Saturday, December 7, 2024

Revisiting our parody - a money-minded Lois Lane from "Kiss Me Kate" at the Premium ER triage desk

 Always seeking a theater-song lighter side -

What is and isn't covered by health insurance has gotten into the news in such a strange dark way.
Revisiting our parody where we imagine a money-minded Lois Lane from "Kiss Me Kate" at the triage desk at the V.I.P. Emergency Room
PARODY- Lois Lane from Kiss Me Kate-"Triage at the Premium ER"-
Parody Lyric-Fred Landau 
Feat. Emily (MJ) McAleesejergins

Tuesday, November 26, 2024

Saluting the recent Times article on the obligatory Broadway standing ovation - "Chatting Is a Show's Best Friend"

 The reader-commenter reaction to last week's New York Times article on the obligatory Standing Ovation on Broadway makes this feel like a time to look back on when that subject was a Times front page article - at the time of Megan Hilty starring in the 2012 "Gentlemen Prefer Blondes."  

A cast's parody plea to save your energy and please post vigorously online - that chatting online means more than a standing O to their continued employment!

"Chatting Is a Show's Best Friend"
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kUa5GGeLdH8

Wednesday, November 20, 2024

Celebrating the WICKED score with a sing-along parody YouTube - "Crying Poverty" to "Defying Gravity"

 

Celebrating the WICKED movie and score this blog's way - 

with a sing-along parody YouTube - "Crying Poverty" to "Defying Gravity

This parody takes the viewpoint of the "misunderstood" 
Ruth Madoff in the Madoff financial scandal

 "Crying Poverty" - 
Parody to WICKED's "Defying Gravity" 



Tuesday, November 5, 2024

Some theater-music Election Day parody silliness (to a Gershwin classic) - "Vote- and Do it Again"

 Some theater-music Election Day parody silliness (to a Gershwin classic)

Recalling four years ago, when the meme of "I voted twice today" seemed to be on silly badges and stickers everywhere

For parody only: "VOTE - AND DO IT AGAIN" - 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=77pqZZHbd9w

Sunday, October 27, 2024

Halloween Parody tradition - some theater ghosts


Halloween Parody tradition - some theater ghosts 

 The ghost of Henry Miller first gripes about his theatre being re-named for Sondheim, then comes to like the idea

"Losing My Sign" - parody of "Losing My Mind" from FOLLIES 




And on a lower-tech note, the ghost of Alan Jay Lerner hanging out at Vassar watching the ON A CLEAR DAY revisal (making Daisy Gamble a gay man) in its pre-NYC incarnation, thinking about why his heirs approved their rewriting his work
"What Did it Lack That it Has Now?" - parody of "What Did I Have" from ON A CLEAR DAY

Wednesday, October 16, 2024

As ticket sales start for the new Hugh Jackman show at Radio City: I RAID MY KEOGH, parody of I GO TO RIO

 With excitement building for the new Hugh Jackman show at Radio City, feels like a good time for a parody-tribute reminder of how we feel about buying tickets whenever Hugh Jackman does a show!


“I RAID MY KEOGH” - parody of “I GO TO RIO”   

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rPa84ySiryA

Tuesday, October 15, 2024

Our musical THE LAST STARFIGHTER opened 20 years ago at New York's Storm Theatre

 Our musical THE LAST STARFIGHTER opened 20 years ago at New York's Storm Theatre, October 15 2004.  So many great memories!  The most recent production was in Dec. 2022 in Cleveland, and hoping there will be many more in the future. 


Info about our original cast recording on the Kritzerland label's website


This was the article on Playbill on the day of our opening night 20 years ago.

Wednesday, October 2, 2024

"They All Laughed" Gershwin parody - Disagreement about honoring Christopher Columbus, but how about keeping the 3-day weekend.

 

Asking the parody question: When people disagree so strongly about honoring Columbus, do they still agree about wanting to keep the three-day weekend?

