THE BROADWAY MUSICALS YEARBOOK 1968 (RADIO PROGRAM PROMO)

 

“The Broadway Musicals Yearbook” will be heard on Artsound FM 92.7 at 5pm on Sunday 30 January and repeated at 11pm on Monday 31 January.  The show is produced and narrated by Len Power, Canberra theatre critic, music critic and radio presenter.

This week – the musicals of 1968

1968 saw revolutionary change on Broadway with the opening of the rock musical, ‘Hair’.  Also popular was Burt Bacharach’s ‘Promises, Promises’.  There were also the more conventional shows, ‘Zorba’, based on ‘Zorba The Greek’ and ‘The Happy Time’ with Robert Goulet.

You’ll hear songs from all of these shows including ‘Easy To Be Hard’ (from ‘Hair’), ‘I’ll Never Fall In Love Again’ (‘Promises, Promises’), ‘No Boom Boom’ (‘Zorba’), ‘The Happy Time’ (‘The Happy Time’).

Performers include Robert Goulet, Patricia Routledge, Herschel Bernardi, Steve Lawrence, Joel Grey and Jerry Orbach.

Listen Now: https://artsound.fm/shows/the-broadway-musicals-yearbook/

 

THE GERSHWIN PROJECT - EPISODE 19 (RADIO PROGRAM PROMO)

 

THE GERSHWIN PROJECT – EPISODE 19

‘The Gershwin Project’ is a 26 episode series about the life and works of the 20th Century American music composer, George Gershwin.

The series was first broadcast on Artsound FM in 2008.  The show was written and produced by Len Power and is narrated by Bill Stephens.

With access to the vast music library of local Gershwin collector, Bert Whelan, the programs include not only Gershwin’s well-known music but also an extraordinary number of Gershwin rarities.

Program 19: The Almost Lost ‘Tip Toes’ and the Ever Popular ‘Oh Kay!’

The program focuses on two Gershwin shows that were popular in their original productions.  Why then did one disappear for 30 years while the other had frequent revivals?  From the score of ‘Tip-Toes’ we hear the hit song ‘That Certain Feeling’ and the sweetly romantic ‘Looking For The Boy’ with performances by Emily Loesser (daughter of ‘Guys And Dolls’ composer Frank Loesser) and others.  Gertrude Lawrence and George Gershwin himself present hits from ‘Oh, Kay!’ and Patrick Cassidy gives us the very danceable ‘Fidgety Feet’.

Listen now: 

https://www.mixcloud.com/artsoundfm/the-gershwin-project-episode-19/

 

THE BROADWAY MUSICALS YEARBOOK 1925 (RADIO PROGRAM PROMO)

 

“The Broadway Musicals Yearbook” will be heard on Artsound FM 92.7 at 5pm on Sunday 23 January and repeated at 11pm on Monday 24 January.  The show is produced and narrated by Len Power, Canberra theatre critic, music critic and radio presenter.

This week – the musicals of 1925

In 1925, Rudolph Friml’s operetta, ‘The Vagabond King’, was a big hit on Broadway.  Rodgers and Hart produced their first full musical, ‘Dearest Enemy’, and George Gershwin had two musicals on Broadway that year – ‘Tell Me More’ and ‘Tip-Toes’.  There was also Vincent Youman’s big hit, ‘No, No, Nanette’.

You’ll hear songs from all of these shows including ‘Tea For Two’ (from ‘No, No, Nanette’), ‘Song Of The Vagabonds’ (‘The Vagabond King’), ‘Kickin’ The Clouds Away’ (‘Tell Me More’), ‘Who?’ (‘Sunny’), ‘Looking For A Boy’ (‘Tip-Toes’) and ‘Manhattan’ (‘The Garrick Gaieties’).

Performers include Dennis King, Mickey Rooney, Emily Loesser, Howard McGillin, Nancy Anderson, Jack Buchanan, Christine Ebersole and Cyril Ritchard. 

