An Ancient History Exam
By Peter Filichia – During the dog days of summer, there’s little to do, and people tend to get a little lazy. Let’s shake things up with a quiz on ancient Broadway history. Well, not so ancient, depending on your viewpoint. One of the musicals cited here opened (and closed) in 1981. But suddenly that’s […]
Harburg’s Happiest Musical
By Peter Filichia — Now that the Olympic games have ended, let’s listen to the Broadway musical that starts at the end of the Olympic games. It’s true! It’s true! The cover makes it clear: The Happiest Girl in the World starts with the closing ceremony of the Olympics. Granted, nothing in the 1961 musical […]
Call Me Madam Dinah
By Peter Filichia – Are you one of those musical theater enthusiasts who can’t stand Ethel Merman? You don’t need analyzing. It is not so surprising. Every entertainer throughout history, no matter how beloved by millions, manages to leave some people cold and others hot with anger. These non-fans are often at a loss to […]
The New Girl Is Back in Town
By Peter Filichia — Can you get to The Irish Repertory Theatre by September 9? Any musical theater aficionado should, for there’s a rare revival of a very good 1957 musical: New Girl in Town. It’s an adaptation of Eugene O’Neill’s Pulitzer Prize-winning Anna Christie. This is the one in which Boy meets Girl, unaware […]
Mistakes Were Made … on Cast Albums
By Peter Filichia — Faithful readers may recall last week that I dealt with the marvelous original cast album of 110 in the Shade. I mentioned that after it was recorded in late 1963, the overture was not included on the record. We had to wait twenty-seven years to hear it, and only after it […]
