"Tangled Webs" - updated info (with computer intrigue getting more and more on people's minds

TANGLED WEBS,  a dark romantic musical comedy

Update August 2013

With backstage intrigue so in the news in musical theater lately, we (coincidentally) have the first brand new musical written on that subject out of the gate...

Book by Bill Connington    Music by Skip Kennon  Lyrics by Ellen M. Schwartz

Based on the story “Webcast” by Fred Landau

Many thanks to the wonderful performers on the demo - 
[basically in order of singing on the demo]     

Jeanine Morgan - Rebecca Luker       Aaron Stephenson - Ric Ryder      

Jerry Bruckner - Bill Parry       Miranda Grey - Jan Horvath      

Charles  - Andrew Kober         Harrison Stone - Neal Mayer   

Cissie - Georga Osborne          Claudine - Leenya Rideout

(8 principals, plus variable additional players)

Our plot is about the need for recognition in a business where credit is recognition, and recognition is just about everything.  But our musical actually speaks to all audience members’ needs to get recognition for what they accomplish, and even a fantasy notion of dealing with people who try to steal that recognition.  

The show’s overall story:   Jeanine Morgan is an elegant, recently widowed Park Avenue lady, around late 40's to early 50’s.  A computer whiz and theater enthusiast, she goes to work as an intern in the office of producer Jerry Bruckner, about 60, and on her first day going through the mostly unpromising submissions to his office, she discovers the work of Aaron Stephenson, late 20's - the work speaks to her almost immediately and she will stop at nothing - absolutely nothing, including possibly murder - to get Aaron's work to the Broadway stage.

REBECCA LUKER,  SINGING THE ROLE OF "JEANINE" FROM "TANGLED WEBS" -  And I'll Seal It With a Kiss - sung by Rebecca Luker https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mHf2EsIHY7Q

IF YOU WANT TO FOLLOW THE STORY WITH A DETAILED SONG-BY-SONG OUTLINE,  AND AUTHOR BIOS, PLEASE CLICK THE LINK BELOW.

http://tangled-webs-updates.blogspot.com/2012/04/synopsis-of-musical-tangled-webs.html

For fellow Helen Reddy fans: Post Office announced a Helen Reddy postmark as she is honored for her work towards equality!

U.S. Post Office to issue a Helen Reddy postmark next week.

http://about.usps.com/news/state-releases/ca/2013/ca_2013_0802a.htm

Also in today's paper, Times critic Charles Isherwood mentions that the song stylings of Helen Reddy as having a youthful influence on him

http://theater.nytimes.com/2013/08/22/theater/a-ship-sinks-and-a-boy-is-enthralled.html?pagewanted=2&ref=theater

I hope Mr, Isherwood got to see her command the stage in Blood Brothers in the 1990's!

Here were this blog's tributes in parody form to Helen Reddy:

I AM LEHMAN, LEHMAN BABY, AIG AGAINST THE WORLD, AIN'T NO WAY TO TREAT ED LIDDY

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KUjCalZ7hiM

I NEED ME A LOAN (tune of the Helen Reddy pop hit LEAVE ME ALONE)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ha8Q2KHzuME

AIG AGAINST THE WORLD (excerpt from the 8-minute musical, this video was excerpted in a Jeanne Moos report 3/17/09 on CNN's American Morning Situation Room and AC 360)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=75daFChjAMw

The "AIG videos (tributes to Helen Reddy catalog)" were #2 and #9 respectively on Prof. David Albrecht's Top Ten on BAILOUTS & POPULAR CULTURE 

http://profalbrecht.wordpress.com/2009/01/01/bailout-and-popular-culture-2/

Tribute to Eydie Gorme

Listening to a favorite Steve and Eydie song, their rendition of an infectious Israeli hit "Hallelujuah"
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EnwwO4nBiXo

Because DJ's on the radio, they feared, wouldn't play it if it were known to be Steve and Eydie, they released it under the pseudonym Parker and Penny!

Here's my old tribute lyric to their trademark hysterical-laughing "breaking up at each other's jokes" onstage



A tribute to one of the trademarked aspects of watching Steve and Eydie, how they could make each other laugh hysterically.

tune of BREAKING UP IS HARD TO DO (which is by Eydie's cousin Neil Sedaka)

(Such a clown, bubbie, such a clown
Mama, such a clown, bubbie, such a clown
Mama, such a clown, bubbie, such a clown
Breaking up the cast and crew)

Don't take that shtick away from us
You make us kvell each time you cuss
When you ad lib a line that’s blue
You’re breaking up the cast and crew

Remember when the plot was tight
Learned the scenes and you got ‘em right
It’s even better now that you
Are breaking up the cast and crew

They said you’re breaking up the cast and crew
And now the press is saying it’s true
Don’t care if they’re planned or not
‘Cause when you both break up
It makes the whole damn house shake up a lot

I pray to you, don’t play it straight
Keep breaking up, you do it great
Classic style, we say so nu
That breaking up the cast and crew 

With announcement of Meryl Streep doing the Testament of Mary audio book; also a simple Christmas song about shopping in NYC

Videos above:  In the Season We Love (Christmas song from "Across State Lines")
                        The Testiness of Mary (updated:Testament of Mary-casting ideas)


I updated my "THE TESTINESS OF MARY" spoof video on YouTube for more possible replacement casting (glad YouTube now allows more alterations, or maybe I'm just learning how to do them)


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SSFtaG74LDc
Music & lyric Fred Landau

(but seriously: Don't worry about Fiona, though, she's doing more than great - she's directing next season at the Met!  And let's still hope for a DVD or a PBS version of her stage performance!)

*****

Also, just uploaded a new version of "In the Season We Love" - just in time to be considered for people's Christmas shows :)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2oyosuNj1jE

A happy shopper and grumpy shopper come to terms over NYC at Christmas time.
Music and lyric Fred Landau, vocal Jan Horvath
This may have started off as a parody of the seasons of love sentiment, but it became a non-spoof song as I worked on it.