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Remembering the Musicals of Terrence McNally

Remembering the Musicals of Terrence McNally

Mark Robinson
Music That Makes Me Dance

On March 24, 2020, we were forced to say goodbye to prolific playwright Terrence McNally. He died at age 81 from complications brought about by the coronavirus. The author of such acclaimed plays as The Ritz, Frankie and Johnny in the Clair De Lune, Love! Valour! Compassion!, The Lisbon Traviata, Master Class, and Lips Together, Teeth Apart, McNally was a particularly potent voice in gay theatre. McNally was also a celebrated librettist for the musical theatre, an award-winning book writer for some of Broadway’s most stirring and memorable musicals. Since this site is devoted to the Broadway musical, I wanted to take a moment to look at the glorious work McNally crafted in that arena.

Video Binge: Chita Rivera — Lifetime Achievement in Spades

Video Binge: Chita Rivera — Lifetime Achievement in Spades

Mark Robinson
Music That Makes Me Dance

Chita Rivera is receiving a Lifetime Achievement Tony Award at this year’s ceremony, and I simply cannot think of any performer who now, or ever, has deserved it more. With all due respect to any performer who carves out an enduring career in the theatre, no other actress has demonstrated such longevity, durability, and talent in this business. Few others have been quite as beloved.

Let us consider for a moment that Ms. Rivera has starred in a Broadway musical every decade since the 1950s, often originating roles and giving them her own distinctive flair. She is also a powerhouse triple threat: singing, acting, and most impressively, dancing, through originating such roles such as Anita in West Side Story, Rosie in Bye Bye Birdie, and Velma Kelly in Chicago. 

Was That Broadway Musical REALLY Awful?

Was That Broadway Musical REALLY Awful?

Mark Robinson
Music That Makes Me Dance

Have you ever picked up a Broadway cast recording that you’d only vaguely heard of (or had never heard of), listened to it and said “This score is so good! Why isn’t this show being performed all the time?”. Just because a Broadway show has problems, it doesn’t always mean that the score is bad. In fact, many flop or troubled musicals have superior scores that will make you keep wondering “Was that musical AWFUL or WONDERFUL?”. Here are nine cast albums that will keep you wondering why that musical wasn’t a bigger hit.

Broadway's Best "I Am" Songs

Broadway's Best "I Am" Songs

Mark Robinson
Music That Makes Me Dance

What is an "I Am" song, you might ask? Many people also know it as the "I Want" song, a song that comes early in the first act of a musical and that establishes our catalyst's point of view and sometimes their goal. The term "I Want" is not one I feel truly encapsulates what this song is and how it's placement in the musical affects the story to come. I Am", which used to be how these songs were identified by scholars, can include "I Want", but not vice versa. What you "want" is a subcategory of who you "are". Not every song that introduces a catalyst tells us what they want, but it most-definitely tells us who they are. So I choose the older term of "I Am" because I find it all-encompassing. I'm not trying to be difficult here, I simply prefer "I Am" because it better explains what the song achieves, especially to those just learning about musical theatre structure. But all semantics aside, some of the most-memorable and most impactful musical theatre songs are the "I Am" song and today's blog is a celebration of some of the best. 
 

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