Listen Now: https://artsound.fm/shows/the-broadway-musicals-yearbook/

 

 

THE GERSHWIN PROJECT - EPISODE 18 (RADIO PROGRAM PROMO)

 

‘The Gershwin Project’ is a 26 episode series about the life and works of the 20th Century American music composer, George Gershwin.  Each episode runs for 30 minutes.

The series was first broadcast on Artsound FM in 2008.  The show was written and produced by Len Power and is narrated by Bill Stephens.

With access to the vast music library of local Gershwin collector, Bert Whelan, the programs include not only Gershwin’s well-known music but also an extraordinary number of Gershwin rarities.

Program 18: ‘Porgy And Bess’: An American Opera

In 1935, George Gershwin wrote what has become the best-known American opera, ‘Porgy and Bess’.  We hear interviews with the original stars, Todd Duncan and Anne Brown, talking about working with George Gershwin.  There’s also a song deleted originally from the score and not heard again until 1980.  You’ll hear performances by Billie Holliday as well as Robert McFerrin and Cab Calloway among others.

 Listen now:

 https://www.mixcloud.com/artsoundfm/the-gershwin-project-episode-18/

 

McKELLEN: PLAYING THE PART (DOCUMENTARY REVIEW)

 Directed by Joe Stephenson

Streaming on ABC IView to 9 February

 

Reviewed by Len Power 11 January 2022

 

At the start of the documentary, ‘McKellen: Playing The Part’, actor Sir Ian McKellen advises the unseen interviewer that he is unsure how he should present himself.  With self-mocking humour, he suggests that, even appearing as himself, he is still giving a performance.  It’s just a matter of deciding which performance it should be.

This candour at the start of the documentary continues throughout.  He may feel he is giving a performance but his skill at talking directly and fearlessly to us through the camera is thoroughly engaging.  It’s like we’re having our own intimate chat with him.

Born in Lancashire, England in 1939, he spent his childhood in Wigan.  His experience of living through the war as a young child had a lasting impact on him.  Exposed to theatre from an early age, he became active in theatre himself while at Cambridge University.  It was at that time that he decided to become a professional actor.

After four years in regional repertory theatres, he made his first West End appearance and joined Laurence Olivier’s National Theatre Company at the Old Vic in 1965.  His reputation as a formidable classical actor steadily increased and he was constantly in demand.  Work in films came to him later in life and he found international fame for his portrayal of Gandalf in ‘The Lord Of The Rings’ films.

He has been honoured with most major awards including a Tony Award on Broadway, two Academy Award nominations as well as six British Olivier Awards.

He came out publicly as a gay man in 1988 and has been a tireless activist for gay rights since then.  He was a co-founder of Stonewall, an LGBT rights lobby group in the United Kingdom.  He is also known for his tireless charity work.

The documentary includes a considerable amount of archival footage of his acting performances from television as well as interviews in the media about his LGBT support.  His relaxed eloquence and emotional control during a particularly difficult gay rights discussion with a politician on television is one of the highlights of the archival footage shown.

Another aspect of the documentary adds an unexpected dimension.  Certain scenes have been dramatized and woven into the commentary.  It works extremely well.

This is a fine documentary about a remarkable actor and man.  He may be famous but his down to earth manner makes him engaging company.  He radiates honesty laced with a sense of humour throughout.  I didn’t want it to end.

‘McKellen: Playing the Part’ is available for streaming on ABC IView until the 9^th of February.

Len Power's reviews are also broadcast on Artsound FM 92.7 in the ‘Arts Cafe’ and ‘Arts About’ programs and published in the Canberra Critics Circle blog.

THE BROADWAY MUSICALS YEARBOOK 2007 (RADIO PROGRAM PROMO)

 

“The Broadway Musicals Yearbook” will be heard on Artsound FM 92.7 at 5pm on Sunday 16 January and repeated at 11pm on Monday 17 January.  The show is produced and narrated by Len Power, Canberra theatre critic, music critic and radio presenter.

This week – the musicals of 2007

2007 saw a number of new shows based on popular movies such as ‘Legally Blonde’, ‘Xanadu’ and ‘Young Frankenstein’.  ‘Curtains’, an original musical about a backstage murder mystery was one of the final shows by the team of Kander and Ebb of ‘Cabaret’ and ‘Chicago’ fame.

