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: Stephen Sondheim
The Golden Age – A Gamechanger for the Musical Theater Genre
When I went to NYC in January 2020 (yes, I know, right before the pandemic), I was told I had to see the revival of Oklahoma!. I was skeptical – it was a Golden Age musical, so it was old-fashioned by today’s standards, and it had never been one of my favorite ones. But I was told, “Oh, this is different. This isn’t your mother’s Oklahoma!”
And it wasn’t.
And I think it was very true to the mission that Oscar Hammerstein II set when he started writing Oklahoma with Richard Rodgers (their first collaboration). To shake things up – to fully integrate the story, the songs, the dancing – instead of having the songs being merely a toe-tapping diversion. Instead, the songs moved the action along, they were a continuation of the dialogue, and they developed the characters fully. Hammerstein had started this work with Jerome Kern in Showboat, but it was fully realized in Oklahoma! and in their other musicals of the 1940s and 1950s.
Tin Pan Alley’s Impact on Today’s Musical Theater
In Tuesday’s blogpost about Tin Pan Alley and the Jazz Age, I said that I wanted to talk a little more about how the songwriters of that era impacted shows after it, even up to today.
When I taught this course back in 2020, I asked my class the question:
What do these old dead guys have to do with today’s musicals?
And today I answer the question, from the perspectives of melody (Berlin), rhythm (Gershwin), and “anything goes” (Porter).
Stephen Sondheim’s Women of a Certain Age
The musicals of Stephen Sondheim often feature mature women as supporting and leading characters. Many writers have speculated that the composer, having had a tumultuous relationship with his own mother, worked out some of these issues in his musicals. His female characters of a certain age are often flawed characters – the degree of the flaw depends on the story.
S’wonderful – Ira Gershwin
Today is the 126th anniversary of the birth of lyricist Ira Gershwin (12/6/1896-8/17/1983). While his brother George had the reputation as the celebrity composer beloved by movie stars and international classical composers alike (although less so by American ones of his era), Ira was the quiet, somewhat shy older brother. George was a notorious commitment-phobe;Continue reading “S’wonderful – Ira Gershwin”
Rorem and Sondheim
I just wrote a tribute to Ned Rorem on his 99th birthday. And just a few weeks later, he died. I feel like this is my fault, somehow. Of course, it’s not, but it’s kind of like saying “Beetlejuice/Betelgeuse” 3x in reverse. Instead of him appearing, he… left. I have written a lot about StephenContinue reading “Rorem and Sondheim”
Showcase 2022!
On June 5, I will be hosting a showcase featuring 12 of my current students performing primarily ensembles from musical theater, opera, and nu-folk. The performance will be at Trinity Episcopal Church in Towson at 3pm and is free to the public. I have done a few studio programs since I’ve been back in BaltimoreContinue reading “Showcase 2022!”
What’s on your life playlist?
I was looking for something that I had posted on FB and came across a playlist of my life that I had done for a group called The Singer’s Journey, facilitated by Peter Jacobson of Total Vocal Freedom. These are all from 2015, I believe, and relate to my development as a singer and asContinue reading “What’s on your life playlist?”
Stephen Sondheim, 1930-2021
Last Friday, immediately completing my 5 Tips for Giving a Great Golden Age video, I opened up Instagram to see a post from Rachel Bloom with no words, just a picture of Stephen Sondheim. As I glanced down the screen, I saw more pictures posted by other people, and I said, “no, no, no, no….”Continue reading “Stephen Sondheim, 1930-2021”
Creativity + Intelligence
I like creative people. I like smart people. So I like creative, smart people. I’ve been fortunate enough to work with many in my life, both as a performer and as a teacher, and to be friends with quite a few as well. I saw this quote by Albert Einstein, and I couldn’t agree more:Continue reading “Creativity + Intelligence”