BROADWAY NATION

My guests again this week are Millie Taylor & Adam Rush, the authors of a very interesting new book titled, Musical Theatre Histories: Expanding the Narrative. This is the second part of our conversation about their unique approach to relating the history of both the American and the British Musical Theatre. They accomplish this through their use of multiple thematic 'histories' that take readers on a series of journeys down both familiar and less traveled paths into the art form's origins, development, and relationships to the media, censorship, gender diversity, and national identity — and those are just topics we talk about today! If you missed part one you may want to catch up with that episode before listening to this one. Become A PATRON of Broadway Nation! This episode is made possible in part through the generous support of our Broadway Nation Patrons. 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 guests this week are Millie Taylor and Adam Rush, the authors of a very interesting new book titled, Musical Theatre Histories: Expanding the Narrative. Musical theatre is often perceived as being either a Broadway based art form, or as having separate histories in London and New York.This new book, however, presents the Musical as neither American nor British, but also both of those, and more! Through their use of multiple thematic 'histories', Millie and Adam take readers on a series of journeys that include the art form's European and American origins, African American influences, discussions centering on diversity, national identity, and the globalization of the musical, as well as revivals, censorship, and the relationship of social media to the Musical in the 21st century. As you can hear all of that intersects very directly with the focus and subject matter of this podcast so I was, of course, very captivated by the book and very eager to sit down with Mille and Adam and learn more about their unique and fascinating approach to musical theatre history. 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. Become A PATRON of Broadway Nation! This episode is made possible in part through the generous support of our Broadway Nation Patron Club members including Producer Level Patron, Tracy Wellans. My sincere thanks to all three of you for your loyal support! 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

Celebrating Dorothy Fields 118th Birthday! Women have had a much more significant impact on the Broadway Musical than has generally been reported or acknowledged.In fact, talented, dynamic women have been a major force in the creation and development of the American musical theater from the very beginning and right up to today. In this episode my special guest Albert Evans and I will share the often overlooked stories of songwriters and bookwriters Rida Johnson Young, Dorothy Donnelly, Nora Bays, Ann Ronell, Kay Swift, Betty Comden, Bella Spewack, Mary Rodgers, Carolyn Leigh, and especially Dorothy Fields, whose amazing 50-year career stretched from the vaudeville era to the age of rock! Special thanks to Billie Wildrick for her voice acting contributions. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Celebrating Dorothy Fields 118th Birthday! Women have had a much more significant impact on the Broadway Musical than has generally been reported or acknowledged.In fact, talented, dynamic women have been a major force in the creation and development of the American musical theater from the very beginning and right up to today. In this episode my special guest Albert Evans and I will share the often overlooked stories of songwriters and bookwriters Rida Johnson Young, Dorothy Donnelly, Nora Bays, Ann Ronell, Kay Swift, Betty Comden, Bella Spewack, Mary Rodgers, Carolyn Leigh, and especially Dorothy Fields, whose amazing 50-year career stretched from the vaudeville era to the age of rock! Special thanks to Billie Wildrick for her voice acting contributions. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This is the third and final part of my conversation with Ben Francis whose amazingly compelling new book is titled Careful the Spell You Cast — How Stephen Sondheim Extended the Range of the American Musical. Just like the book, our discussion has been structured around Sondheim’s collaborators. In this episode we discuss his work with George Furth, John Weidman, Hugh Wheeler & James Lapine. And, as always, Sondheim’s mentor and surrogate father Oscar Hammerstein II plays a big role in this conversation as well. Along the way nearing everyone of Sondheim’s musicals are discussed including A Little Night Music, Anyone Can Whistle, Assassins, Company, Do I Hear A Waltz?, Follies, Gypsy, Into the Woods, Merrily We Roll Along, Passion, Road Show, Sunday In The Park With George, Sweeney Todd, and West Side Story as well as Rodgers & Hammerstein’s Allegro. Ben Francis’ other works include contributions to the Oxford Handbook Of Sondheim Studies, the Oxford Handbook of British Musicals, and the Oxford Handbook of Shakespeare and Music, as well as Christopher Hampton: Dramatic Ironist. Become A PATRON of Broadway Nation! This episode is made possible in part through the generous support of our Broadway Nation Patron Club members including our inaugural members Roger Kloresse, Neil Hoyt, and Chris Moad. My sincere thanks to all three of you for your loyal support! 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 Ben Francis regarding his very compelling new book: Careful the Spell You Cast — How Stephen Sondheim Extended the Range of the American Musical. This week Ben and I focus on three of Sondheim's key collaborators — Harold Prince, Burt Shevelove, and James Goldman. If you missed last weeks episode you may want to catch up with that one before listening to this. Sondheim is without a doubt one of the most studied, examined, and analyzed Broadway creators of all time. In fact, we have done quite a bit of that right here on Broadway Nation. However, as you will hear, Ben Francis contends that in spite of all of that investigation, Sondheim continues to be very misunderstood. He is often labeled as being cynical and pessimistic, but Francis instead argues that Sondheim firmly belongs to the “Broadway aspirational tradition” — a tradition that celebrates dreams of a better life — and he suggests that Sondheim’s shows are to a great extent are a continuation of the work of his mentor Oscar Hammerstein II. Ben Francis’ other works include contributions to the Oxford Handbook Of Sondheim Studies, the Oxford Handbook of British Musicals, and the Oxford Handbook of Shakespeare and Music, as well as Christopher Hampton: Dramatic Ironist Become A PATRON of Broadway Nation! This episode is made possible in part by the generous support of 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 second part of my conversation with author Ben Francis regarding his very compelling new book: Careful the Spell You Cast — How Stephen Sondheim Extended the Range of the American Musical. This week Ben and I focus on three of Sondheim's key collaborators — Harold Prince, Burt Shevelove, and James Goldman. If you missed last weeks episode you may want to catch up with that one before listening to this. Sondheim is without a doubt one of the most studied, examined, and analyzed Broadway creators of all time. In fact, we have done quite a bit of that right here on Broadway Nation. However, as you will hear, Ben Francis contends that in spite of all of that investigation, Sondheim continues to be very misunderstood. He is often labeled as being cynical and pessimistic, but Francis instead argues that Sondheim firmly belongs to the “Broadway aspirational tradition” — a tradition that celebrates dreams of a better life — and he suggests that Sondheim’s shows are to a great extent are a continuation of the work of his mentor Oscar Hammerstein II. Ben Francis’ other works include contributions to the Oxford Handbook Of Sondheim Studies, the Oxford Handbook of British Musicals, and the Oxford Handbook of Shakespeare and Music, as well as Christopher Hampton: Dramatic Ironist Become A PATRON of Broadway Nation! This episode is made possible in part by the generous support of 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

