Sunday, December 11, 2022
Thursday, November 24, 2022
Blank Canvas Theatre in Cleveland updated its site for full company list of "Last Starfighter" - Cleveland premiere
Updated Nov. 29 2022 - opening changed from Dec. 2 to Dec 8.
Blank Canvas Theatre in Cleveland updated its site for the full company list of "The Last Starfighter"
http://www.blankcanvastheatre.com/the-last-starfighter-cast/
Please let your friends in the Cleveland area know.
THE LAST STARFIGHTER - Blank Canvas Theatre Dec. 8-17 2022. Directed by Patrick Ciamacco.
Book by Fred Landau
Music and lyrics by Skip Kennon
Based on the screenplay by Jonathan Betuel
Thursday, October 6, 2022
Our show "The Last Starfighter" will have its Cleveland premiere at the Blank Canvas Theatre in Dec. 2022.
Updated Nov. 29 2022 - opening changed from Dec. 2 to Dec 8.
Our show "The Last Starfighter" will have its Cleveland premiere at the Blank Canvas Theatre in Dec. 2022. Please let your friends in the Cleveland area know.
THE LAST STARFIGHTER - Blank Canvas Theatre Dec. 8-17 2022. Directed by Patrick Ciamacco.
Book by Fred Landau
Music and lyrics by Skip Kennon
Based on the screenplay by Jonathan Betuel
Saturday, September 24, 2022
Counting down to High Holy Days: this blog's tradition "I Will Survive" parody "I'll be Inscribed"
Counting down to High Holy Days: this blog's tradition "I Will Survive" parody "I'll be Inscribed"
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uxTuhLayowQ
Parody lyric by Fred Landau
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uxTuhLayowQ
Parody lyric by Fred Landau
sung by Jan Horvath
Feel free to use it in any performance, just let me know how it goes if you use it.
Tuesday, September 6, 2022
For fall 2022 theater preview, reprising salutes to TAKE ME OUT and our 1776/ADAMS FAMILY THEME SONG
With "Take Me Out" coming back again -
Reprising "Everyone Goes" from the tribute to the original run of TAKE ME OUT
parody of "Anything Goes"
Parody lyric by Fred Landau
And with "1776" coming to Broadway again - since this parody went over well on July 4th
"The John and Abigail Adams Family theme song" -
as it might have been adapted by the writers of "1776"
Parody lyric by Fred Landau
Sunday, August 14, 2022
A year after Afghan War, Updated FAMILY MUSIC our musical drama dealing with aftermath of the Afghan War
Two highlighted numbers at https://youtu.be/hLFfOPBzmag More demos from this show at
https://youtu.be/0ha6R1Z2yQo and https://youtu.be/_vLnGZVtRc4A
FAMILY MUSIC script - UPDATED August 2022 to reflect aftermath of Afghan War
http://fred-and-the-economy.blogspot.com/2021/08/family-music-copyright-july-21-2017.html
BIOS
MARIAN WEINER (co-bookwriter, music, lyrics) was primarily an essayist and pop and classical composer-lyricist before turning to theater work after raising her family. Marian started writing songs at age nine, and was composing duets for flute by junior high. While performing in dozens of local events and concerts, she studied music theory at the Performing Arts High School, and also composed many flute duets while studying with famed Harold Bennett, first flautist at the Metropolitan Opera. Orchestra performance experience includes the Japanese rock musical “Golden Bat,” and five years playing flute, alto and tenor saxophone, on lounge jobs around the country. She temporarily put aside performing and composing to raise her two sons, with her husband, Frederic Weiner, musician, and owner of their own family music business.
She started studying with top 5 songwriter Harriet Schock, where she first met her writing collaborator on this project. Her CD credits include the acclaimed album “Power Sharing” by David Wright and the Wright Touch Horns, and her lyrics have been performed by Andrea Ross-Greene and Mark Wade. Drawing on disparate elements of the writers' family and professional experience, this hopeful and original musical about a family in the pop music business torn by war in the 21st century began to develop
FRED LANDAU (co-bookwriter, lyrics) - Fred’s writing got him a Finalist slot (top 6 from over 100 applicants) in the Ebb Award competition for theater writers; and two Midtown Int’l Theatre Festival Award nominations for the production and book/lyrics for the MITF award-winning I Never Miss a Larry Kramer Musical (NYC’s Roy Arias Theater). Other musical theater productions: book for The Last Starfighter (Storm Theatre, NYMF at Theatre at St Clements, workshop at Seattle’s Village Theater); book/score for ALBANY, NY (NYC’s Triangle Theater, workshops BMI, ASCAP, Circle Rep). Fred’s lyric writing was excerpted on CNN (AC360, Situation Room).
