All tagged Soft Power
On this week’s episode, Jamie and Rob chat with Broadway actor and activist Raymond J. Lee. Together, they discuss Ray’s career, his deep love for Disney, the challenges of being a parent during a pandemic, and the importance of representation on stage. From “Mamma Mia!” to “Aladdin”, “Groundhog Day”, “Soft Power”, and Britney Spears ... Ray’s got the range, and he’s optimistic about Broadway’s future.
On this week’s show, Jamie and Rob celebrate the recent release of the “Soft Power” cast album with the musical within a play’s Tony Award winning composer Jeanine Tesori, best known for writing the scores to “Fun Home”, “Caroline, or Change”, and “Thoroughly Modern Millie”, among others. Together, they talk about the unique inception and development of “Soft Power”. Then, Jeanine offers a master class in musical theatre composition as they dive deep into the album with a discussion and analysis of the intention and craft behind each song—from overture to finale!
As we begin a new decade, I look back at my past decade of theatre-going and pick my top 10 favorite plays and musicals.
By my count, I’ve attended 234 performances of theatre, dance, music, opera, and cabaret during 2019. Out of a field that large, it’s hard to pick just ten, but nevertheless, here are my top ten (ok, eleven) favorite shows I saw in 2019.
"Little Shop of Horrors" extends to March with Gideon Glick; "Forbidden Broadway: The Next Generation" to play the York Theatre Company; Johnny Depp producing another Michael Jackson-themed musical in LA; Beth Leavel and Taylor Iman Jones to star in Broadway-bound musical "The Devil Wears Prada"; Jordan Fisher is Broadway’s next Evan Hansen; "Soft Power" will get a cast album; Jo Ellen Pellman will star as Emma in the Netflix film adaptation of "The Prom"; Camille A. Brown joins “Aida” development lab; cast of "Hangmen" announced; "Hustlers" musical might be in the works; RIP Marion McClinton, Valerie Taylor-Barnes, and John Simon
“Soft Power”, David Henry Hwang and Jeanine Tesori’s dramaturgically breathtaking new musical-within-a-play, experiments with form while rendering a sort of reverse version of “The King and I”. The resulting satire of American culture and politics brims with an unpretentious intelligence and an unexpectedly penetrating sense of patriotism. If democracy will break your heart, “Soft Power” can mend it.
The city that never sleeps also boasts a theatre scene that never sleeps. With the summer now behind us, this is an overview of all that’s coming to New York stages this fall (spoiler alert: it’s a lot).
