Broadway 2 A Day: 1976 - 1980 (200 shows - Annie to Evita)

Hi friends! I have now listened to over 200 Broadway cast recordings (201 to be exact) and I'm continuing to learn that if I haven't heard of a show before, chances are, there's a good reason!

At the end of the year (or whenever I decide to just give up on this) I plan to make a condensed list of a few favorites per decade that you guys can listen to if you're interested in an abridged experience. We've got quite a few shows to cover so let's dive in. 

• I Love My Wife
• Have I heard of it before? No
• Did I enjoy it? No, this was forgettable with a weird plot 
• Synopsis: In I Love My Wife, Alvin and Wally have been friends ever since high school and are now married men. They decide that on Christmas Eve they will have a foursome. Alvin will have sex with Wally's wife and Wally will have sex with Alvin's wife. In the end they fail to follow through with their hoped-for orgy. However, both couples manage to keep their friendships intact. (Stage Agent)
• Favorite song: Someone Wonderful I Missed
• Side by Side by Sondheim
• Have I heard of it before? Yes
• Did I enjoy it? Yes I am a dedicated Sondheim fan and like *almost* everything he makes
• Synopsis: ‘Side by Side by Sondheim’ is a musical revue focusing on both famous and obscure songs by Broadway icon Stephen Sondheim. Sondheim’s songs bring up themes such as marriage and the meaning of happiness. (Stage Agent)
• Favorite song: Everybody Says Don't
• Annie
• Have I heard of it before? Of course
• Did I enjoy it? Yeah Annie is a classic and reminds me of my childhood
• Synopsis: With a perfect combination of street-smarts and optimism, Annie warms the hearts of the audience as we witness her rise from next to nothing in New York City. She is determined to find her parents, who left her at the orphanage years ago. Though things don’t quite work out the way she has planned, she does manage to thwart the plans of the evil Miss Hannigan and find a new family with billionaire Oliver Warbucks, his secretary Grace Farrell, and her lovable pooch, Sandy. (Stage Agent)
• Favorite song: Tomorrow (it's a classic what can I say)
• The Act
• Have I heard of it before? Nope
• Did I enjoy it? There were some fun, upbeat numbers
• Synopsis: The action takes place at the Hotel Las Vegas at the present time and concerns Michelle Craig's nightclub act and her memories. The Act was written as a vehicle for Liza Minnelli and originally directed by Martin Scorsese. However, the show was a bomb on Broadway. (Stage Agent)
• Favorite song: Arthur in the Afternoon
• Ain't Misbehavin 
• Have I heard of it before? Yes but I still know very little about it
• Did I enjoy it? This didn't really capture my attention, revues hardly ever do 
• Synopsis: The Harlem Renaissance of the 1920s and 1930s comes to life in the three-time Tony award-winning musical revue, Ain't Misbehavin’. Join five performers on a journey through the timeless music of Thomas “Fats” Waller. (Stage Agent)
• Favorite song: Ain't Misbehavin / Lookin' Good But Feelin' Bad
• On the Twentieth Century 
• Have I heard of it before? Only because Kristin Chenoweth was in a recent revival
• Did I enjoy it? No, I was disappointed in this one. I had high hopes but the soundtrack was so long and none of the songs held my attention. 
• Synopsis: "On the Twentieth Century" focuses on egomaniacal producer Oscar Jaffee and his volatile personal and professional relationship with the arrogant film actress Lily Garland. After producing four flops in a row, Jaffee's theater is being foreclosed. He then books a suite on the luxury train the Twentieth Century Limited, heading from Chicago to New York City with Garland and her new beau, narcissistic heartthrob Bruce Granit, on board, in the hope he can lure her back to the stage and salvage his sinking career. Garland, who abhors Jaffee, is just as determined to escape his charm, and a battle of wits begins. (Stage Agent)
• Favorite song: Saddle Up The Horse / On the Twentieth Century 
• Working
• Have I heard of it before? No
• Did I enjoy it? I actually did, it was a unique concept and a lot of the songs were catchy 
• Synopsis: Working concerns the hopes, dreams, joys and concerns of the average working American. In the course of one twenty-four hour workday, the audience meets and hears stories of various workers including the schoolteacher, the parking lot attendant, the waitress, the mill worker, the mason, the trucker, the fireman and the housewife. (Stage Agent)
• Favorite song: It's An Art
• The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas
• Have I heard of it before? Yes, only because queen Dolly Parton was in the movie version
• Did I enjoy it? Yeah it was fun, I'd like to watch the movie at some point
• Synopsis: The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas, a rollicking hootenanny of a musical, is based on the true story of a legendary Texas brothel, which operated from the 1840s to 1973. Protected by a friendly sheriff and frequented by politicians, football teams, and others, the “Chicken Ranch” thrived in the small town of Gilbert, Texas. Girls came from all over to work at the ranch and make a little extra cash. However, a crusading do-gooder Houston radio commentator and his conservative audience expose the Chicken Ranch, forcing it to shut its doors forever. (Stage Agent)
• Favorite song: A Lil' Ole Bitty Pissant Country Place
• Ballroom
• Have I heard of it before? No
• Did I enjoy it? Not really
• Synopsis: Ballroom is the story of a widow, Bea Asher, who finds love again with a mailman, Al Rossi, while visiting a local dance hall. It has been a year since Bea’s husband died and she is thrilled to rediscover the joys of dance and love. However, trouble ensues when it turns out that Al is a married man. Further, Bea's family feels that she should still be in mourning for her husband. (Stage Agent)
• Favorite song: One by One
• They're Playing Our Song
• Have I heard of it before? I have, but knew nothing about it
• Did I enjoy it? I was bored 
• Synopsis: Nominated for Tony Awards in Best Musical and Best Book (1979), this romantic comedy explores the ups and downs of the professional and personal relationship of songwriters Vernon and Sonia. After a series of trials and tribulations, love conquers all as they find true love before the final curtain. With a book by Neil Simon, the musical is inspired by the real-life relationship of Marvin Hamlisch and Carole Bayer Sager. (Stage Agent)
• Favorite song: Fill In The Words
• Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street
• Have I heard of it before? This is one of my favorite shows of all time and I really love every version of it I've seen, I am still upset they cut The Ballad of Sweeney Todd from the movie though. 
• Did I enjoy it? 100%
• Synopsis: Sweeney Todd is the unsettling tale of a Victorian-era barber who returns home to London after fifteen years of exile to take revenge on the corrupt judge who ruined his life. When revenge eludes him, Sweeney swears vengeance on the entire human race, murdering as many people as he can, while his business associate Mrs. Lovett bakes the bodies into meat pies and sells them to the unsuspecting public. (Stage Agent)
• Favorite song: A Little Priest (it was so hard to pick)
• Evita
• Have I heard of it before? This is also one of my favorite shows of all time and I own the original cast recording on iTunes, CD and vinyl. I also have loved the movie for years. I got to see Caroline Bowman and Josh Young in the show a few years ago and it was fantastic. 
• Did I enjoy it? Yes, I really love Patti LuPone and Mandy Patinkin in this show
• Synopsis: Evita is based on the historical story of María Eva Duarte de Perón, a poor Argentinian girl who grows up to be the wife of the president of Argentina, worshipped by her people. As a young woman who longs for an acting career, fame, and fortune, Eva quickly learns that her feminine wiles hold power among a culture, and a political system, run by men. Once she makes it to Buenos Aires, Evita finds fame and power in her powers of seduction, eventually seducing the rising political figure, Juan Perón, who becomes the President of Argentina. As First Lady of Argentina, she aligns herself with the poor, winning herself, and Perón, popularity among Argentinians. Evita becomes a hero to the poor and the working class­—and an enemy to the rich. A young and unknown revolutionary, Ché, narrates the rise and fall of the beloved matriarch of the Argentinian people. (Stage Agent)
• Favorite song: A New Argentina (also very hard to pick just one)