All tagged Betty Comden

Remembering Applause

Remembering Applause

Mark Robinson
Music That Makes Me Dance

Imagine setting out to write a musical based on one of the most celebrated screenplays of all time, only to find that you cannot secure permission to use it, but you can get the rights to write a musical based on the short story that that screenplay was based on. Are you confused yet? This is essentially what happened when Sidney Michaels (book), Charles Strouse (music) and Lee Adams (lyrics) encountered when writing the musical Applause. Applause is based on the 1946 Mary Orr short story “The Wisdom of Eve”, which was, of course, the basis for the 1950 20th Century Fox film and Academy Award winning Best Picture All About Eve. 

Remembering Subways Are For Sleeping

Remembering Subways Are For Sleeping

Mark Robinson
Music That Makes Me Dance

Jule Styne, Betty Comden and Adolph Green were frequent collaborators in creating Broadway musicals. Sometimes there partnerships yielded hits like Bells Are Ringing, sometimes the product was a cheerful “also ran” like Do Re Mi, and sometimes the show simply struggled to find an audience. One of these musicals that failed to ignite, despite offering a delightful score and a compelling premise, was the 1961 Subways Are For Sleeping.   

Remembering Wonderful Town

Remembering Wonderful Town

Mark Robinson
Music That Makes Me Dance

Leonard Bernstein’s career writing for the American Musical Theatre was an intermittent one, with other things on his plate as a classical composer, conductor and pianist holding equal weight among his interests. However, it was as a musical theatre composer that we best remember him. Bernstein had a knack for conveying the world of New York City through his theatre music, the hustle and bustle of the city and the adventure (and occasionally turmoil) to be found therein. Three of his musicals, On the Town (1944), Wonderful Town (1953), and West Side Story (1957) each capture a different aspect of New York City at a different time and place during the first-half of the twentieth century. Today, I am taking a look at Wonderful Town. 

Peter Pan Poised to Fly to Blu-Ray

Peter Pan Poised to Fly to Blu-Ray

Mark Robinson
Music That Makes Me Dance

With the news that the Mary Martin, made-for-television version of Peter Pan is flying to Blu-Ray in the near future, I thought it would be nice to take a look back at all of the reasons why we love it. The musical itself didn't have a spectacularly long run on Broadway (152 performances in 1952), but that was due to a deal that had been struck prior to its Broadway opening. It was to be introduced to the hearts of 65 million viewers through one simple airing on NBC, making it a success of epic proportions. 

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