The Gospel of Musical Theatre
Episodes
Friday Jul 30, 2021
1.7 Allegro!
Friday Jul 30, 2021
Friday Jul 30, 2021
Okay, we'll say it... It's a flop. We're wrapping up our Rodgers & Hammerstein season with one of their lesser-known works: the 1947 musical Allegro, a show that was ahead of its time but that hasn't been produced much since its original run.
We talk about:
- The Dynamic Duo: Rodgers and Hammerstein as commercial Broadway producers and a creative team
- Concept Musicals: The rise of the “concept musical” and Allegro’s role in that tradition (and its influence on subsequent composers... like a kid named Stephen Sondheim, whose first Broadway job was as an assistant on Allegro!).
- Being Vulnerable: Learning to love by investing in other people's thriving – and the power of vulnerability.
- Aha Moments: Moments of epiphany when everything seems to fall into place, and why we might look for those moments on stage because we rarely experience them in day-to-day life. What does it means to find your "true self?"
You’ll hear:
- Gloria Willis singing “We Have Nothing to Remember So Far” from the 1947 Original Broadway Cast Recording.
- Lisa Kirk singing “The Gentlemen is a Dope” from the 1947 Original Broadway Cast Recording.
You may want to check out:
- Episode 19 of Porchlight Music Theatre's podcast Classic Musicals From the Golden Age of Radio with Michael Weber. It contains the full 1951 radio broadcast of Allegro - and a great introduction by Anika Chapin of Goodspeed Opera Company in CT!
Continue the conversation with Peter (@pgeinvan) and Nathan (@nathan_lerud) on Twitter and join the conversation at the Gospel of Musical Theatre.
Friday Jul 16, 2021
1.6 The Sound of Music!
Friday Jul 16, 2021
Friday Jul 16, 2021
It's a good one... We're finally talking about The Sound of Music! Join us for this chat about this Rodgers & Hammerstein masterpiece – both the 1959 stage version and the iconic 1965 film starring the one & only Julie Andrews.
We talk about:
- Contrasts: How the “marriage trope” intersects a political story about fascism and resistance
- The "Problem" of Maria: Maria von Trapp as both a redemptive figure and a prototypical “good German”
- Being Good: The theology of “Something Good,” and Catholic versus Protestant understandings of love and human worthiness
You’ll hear:
- Laura Benanti and Christian Boyle singing “No Way To Stop It” and “How Can Love Survive” from the 2013 NBC Soundtrack Recording
- Julie Andrews singing “I Have Confidence” and “Something Good” from the 1965 film soundtrack
- Peggy Wood singing “Climb Every Mountain” from the 1965 film.
Continue the conversation with Peter (@pgeinvan) and Nathan (@nathan_lerud) on Twitter and join the conversation at the Gospel of Musical Theatre.
Friday Jul 02, 2021
1.5 The King and I!
Friday Jul 02, 2021
Friday Jul 02, 2021
We're talking about Rodgers & Hammerstein's The King & I (1951), a complicated and beautiful show about cultural imperialism, gender emancipation and the dangers of the white savior complex.
We talk about:
- Divas: The rise of the “star vehicle” for a diva actor, and the interesting racial & cultural background of Anna Leonowens (and Gertrude Lawrence, the actor who played her).
- Colonialism: The intersection of colonialism with Western values of equality, and when a “liberating” culture becomes an imposed culture that does violence in the name of greater freedom.
- Forgiveness: The nature of forgiveness, and the possibility of real relationship across cultural, gender and ideological difference.
You’ll hear:
- Gertrude Lawrence singing “Getting to Know You” from the Original Broadway Cast recording.
- Lea Salonga and Peabo Bryson singing “We Kiss In A Shadow” from the 1993 Studio recording.
- Ruthie Ann Miles singing “Something Wonderful” from the 2015 Broadway Revival Cast Recording.
Continue the conversation with Peter (@pgeinvan) and Nathan (@nathan_lerud) on Twitter, and follow the Gospel of Musical Theatre on Instagram or Twitter @gospelofmt!