And the Winner Is...

Thanks to everyone who left comments to win the Bloody Bloody Andrew Jackson cast recording. All the ideas were great, and I'm posting them below. However, rather than draw this announcement out, I am proud to announce the winners: musicaltheatreblog and Colleen! Congrats and thanks again to everyone who entered. Winners, please email me your addresses at emergingmt@gmail.com so that I can get your prizes to you! For everyone else, remember that you can still use the coupon code EMERGING10 at checkout on Sh-K-Boom's website to get 10% off your purchase. Also be sure to check back here often for other giveaways.

Here were the great ideas that were submitted for historically inspired musicals:

I would really enjoy a musical based on the Brown v. Board of Education court case. It would make a great large-cast musical with a traditional score. Each of the thirteen plaintiffs would tell their story, similar to A Chorus Line, and it would end with the ruling being made.

--musicaltheatreblog

After learning a little about the interesting relationship between Clara Wieck, Robert Schumann, and Johannes Brahmes, I believe that Clara's life would make an excellent musical, play or movie. Clara was a talented musician who is too often overshadowed by the famous composers she loved and helped promote.

--chrysalisdream24

Might be interesting to do a musical from the McCarthy Era and Cold War. So many interesting things happened during that time that we often forget about: suspecting spies, going against Communism, JFK, his assassination, MLK assassination, McCarthism, etc.

--Colleen

I think it'd be pretty hilarious to have a Dada musical, although I cannot imagine how bizarre that music would be or if the songs would be very, uh, catchy. Frida Kahlo would be a really fascinating subject as well, or a really intimate Emily Dickinson musical, or one about the sculptor Camille Claudel and how Auguste Rodin ruined her life. Or does Einstein have a musical yet? That would be brilliant.

--s

I'm afraid the South Park folks may be about to corner the market on religious satire musicalizations, but I always thought Jimmy Swaggart & the Jimmy Swaggart Ministries would make a fascinating, hilarious subject for a stage musical. I'm picturing a flashy gospel-rock score, big musical numbers with a chorus of singing, dancing prostitutes & a huge, tear-filled 11 o'clock number. (Damn. I really WOULD like to see that.)

I also think that Phil Spector's life & music would make for a more riveting & satisfying night at the theater than a show about the Four Seasons. It could be a jukebox musical like Jersey Boys, only exponentially more interesting (and I'm sorry to say, better music)!

I guess I'm more into contemporary figures. It's hard to pull off a major period musical. But I guess Bloody Bloody Andrew Jackson defied the odds!

--Matt

This is an obscure choice, but I wrote a paper years ago on female spies in the Office of Strategic Services during WWII, and one of the spies, Virginia Hall, had this incredible life story. She was set to join the Foreign Service in the 30s until she suffered a hunting accident that forced the amputation of her leg... but that didn't stop her from driving ambulances in France. When France was invaded, she worked for the Resistance, parachuting behind enemy lines, leading multiple guerrilla forces against the Germans, even escaping France at one point by crossing the Pyrenees on foot in November! Generally a very badass lady with a great story of overcoming disability to further her passion for the cause... I envision some pretty intense dramatic/suspenseful numbers, and a comedic one when she decided to nickname her wooden leg "Clyde."

--Gabriella

Thanks again for all the thoughtful comments!

Win the Cast Recording for Bloody Bloody Andrew Jackson!

Hey all! So if you've noticed on the calendar, the cast recording for Bloody Bloody Andrew Jackson is officially released on September 21st. The show starts its Broadway previews on September 20th and whether or not you caught it at The Public, I highly suggest you get down to the Bernard Jacobs Theatre where you can experience the bloody goodness for yourself. Featuring an awesome score by Michael Friedman, whose work I absolutely adore, the cast recording for the show makes for a great way of reliving all the angst and pathos of one of our most iconic presidents.

The wonderful people at Sh-K-Boom have given me two cast recordings to give away on the blog, and I couldn't be more excited and thankful to be able to pass on this music to you guys. So, I thought it would be fun to have a little contest to get a fun discussion going and give you guys a chance to put in your entries for a kind of lottery.

All you have to do is comment on this blog post with an answer to this question: what historical or academic figure do you think deserves the musical treatment and how? Think the theatre world is sorely lacking a song cycle centered around Paul Revere? Have you been itching for an Andrew Lloyd Weber-esque story about Emily and Charlotte Bronte? The sky is the limit. There is only one comment/entry per person, but if you tweet a link to this blog post and include the link in your comment, I'll count it as an extra entry. The winners will be drawn at random and announced next Thursday on 9/16, and I will no longer count entries past 11:59 on Wednesday, 9/15.

Good luck, all!



Edit: Also, as a bonus for those of you who want to forgo the contest and just buy the album, Sh-K-Boom also generously offered a coupon code. Put in EMERGING10 at checkout when ordering from their website, and enjoy 10% off all their products until 12/31/10 (and shipping is always free to the USA!)

All About the Presidents

First of all, the exciting news of the day is that it's official: Bloody Bloody Andrew Jackson is moving into the Jacobs Theater on Broadway! The show will also star Ben Walker as it did at The Public. Congrats to him, Michael Friedman, and Alex Timbers!

And because presidents seem to be so hot right now, I also can't recommend We The People: America Rocks! enough for anyone with a free afternoon to enjoy some free, educational theatre. It's perfect for families with its fast-paced story, fun and hilarious cast members, and cleverly informative lyrics that will keep kids engaged. But even for the older set, it's a nice refresher course about the structure of our government told in a joyful, slightly winking way similar to Schoolhouse Rock. I'm certain you'll find yourself tapping your toes to a particular number about the first 5 amendments thanks to Adam Overett. There are also other great songs courtesy of Brad Alexander and Kevin Del Aguila, Eli Bolin and Sam Forman, Joe Iconis, Tommy Newman, Ryan Scott Oliver, Erik Weiner, Mark Weiner, and Jordan Allen-Dutton--with a book by Joe Iconis. Here's a sample of what you can expect from this fun show:

For Your Viewing Pleasure

Nothing too big to report, but I figured I'd share a couple of videos that have been playing on my computer at least a few times over the past few days.

First, there have been some great videos popping up promoting Bloody Bloody Andrew Jackson, which is ending its run in the (all too) near future-- June 27th. If you haven't seen it, I highly suggest getting a ticket. Even if the show goes on to a longer life, which I'm sure it will, this production at the Newman Theater is not to be missed:





Also, to give you a tune to get stuck in your head in the coming days, I've been obsessed with this old video of Nick Blaemire singing "I'm Out" from Dan Collins and Julianne Wick Davis' musical Wood. Both composers have been mentioned here before from their 15 minute musical collaboration Time to Kill for the York's 4@15, as well as Julianne's work for Cait Doyle's Hot Mess in Manhattan. The video was taken from Nick's show guyTunes with Justin Keyes and Jason Michael Snow:



Enjoy!

I Told You So

The Playscripts 10th Anniversary Gala on Monday was a blast. It was great to be in the company of many wonderful playwrights and to celebrate a happy milestone with a close-knit staff. But the real focus of the evening was the entertainment, and for a company that just started publishing musicals, the musical performances were truly remarkable.

Christiane Noll kicked ass singing "The Coming of the Dawn," which was originally sung by Hunter Foster in the Off-Broadway production of Frankenstein. Kristin Maloney made for an engrossing Dorothy Parker in a number from Talk of the Town. Dee Roscioli and Kat Hennessey singing "Ready to Settle" from High Fidelity made for a hilariously melodic cap to the excerpts from Check Please. And Nick Blaemire closed out the night with his sweet voice and musical abilities performing "Generation Apathy" from Glory Days. I still contend his voice is like buttah... and I've even had this confirmed by a few of my colleagues.

But the standout of the night for me was definitely Michael Friedman's song "The Song of Progressive Disenchantment" from The Civilians' (I Am) Nobody's Lunch. Devliered with booming indignation, this song told an entire story in a song, perfectly capturing the paranoia and disillusionment of the play with which it belongs. The performance was staggering -- hilarious, heartfelt, and at times jarring. The eventual disintegration of optimism at the end is a stark truth laid out in front of you, and Caitlin Miller showed no mercy in delivering those final lines. You can find a recording (not from the benefit, but this is pretty close) here.

I first heard of Michael Friedman through his work with The Civilians, having read (I Am) Nobody's Lunch, Canard, Carnard, Goose, and the beautiful Gone Missing. And while on paper the lyrics were clever, it wasn't until I heard the music that things came together in an incredibly magic way. The Civilians perform investigative docudrama pieces where they interview and research a particular subject without taking notes, and then later write out the accounts from memory. The subjects range from an absurd story of trying to find out what happens to the geese after "Fly Away Home," to the topical search for understanding about things that go missing.



I already mentioned Michael Friedman in connection to his latest project, Bloody Bloody Andrew Jackson. And the music from that, along with his work with The Civilians, give an incredible look at what he's capable of -- lyrically challenging songs that are unafraid to tackle their subjects head-on. They are artfully crafted and unapologetic as they find answers through the progression of their melodies. I've always appreciated his work, but the more I seek out his music, the more I become a huge fan.

Michael has a lot of projects under his belt, including the Off-Broadway production of Saved at Playwrights Horizons, and Bloody Bloody is already slated to get a cast recording. But be on the lookout for more of his work with The Civlians, along with many more great songs along the way.

Odds and Ends

So I'm currently on vacation, but still wanted to pop in to give some updates on some of the composers I've mentioned on this blog. Perhaps most significantly (to me anyway) was the announcement of this concert: The New Musical Theatre Launch Concert at Le Poisson Rouge. This concert, on April 26, will feature a slew of the writers/composers mentioned on this blog: Nick Blaemire, Kerrigan and Lowdermilk, Joe Iconis, Adam Gwon, Ryan Scott Oliver, and Pasek and Paul. It's an all-star line-up, and the theatre geek in me is so excited that I'm trying not to gush as I mention this event.

Also, for some "bloody" updates on shows recently mentioned/reviewed on this blog, Bloody Blood Andrew Jackson has officially opened to rave reviews -- many of which can be found here (gotta love StageGrade). Bloodsong of Love is also in full promotional swing, with a kazoo party in Union Square today and a post-show concert after tomorrow night's show. Apparently the show is sold out until Friday, but if you manage to get a $15 "splash zone" ticket or a $10 rush ticket, a free supernova drink, you've got the best deal in town.

Lastly, I just want to end on some gorgeous videos from Nick Blaemire's latest Songbook concert at Lincoln Center (wow, it would have been nice to be in the city for this):

David Hull (who recently made for a wonderful heartthrob in recent production of Calvin Berger) singing "New Home":


And Preston Sadleir singing "The Weather":

Bloody Bloody good

History is treated with a huge dose of angst and irony in the Public’s musical Bloody Bloody Andrew Jackson with music and lyrics by Michael Friedman and book by Alex Timbers.

In a good way. Trust me.

Because as much as I entered the Newman theater rather skeptical of the opulent-colonial-meets-rock-video décor, with animal heads and carcasses strewn with beads, red lighting, and other wrecked touches, I surprised even myself in how gleefully the history nerd in me delighted in the sarcastic treatment of one of our presidential icons. And in history alone, there’s a lot of material here: the trail of tears, bigamy, accusations of genocide, not to mention winning the populist vote only to be shut down by congress in the first presidential race he attempted. But add to that portrayal of Jackson in a new light, not unlike the way “The Tudors” have reinvented Henry VII, along with a rock/emo score incredibly reminiscent of another musical with microphones pulled from holsters at opportune moments that was on Broadway not too long ago.

And even with its obvious influences, Bloody Bloody Andrew Jackson stands on its own two feet, a deliciously irreverent portrait of history in general and the legacy people leave behind. Beneath the gags, the sardonic humor, and portrayal of bumbling politicians, there is a lot of emotional truth, a stark reality to the persona that Jackson created through the sheer force of his anger and selfishness. One of the most gratifying moments for me was when Rachel, Jackson’s wife, tells Andrew, who asks why he can’t have a private life with her and the public fame of the presidency, that it’s because he’s “a grown up.” The fact of the story is inescapable – regardless of the glamour or the hype – none of Jackson’s glory came cheaply or peacefully. And the complexity of this story is something that will touch you at times throughout the show, but will also bring you a lot of joy in the twisting of those questions into an absurd, hilariously rebellious musical appeal.

I highly suggest buying tickets and seeing this production, which can be done here. With an amazing cast, band, and production values, this is something to be seen.

Edit: Just a teaser, really, but something to give you an idea of what you'd be in for: