” shout-outs and acknowledgement of your vital support of this podcast. And if you are very enthusiastic about Broadway Nation there are additional PATRON levels that come with even more benefits. If you would like to support the work of Broadway Nation and receive these exclusive member benefits, please just click on this link: https://broadwaynationpodcast.supercast.tech/ Thank you in advance for your support! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This is the second part of my conversation with author Geoffrey Block regarding his recent book: A Fine Romance — Adapting Broadway To Hollywood In the Studio System Era. The romance that Geoffrey is referring to to in his title is the sometimes passionate, but often very rocky love affair between Broadway Musicals and the film studios that adapted them into Movie Musicals. In this episode we discuss the 1940 stage & 1943 film versions of Cabin In The Sky, the first major film musical to be adapted from an All-Black stage show.And the 1955 Broadway & 1957 Hollywood versions of Cole Porter’s Silk Stockings. A movie that Geoffrey and I are both advocates for. Along to way we delve into a number of related topics including the pros and cons of voice dubbing in film musicals, and the numerous, and often ridiculous, changes that were made in these musicals during their transitions to the screen in order to satisfy the censors charged with enforcing the Hollywood production code. We also look at how some of the films got around those restrictions! Geoffrey Block is Distinguished Professor Emeritus of Music History and Humanities at the University of Puget Sound and the author of eight previous books including Enchanted Evenings: The Broadway Musical from Show Boat to Sondheim and Lloyd-Weber and The Richard Rodgers Reader.He is also the editor of Oxford’s acclaimed Broadway Legacies Series. Become A PATRON of Broadway Nation! This episode is made possible in part through the generous support of our Patron Club members including our Producer Level Patrons PAULA and STEVE REYNOLDS. If you would like to help support the work of Broadway Nation I will information at the end of the podcast about how you too can become a Patron. If you are a fan ofBroadway Nation, I invite you too to become a PATRON! For a just $7.00 a month you will receive exclusive access to never-before-heard, unedited versions ofmany of the discussions that I have with my guests —in fact I often record nearly twice as much conversation as ends up in the edited versions.You will also have access to additional in-depth conversations with my frequent co-host Albert Evans that have not been featured on the podcast. All patrons receive special “on-air” shout-outs and acknowledgement of your vital support of this podcast. And if you are very enthusiastic about Broadway Nation there are additional PATRON levels that come with even more benefits. If you would like to support the work of Broadway Nation and receive these exclusive member benefits, please just click on this link: https://broadwaynationpodcast.supercast.tech/ Thank you in advance for your support! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This is the first part of my recent conversation with Geoffrey Block whose latest book is titled: A Fine Romance — Adapting Broadway To Hollywood In the Studio System Era. This fascinating new book explores the sometimes successful, but often very rocky relationship between Broadway musicals and the movie studios that brought them to the big screen. He does this by taking an in-depth look at 12 musicals and their film adaptations.These include very famous and familiar ones such as Show Boat, Oklahoma!, West Side Story, and Cabaret as well as several that are much less often discussed (or even seen!), but are no less interesting, such as The Cat And The Fiddle, Cabin In The Sky, and Flower Drum Song. Along the way he analyses exactly how and why these musicals were changed and revised — sometimes in disappointing and controversial ways, at least for fans of the stage versions.And he even suggests that a few of them were actually improved in the process! This is my favorite kind of a book — filled with new information and surprising insights, along with some strong opinions as well. Geoffrey Block is Distinguished Professor Emeritus of Music History and Humanities at the University of Puget Sound and the author of nine books including Enchanted Evenings: The Broadway Musical from Show Boat to Sondheim and Lloyd-Weber and The Richard Rodgers Reader.He is also the editor of Oxford’s acclaimed Broadway Legacies Series. Become A PATRON of Broadway Nation! This episode is made possible in part through the generous support of our Patron Club members including our newest patron Larry Spinelli. If you would like to help support the work of Broadway Nation I will information at the end of the podcast about how you too can become a Patron. If you are a fan ofBroadway Nation, I invite you too to become a PATRON! For a just $7.00 a month you will receive exclusive access to