All tagged Bandstand

10 For 10: Ten Flop Musicals of the Last Ten Years That Deserve a Second Look

10 For 10: Ten Flop Musicals of the Last Ten Years That Deserve a Second Look

Mark Robinson
Music That Makes Me Dance

A while back, I wrote a piece about flop musicals that deserved a second chance on Broadway. Many of you wrote to me and wondered why I hadn’t mentioned any recent shows. When I write about this kind of topic, I typically look at older titles and prefer to wait for the dust to settle on more recent shows in order to gain some objectivity. This does not mean I haven’t enjoyed some of the short-lived shows of the last decade. It may be too soon to say that any of them deserve revivals, but I think it is fair to say that some of them deserve a second look. So, as to assuage those who think I’m trapped in the past, here are 10 for 10, ten musicals from the last ten years that I think had plenty to offer and most likely deserve a second look.  

Review: Bandstand – Original Broadway Cast Recording

Review: Bandstand – Original Broadway Cast Recording

Mark Robinson
Music That Makes Me Dance

Do you need a jolt of Broadway musical energy, something that crackles and pops while simultaneously gliding on joyous melody? Do you pine for a musical score that summons the old-style musical, evoking nostalgia for song and dance? Do you long for a show that is both fresh and familiar, the antithesis of the “sturm und drang” of most contemporary musicals? If so, then do I have a treat to recommend to you. The Original Cast Recording of the new Broadway musical Bandstand is guaranteed to deliver all of what I have suggested and more, making the case for a healthy run for this “;ittle musical that could.”

The 71st Annual Tony Awards: My Great Disappointment

The 71st Annual Tony Awards: My Great Disappointment

Mark Robinson
Music That Makes Me Dance

So… the 71st Annual Tony Awards have come and gone and I have to say, I generally found it to be a tedious evening. Nothing used to get me more excited than tuning in each year to the Tony Awards and being blown away by some amazing performances. Somewhere around the time when the awards ceremony left the intimacy of a Broadway theatre and instead began being held at larger venues such as Radio Music Hall did it lose something for me. Ah, yes, I suppose I am showing my age by saying this, but there was a time when the awards actually felt intimate. For reasons of space and economy, it was decided somewhere along the way that barns were the better place to celebrate theatre. This still remains an unfortunate shift in my book as I long for the days when musicals like Big River, Grand Hotel, Me and My Girl, The Secret Garden, The Mystery of Edwin Drood, City of Angels, Once on this Island, and Jelly’s Last Jam charmed me on a stage that didn’t dwarf their efforts. The Broadway of today looks very different than the one I remember of the 80s and early 90s, so I suppose nostalgia can cloud one’s judgment, but this Tony Awards in particular left me feeling very disconnected.

Predicting the Tony Awards’ Musical Categories

Predicting the Tony Awards’ Musical Categories

Mark Robinson
Music That Makes Me Dance

I’m about as good at predicting Tony winners as I am picking lottery numbers, so take this article for what it is worth (I do better with the Oscars for some reason). That being said, it has been an exciting Broadway season and this year’s awards are looking like they will be spread over several musicals (Unlike last-year’s tedious Tony Awards where Hamilton clinched most of the accolades). I think that there will be some surprises, but the betting man in me chooses these nominees as the winners on Tony Sunday.

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