Welcome to Broadway 2 A Day: 1950-1951

Hi friends! Been a while since I've been here. I'm tired. 2020 was rough, honestly what else is there to say that hasn't been said. BUT 2020 did introduce me to Tik Tok and that platform made me aware of the "Broadway 2 A Day" challenge.

Theatre educator and audition coach Stacy Moscotti posted a video noting how much she missed live theatre and was looking for an outlet, so she created the Broadway 2 A Day challenge. Essentially the goal is to listen to every recorded Broadway musical from 1950 - 2020 in the span of one year. It's about 730+ shows, no biggie. 

Not all shows have recordings, some have been lost to time (might have been a blessing in disguise) but I will be working my way through the list and sharing my thoughts on here as I have time! Please follow along if you want! Most of the recordings can be found on Spotify, Apple Music or YouTube.

Y'all know musical theatre has always been a huge part of my life and I miss seeing shows so this is the next best thing. 

My plan for this to keep it manageable is to post updates weekly and include the title of the show, a brief synopsis and my favorite song from the show. If the show does not have a recording, I will not include it. Let's get into it.

First week: 1950-1951

• Call Me Madam    
• Have I heard of it before? No
• Did I enjoy it? Yes
• Synopsis: Call Me Madam is a musical written by Howard Lindsay and Russel Crouse, with music and lyrics by Irving Berlin. The musical is a satire on politics and foreign policy that spoofs postwar America's penchant for lending billions of dollars to needy countries. It centers on Sally Adams, a well-meaning but ill-informed socialite widow, who is appointed United States Ambassador to the fictional European country of Lichtenburg (unconnected to the real Lichtenburg which came to fame in 1945 as a concentration camp, but ironically with the inhabitants being clearly Germanic). While there, she charms the local gentry, especially Cosmo Constantine, while her press attaché Kenneth Gibson falls in love with Princess Maria. (Wikipedia)
• Favorite song: It's A Lovely Day Today
• A Tree Grows in Brooklyn
• Have I heard of it before? Yes
• Did I like it? It was a bit boring
• Synopsis: ‘A Tree Grows in Brooklyn’ is the sad story of the Nolan Clan, a Brooklyn working-class family at the turn of the century. The show focuses on Johnny and Katie Nolan, and their turbulent courtship and marriage. Katie, blinded by love, stands by the charming but undependable Johnny through years of broken promises and tarnished hopes. Meanwhile, Katie's sister Cissy moves through a series of "common-law" husbands, each of which she insists on calling Harry after her first lover. The musical shows the heartbreaks that can be endured for the sake of a lover or child. (Stage Agent)
• Favorite song: Make the Man Love Me
• Out of This World
• Have I heard of it before? No
• Did I like it? It kind of reminded me of A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum, so sort-of
• Synopsis: "Out of this World" is a musical adaptation of Plautus' comedy Amphitryon. The story revolves around the lives of Roman gods Mercury and Jupiter, who are in search of some earthly entertainment. The focus of their attention turns to a young bride, Helen and her husband, Art. Things get interesting when Mercury joins the two on their trip to Athens, intending to put himself between the blushing newlyweds. While the men are busy chasing Helen, Goddess Juno (Jupiter's wife) is playing games of her own. (Stage Agent)
• Favorite song: Nobody's Chasing Me
• Flahooley    
• Have I heard of it before? No
• Did I like it? No
• Synopsis: The allegorical tale is set in fictional Capsulanti, USA, site of the headquarters for B.G. Bigelow, Incorporated, the largest toy corporation in the world. Puppet designer Sylvester has created laughing doll Flahooley and is about to unveil it as the company's big Christmas release to the board of directors. (Wikipedia)
• Favorite song: None. Barbara Cook is great but this score was painful to me.
• Oklahoma!
• Have I heard of it before? Yes
• Did I like it? Yes
• Synopsis: The first collaboration of famed partners Richard Rodgers and Oscar Hammerstein II, Oklahoma! set the American musical theatre standard. Set in Western Indian Territory just after the turn of the 20th Century, the spirited rivalry between the local farmers and cowboys provides the backdrop for the love story between Curly, a handsome cowboy, and Laurey, a beautiful farm girl. The road to true love is anything but smooth, but there is no doubt that these two romantics will succeed in making a life together. 
• Favorite song: Many A New Day
• Guys and Dolls
• Have I heard of it before? Yes
• Did I like it? Yes, but I think I need to give it another listen
• Synopsis: It tells the overlapping stories of high-roller Sky Masterson, who falls in love with mission worker Sarah Brown, and lovable rapscallion Nathan Detroit, engaged for 14 years to Miss Adelaide, a headliner at the Hot Box Club. (Broadway.com)
• Favorite song: Luck Be A Lady Tonight
• The King and I
• Have I heard of it before? Yes (side note, does anyone remember the animated movie version?)
• Did I like it? Yes
• Synopsis: Rodgers and Hammerstein’s The King and I is a moving, radiant story of East meets West. It is the early 1860s when newly widowed Anna Leonowens and her son, Louis, set sail from their native England for Bangkok, Siam (now Thailand). Anna, still grieving, has set her sights on a new adventure and taken a position as the schoolteacher for the royal offspring of the King of Siam. The King is determined to usher Siam into the modern world, and he thinks Western education can be a part of that – yet, Anna is horrified at first by many of the traditions that he holds dear. Anna and the King struggle to find common ground. With both keeping a firm grip on their respective traditions and values, Anna and the King teach each other about understanding, respect, and love that can transcend the greatest of differences. (Stage Agent)
• Favorite song: Honestly they're all so good, but I love Hello Young Lovers
• The Pirates of Penzance
• Have I heard of it before? Yes
• Did I like it? No, but I'd like to try the movie
• Synopsis: Gilbert and Sullivan’s most popular show, The Pirates of Penzance, is a rollicking, delightfully funny tale of a band of soft-tempered pirates. Mistakenly apprenticed to a pirate (instead of a pilot) by his nursemaid Ruth at the age of eight, the handsome Frederic is now twenty-one and, though quite fond of the group of joyous and fun-loving pirates, chooses to abandon his profession and “lead a blameless life henceforth,” dedicating himself instead to their eradication. Shortly after leaving them, he encounters a gaggle of beautiful maidens (one of whom, Mabel, steals his heart) and their father, the eccentric Major-General. The Pirates of Penzance (or The Slave of Duty) is a delightful farce of a classic that is fun for all ages. (Stage Agent)
• Favorite song: Modern Major General
• Brigadoon  
• Have I heard of it before? Yes
• Did I like it? More than I expected to
• Synopsis: When New Yorkers Tommy Albright and Jeff Douglas get lost on a vacation in the Scottish Highlands, they stumble into Brigadoon. Brigadoon is a mythical village that, they learn, appears for a single day once every hundred years. At first, Tommy and Jeff are mystified by the villagers’ 18th-century garb as they go to market, but they are soon charmed by romantic liaisons.
• Favorite song: The Love of My Life
• Seventeen    
• Have I heard of it before? No
• Did I like it? Not really
• Synopsis: The show detailed the puppy-love romance between 17-year-old Willie Baxter and the flirtatious Lola Pratt, portrayed by Kenneth Nelson and Ann Crowley. It ran for 182 performances. (Wikipedia)
• Favorite song: This Was Just Another Day

Come back next week for more hot takes ;)