Broadway Baby

Day 29 - Favorite Tony Awards Performance

2010-11-12T11:24:44Z

A Tony performance is essentially the best way to sell your show to a huge audience. It's a taste of what lurks behind the curtain. I don't know where other people get their sources, but the Tony's is such a delight for me.

If there is one show that I think you should see in Broadway, it would be The Lion King. It doesn't matter if you've watched the animated movie. It's totally different. Most of the songs are familiar, like The Circle of Life and Hakuna Matata, but the way that it was performed makes the songs more amazing. Your imagination will run wild and you would be transported to a different world. The costumes, needless to say, are magnificent. And the performers who wear them are marvelous.

Did I love it? Here's the thing: I cried during the first 5 minutes of the show. They were tears of joy and gratitude. Joy because I am seeing a beautiful world-class performance that you won't see just anywhere. I could feel the energy from the stage, and it was very warm and positive and full of passion. Gratitude because my parents gave me the opportunity to go see it. How lucky am I? If I can convince another person to go see it and find out that they enjoyed it, I would be even happier. I guess that's why I write about Broadway. The songs are not on the radio, and the people who star in it are most of the time, unknown to us. When a friend of mine comes up to me and tells me that they didn't know about this artist or that show, and now they are a fan, I beam with pride. When they start recommending stuff to me, now that's something. ^_^

Alright, I've been yammering for too long ^_^ My posts aren't usually like this :) Please, enjoy watching today's video ^_^

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Day 28- Favorite female voice

2010-11-07T06:38:04Z

I love Kristin Chenoweth and Patti Lupone for different reasons, and so I must say they are both my favorite Broadway women. I wish they would perform together more often. This song is from Leonard Bernstein's comedy operetta entitled "Candide". I have to snicker every time Kristin sings "My memorable mammaries like Alpine Peaks" LOL come on... who wrote that? ^_^ Anyhoo, I'll add the lyrics to the song here as well because I love this song a lot ^_^

We Are Women

CUNEGONDE, OLD LADY
We are women! We are women!
We are women, little women
Little, little women are we!

OLD LADY
Not a man ever born ever could resist
A well-turned calf, a slender wrist
A silhouette as airy as the morning mist
And a dainty dimpled knee

CUNEGONDE
Every male I may meet must acclaim for weeks
My twinkling thighs, my flaxen cheeks
My memorable mammaries like Alpine Peaks
High above a wine-dark sea

OLD LADY, CUNEGONDE
We've necks like swans, and oh, such sexly legs
We're so light-footed we could dance on eggs
(They do)
A pair of nymphs from fairyland
And every day in every way our charms expand!

You may add, if you wish, to that growing list
A mouth so fair, it must be kissed
And parts we cannot mention but we know exist
In a rich abundancy
Not a man ever born ever could resist
A pretty little thing like me

OLD LADY
Not a man ever born ever could resist
A well-turned calf, a slender wrist
A silhouette as airy as the morning mist
And a dainty dimpled knee

CUNEGONDE
Every male I may meet must acclaim for weeks
My twinkling thighs, my flaxen cheeks
My memorable mammaries like Alpine Peaks
High above a wine-dark sea

OLD LADY
We've Giotto hands

CUNEGONDE
We've Giotti hands

OLD LADY
da Vinci smiles

CUNEGONDE
and Mona Lisa smiles

OLD LADY, CUNEGONDE
We are brava divina to balletophiles
(They dance)

OLD LADY, CUNEGONDE
A pair of nymphs from fairyland
And every day in every way our charms expand!

You may add, if you wish, to that growing list
A mouth so fair, it must be kissed
And parts we cannot mention but we know exist
In a rich abundancy
Not a man ever born ever could resist
A pretty little thing like me

We are women! We are women!
We are little, little women,
Little little little women are we!

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Day 27- Favorite male voice

2010-10-22T09:51:03Z

Brian Stokes Mitchell

The song he sings in this video is from the movie "Prince of Egypt" called "Through Heaven's Eyes". Listen and enjoy!

You'll be glad to know that he is currently in a show that just opened in Broadway called "Women in the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown". He is joined by Patti Lupone, another precious gem of Broadway. I don't know the songs yet in this musical, but I can't wait to hear them.

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Day 26- Favorite replacement

2010-10-21T01:08:21Z

I've never watched WSS before, not even the movie. The songs were familiar, but their meaning in the story was not clear to me. Now that I've seen it I know now that it lives up to its name. Another thing about watching musicals is that you don't expect yourself to know all of the cast members, they are expectedly less famous than Hollywood stars. When I entered the Palace Theatre a few days ago, I didn't know any of the cast members of the West Side Story. But after the Matthew Hydzik sang "Something's Coming" I fell in love. I opened my Playbill and encircled his name. I MUST remember him! He went above and beyond my expectations. He reminded me a little bit of Michael Ball. Hearing him sing gave me some assurance that our generation has not run out of talent. I have to do more research, maybe he already has his own album, I don't know. If he does, you know who is gonna be downloading it today. :)

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Day 25- Favorite touring cast

2010-10-20T13:11:25Z

I'm gonna have to skip this one because I honestly don't watch enough musicals to know who is in the touring cast and who is not. But it's been too long since I've shared a video with all of you so please do enjoy this number.

I recently watched Mary Poppins on Broadway and I was blown away by the talent of every single person on that stage. The set moved like magic, the costumes were delightful, the songs were catchy and heartfelt, and the dances were mesmerizing.

I'm one of the few people who didn't see Mary Poppins growing up, but I did know most of the songs. You probably know them too and didn't realize it. There's the song Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious, Chim Chim Cher-ee, and A Spoonful of Sugar. See, I told you knew at least one of these songs.

How did I end up watching Mary Poppins? It wasn't in my must-see list at all. After watching a few shows in Times Square, well, we got so addicted to watching musicals that I fell in line at the TKTS booth which sells tickets at 50% off. I was going to buy A little Night Music tickets (starring Bernadette Peters) but the tickets were still pricey and weren't very good seats. After watching the show, I had no regrets that I ended up watching Mary Poppins. It's something that I could watch over and over.

The video I have placed here is a number called "Step in Time". This, and Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious, has the best choreography in the show. The song is very infectious, although I don't really mind getting infected by it at all.

Heck, why just place that song? Here's Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious! ^_^ It's nothing like the one in the movie. I'm still trying to memorize the choreography for this one (at least for the part where they spell out the word).

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Day 24- Most WTF moment in a musical

2010-10-14T14:30:12Z

You Can Be As Loud As the Hell You Want (When You're Making Love) -- Avenue Q

Warning: Kinda NSFW, something you don't wanna play in loudspeakers in your office or in front of your kids.

I love this song though and this part of the play, it was sort of funny. Kinda weird seeing puppets going at it. I wonder what the actors felt. T_T

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Day 23- A musical you should’ve liked, but just couldn’t

2010-10-11T04:36:57Z

American Idiot.

I love Green Day. Not a big fan of Green Day, but I like 'em. It's probably better than I think. But American Idiot isn't on the top of my Must See list. A lot of the commenters on Youtube seem to have had a good time, so that's a good sign. I probably should go see the classics first before this..

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Day 22- Worst idea for a musical (that somehow became a reality)

2010-09-28T03:15:35Z

This is Reeve Carney. He's gonna be playing Peter Parker. Yep that Peter Parker.

Well, well, well.. Spiderman can definitely move, what with all the swinging around and stuff. Bono and The Edge wrote the music for the musical, so I guess they're in good hands. Right? I'm not giving up on this musical. It COULD turn into a hit. Who knows. But it certainly isn't something that I myself would propose to do. Or maybe that's just me not taking risks. What do you guys think? I wish the cast and crew the best of luck. I would do anything to support Broadway. Even if I have to rely on a fictional superhero.

If you wanna find out more about this musical, here's a video that has Bono and The Edge talking about how they came about working on this musical, and Julie Taymor talking about the musical in detail.

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Day 21- Favorite classical musical

2010-09-25T19:02:31Z

This is possibly the best Rodgers and Hammerstein musical. All of the songs remain to be memorable classics. "Do Re Mi" is still being taught by music teachers everywhere to introduce kids so song and music. Everybody knows the grand mountain scene where the camera slowly zooms in to Julie Andrews singing "Sound of Music". "The Lonely Goatherd (Which is the video I posted with this entry) was my favorite part to watch. I wanted that large puppet theater, it looks like so much fun! I think there isn't a single song in this musical that I would remove.

Just to show you how much this musical continues to be passed on from generation to generation, here's a clip of my nephew playing "Edelweiss" ^_^

Hope you enjoy reminiscing about this movie as much as I did.

I don't know if I'll be able to continue this meme as constantly as I do because I'll be going on a trip, so, So Long! Farewell! for now ^_^

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Day 20- Best line from a musical (from a song or dialogue or monologue)

2010-09-25T06:40:50Z

Aspects of Love is a musical by Andrew Lloyd Webber. To be honest, I haven't seen it. But I know the song very well. It's a song that I heard on the radio or on the house cd player. There are so many songs about love, and more songs about love are still being dreamed and written down. Here's one that's possibly the most basic of them all. I think my favorite part is the second stanza.

Here's a very simple song, well sung by the amazing Michael Ball.

Love, love changes everything
Hands and faces, earth and sky
Love, love changes everything
How you live and how you die
Love, can make the summer fly
Or a night seem like a lifetime
Yes love, love changes everything
Now I tremble at your name
Nothing in the world will ever be the same

Love, love changes everything
Days are longer, words mean more
Love, love changes everything
Pain is deeper than before
Love will turn your world around
And that world will last forever
Yes love, love changes everything
Brings you glory, brings you shame
Nothing in the world will ever be the same

Off into the world we go
Planning futures, shaping years
Love (comes in) and suddenly all our wisdom disappears
Love makes fools of everyone
All the rules we made are broken
Yes love, love changes everyone
Live or perish in its flame
Love will never never let you be the same
Love will never never let you be the same

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Day 19- A musical you weren’t expecting to like, but now you love

2010-09-24T05:41:23Z

The Producers

I watched the movie out of curiosity and got more laughs than I thought I would. Come on, Will Ferrell is in it, singing Haben Sie Gehort Das Deutsche Band ^_^

Keep it Light, Keep it Bright, Keep it Gay! ^_^ All the songs are funny and light-hearted with the Nathan Lane + Matthew Broderick touch. I could only imagine how funny it would have been to see this musical live. I recommend watching the movie in a day turning into crap. It may just save the day and take the stress out a little bit.

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Day 18- Least favorite song in a musical you love

2010-09-24T05:30:53Z

Music of the Night

I don't hate it, but I find myself skipping the song all the time on my ipod. Wait, let me check my ipod... Oh it's gone. I probably deleted it. Maybe it's because I like songs with a faster beat. There are of course, worse songs. But Phantom of the Opera is a musical that I love, and the question asks to only pick out the least favorite in a musical I LOVE, a song which is not necessarily my most hated.

I'll probably answer 2-3 questions tonight since I skipped a few days.

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Day 17- First musical obsession

2010-09-21T05:58:27Z

I think if you were like me, a Filipina who grew up in the late 80s-early 90s, you would have had the same answer. You would have either said, Sound of Music, or Miss Saigon. It had Lea Salonga, who at the time was the only Filipina in my little kid mind that I know who is famous all over the world for this role. She made me feel like I could accomplish anything. She made me realize that there's a larger world out there. The songs were romantic, the songs were powerful, like all good theatrical songs should be. In my first visit to New York, I made sure that that was the musical I would see. My parents made it happen. And as if that wasn't enough, when Miss Saigon came to the Philippines, I watched it too. Both of them had Lea Salonga as Kim (Lucky lucky!) I am very thankful for this musical. For every song, for every cast member, for every musician in the orchestra.

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Day 16- Favorite song from a musical

2010-09-20T03:15:11Z

Not While I'm Around
(from the Stephen Sondheim musical, Sweeney Todd: Demon Barber from Fleet Street)

Nothing's gonna harm you, not while I'm around.
Nothing's gonna harm you, no sir, not while I'm around.

Demons are prowling everywhere, nowadays,
I'll send 'em howling,
I don't care, I got ways.

No one's gonna hurt you,
No one's gonna dare.
Others can desert you,
Not to worry, whistle, I'll be there.

Demons'll charm you with a smile, for a while,
But in time...
Nothing can harm you
Not while I'm around...

Not to worry, not to worry
I may not be smart but I ain't dumb
I can do it, put me to it
Show me something I can overcome
Not to worry, Mum

Being close and being clever
Ain't like being true
I don't need to,
I would never hide a thing from you,
Like some...

No one's gonna hurt you, no one's gonna dare
Others can desert you,
Not to worry, whistle, I'll be there!
Demons'll charm you with a smile, for a while
But in time...
Nothing can harm you
Not while I'm around...

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Day 15- A musical you vow never to see

2010-09-19T03:48:59Z

I've been thinking and thinking and thinking... And I really don't have an answer to this question. Why would I vow never to see a musical? Hey, even if it was really horrible, if someone were to treat me to see it, then I'd go. I don't want this post haunting me in the future and make somebody tell me "But you said you vowed never to see this so I'm not taking you".

Sorry I can't let that happen. :)

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Day 14- Saddest moment in a musical

2010-09-18T08:11:04Z

Eponine and Marius' duet - A little fall of rain

What's more painful and sadder than unrequited love?

I've shed more than a thousand tears over this one song and over Eponine's story. The best person to love is ideally also your friend, but sometimes when it doesn't go as planned, it can be the most painful thing in the world.

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Day 13- Favorite moment in a musical

2010-09-17T06:50:19Z

Watch this video compilation. You know that type of dance don't you? When you see it, you should only be thinking of one name.

BOB FOSSE.

THE Choreographer.

I could tell you many many scenes from many musicals which made me ooh and ahh and cry for joy or some other reason. But beyond the acting, and beyond the song, there lies the dance. Dance is like the backbone of theater. Most of the time we focus on the solo singer, or the choir, some may even say dance is just extra color. The truth is, it's the glue holding the great production together. A song here, a line there.. well that could just be a concert. I have high respect for dancers and the choreographers. We have a limited amount of muscle and a limited range of motion per muscle, but these geniuses end up concocting new stuff every so often. But for 1 person to create one style of dance to be remembered and practiced by many passionate dancers and for their name to be closely adhered to it? My, that's saying something.

Is it the hat? The suit? The hands and the stride? What makes a Bob Fosse number, a Bob Fosse number? Some other person could probably tell you more than I ever could. I'm not really a dancer.

You many not even know the name Fosse before I published this. But once you watch that video, you'll know it for life.

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Day 12- Broadway star you’d most like to switch lives with

2010-09-16T03:35:51Z

Kristin Chenoweth... Why would you NOT wanna be like Kristin? She's pretty, funny, smart, non-judgmental, hard-working, and extremely talented. The perfect little treasure in a little package. It's like every song she sings turns into a golden hit. She may not have had a great career tv wise in the past, but you see her coming back all the time with that big smile of hers. Currently, she is playing the female leading role in the revival show "Promises, Promises", and I would've automatically bought tickets for her show for my upcoming trip, but she just HAD to stop playing her role a month before I could go there. Oh well, I'm sure there are more opportunities for me to meet her (yes, I'm being that optimistic).

I'll add another Cheno-video here for your viewing pleasure. This is Kristin playing the role of Sally Brown (sister of the famous Charlie Brown) in the musical "You're a Good Man, Charlie Brown". Enjoy!

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Day 11- Favorite Broadway couple

2010-09-15T08:42:07Z

You just have to see them together, they just look so in love ^_^ Taye Diggs and Idina Menzel met when they were working in the musical Rent, and got married after SEVEN years of dating. In this video you can find Taye talking about their little baby boy, Walker, who was born last 2009. Both of them are extremely talented, and very sweet. I hope that they don't get infected by the whole showbiz disease of not lasting till the end. But seeing how in love they are right now, I'm gonna be optimistic about it. :)

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Day 10- Favorite cast recording

2010-09-14T05:06:04Z

I grew up listening to Miss Saigon, thanks to my parents. I vaguely recall singing this duet "I Still Believe" with my sister, even when I was still too young to understand what the story of Miss Saigon was about. The OST is deeply etched into my memory, and like every girl in my generation, Lea Salonga is and always will be my idol and my inspiration.

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Day 09 - Favorite OBC

2010-09-13T07:53:45Z

OBC simply means Original Broadway Cast. For this one I chose the very funny, highly amusing cast of Avenue Q. I've seen many versions on YouTube, like the ones from London, and I've also seen the Filipino cast live a few years ago. I have to say that I still enjoy the original cast recording more than the other versions because they really captured the familiar voices that their characters are based on. It's a very small cast, but they were all very skilled not only with acting and singing but also puppetry. Some of them even have double roles and double puppetry duties.

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Day 08 - Favorite male character

2010-09-11T06:08:02Z

Let's not go over the technicalities.. Angel Dumott Schunard (Angel for short) from the musical RENT is my favorite male character.. Yep that guy in the video wearing a sexy Santa outfit. Without giving too much away for those of you who have not watched RENT, Angel is a strong character, and very inspiring. He's fun and you can tell by the way he dances around and he works very hard despite having to earn money by playing percussion on the street (in the video you see him displaying his awesome percussion moves ^_^) This meme is more about the character and not the actor who plays him, but I have to give him major props for singing and graceful dancing with skyscraper heels and the percussion skills too. ^_^ Remarkable!

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Day 07 - Favorite female character

2010-09-10T07:29:48Z

For today I picked a character from the hit "Legally Blonde the Musical" -- noneother than Elle Woods ^_^ The blonde sorority president who goes off to Harvard to chase after her boyfriend who left her because she was not "serious". I especially like the way Laura Bell Bundy (seen on the video right here) played her character ^_^ I never thought anybody could play the role funnier than Reese Witherspoon's movie version. Elle Woods is really a girl who completely transformed from a person who's all play and shopping into a responsible person. She did all of this without sacrificing her love for malls and the color pink.

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Day 06 - Musical that you just don't get

2010-09-09T05:34:37Z

The concept of The Fantasticks is interesting.. It's a twist from the old Romeo and Juliet theme. The fathers are not quarreling but they pretend to so that they can.. make their children fall for each other. I tried to watch the movie a few times, but I always end up not finishing it. I just got bored. Maybe one day I'll try again.

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Day 05 - Favorite Musical That I've Seen

2010-09-08T07:03:55Z

I've seen only a small number of musicals live, which would make you think that I would never watch the same musical more than once. I'd agree with you, but that's not what happened. Before 2 years ago I had no knowledge of The Jersey Boys, and only heard about it a week or so before my parents and I came to see it in Las Vegas. They only told me that it was about the life of the men that made up the singing group "The Four Seasons". Looking at the Playbill, I read some familiar songs: "Walk Like a Man" and "Can't Take My Eyes Off You". The show started with an unfamiliar song "Ces Soiree La".. A French song? The words were unrecognizable, but I loved the music, I loved the beat. This wasn't going to be boring, I told myself. I immersed myself in the comedy and the drama of it all. I ignored the fact that I seemed to be the only one my age in the theater.. Most of the people there had grey hair. I cried my eyes out as the actor sang "Fallen Angel". My heart wept when I heard "My Eyes Adored You". Nobody makes music like this anymore. I exited the theater happy that I had parents with very good taste. I bought the CD right then and there. To this day it is the only album in my iPod with it's own playlist. I've memorized all of the songs and even the little dialogue that are in between. The year after I saw the show, I went back to Las Vegas with a friend, and my parents who weren't with me at the time, asked me if I wanted to see a show. I could have seen a Cirque du Soleil performance. I could have seen Lion King or Phantom of the Opera, both I have not seen live. I chose Jersey Boys anyway. I still laughed at the same scenes, and cried at the same songs. I didn't want it to end. I'd see it again and again, and I think I will never get tired of it.

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