My guest today is Ben Francis, author of a very compelling new book titled Careful the Spell You Cast — How Stephen Sondheim Extended the Range of the American Musical. Sondheim is without a doubt one of the most studied, examined, and analyzed Broadway creators of all time. In fact, we have done quite a bit of that right here on Broadway Nation. However, as you will hear, Ben Francis contends that in spite of all of that investigation, Sondheim continues to be very misunderstood. He is often labeled as being cynical and pessimistic, but Francis instead argues that Sondheim firmly belongs to the “Broadway aspirational tradition” — a tradition that celebrates dreams of a better life — and he suggests that Sondheim’s shows are to a great extent are a continuation of the work of his mentor Oscar Hammerstein II. Ben Francis’ other works include contributions to the Oxford Handbook Of Sondheim Studies, the Oxford Handbook of British Musicals, and the Oxford Handbook of Shakespeare and Music, as well as Christopher Hampton: Dramatic Ironist Become A PATRON of Broadway Nation! This episode is made possible in part by the generous support of our newest Patrons: Andy Wigginton and Mark Stanton. 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 discussion that I have with my guests —in fact I often record nearly twice as much conversation as ends up in the edited versions.And 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.And 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 Encore Episode in celebration of PRIDE month. The Stonewall Rebellion in 1969 thrust the issue of Gay Rights into the mainstream and as a result, during the 1970s queer people became “out, loud, and proud” in significant numbers. In fact, all of the progressive and disruptive social movements of the 1960s & 70s — Civil Rights, Women’s Liberation, Black Power, Anti-War — had significant impacts on Broadway and were vibrantly reflected back into the culture by the hit musicals of the era in both subtle and overt ways. So, it makes sense that this new LGBTQ+ visibility and joyous feeling of liberation would also have a major impact on Broadway where queer people have alway been present in large numbers, including its highest levels of leadership. In this episode I explore the sudden and significant wave openly queer content on Broadway in groundbreaking shows such as Hair,Coco, Applause, Seesaw, A Chorus Line, La Cage Aux Folles, and Falsettos. The positive impact that these widely seen musicals had on gay liberation — especially the mega-hit A Chorus Line — should not be underestimated! I also relate the devastating effect that the AIDS Crisis had on Broadway during the 1980s & 90s, when an entire generation of Broadway directors, choreographers, composers, lyricists, bookwriters, and other other creative talent was eliminated or sidelined by the disease. AIDS also claimed the lives of hundreds of actors, singers, musicians, stage managers, production assistants, and designers — as well as scores of dancers that had been trained by Bennett, Fosse, Champion, and Tune and who might have become influential directors and/or choreographers themselves. The devastation of AIDS opened the door to the “British Invasion” that would soon dominate Broadway. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This is a special Pride Month encore of one of Broadway Nation's earliest episodes! From the very beginning the Broadway Musical has to a very large degree been a Queer creation. In this episode David Armstrong shares the fascinating stories of early queer creators including producing and life partners Charles Frohman & Charles Dillingham; the first great gay director Hassard Short; drag superstars Julian Eltinge & Bert Savoy; the "Pansy Craze" of the 1930s; and especially the delightful, delicious, and delovely Broadway songwriter Cole Porter! Special thanks to Billie Wildrick and David Sabella for their vocal contributions. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices