Astaire Bit!
By Peter Filichia — May 10 marks the 112th birthday of the show business celebrity who’s been named in probably more theater songs than anyone else. All right, I haven’t done a concerted study on this subject, but I’d be surprised if Fred Astaire isn’t in first place in this mythical contest. Was Cole Porter […]
Getting to Wonderland
It all started on a summer day at home when my parents were driving back from their weekend away. My mom had just gotten a call from Bill Franzblau. (The producer of Little House on the Prairie: The Musical, a tour I had just come back from, and the Executive Producer of this little show […]
Pro and Comden
By Peter Filichia — I’ll never forget the day I was at a big musical theater exhibit at the Lincoln Center Library of the Performing Arts. To enhance our experience, the sound system was playing selections from original cast albums. As the music swelled near song’s end of “Make Our Garden Grow” from Candide, I […]
Putting On Your Toes on Your Radar
By Peter Filichia It opened on April 11, 1936, and MasterworksBroadway is celebrating its 75th anniversary in style. It’s made the first-ever recording of On Your Toes again available. On Your Toes is the story of the son of vaudevillians who goes into teaching instead of performing. But he inadvertently gets involved with gangsters who […]
An Ode to Annie’s Lyricist
By Peter Filichia — I know, I know. You’ve OD’d on Annie. In fact, you OD’d on it long ago. That’s what happens when a musical becomes a smash hit and never for a second leaves the public consciousness. As you’re reading this, someone is now either rehearsing or performing the show somewhere in the […]