"They're All Dissing Christopher Columbus" -

THEY ALL LAUGHED (AT CHRISTOPHER COLUMBUS) parody


Parody lyric by Fred Landau
Feat. Sheree Sano

Wednesday, September 4, 2024

For the coming Jewish New Year - this blog's show tune tradition

 For Rosh Hashanah 

"Put Your Pain In the Hands of a Jew" - music by Skip Kennon, lyric by Fred Landau
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xlzpDsd_q-k
Sung by Neal Mayer

We wrote that when asked to submit for a show whose script described the concept as "jokes used as Jewish novocaine" - 
Then the show "Old Jews..." dropped that concept,  but recording this was great fun! With YouTube, no song ever has to stay in a drawer, so the song lives on, on YouTube.


and Counting down to  Yom Kippur:

"I Will Survive" parody lyric by Fred Landau - "I'll be Inscribed":
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uxTuhLayowQ
sung by Jan Horvath

Sunday, August 4, 2024

Recalling Louis Armstrong on his birthday - Parody of the feel-good WHAT A WONDERFUL WORLD, a feel-not-that-good WHAT A ONE-PERCENT WORLD

 Remembering Louis Armstrong on his birthday August 4, in my YouTube channel's way of remembering a classic recording -

A parody of the feel-good WHAT A WONDERFUL WORLD 

A feel-not-that-good update WHAT A ONE-PERCENT WORLD - from Sept. 2017 but still feels relevant somehow

Parody lyric by Fred Landau. Many thanks to Sheree Sano for doing the vocal!

Saturday, July 27, 2024

Saluting Celine Dion after her Olympics performance, the only way my blog and YouTube channel really can

 Saluting Celine Dion after her Olympics performance, the only way my blog and YouTube channel really can - and the City Center 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" (many thanks to the brilliant Jan Horvath) - 

Sing-along lyrics version  

Friday, July 19, 2024

As Broadway ticket prices hit amazing new highs in July 2024: Some of our parodies of premium prices


Broadway ticket prices hit a new high ($1400 - that was for EACH ticket) in July 2024.  And that's buying from the box office, not scalpers. 


To either celebrate or commiserate, depending on your point of view, whether you're selling tickets or buying tickets -  


A few of this blog's parodies on the subject of Broadway Premium ticket prices


For Hugh Jackman shows 

“I Raid My Keogh” - parody of “I Go To Rio” from Boy From Oz

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rPa84ySiryA


For the jukebox musical Bat Out of Hell

“We’re All in the Balcony Now” (parody of “It’s All Coming Back to Me Now”)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=smw2Qf3TIR8


For Bette Midler shows - one-person play I’ll Eat You Last and then for Hello Dolly!

“The Gross” (parody to “The Rose”)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-3Eu_V0npOA





Thursday, July 11, 2024

Trying to "glom on" to the "Mary frenzy" on Broadway, re-booting our channel's "Mary Song"

Trying to "glom on" to the "Mary frenzy" on Broadway, re-booting our YouTube channel's "Mary Song" 

 So in parody-tribute to "Oh, Mary!" - cheering on all the Marys in day-to-day life and in cultural history   

A BRAND NEW MARY

https://youtu.be/SSFtaG74LDc

(Music & Lyric - Fred Landau)


[Edited July 15 2024]

Sunday, July 7, 2024

As the great Imelda Staunton starts HELLO DOLLY in London, recalling her "scorching Momma Rose" in GYPSY

 As the great Imelda Staunton takes on HELLO DOLLY in London

This parody was of Imelda Staunton's "scorching Momma Rose" in GYPSY:

SOME ROSES parody to "Some People"
("Some Roses have passed the torch, Got the flame, yeah, but not the scorch") https://youtu.be/L3YPpAOMV_w

This celebrated one of my favorite Ben Brantley London Journal reviews
"London Theater Journal: A Scorching Momma Rose"

Sunday, June 30, 2024

For Pride Parade Day: reprising “I’m Still Queer” - Michael Musto in the Voice called it a "Hilarious Gay Spoof of 'I'm Still Here'"

 For Gay Pride Parade Day: 

The producer of a few CDs I'd worked on had gotten an OK to give me Mr. Sondheim's direct email address, and this 2009 parody was the first of a series of videos from 2009 to 2013 where Mr. Sondheim looked at the parodies before they were recorded and even gave some 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 

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'"

---------

A few more YouTubes from this blog's Sondheim-themed parodies

From May 2020 during Broadway closing for pandemic lockdown 
TOGETHER Parody medley - Joanne (COMPANY)) / Rose (GYPSY) - 
parodies of "The Little Things You Do Together" and Together Wherever We Go"
PATTI/SONDHEIM PARODY SALUTE


"Another Hundred Millionaires Got Off of Their Phones"- 
Parody of "Another Hundred People" from "Company"


From just before the Broadway revival of A LITTLE NIGHT MUSIC - 
"A Little Site Music" - 
Act One - with parodies of Every Day a Little Death, A Weekend in the Country and Liaisons - Parody lyrics by Fred Landau, sung by Jan Horvath
Act Two is at 
with parodies of Send In the Clowns, The Miller's Son and The Glamorous Life


As the great Imelda Staunton takes on "Hello Dolly" in London
This 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"
("Some Roses have passed the torch, Got the flame, yeah, but not the scorch") https://youtu.be/L3YPpAOMV_w




Thursday, June 27, 2024

With "A Little Night Music" opening at Lincoln Center tonight- reprising our "A Little Site Music"

 With "A Little Night Music" opening at Lincoln Center tonight-

At the beginning of this (first two minutes), "Every Day I'm on the Net" as Countess Charlotte longingly searches for reasonably priced tickets to [the Nov. 2009] "A Little Night Music"

"A Little Site Music" - Act One - with parodies of Every Day a Little Death, A Weekend in the Country and Liaisons - Parody lyrics by Fred Landau, sung by Jan Horvath

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


Wednesday, June 19, 2024

Parody-Tribute to Sondheim premium pricing - "Another Hundred Millionaires Got Off of Their Phones"-

    

This YouTube video was from Feb. 2020 - imagining what we'd guessed could be a real "premium decade" ahead.

Then the huge financial success of the "Sweeney Todd" revival, and now the triumph of the "Merrily We Roll Along" revival, can be seen as beyond the most ardent Sondheim fans' fantasies for public embrace of Sondheim work!

"Another Hundred Millionaires Got Off of Their Phones"- 
Parody of "Another Hundred People" from "Company"

P.S. It looks like this could apply to the well-heeled people who wanted something from the June 2024 Sondheim auction as well.

Monday, May 20, 2024

Remembering on our parody-song timeline - Our May 2020 seven-minute short parody-song musical film

 

With a new Covid variant seeming to be on its way four years later, 

Remembering on our parody-song timeline 
Our May 2020 seven-minute 
short parody-song musical film 

"When I'm Stuck at Home"


Featuring Emily (MJ) McAleesejergins
Parody lyrics by Fred Landau
vocal producer  KJ McAleesejergins,
video editing and theme music by Scott Arcangel 

A performer tries to make the best of things 
 during uncertainty of when live theater will be back - 
starting with Make 'Em Masks, 
then doing solo versions of big Broadway roles 
with costumes from her own wardrobe - 
Madame Rose (Gypsy), 
Joanne (Company), 
Bianca/Lois Lane (Kiss Me Kate), 
and still "Home" (The Wiz) a while longer.




Thursday, May 9, 2024

My blog's Mother's Day tradition - recalling the ads for the Bway play "The Mother With the Hat"


Linking my blog's parody Mother's Day theater tradition:

This was our "The Mom With the Hat"
https://youtu.be/1_gG1vJGOFk
(Music and lyric by Fred Landau)

Remembering the ads for the controversially-titled hit Broadway play "THE MOTHER****** WITH THE HAT" - The ads called it "THE MOTHER WITH THE HAT"
which looked to some sarcastic online chatters like the perfect present for Mother's Day. It seemed to cry out for a song!


Monday, April 8, 2024

In parody-tribute to the new rom-com movie FLY ME TO THE MOON's trailer being out

In parody-tribute to the new romantic comedy movie FLY ME TO THE MOON's trailer being out - It feels like a good reason to re-boot my "rom-com-ish" Sinatra parody video FLY ME IN THE NUDE. (The parody is pretty G-rated though; the subject is those airline security scanners.)

https://youtu.be/gMJvlkzntBg


Sunday, March 24, 2024

Getting materials together to try to promote these as a cabaret-style show - a snapshot of where we were March 2020 to March 2021

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 - 
Here are the video versions to give a feel for the material.  (This show could also be done as an audience sing-along for the parodies while showing the videos.)

Following the year from March 2020 (when theater closed) to March 2021, when there was finally real hope of theater returning (sparked by the Delacorte announcing its summer schedule).

Socially distant AIR-KISS ME KATE
"Always Some for You When We Need to Ration"
Parody of "Always True to You In My Fashion"
Parody lyric by Fred Landau
Feat Emily (MJ) McAleesejergins


MY FAR LADY - "I've Sewn a Costume for Your Face"
Parody of "I've Grown Accustomed to Her Face"
feat. Sheree Sano
Parody lyric by Fred Landau


"Elbow Connection"
"Rainbow Connection" parody 
Feat KJ McAleesejergins
Parody lyric by Fred Landau

"Whenever I See You Touch Your Face"
Parody of "Your Smiling Face'
Feat. KJ McAleesejergins
Parody lyric by Fred Landau

"Together" medley - Imagining playing two great roles in socially distant versions - parodying Joanne in Company and Madame Rose in Gypsy
Parodies of "The Little Things You Do Together" and "Together Wherever We Go" 
Parody lyric by Fred Landau
Feat Emily (MJ) McAleesejergins

"Gonna Take a Lotta Gloves" 
"Lotta Love" parody 
Parody lyric by Fred Landau 
Feat Emily (MJ) and KJ McAleesejergins


HAVE YOURSELF A VERY DISTANT CHRISTMAS - 
Parody of "Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas"
Parody lyric by Fred Landau
Feat Sheree Sano

"Make 'Em Masks"
"Make 'Em Laugh" parody
Parody Lyric by Fred Landau
Performed by Emily (MJ) McAleesejergins


Hopeful future:

An original (non-parody) song - 
Music and lyric by Fred Landau
WITH MY FRIEND KILLING TIME - Doesn't 6 feet apart beat 6 feet under?


MASK UP FOR SHAKESPEARE - March 2021 as Shakespeare in the Park was the first major NYC venue to announce resuming performances
https://youtu.be/blbyKSx2Uu8 Parody lyric by Fred Landau
Feat. Sheree Sano

Thursday, March 14, 2024

Parody-tribute recalling Emma Stone's starring on Broadway in "Cabaret" in 2014

Parody-tribute honoring Emma Stone winning the Oscar earlier this week

Recalling Emma Stone's starring on Broadway in "Cabaret" in 2014

"Go Tell Emma" (parody-tribute for "Don't Tell Mama"

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RmV2qmS_-5Q

Parody lyric Fred Landau, Vocal Sheree Sano


 

Thursday, February 29, 2024

With the legendary "Forbidden Broadway" becoming a Broadway show, seemed time for this try at a spoof of "Forbidden Broadway"

 Since "Forbidden Broadway" is moving to Broadway, it felt like it was time to dust off this loving, respectful spoof of "Forbidden Broadway" - "Rainbow High" parody - As-if Patti LuPone visits "Forbidden Broadway" trying to avoid seeing Gerard - but loves the show.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0NHwKWrvqlk

Tuesday, February 13, 2024

Floating one last theater love song before Valentine's Day

Posting one last love song before Valentine's Day - This was more of a uptempo charm/dance tune, and was from the time when the YouTubes were starting to move upward a bit for me (this one reached 44,000 views).

"Right Nearby"
Music and lyrics by Fred Landau, 
And many thanks to Janie Smulyan for the vocal 

Tuesday, January 23, 2024

For Valentine’s Day: this blog's tradition, original non-parody theater love songs

 For Valentine’s Day: this blog's tradition, original non-parody theater love songs

If you're looking for love songs to play or perform for Valentine's Day -


“Is It Mushy to Say I Love You” which somehow passed 73,000 views.  not viral, but I'm so glad so many people gave it a listen!

Music: Fred Landau, Lyrics: Hunter Prillaman 



"Brooklyn Boy"

Music and lyrics by Fred Landau



"I Look Into Those Eyes"

Music and lyrics by Fred Landau