So Much Stuff to Sing

We're back with a new miniseries! We're tackling title songs over the course of the next four episodes, and we're starting with the one that you're probably thinking of already. We're back to Rodgers & Hammerstein, but we're starting with their first show together. It's the beginning of the Golden Age of musicals, and the moment everything changed for the art form: it's time for 1943's Oklahoma! ....

It's the end of our annual Sondheim birthday celebration, and our last murder ballad. This episode, we're back with  Assassins looking at "The Ballad of Guiteau." Charles Guiteau is a thorny historical figure, but Erik and Shannon do their best to try to make some sense of him, his song, and this entire show. All clips are from  Assassins: The 2022 Off-Broadway Cast Recording  featuring Ethan Slat...

We're continuing our Sondheim birthday miniseries, this time focusing on his murder ballads, and we're moving on to a show that is dominated by murder ballads -- 1991's Assassins . Join us as we look at "The Ballad of Booth"and try to pick apart both this extremely rich song and the show's message.  Audio note: It was raining when we recorded this episode, and you will occasionally hear the rain s...

To quote Shannon, "Murder! Murder! Murder!"  Yes, we're carrying on with this year's Sondheim theme of murder ballads, and we're carrying on with  Sweeney Todd . This episode, we discuss the sort of duet, but not really, "My Friends."  All clips are from the 2002 production of  Sweeney Todd in Concert featuring George Hearne as Sweeney Todd and Patti Lupone as Mrs. Lovett and are used in accordanc...

It's Sondheim time again -- the most wonderful time of the year here at SMSTS. This year, Shannon got her pick of themes, and she chose Sondheim's murder ballads. So, y'know, buckle up. We're starting off with the opening of 1979's Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street appropriately named "Prelude/The Ballad of Sweeney Todd." Attend the tale. All clips are from the 1979 Original Broadway...

We conclude our look at inspirational songs with "I Know Where I've Been" from  Hairspray , the 2002 Marc Shaiman and Scott Wittman musical based on the John Waters film of the same name. It's been a few years since we talked about the show's propulsive and endlessly optimistic closing number, so how does this song -- coming just before the final sequence and featuring a darker, if still optimisti...

We return to  Annie , a show we last talked about a few years back with Miss Hanigan's delicious villain song. This time, however, we're taking a look at the show's signature tune --and one of the most recognizable musical theater songs of all time -- "Tomorrow." Is it inspirational or an example of what's wrong with America? Buckle up. All clips are from 1977's Annie - Original Braodway Cast Reco...

Some great shows have a few mediocre songs, and some great songs come from otherwise mediocre shows. Such is the case with this episode's selection -- or is it? Join us as we continue our journey of inspiration with "The Impossible Dream (The Quest)" from Man of La Mancha .  All clips are from 2002's  Man of La Mancha: The New Broadway Cast Recording featuring Brian Stokes Mitchell and are used in...

Welcome to 2023! As we enter a new year, we could all do with some inspiration, so we're starting the year off with a miniseries of inspirational songs. First up, we look at The Sound of Music for the first time, with "Climb Ev'ry Mountain." The last Rodgers & Hammerstein collaboration, this 1959 musical is one of the best known and best loved of all Broadway -- and film -- musicals.  All clips ar...

It's the most wonderful time of the year! For our third annual holiday special, we're being the rules a bit and looking at a festive  movie  musical -- namely, 1992's  The Muppet Christmas Carol starring Michael Caine and the Muppets. We talk about the meloncholy air surrounding the making of the movie, the performances, and, of course, all of the songs written for the film by the great Paul Willi...

The second and final part of our look at songs that escaped the shows they were written for brings us to arguably one of the greatest songs never to be performed on Broadway -- "Meadowlark" from the ill-fated Stephen Schwartz musical The Baker's Wife . The show may be forgettable, but the song certainly is not. All clips are from Lindsay Mendez's 2017 performance of "Meadowlark" at Feinstein's/54...

And now for something completely different. We're embarking on a mini-mini-series: a 2-part look at songs that managed to have a life even if they shows they came from didn't. First up, it's "You've Got Possibilities" from the almost totally forgotten 1966 musical  "It'sa Bird...It's a Plane...It's Superman ". A score by Charles Strouse and Lee Adams -- and production and direction by Hal Prince -...

We conclude our tour of musical theater blindspots with Jason Robert Brown's 2014  The Bridges of Madison County and the sweeping love duet "One Second and a Million Miles." Will Shannon persuade Erik that this score deserves to be known far and wide, or will his cold, stony heart be unmoved? All clips are from the 2014 Orignal Broadway Cast Recording of  The Bridges of Madison County featuring St...

We're trying to take care of musical theater blindspots, and this time it's Shannon's turn to introduce Erik to something new. So, how will he respond to "I Believe" from 2011's The Book of Mormon ? Will he be converted, or will he slam the door in her face? All clips are from the 2011 Original Broadway Cast Recording of  The Book of Mormon featuring Andrew Rannells and are used in accordance with...

We just couldn't stay away from the Andrew Lloyd Webber/Time Rice songbook as we cover our musical theater blind spots. This time, it's  Evita  with Patti Lupone singing "Don't Cry for Me Argentina." What will Shannon make of this truly strange show that she'd never experienced before? All clips are from the 1978 Original Broadway Cast Recording of  Evita featuring Patti Lupone and are used in acc...

We're back after our brief end of summer hiatus, and we've got a new miniseries in store. We all have our blind spots -- shows that we feel as if we should know, but don't. In this miniseries, we're trying to clear up some of those blind spots -- 2 from each host -- and we're starting with a biggie. Join us as we talk about one of the greates roles in musical theater: yes, it's time for 1959's Gyp...

To close out our look at the Broadway megamusical, we turn our attention to one of the most popular -- and controversial -- entries in the subgenre:  Miss Saigon . Join us as we dicuss "I Still Believe" and the enduring debate about this show's depiction of its Vietnamese characters.  All clips are from the 1989 Original London Cast Recording of  Miss Saigon featuring Lea Salonga and Claire Moore...

Not all megamusicals were big hits -- not on Broadway, at least. This episode, we look at one of the most infamous and enduring of the failed London to Broadway transfers:  Chess . The score, by Time Rice, Benny Andersson, and Bjorn Ulvaeus, has endured, however, powered by such pop hits as "Nobody's Side." All clips are from the 1988 Original Broadway Cast Recording of  Chess featuring Judy Kuhn...

The undisputed king of the megamusical, Andrew Lloyd Webber, is back with his biggest hit, and one of the biggest hits in musical theater history: The Phantom of the Opera . This episode we discuss the title song, our history with the show in general, and the sequel that never really caught on. All clips are from the 1986 Original London Cast Recording of  The Phantom of the Opera featuring Sarah...

MAKE IT BIGGER! That was the refrain in the 80s on the West End and Broadway, and we're looking at some of the highlights of the megamusical era in our new miniseries. We begin with the show that arguably started it all -- Andrew Lloyd's Webber's 1981 phenomenon, Cats . Join us, won't you, as we discuss "Prologue: Jellicle Songs for Jellicle Cats."  All clips are from the 1981 Original London Cast...

We conclude our series on seduction songs with a trip down to 2019's Hadestown --written by Anaïs Mitchell and developed and directed by Rachel Chavkin -- to discuss "Hey, Little Songbird." All clips are from the 2019 Original Broadway Cast Recording of  Hadestown featuring Patrick Page as Hades and Eva Noblezada as Eurydice are used in accordance with the Fair Use Exemption for criticism and comm...

Our seduction song cycle moves to Moscow as we revisit a perennial favorite, Dave Malloy's  Natasha, Pierre, and the Great Comet of 1812 and one of that show's standout moments -- "Charming." All clips are from the 2017 original Broadway cast recording of  Natasha, Pierre, and the Great Comet of 1812 featuring Amber Gray as Helene and are used in accordance with the Fair Use Exemption for criticis...

We continue our run of seduction songs with a return to one of the first shows we ever covered: Chicago . This time, we're looking at Billy Flynn's "Razzle Dazzle," a song that's both darker and slower than you may remember. All clips are from the 1975 original Broadway cast recording of Chicago featuring Jerry Orbach as Billy Flynn and are used in accordance with the Fair Use Exemption for critic...

Hey, big spender! Spend a little time with Erik & Shannon as they begin a new miniseries, featuring songs of seduction. We begin with one of the most blatant come-ons ever staged for Broadway, "Big Spender" from 1966's  Sweet Charity . All clips are from the 1966 original Broadway cast recording of Sweet Charity and are used in accordance with the Fair Use Exemption for criticism and commentary. L...

We conclude our journey through  Into the Woods with The Baker's Wife's moving and profound exploration of the meaning of life, "Moments in the Woods." All clips are from the 1987 original cast recording of  Into the Woods featuring Joanna Gleason as the Baker's Wife and are used in accordance with the Fair Use Exemption for criticism and commentary. Listen to and buy the album on Amazon! Listen t...