Queen of the Mist (and chance to win a copy of the cast recording!)

I was pretty bummed to have missed The Transport Group's production of Queen of the Mist last winter, but I am excited that the performances will live on with the cast recording that was recently released by Sh-K-Boom. The gang over there was nice enough to provide me with a copy, and I am happy to report that Queen of the Mist is very much still alive in its recorded form, maintaining an exciting story that barrels (sorry... had to do it) on through, with much of the momentum attributed to a stunning performance by Mary Testa.

Telling the story of Annie Edson Taylor who went over Niagara Falls in a barrel and lived to tell the tale, Queen of the Mist is a tale of ambition and its price. As to be expected from Michael John LaChiusa, the music is evocative and the songs serve as wonderful vehicles for storytelling. Even without having seen the production, the characters still shone through with their individual voices, with Mary Testa's being the most nuanced and star-turning. How a recording manages to captures how Mary Testa infuses Annie with humor and heart while also showcasing her callous determination really speaks to the work that was put into developing this show. The song "There Is Greatness In Me" is one of the ultimate "I Want" songs, if I've ever heard one.

In addition to letting me listen in on the cast album myself, the good people over at Sh-K-Boom gave me a couple of cast recordings to give away on this blog! So, I thought it would be neat to take this contest over to Twitter. Here's all you gotta do to enter for your chance to win a cast recording:

• Either look at my Twitter page and RT my tweet with the link to this blog post, or just tweet the following: "Win a copy of the Queen of the Mist cast album from @emergingmt. Details here: http://bit.ly/MYSqm9."
• You have until 11:59 pm on Friday (8/17) to get in your entry, and random winners will be chosen and notified on Saturday (8/18).
• Also, if you want any other updates on the blog or any future contests, feel free to follow me.

Good luck! Hope to see you in the Twittersphere soon.

Gifts that Keep on Giving

So while the holidays are rapidly approaching, I still thought I would do a quick post with some gift suggestions for a musical theatre enthusiast, whether they are a composer, writer, or just fan of the genre.

The most talked about theater gift this season is undoubtedly Stephen Sondheim's masterpiece, Finishing the Hat, which I am currently in the process of reading. Anyone interested in the theater will enjoy the anecdotes, and any writer will absolutely see the value in the beautifully laid out lyrics and Sondheim's comments on them. It's a really gorgeous book, and both its content and respectful packaging really make this perfect for any book collection.

As mentioned in past posts, Sh-K-Boom has come out with some really amazing albums this past year from many of the composers mentioned in this blog. New releases include Joe Iconis' Things to Ruin and cast recordings for Adam Gwon's Ordinary Days and Michael Friedman's Bloody Bloody Andrew Jackson. New releases on the way include CDs of work by composers Will Van Dyke, Jonathan Reid Gealt, and Scott Burkell and Paul Loesel -- so you can pre-order any of those as well. Also, remember the code EMERGING10 will still get you 10% off your order on the website at checkout until 12/31!

If you have an actor/singer to shop for, get them some sheet music through NewMusicalTheatre.com. Also soon to be available is the first book of Ryan Scott Oliver's music, which is now available for pre-order here. Or go the extra mile and get tickets to the RSO launch party at Joe's Pub on February 7 for a special someone, and every ticket will get you a free copy of the book.

Another nice gift can come in the form of an experience. I love to buy my friends tickets to shows, and what better to get you in the holiday spirit than getting seats for Joe Iconis' Christmas Spectacular next weekend? Also coming up? A Will Van Dyke concert at (Le) Poisson Rouge on January 17. Quality time and a show? Everyone wins!

A big day for cast recordings

Hey guys! Today is the official release day for the cast recordings of Ordinary Days, Bloody Bloody Andrew Jackson, and the digital release of Things to Ruin: The Songs of Joe Iconis. If you're buying these albums, take advantage of the discount EMERGING10 on the Sh-K-Boom website.

Also, to mark the occasion, I have an Ordinary Days CD to give away. Just be the first to email me at emergingmt@gmail.com the rest of the lyric to this song by Adam Gwon from Ordinary Days:

"Fine, I'll bring the red and you'll bring the white, that way..."

(Hint: the answer is in one of the performance videos posted in a past blog post.)

I'll notify the winner by email. Happy listening!

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!)