The timing with the Tonys couldn't be much better. It's a day o' theater. I'm heading off very shortly to see a matinee of the Kander-Ebb musical, The Scottsboro Boys. (It got 12 Tony nominations last year, though didn't win any.) I've been looking forward to seeing this since its workshop days, since I've been getting emails about it from my friend John Kander. (Not that John Kander, but his nephew. We've been friends since summer camp at Camp Nebagamon -- the same camp that that John Kander also went to.) John II has been writing me for a couple years about how wonderful the show is, and sending me videos, so I'm quite primed. This video is the one that most got me intrigued. It's called "Go Back Home" and sounds nothing like a Kander-Ebb song, who the among many musicals they wrote include, of course, Cabaret and Chicago, not to mention the song "New York, New York." (Fred Ebb passed away long before The Scottsboro Boys went to a workshop production. In fact, the previous Kander-Ebb musical, Curtains, was also produced after Fred Ebb died. As far as I'm aware, they even have two more musicals in advanced state of development: one based on Thornton Wilder's The Skin of Their Teeth, and another based on the play The Visit, which has developed enough that the musical actually played at the Goodman Theatre in Chicago a couple years ago. Whether either of these will progress, though, remains to be seen.) Anyway, I find it impressive that after having such an iconic career and sound, often brassy, that Kander and Ebb were able to still grow and come up with a song that you wouldn't have any idea that it was by them. The song here is performed by Brandon Victor Dixon, and introduced by John Kander when several of the show's creators were appearing on a local New York TV show, Theater Talk.
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I've posted a few videos of barbershop singing in the past -- and trust me, I will in the future. Now, to be clear, I know that barbershop singing isn't for everyone, so I have to be careful what I pick and choose. (Or not. We'll see...) But I think this fits that bill. It's from Jimmy Fallon's show, where he joins a barbershop quartet for a four-part harmony version of an old '90s classic. No, that's 1890s, but 1990s. Here then, with his group, The Ragtime Gals, is the barbershop version of "I Wanna Sex You Up." Patrick Stewart has been a longtime advocate on the subject of violence against women, and often spoken out strongly on the subject, perhaps most notably at Amnesty International. At of all places, Comicpalooza 2013, he was asked the kind of question you don't tend to get at a convention like Comicpalooza. This is his eloquent, touching, moving answer. If you liked Patrick Stewart before, you will likely now admire him. If you were never a particular fan, you might be giving him a second thought. This video was posted by the woman who asked the question. Stay to the end to see what she's wearing, which adds a heartfelt turn to it all. Yesterday, I told the story and embedded the video of the classic -- and lost -- version of Ray Bolger singing his iconic song, "Once in Love with Amy," from the musical, Where's Charley?, by Frank Loesser. But, the thing is, though it's the original and legendary, I'm not so sure that it's definitive rendition of the song. After all, it's pretty hard to top this version with perhaps my favorite Muppet, Fozzie Bear. I must admit -- I love "Animals from different species having fun together" videos. This one fits right into that (though it might more apt be in the singular, "Animal from A Different Specie Having Fun" -- though I suspect if the pig wasn't having a good enough time, the baby goat would be bluntly told to stop.) But the more apt reaction might be to wonder if this could become an Olympic event? The Pig Balance Beam, perhaps. This is just a mere tidbit, the point of which is only about 30 seconds short. But if you're a fan of the brilliant Fawlty Towers, it's long enough. The event was a 2008 charity extravaganza in London in honor of Prince Charles's 60th birthday, entitled, We are Most Amused. It had an extensive collection of entertainers, but this was one of the quietest moments all night and, from what I read, got one of the loudest cheers. John Cleese was host for the night, and apparently one of the running jokes was that he'd been getting pummeled all night. What happens next -- well, you probably have a slight idea from the image below -- but it's a joy to see Manuel and Meester Faaawlty together again, even if only briefly. |
AuthorRobert J. Elisberg is a political commentator, screenwriter, novelist, tech writer and also some other things that I just tend to keep forgetting. Feedspot Badge of Honor
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