As Mother's Day approaches - reprising our "Mother With the Hat" parody song

A cautionary Broadway parody fable for anyone buying tickets to go to the theater with Mom for Mother's Day -

Remembering the controversially-titled critically acclaimed Broadway play whose ads shortened an unprintable word to "Mother" and called the play "The Mother With The Hat" - 

which some opined looked like it could have been advertising the perfect show to see with Mom for Mother's Day. 

The "Mother" With the Hat Parody Song

https://youtu.be/1_gG1vJGOFk

Mack the Knife parody, about reviews of Jonathan Groff as Bobby Darin on Broadway

 In parody tribute to the reviews about Tony frontrunner (and Tony winner last year) Jonathan Groff as Bobby Darin in "Just In Time,"

"Mack the Knife" Parody on YouTube 

https://youtu.be/R3eaFLReem8

- noting that the reviews praised Mr. Groff's performance as sensational, and the critics AND the show also pointedly warned that Mr. Groff spits and perspires a lot, so be aware if you're in the front rows.  (Happily, Mr. Groff and the show clearly have a sense of humor about it.}. 

We offer the idea that while some may want to avoid a "splash zone," others may even be willing to pay extra to be in it!

P.S.  The opening premise of the parody, that the sharks sung about in "Mack the Knife" are just misunderstood, is an homage to the experts discussed in this New York Times story "Don't Call Them Shark Bites." https://www.nytimes.com/2023/09/19/nyregion/sharks-nyc-rockaway.html

For Katy Perry singing "What a Wonderful World" in space!

For Katy Perry singing "What a Wonderful World" in space - 

Offering in tribute-parody a reprise of our 2025 regular-person take 

"What a One-Percent World!" 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5kjivj2eNMY

Coincidentally, there's a Jeff Bezos rocket ship cameo at 1:20 into the video.

(Parody of "What a Wonderful World" -  real song was recently heard in the 

Broadway musical "A Wonderful World: The Louis Armstrong Musical")

With Scott Rudin so in the news - Some of our respectful parody-tributes related to Scott Rudin shows.

 

Since arguably the biggest New York entertainment news story 

this past week has been Scott Rudin, 

Some of our respectful parody-tributes 

related to some of Scott Rudin's shows.

None of these parodies are in any way making fun of Scott Rudin 

- this is more a parody-tribute medley.

For Bette Midler in Hello Dolly! - 2017

PUT ON YOUR TONY GOWN - Parody lyric by Fred Landau

 https://youtu.be/hv4JujI26zM

The "Mother" With the Hat Parody Song - music & lyric by Fred Landau

Recalling when the ads with the shortened title made it look 

to some like the perfect gift for Mother's Day.

https://youtu.be/1_gG1vJGOFk

For Hugh Jackman in The River 

LOOKBACK AT A BOX OFFICE “I GO TO RIO” TRIBUTE - 

"I RAID MY KEOGH"  - Parody lyric by Fred Landau

https://youtu.be/x7UReYZx2wI

For Hugh Jackman in The Music Man - 

A snapshot from Sept. 2020 when Broadway was still closed 

but the Winter Garden billboard went up, though we worried the show might not go on.

TILL WE SEE HUGH - Parody lyric by Fred Landau  

https://youtu.be/H6p1lzm6Rdc

For The Lehman Trilogy - 

trying to tell the 4-hour story in 3 musical minutes. 

I AM LEHMAN - Parody lyric by Fred Landau

 https://youtu.be/QEhraD0nwzw

COUGHED UP FOR SHAKESPEARE! - on the huge grosses for name-star vehicles Othello, Good Night and Good Luck & Glengarry Glen Ross

Here's our "no bells and whistles" YouTube on the current Broadway screen star vehicles, on the huge grosses for limited run name-star vehicles Othello, Good Night and Good Luck and Glengarry Glen Ross

This is a simple Audio Parody (with sing-along lyrics) COUGHED UP FOR SHAKESPEARE! - including a nod to the once-unimaginable concept of "David Mamet SRO at the Palace!"

https://youtu.be/dOdZhff2jHs

Remembering Mr. Sondheim on his birthday in the way this blog usually does - Some of our Sondheim-themed parodies

Some of the YouTubes from this blog's Sondheim-themed parodies - remembering Mr. Sondheim on his birthday in the way this blog usually does

 The producer of a few CDs I'd worked on, Bruce Kimmel, had gotten an OK to give me Mr. Sondheim's direct email address, 

and this 2009 YouTube parody was the first of a long series of videos from 2009 to 2013 where Mr. Sondheim looked at the parodies before they were recorded and even gave helpful notes. 

This was my “I’m Still Queer” -a  parody-tribute of Stephen Sondheim's “I’m Still Here” looking at four decades of New York City theatergoing 

Parody lyrics by Fred landau, sung by Bill Parry

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bt40nQGc1I4

- starting with theater right around Stonewall circa 1969 and going through 40 years of theater, a field that somewhat got identified with the gay demographic. 

I was especially thrilled when Michael Musto posted a Village Voice article that took note of this video.

"Hilarious Gay Spoof of 'I'm Still Here'"

https://www.villagevoice.com/hilarious-gay-spoof-of-im-still-here/

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From just before the 2009 Broadway revival of A LITTLE NIGHT MUSIC - 

"A Little Site Music" -  a six-number, seven-minute mini-musical

Act One - with parodies of Every Day a Little Death, A Weekend in the Country and Liaisons - Parody lyrics by Fred landau, all six roles sung by Jan Horvath

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T2mMKTJhdMc

Act Two is at 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1iVjlnbTx1g

with parodies of Send In the Clowns, The Miller's Son and The Glamorous Life

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From May 2020 during Broadway closing for pandemic lockdown

We imagined Broadway leading ladies rethought for the social distancing era

PATTI/SONDHEIM PARODY SALUTE - TOGETHER Parody medley - Joanne (COMPANY) / Rose (GYPSY) - 

parodies of "The Little Things You Do Together" & "Together Wherever We Go"

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qmwMqL3T7-Y

Parody lyrics by Fred landau, sung by Emily (MJ) McAleesejergins 

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On this decade's Sondheim premium pricing - 

"Another Hundred Millionaires Got Off of Their Phones"- 

Parody of "Another Hundred People" from "Company"

https://youtu.be/biOPO57uQ1M

---------------------------

This Youtube celebrated one of my favorite Ben Brantley London Journal reviews.

This parody was of Imelda Staunton's scorched-earth Rose in GYPSY:

SOME ROSES parody to "Some People"

https://youtu.be/L3YPpAOMV_w

Parody lyrics by Fred landau, sung by Sheree Sano

Five years this week since Covid hit us, and on a theater-specific level, Broadway closed - "WHEN I'M STUCK AT HOME" - our 7-minute movie-musical

 As we're being reminded, this week is five years from when Covid hit us, and when on a theater-specific level, Broadway closed. 

This was my YouTube channel's musical snapshot of where we were in Spring 2020, and maybe it can help to comparing Spring 2020 to where we are now - the business having gotten through it but with so much loss.

  

"WHEN I'M STUCK AT HOME" - our 7-minute mini-movie-musical - where we were in Spring 2020

https://youtu.be/s7mTdB7C8fg

The wonderful Emily McAleesejergins plays a performer trying to make the best of things: 

starting with "Make 'Em Masks"

then doing social-distancing parody versions of roles the performer would like to be doing rather than masking and isolating - 

Mama Rose (Gypsy)

Joanne (Company) 

Bianca/Lois Lane (Kiss Me Kate) 

and Dorothy at "Home" with Toto a while longer.