You’ll hear songs from all of these shows including ‘Xanadu’ (from ‘Xanadu’),‘Show People’ (‘Curtains’), ‘So Much Better’ (‘Legally Blonde’) and the Frankenstein Monster singing ‘Puttin’ On the Ritz’ (‘Young Frankenstein’.)

Performers include Kerry Butler (original star of ‘Xanadu’), Debra Monk and David Hyde Pierce (‘Curtains’), Laura Bell Bundy (‘Legally Blonde’) and Shuler Hensley (‘Young Frankenstein’). 

Listen Now: https://artsound.fm/shows/the-broadway-musicals-yearbook/

 

 

ON BROADWAY (DOCUMENTARY REVIEW)

Directed by Oren Jacoby

Streaming on SBS On Demand

Although the Covid pandemic caused Broadway theatres to close down for nearly two years, until that happened Broadway had been enjoying a surge in popularity.  New shows like ‘Hamilton’, ‘Come From Away’ and ‘Dear Evan Hansen’ were playing to sold out audiences night after night.

‘On Broadway’, a new documentary directed by Oren Jacoby and currently streaming on SBS On Demand, celebrates that current popularity but also shows how New York almost lost the Broadway theatre district fifty years ago.

The story of Broadway’s current renaissance is a fascinating one.  Crime and a nearly bankrupt city caused people to stay away from the area in droves in the 1970s.  Times Square was run down and dangerous and many theatres were closed for long periods.  Real estate developers talked of razing the theatres and building high rise office blocks and apartments as a way of improving the area.  Broadway was in trouble.

Happily, theatre seems to survive against all odds.  Some theatres were lost but there was also an influx of highly successful, long-running British musicals from Andrew Lloyd Webber and Cameron Mackintosh.  The Disney organization noticed the huge amounts of money being made by these shows and decided to get in on the act.  The deteriorating New Amsterdam Theatre on 42nd Street was rescued and restored back to its spectacular Art Deco beginnings as a new home for Disney stage musicals.  The success of this venture was the start of a clean up of the whole Broadway area and the rise of the theatre to its new vibrancy today.

In the documentary, an all-star cast tells the inside story of the Broadway theatre, and how it came back from the brink thanks to innovative work, a new attention to inclusion and a sometimes uneasy balance between art and commerce. Legends of the stage and screen, including Helen Mirren, Christine Baranski, August Wilson, James Corden, Alec Baldwin, John Lithgow, Viola Davis, Hugh Jackman and Ian McKellen, take us behind the scenes of Broadway's most groundbreaking and beloved shows, from ‘A Chorus Line’ to ‘Cats’, ‘Phantom of the Opera’ and ‘Hamilton.’

This isn’t just a rosy picture of Broadway.  Some of those interviewed express concern at the prohibitive cost of mounting shows on Broadway.  The high risk of failure sees a lack of experiment and adventure in new shows.  Producers are mostly playing safe with juke box musicals and shows based on recognizable hit movies.  High ticket prices are making it impossible for many people to afford to see a show and tourists rather than locals account for most ticket sales these days.

This is an excellent documentary and a must see for anyone interested in theatre.  It’s currently streaming for free on SBS On Demand.

 Len Power's reviews are also broadcast on Artsound FM 92.7 in the ‘Arts Cafe’ and ‘Arts About’ programs and published in the Canberra Critics Circle blog.

 

 

THE GERSHWIN PROJECT - EPISODE 17 (RADIO PROGRAM PROMO)

 

‘The Gershwin Project’ is a 26 episode series about the life and works of the 20th Century American music composer, George Gershwin.

Program 17: George Gershwin’s Radio Programs

In 1934, George Gershwin looked for ways to finance the time he would spend writing his opera ‘Porgy And Bess’.  He agreed to do a twice weekly radio program.  Long thought lost, recordings of these programs have been found and preserved.  It’s another opportunity to hear George at the piano, playing and talking about his work.

