Our year-end 2020 Blog Year in almost all show tune salutes or parodies

 Our year-end 2020 Blog Year in almost all show tune  salutes

January

“The Hollywood Gown” series tried to pick up where it was  interrupted in 2013 - Jennifer Aniston and Brad Pitt seemed to hold promise for us all 

https://youtu.be/Zp58fA38qdo

Here's our Oscars 2020 including Billy Porter's outfit https://youtu.be/Ya-MDi9yBJY

February

"Jack and MABEL”- “Type Your Troubles Away” -Jen shouts: ”The critics will love it -or else!"

https://youtu.be/RafIinDbF5A

March 

"Another Hundred Patti Fans Got Off Of Their Phones" (let's pray the revisal can be filmed!)

https://youtu.be/biOPO57uQ1M

April 

"MY FAR LADY" - "I've Sewn a Costume for Your Face"

https://youtu.be/x3RXDyle5sA

May and June

7-minute mini-musical - Make 'em Laugh plus Mama Rose, Patti-as-Joanne, Bianca/Lois Lane, Dorothy with Toto back at Home 

 WHEN WE’RE STUCK AT HOME 

https://youtu.be/s7mTdB7C8fg

July and August - 

7-minute video:  Where we were just before Labor Day- planning to re-open, for better or worse, but by a month later, better not.

https://youtu.be/8vp3LQ3x3so

That's Our Containmentt, Cuomo - You're So Vain, Elbow Connection, and more

September 

"TILL THERE IS HUGH" -  

about the Music Man ad and the hopeful spirit  it's come to signify 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H6p1lzm6Rdc

October 

On Ben Brantley's end of an era as Times critic:  

I celebrated my two favorite Ben Brantley London Journal reviews:

This was about the London Journal on Imelda Staunton's scorched-earth Rose in GYPSY:

"Some Roses” 

https://youtu.be/L3YPpAOMV_w

And - Emily's (MJ McAleesejergins) Satine cover of Sheree Sano''s 2014 ”The Bodyguard” original - 

"We Got a Chance 4 Some Hottie”

 https://youtu.be/Pqkd0k6quMU

Sheree's original from 2014 still at  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Lf5nhM026tc

November - 

In honor of David Prowse, the distinguished actor who became best known embodying Darth Vader 

“Darth of Your World”

 https://youtu.be/zBgUp7OrFbk 

December

"Have Yourself a Very Distant Christmas”

https://youtu.be/bBNVI5PCmiM

Remembering our family working with Rebecca Luker -

 In the Times obit, it's mentioned that Danny and Rebecca met on the show "Time and Again, " which Skip wrote with Jack Viertel, though they started dating the following year,  (That production must have had something in the air- Howard McGillin met his now-spouse at a reading of the show.). 

Here's Rebecca's audio of  Skip's song "Fairy Tale Life" from that production

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

Rebecca  is also quoted: “I wish I had branched out a little more,” she said cheerily. “Maybe played a bitch or something.”

After she had done "Darling of the Day" at the York, Rebecca had mentioned that, and I wrote what was really a very detailed treatment built around her, and then a fuller story, which Bill Connington, Ellen Schwartz and Skip Kennon really developed directly for her.    We did a reading of the first act in 2008.mainly to see how she felt about the material.

https://www.broadwayworld.com/article/Luker-Led-New-Musical-TANGLED-WEBS-Holds-Reading-20081213

Money  had been there for a workshop, but  it was the usual   manner large-cast theater projects have of losing momentum, as people's schedules don't allow them to  turn down other  work until there's a deal in place.  

Rebecca recorded the lead role for us on our demos with a lot of members of the cast from that reading.

This was one of my favorite moments where she played "against type."

And I'll Seal It With a Kiss - sung by Rebecca Luker

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mHf2EsIHY7Q

The almost-full recorded score is here 

http://www.ellenschwartzandfriends.com/tangled-webs

Saluting Irish Rep for really stepping up as an example: We offer a pragmatic-for-2020 "Meet Me on Zoom in St Louis".

 An off-B'way parody-tribute: Saluting the Irish Rep with a pragmatic-in-2020 "Meet Me on Zoom in St Louis"

https://youtu.be/bBNVI5PCmiM

"Have a Merry Distant Christmas (and Have it Yourself!)"

Yikes, it's SUCH a sad song in context. Was it really always "Until then we'll have to muddle through somehow?" - wasn't it more cheery like hang some star on some highest bough? Maybe they changed it for 2020! :)  Of course they didn't, but the whole story resonates tougher somehow. 

Seriously:  All the very best. and break legs to "Meet Me In St. Louis"

And- 

Since it's still relevant:  This came to mind only because of Robert Cuccioli off-Bway at Irish Rep last month. Nothing political meant, of course.

.

THIS IS WHAT JOE MEANT - goal of uniting all sides - this is more an homage/parody.

https://youtu.be/D0YLT0ON0MM

To honor a move FROM what we've had which was an intentional real life Jekyll and Hyde

 

Remembering actor David Prowse, who became best known embodying Darth Vader

 A quick "Darth of Your World" - the parody asks: Will we ever get to see Darth Vader in "Disney's Star Wars" onstage?

https://youtu.be/zBgUp7OrFbk

R.I.P. David Prowse, the distinguished actor who became best known embodying Darth Vader