Profile for Yankeeboy

For what it's worth, I thought I'd provide a link to the Philadelphia Inquirer review of the production, which was very positive (and much more even-handed in its content than the BWW review). This was written by Toby Zinman, who also reports for Variety, and is a notoriously tough critic, especially of musical theater.

Does anyone offhand know the lyrics for this piece by Steven Lutvak?

Holy bejeezus! I didn't expect such an enthusiastic response! Thanks so much! This is actually for the senior cabaret at the University of the Arts. So the audience is quite fluent in musical theater. Actually, that's why we wanted to stay away from mainstream contemporary Broadway, because let's face it, as great a song as Shaudenwhatsahoozits is, there are equally good songs that people HAVEN'T actually heard 10,000 times. I'll definitely look at your suggestions. Thanks so much! Ben

Hey I'm looking for fall-down funny duets that could be sung by a man and a woman. If possible, I'd like to stay away from mainstream Broadway, but all suggestions are welcome. New and old, rare and well-known. I NEED IDEAS! My AIM is Superben444. If you wanna contact me that way too.

Hmm I can't find much on David Austin. I'll have to keep looking. Yes, I'm quite familiar with the Grateful songs, I've done If I Ever Say I'm Over You at school, and I sing half the female songs in the privacy of my own room. It's one of my favorite albums generally. What does anyone think about more mainstream composers who may have a catalogue of songs that stand by themselves? I'm talking things like Stephen Schwartz's Reluctant Pilgrim album (which isn't exactly what I'm looking for) and...

Wow thanks so much for the Mills website. This is exactly the kind of stuff I'm looking for. Anybody have any other suggestions or tips for hot new composers, also people doing their own original cabaret work that's worth looking into? Thanks!!

I've been to Brian's website and emailed him in regard to finding out more about his music. He's one of the easy ones :) Also, I'm very familiar with Bucchino's work...a HUGE fan of the Grateful album....pick it up if you're reading this thread and haven't heard it - it's fab.

I'm on a massive search for contemporary musical theater and cabaret composers that are a bit more off the beaten path. People like Brian Lowdermilk, Craig Carnelia, Steven Lutvak, Jon Bucchino, Jeff Blumenkrantz, Scott Alan, and people of that style. However, I'm having problems A)getting to hear their music and B) gaining access to their sheet music. If anyone has any fresh composers towards whom they could point me, I'd be greatly appreciative. Also, is there any way of contacting Craig Ca...

From the poem to the two musicals, the Wild Party exists as a sort of adult comic book. There's even a newly released edition of the poem that is illustrated by famed graphic novelist Art Spiegelman. It's a sort of Brechtian style show where characters and plot are blown up to larger-than-life proportions. The original poem doesn't cover all the motivations and character backgrounds, so either we have to embrace the mystery of these unexplained things, or the director and actors must provide ...

Is there a CD comprised entirely of cut Sondheim songs?

Well what do you want to know?

I have to admit, I'm a tad skeptical as well. I have no doubt that Guettel will write a soaring score with beautiful songs, but I too question the fit between his style and the style of the movie/book it's to be based on. That being said, I hope to be pleasantly surprised. God knows Adam Guettel's an amazing composer, so more power to him. I would like to add though, that the comparisons to Sondheim's Into the Woods really should stop. Beyond them both being fairy tales, there are few similar...

The meaning behind Jackie's dance depends almost entirely on the director's vision. As a mute, it is ironic that he is also a dancer - he MUST express himself through his body, he has no choice. In the original poem and in LaChuisa's Wild Party (where Jackie is not mute), Jackie is portrayed as dangerously indulgent, not being able to say no to anything - drugs, liquor, sex, whatever. Lippa's Wild Party glosses over the idea of Jackie getting with one of the D'Armano brothers and inciting a f...

And yet, look how much money it's going to make. This is why we're hurting for a new Broadway renaissance, because the shows that seem to make bank are geared towards markets where artistry isn't a top priority. There have been legitimate shows in the past several years, but on the whole, even the legit shows are splashy spectacles (Millie, for example). Pearls like Parade and Urinetown seem almost like anomolies. History shows us that after a national tragedy, Broadway trends are geared more...

I think Wicked, if done correctly, would make a phenomenal mini-series! And yes, the book and the musical are two entirely different entities, but I feel as though the musical is a lot of green gels, a flying bubble, and little else. It lacks heart in my opinion, and it has since it premiered. That is not to say the cast is untalented or doesn't put forth phenomenal effort on a nightly basis, but rather that it seems as though this was a production always intended to be a long-running blockbu...

In my opinion, the book is a million and one times better than the show. The characters are far more developed, and there is much more time spent on the complicated backstories, relationships, and geography of Oz. Also, the book explores much broader and more profound themes than the musical could ever hope to touch upon. Read the book, and you'll realize how silly this show actually is.

I was in correspondence with Steven this past year, and he really is like the nicest guy in the world. I'd sang "Bagelmakers to the Czar" a semester or two ago @ UArts, and I've been in love with his music ever since. He also sent me the music to "Museums," which is this hauntingly beautiful ballad about a father-son relationship that I hope to use in my cabaret class this coming year. I highly recommend anyone to purchase The Time It Takes, and keep an eye on this guy - he's gonna do great t...

I had the good fortune of being in Pittsburgh while Ana was starring as Fanny Brice in Funny Girl at CLO. I have to say, she was startling good. Not only is she an accomplished commedienne, but she is a point-on singer and a phenomenal dramatic actress as well. "People" and "Who Are You Now?" were chillingly heartfelt. Believe it or not, she actually attended Northwestern University as a vocal performance major. And yeah, good for her for doing Wicked. But I think there are much more interest...

Hey DorytheNun!! I just wanted to respond on here to get your thread back to the forefront of the message boards amid all these stupid other threads about Wicked (ENOUGH ALREADY CHILDREN). Your theater company sounds awesome, and it's things like this that should be being discussed here, not how good our cousin's high school production of Once Upon a Mattress was.

Entering my senior year at an incredible BFA Musical Theater program, allow me to bestow some words of wisdom to those in need. As students, we've had this same discussion many many times, and it is consistently agreed upon that the best schools for a BFA in musical theater are, in no meaningful order: Boston Conservatory Carnegie Mellon Cincinatti Conservatory of Music (CCM) Michigan Northwestern University of the Arts It is evident from reading this thread that there is so much time and ene...