Listen now: 

https://www.mixcloud.com/artsoundfm/the-gershwin-project-episode-17/

 

 

THE BROADWAY MUSICALS YEARBOOK 1946 (RADIO PROGRAM PROMO)

 

THE BROADWAY MUSICALS YEARBOOK 1946

“The Broadway Musicals Yearbook” will be heard on Artsound FM 92.7 at 5pm on Sunday 9 January and repeated at 11pm on Monday 10 January.  The show is produced and narrated by Len Power, Canberra theatre critic, music critic and radio presenter.

This week – the musicals of 1946

1946 was the year of ‘Annie Get Your Gun’ with Ethel Merman.  Pearl Bailey wowed audiences in Harold Arlen’s ‘St Louis Woman’ and Duke Ellington had his only book musical on Broadway, ‘Beggar’s Holiday’.  Orson Welles produced Cole Porter’s spectacular show, ‘Around the World’, and Ira Gershwin wrote the lyrics for the sophisticated musical, ‘Park Avenue’.

You’ll hear songs from all of these shows like ‘There’s No Business Like Show Business’, ‘Come Rain or Come Shine’, ‘Anything You Can Do’, ‘I Had Myself A True Love’ and ‘Don't Be A Woman, If You Can’.

Performers include Ethel Merman, Lena Horne, Kaye Ballard, Pearl Bailey, Dody Goodman, Mary Martin and Sarah Vaughan. 

Listen Now: https://artsound.fm/shows/the-broadway-musicals-yearbook/

 

THE GERSHWIN PROJECT - EPISODE 16 (RADIO PROGRAM PROMO)

 

THE GERSHWIN PROJECT – EPISODE 16

‘The Gershwin Project’ is a 26 episode series about the life and works of the 20th Century American music composer, George Gershwin.  Each episode runs for 30 minutes.

The series was first broadcast on Artsound FM in 2008.  The show was written and produced by Len Power and is narrated by Bill Stephens.

With access to the vast music library of local Gershwin collector, Bert Whelan, the programs include not only Gershwin’s well-known music but also an extraordinary number of Gershwin rarities.

Program 16: Homesick Blues: ‘An American In Paris’

Everyone knows ‘An American In Paris’, but did you know it was written originally for two pianos?  We’ll hear the LaBeque Sisters playing the ‘blues’ section from this version as well as the famous original recording from 1929 of the work fully orchestrated.  We’ll also hear a selection from the little-known ballet ‘An American In Paris’ from the forgotten 1929 musical ‘Show Girl’.

 Listen now:

https://www.mixcloud.com/artsoundfm/the-gershwin-project-episode-16/

 

 

THE BROADWAY MUSICALS YEARBOOK 1960 (RADIO PROGRAM PROMO)

 

THE BROADWAY MUSICALS YEARBOOK 1960

 “The Broadway Musicals Yearbook” will be heard on Artsound FM 92.7 at 5pm on Sunday 2 January and repeated at 11pm on Monday 3 January.  The show is produced and narrated by Len Power, Canberra theatre critic, music critic and radio presenter.

This week – the musicals of 1960

In 1960, Lucille Ball was on Broadway in Cy Coleman’s ‘Wildcat’.  ‘Bye Bye Birdie’ appealed to young and old audiences with its rock and roll music score and Tammy Grimes was in ‘The Unsinkable Molly Brown’.  Richard Burton, Robert Goulet and and Julie Andrews gave unforgettable performances in ‘Camelot’ with music and lyrics by Lerner and Loewe.

Songs in this program include ‘Hey Look Me Over’ (‘Wildcat’), ‘One Last Kiss’ (‘Bye Bye Birdie’), ‘If Ever I Would Leave You’ (‘Camelot’) and ‘Belly Up To The Bar, Boys’ (‘The Unsinkable Molly Brown’.)

Performers include Lucille Ball, Richard Burton, Robert Goulet, Julie Andrews, Tammy Grimes, Anthony Perkins and Keith Michell.

 

Listen Now: https://artsound.fm/shows/the-broadway-musicals-yearbook/