Some things worth checking out...

There are a bunch of great things that have come up over the last couple of days that I would love to highlight:

First of all, Joe Iconis will be giving a free performance on June 21st at 10:00 a.m. as a part of Make Music New York, sponsored by Joe’s Pub. A free 40 minutes of music will be presented al fresco, right at the Astor Place cube at the corner of Lafayette and Cooper Square. It should be a great time, and the price is right for a perfect summer morning of entertainment.

In speaking of Joe and free, another must this summer is to get tickets to We The People: America Rocks! at the Lucille Lortel theatre as a part of Theatreworks’ summer shows. Joe wrote the book, but the songs are provided by a number of fantastic composers including Ryan Scott Oliver, Tommy Newman, Sam Forman and Eli Bolin, and Joe Iconis himself.

If you’re in Connecticut and want to see a great show, be sure to catch the last week of performances of Gaby Alter, Gordon Greenberg (who is also directing We The People), Tommy Newman, and Mark Allen’s Band Geeks! at Goodspeed Musicals. Also be sure to check out some of the media on their site (which includes song clips and a great video introducing you to the band).

If you’re looking for a good read, Ryan Scott Oliver’s latest post on crazytownblog.com is an absolutely wonderful read. Not only an educational examination of the mechanics of music, especially in the context of musical theatre, it also illuminates the trends of contemporary songwriters by examining the simple concept of the “button” in a song. Whether you agree with Ryan’s arguments or not, it does bring up interesting perspectives of where musical theatre is heading and how form and function connect in the context of the genre. I highly recommend reading it, as it brings to light one of the reasons I created this blog: to discuss what exactly is contemporary musical theatre and why.

Lastly, Dougal Irvine, who has been mentioned in passing both in a comment on this blog, as well as in reference to his musical Departure Lounge, is the Playwright Profile in the latest edition of the SPF newsletter. Be sure to check out his interview here, and enjoy this video clip of his song “Left Spain” from last summer’s Composer Exposure: