If you have not made it a priority to do so, I urge any fan of musical theatre to make an effort to see Ms. Donna Murphy in Hello, Dolly! as soon as you can. What I am speaking of is a priority assignment that you must follow through on. I am not aware of how long Ms. Murphy will be staying with the show and if she will continue her tenure during the Bernadette Peters months that will replace Bette Midler’s iconic run, but I insist, if you want to see this show performed with verve, heart, and a bravura star turn that is so layered with honesty and magic, you need to find one of the dates that Murphy is on and go. Just GO!
Perpetual Anticipation: The New Musicals of the 2017-2018 Season
It happens every year (thank god). Fans of Broadway musicals get all excited over the barrage of new musicals announced for the coming season. We are always salivating over the newest sleeper hit, blockbuster, and even flop, anticipating that glorious adrenaline that comes with attending a Broadway show. Since the cycle never really stops, this is perpetual anticipation and as Mr. Sondheim reminds us, such suspense may good for the soul, but bad for the heart. Out of the myriad musicals that arrive in New York each year, only a handful go on to glory (and recoupment).
Broadway is busting at the seams with new musicals slated to open in the 2017-2018 season. Though I am sure that this list is far from complete, here is what we can look forward to this season on Broadway. It’s an exciting and varied list of options, sure to tantalize even the most-discerning among us.
Getting Excited! The 2017-2018 Season: Musical Revivals
The 2017-2018 season is certainly shaping up to be an exciting one, with new musicals coming out of the woodwork throughout. It isn’t exactly a bad year for musical revivals with three titles (so far) that have us eagerly anticipating their productions. Today, I take a look at the three big musicals revivals that have been announced and explore why we are excited by their return.
Halloween Heartache: The Great Pumpkin… and the Not-So-Great Feelings
As I do every autumn, I recently broke-out by DVD of It’s the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown to relive a piece of my childhood and to put myself in the mood for Halloween. They may not be as ever-present today as they were when I was growing up in the late 70s and early 80s, but when it comes to the holidays, the Peanuts gang will forever be associated with the festivities for their mood-invoking half-hour specials. And though I will always register a certain nostalgia when I think about these mainstays of my childhood, I cannot help but question why I find so much undying affection for a handful of awkward cartoon kids who are mercilessly bullied at the hands of their peers.