Noah Remnick in the New York Times called him “lyrically gifted” (New York Today column, Feb 3, 2016),
and his online humor writing has been called “a local treasure” by Lin-Manuel Miranda (on Twitter, Nov. 24, 2015) https://twitter.com/lin_manuel/status/669222699361771520
Critic/theatre historian Martin Gottfried said Fred's theater work “was defined by the invention of its creators. It sounded like itself and like nothing else…They invented their own language for musical theater and it had nothing to do with anything else that I’ve seen, really, in terms of musical theater.” Graduated from Harvard Law School & received masters degrees from NYU and Brooklyn College.
Wednesday, August 10, 2022
AIMING TO DO THESE AS A CABARET-STYLE SHOW - Singing about the pandemic doesn't make a problem go away, but helps your outlook
Because although laughing and singing don't make a problem go away, they can help your outlook
And put you in frame of mind to deal with reality more clearly.
AIMING TO DO THESE AS A CABARET-VENUE SHOW
An original song - Music and lyric by Fred Landau
WITH MY FRIEND KILLING TIME - Doesn't 6 feet apart beat 6 feet under?
Socially distant AIR-KISS ME KATE
Parody lyric by Fred Landau
MY FAR LADY - "I've Sewn a Costume for Your Face"
feat. Sheree Sano
Parody lyric by Fred Landau
"Home" with Dorothy and Toto -
Parody lyric by Fred Landau
"Together" medley - Joanne in Company, and Madame Rose
Parody lyric by Fred Landau
"Gonna take a Lotta Gloves" feat Emily and KJ McAleesejergins
Parody lyric by Fred Landau
ELBOW CONNECTION
Feat KJ McAleesejergins
Parody lyric by Fred Landau
YOUR SMILING FACE PARODY
Feat. KJ McAleesejergins
Parody lyric by Fred Landau
Videos and vocals by Sheree Sano
MASK UP FOR SHAKESPEARE - https://youtu.be/blbyKSx2Uu8
Parody lyric by Fred Landau
HAVE YOURSELF A VERY DISTANT CHRISTMAS - https://youtu.be/bBNVI5PCmiM
Parody lyric by Fred Landau
Monday, July 4, 2022
REPRISE FOR JULY 4TH - John and Abigail Adams Family Theme
Ready to snap? The 1776-Addams Family cross-over
"The John and Abigail Adams Family theme song" - as it might have been adapted by the writers of "1776"
Parody lyric by Fred Landau
Monday, June 13, 2022
An uptempo lookback number to send "Lehman Trilogy" audience out dancing and clapping along
Lookback in honor of the deserved Tony win for "Lehman Trilogy"
AIG-LEHMAN BAILOUT PARODY SONG
I NEED ME A LOAN (tune of LEAVE ME ALONE)
Parody lyric by Fred Landau
The "Company" revival:
"ANOTHER HUNDRED PATTI FANS GOT OFF OF THEIR PHONES"
Parody lyric by Fred Landau
The shorter attention span 1:40 version is still at https://youtu.be/o1s1ScBSV3An
Monday, May 9, 2022
Some Tony-lookback parody thoughts: THE THINGS WE LIKE TO DO TOGETHER, DO TOGETHER, DO TOGETHER! and The B'way "Lehman Trilogy" in 8 minutes!
Some Tony-lookback parody thoughts:
The Broadway "Lehman Trilogy" gave you 3 parts in 180 minutes,
"The Lehman Eulogy" musical gives you 5 parts in 8 minutes
(feat. "I Am Lehman" and "AIG Against the World")
Parody lyrics by Fred Landau
The "Company" revival: Make a wish for Tonys, Sondheim fans!
A socially distant TOGETHER parody medley, salute to Patti as Joanne (and also Patti as Rose) -
feat. THE THINGS WE LIKE TO DO TOGETHER
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qmwMqL3T7-Y
Parody lyric by Fred Landau
"ANOTHER HUNDRED PATTI FANS GOT OFF OF THEIR PHONES"
Parody lyric by Fred Landau
Thursday, April 14, 2022
As the Barry Manilow-Bruce Sussman musical about the Harmonists gets reviews seeming worthy of a Broadway step-up
As Barry Manilow- Bruce Sussman's musical about the Harmonists gets reviews seeming worthy of a Broadway step-up
[Note re questions about the ocean shots: Thought it would be fun or funny to use an idealized Butte, Montana like in an old musical, so i hope it's not confusing - we did cut palm trees out of two of the chuppah photos, though. 
JEWISH-ENGLISH EXPLANATIONS ARE BELOW THE VIDEO, WITH THE PARODY LYRICS;. KNOWLEDGE OF HEBREW IS NOT NEEDED!
Parody of the musical & song COPACABANA by Barry Manilow, Jack Feldman and Bruce Sussman;
I saw the stage musical in Pittsburgh at the CLO and got inspired to try to parody how happy a show it is for having such a sad song as its source (an aspect the stage musical handles wonderfully, by the way). Lola does get her Tony in this parody!
AT THE CHUPPAH, BY THE CABANA
Parody lyric by Fred Landau
Thursday, March 10, 2022
In case Broadway goes maskless - A time saving idea: Your premium seat offers a limo to premium ER, when you buy your ticket!
Getting ready just in case - for a Broadway where every night is a "covid-super-spreader" event
I've been ready with this pitch that your premium seat offers an optional limo to the premium ER.
Bianca from "Air Kiss-Me Kate" explains triage for premium ticket holders :)
Parody lyric by Fred Landau
And a Lookback at the SAG awards just before covid:
Sometimes our fashion sense can just be wrong. Like Jennifer Aniston's outfit at the SAG awards and meeting up with Brad Pitt in Jan. 20 2020
"Hollywood Gown" SAG awards 2020 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zp58fA38qdo
(Parody lyric by Fred Landau. Parody of Harriet Schock's "Hollywood Town" )
suggested symbolic for a magical 2020. Yikes! That sure didn't happen, to say the least.
Thursday, March 3, 2022
Parody "I'D RATHER A JEW OVER YOU" - ERASMUS CHOIR GUYS RELIEVED NEW "FUNNY GIRL" IS JEWISH - but they did love Lauren Ambrose as Eliza Doolittle!!!
Parody of I'D RATHER BE BLUE -
"live from the Erasmus High School Bar in Brooklyn"
"I'D RATHER A JEW OVER YOU" - ERASMUS GUYS SEE THE TV COMMERCIAL AND ARE RELIEVED THE NEW "FUNNY GIRL" IS JEWISH
Parody lyric by Fred Landau
but they did love Lauren Ambrose as Eliza Doolittle!!!
In case there's another variant: "MY FAR LADY" - special guest Andrew Cuomo at 0:48 -
https://youtu.be/x3RXDyle5sA
parody lyric:Fred Landau - vocal/arr. Sheree Sano
Wednesday, March 2, 2022
DARTH OF YOUR WORLD - as James Earl Jones has a Broadway theater named for him!!!
As James Earl Jones has a Broadway theater named for him!!!
An encore of DARTH OF YOUR WORLD -
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zBgUp7OrFbk
Parody lyric by Fred Landau
Thursday, February 10, 2022
Lookback to SO MUCH BUTTER for a fictitious PAULA DEEN STORY - as in TAP DANCE KID, Encores does an encore of the infamous NO HEAVY ACTRESSES casting notice from GOLDEN APPLE.
Lookback to SO MUCH BUTTER for a fictitious PAULA DEEN STORY - as in TAP DANCE KID, Encores relived the infamous NO HEAVY ACTRESSES casting notice from GOLDEN APPLE. No insensitivity "mistake" is ever so bad that Encores won't give the mistake an encore!
THE RECENT "TAP DANCE KID" MODIFICATION CONTINUED THE ENCORES "LEGACY" BY REPEATING ITS WORST CASTING NOTICE FAUX PAS -
of NO HEAVY FEMALE CHARACTER ACTRESSES on Golden Apple. (essentially it really said NO FAT WOMEN, PLEASE)
(note: The above casting notice actually happened!!!
This following a joke, though.. NOT A REAL CASTING NOTICE.
Regarding the "Tap Dance Kid" rewrite of the body-image-positive overweight Emma as svelte, whose big song was about being overweight was slimmed down.
Slimmed-down versions of new shows could be on the way.
For "The Paula Deen Story" - The show will deal only with Happy Funny Paula, and when those allegations of racial insensitivity come up, we'll go straight to the curtain call.
To assure body-positivity, for the title role auditions, any female over 110 pounds will not be allowed in the building.
Be prepared to sing "So Much Butter" from the fictitious "The Paula Deen Story" :)
Parody lyric by Fred Landau
Friday, January 21, 2022
Remembering the great artist Meat Loaf the only way this blog really can - "We're All in the Balcony Now" to "All Coming Back to Me"
Remembering the great artist Meat Loaf the only way this blog really can. The first time I saw him in a Broadway show was a small role in Gower Champion's production "Rockabye Hamlet."
and the musical "Bat Out of Hell" - which besides being an entertaining show, proved outrageous premium prices can sell even at non-profit theaters
To "It's All Coming Back to Me Now"
"We're All in the Balcony Now"
Bat Out of Hell/City Center site-specific parody version is at
(added Feb 3 2022)
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