never-before-heard, unedited versions ofmany of the discussions that I have with my guests —in fact I often record nearly twice as much conversation as ends up in the edited versions.You will also have access to additional in-depth conversations with my frequent co-host Albert Evans that have not been featured on the podcast. All patrons receive special “on-air” shout-outs and acknowledgement of your vital support of this podcast. And if you are very enthusiastic about Broadway Nation there are additional PATRON levels that come with even more benefits. If you would like to support the work of Broadway Nation and receive these exclusive member benefits, please just click on this link: https://broadwaynationpodcast.supercast.tech/ Thank you in advance for your support! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This is a special POD SWAP editions of Broadway Nation! Last December it was my great pleasure to be a guest on Jeffrey Scott Parson’s terrific show, A Musical Theatre Podcast, and this week I am thrilled to share that episode with my Broadway Nation audience. Think of this “pod swap” as sort of a “Summer Replacement Special.”If you are too young to remember those, then let me fill you in. Back in the heyday of television variety shows, the big prime time series would take a break during the summer months and be replaced by what they called a “summer replacement.” As a kid, I always looked forward to those because they often served as “pilots” for what would become the next hit prime time variety series. So, this week Broadway Nation takes a break and is replaced by A Musical Theatre Podcast. On this episode I join Jeffrey Scott Parsons to explore Jerry Herman’s 1961 Broadway debut musical, Milk And Honey, which starred the great Yiddish Theater star Molly Picon, and star of The Most Happy Fella, Robert Weede. This show, which was set in (then) modern-day Israel, had a book by Don Apell, and judging from the script and production photos it featured extensive dance sequences and ballets choreographed by Donald Sadler that showcased a chorus of hunky shirtless male dancers wearing very short shorts, and the musical’s triple-threat co-star, Tommy Rall. The success of the show put Jerry Herman firmly on the Broadway map and led directly to him being selected by producer David Merrick to create the score for Hello, Dolly! Jeffrey and I discuss all of that and more! As you will hear, there is a tremendous resonance and kinship between our two podcasts. Both Broadway Nation and A Musical Theatre Podcast take deep thoughtful looks inside the history of the Broadway Musical, its shows, and its creators — in a manner that is both critical and celebratory. I feel certain that if you enjoy Broadway Nation you will love A Musical Theatre Podcast! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This is the third and final part of my recent conversation with authors Millie Taylor & Adam Rush about their captivating new book titled, Musical Theatre Histories: Expanding the Narrative. As you will hear, Millie and Adam have uncovered new alternative ways of relating the history of the Musical.Instead of just one way of telling that story they have identified multiple thematic histories of the musical theatre, in the US, the UK, and around the world. If you missed the first two episodes, you may want to catch up with those before listening to this one. Adam Rush is a Senior Lecturer in Musical Theatre at the University of Winchester in the UK and his research has been published in Studies In Musical Theatre and in several edited collections. Millie Taylor began her career as a freelance music director and for almost twenty years toured the UK and Europe with a variety of musicals including West Side Story, Little Shop of Horrors, Rocky Horror Show and Sweeney Todd. She is now Professor of Musical Theatre at the University of Winchester, and Special Professor of the Musical at the University of Amsterdam. She is author, co-author or editor of 7 books,includingBritish Pantomime Performanceand Singing for Musicals: A Practical Guide. If you are a fan ofBroadway Nation, I invite you too to become a PATRON! For a just $7.00 a month you will receive exclusive access to never-before-heard, unedited versions ofmany of the discussions that I have with my guests —in fact I often record nearly twice as much conversation as ends up in the edited versions.You will also have access to additional in-depth conversations with my frequent co-host Albert Evans that have not been featured on the podcast. All patrons receive special “on-air” shout-outs and acknowledgement of your vital support of this podcast. And if you are very enthusiastic about Broadway Nation there are additional PATRON levels that come with even more benefits. If you would like to support the work of Broadway Nation and receive these exclusive member benefits, please just click on this link: https://broadwaynationpodcast.supercast.tech/ Thank you in advance for your support! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices