While people often think of musical theater of the 1960s as a continuation of the Golden Age, it was an era of great change, musically and culturally.
Tag Archives: musical theatre
Tin Pan Alley and the Jazz Age
Today I’m going to focus on the period of 1925 to 1942 – the period from (roughly) the first musical written by the Gershwin brothers, Lady Be Good, through the last collaboration of Rodgers & Hart, By Jupiter. The composers of this era were associated with Tin Pan Alley and the music of the Jazz Age.
(Lady Be Good actually premiered in 1924, but hey, it’s close enough for …. jazz.)
From Tin Pan Alley to Today (Part 1)
From Tin Pan Alley to Today:
In 2025, Broadway musicals can be originals (Hadestown, The Outsiders, The Great Gatsby), they can be jukebox musicals (MJ, & Juliet, Moulin Rouge) or they can be revivals (Gypsy, Sunset Boulevard, Wonderful Town). A well-rounded performer will know how to adapt their vocal style and technique to suit the era in which the piece is written (while still appealing to modern sensibilities). I’ve sat in on auditions where people are auditioning for a pre-1970 musical but bringing repertoire that is contemporary and not at all in the right style.
Not Enough Sopranos
In musical theater, particularly in post-Golden Age musical theater, there aren’t a lot of roles for sopranos. There aren’t that many roles for women, for that matter. A major problem for many of the high schools at which I have had students is that they choose musicals that are largely male-dominant, and then don’t have enough boys come out for auditions (Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat, anyone?).
Growing Older – The Journey Continues
In my last blogpost about growing older, I described my journey from a wannabe musical theater performer to reluctant classroom music teacher to journeyman classical/opera singer in the Baltimore/Washington metropolitan area. The journey continues, with a few pivots on the way – to Milwaukee, to teaching, back to Baltimore, and beyond.
Musical Theatre Repertoire for Women “of a Certain Age”
Okay, folks – I’m finally doing it. I’m writing a book. The current working title is: Growing Older – From Ingenue to Grande Dame And the focus is on Musical Theatre Repertoire for Women “of a Certain Age” What exactly does that mean? And why I am writing this? Well, first of all, the termContinue reading “Musical Theatre Repertoire for Women “of a Certain Age””
5 Tips for Giving a GREAT Golden Age Musical Audition
This past Friday, I made a video for singers who are auditioning for Golden Age musicals which I called “5 Tips for Giving a GREAT Golden Age Musical Audition.” You can watch that here (and I hope you do): Or you can read on and I’ll outline the tips for you. For specifics, watch theContinue reading “5 Tips for Giving a GREAT Golden Age Musical Audition”
Revisiting the Why of Golden Age Musicals
In preparation for the upcoming “Finding the Emotional Truth in Golden Age Theater Songs” masterclass with James Valcq on September 2, I thought it was a good time to revisit this blogpost from two years ago. (New additions in brackets] I hear this way too often from people: “Why should I sing goldenContinue reading “Revisiting the Why of Golden Age Musicals”
World Voice Weekend Lineup finalized!!
I am so excited about the lineup for World Voice Weekend. I am waiting for one letter of agreement to come back (which I sent out yesterday and asked for by Friday, so I’m not worried about it), and this is what it looks like (working titles in some cases). I’ve attached links to eachContinue reading “World Voice Weekend Lineup finalized!!”
The middle ground between Caro mio ben and Caro nome
My friend Cynthia Vaughn posted this picture on Facebook or Instagram or both yesterday and it rang really true to me in the moment. I had just listened to a singer in a competition who was singing something that would be great for him in the future. At this point in his life, itContinue reading “The middle ground between Caro mio ben and Caro nome”