Talkin' Broadway Sound Advice Recap Week of 4/2/24

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Books Now Available:

The American Musical: Evolution of an Art Form
(Routledge - new Hardcover Book/Paperback/Kindle Edition)
By Ben West. A portrait of the American musical's artistic evolution over the course of seven distinct, newly defined eras, with a perspective gleaned from research at more than twenty different archives across the United States. 416 pages.

Broadway Melody
(Benzinger & Frank - new Kindle Edition)
Novel by Jack Viertel. "A show business romance crossing 7000 miles and 70 years..."


To Be Released by This Friday, April 5:

To Repair the World: Zelda Fichandler and the Transformation of American Theater
(Routledge - Hardcover/Paperback/Kindle Edition)
By Mary B. Robinson. Biography in the form of an oral history about Zelda Fichandler, whose founding of Arena Stage in Washington, DC in 1950 shifted live professional theater away from Broadway and inspired the creation of non-profit theaters around the country. Dianne Wiest, James Earl Jones, Stacy Keach, and Jane Alexander, among many others, share their memories of this intrepid pioneering woman during Arena Stage’s early years. Fichandler was Head of New York University’s Graduate Acting Program for 25 years. 368 pages.

The Shining
(Pentatone - new 2-CD set)
Lyric Opera of Kansas City recording of Paul Moravec and Mark Campbell's opera based on the novel by Stephen King. Conductor Gerard Schwarz. Cast includes Edward Parks.


Newly Listed Recordings:

May 7:

Ann Kittredge: Romantic Notions
(Jazzheads - new digital album)

Singer Ann Kittredge's second album. "I Just Called to Say I Love You," "I Feel the Earth Move," "Mr. Tambourine Man," "You're My Home," "I Just Want to Dance with You," "Where've You Been," "Garden 2," "Together, Wherever We Go," "I Just Wanted You to Know," "There You Are," "Didn't We," "Romantic Notions." Accompanied by Tom Kochan, Christopher Denny, Alex Rybeck, Sean Harkness, Mary Ann McSweeney, Rex Benincasa, Aaron Heick, Yoed Nir, Gary Oleyar. Produced by Paul Rolnick. Liner notes by Will Friedwald.


Newly Listed Books:

May 16:

How to Find, Choose, and Prepare Successful Audition
(Methuen Drama - Hardcover Book/Paperback/Kindle Edition)
By Adam Wachter. Foreword by Rachel Hoffman. Afterword by Caissie Levy. Takes the reader step-by-step through the process of building your audition repertoire portfolio ... helps to identify what songs are needed in which categories and explains where to find them, how to source and cut the sheet music, and how to communicate effectively with the accompanist and act the song. 184 pages.

June 2024:

From The Back Of The House: Memoir of a Broadway Theatre Manager
(Ibis Books - new book)
Memoir by Broadway theater manager Dan Landon. Spanning from 1978-2018, the book shares backstage and onstage stories of encounters with theatre luminaries such as Bob Fosse, Ian McKellen, Bernadette Peters, August Wilson, Maggie Smith, Judi Dench, Mikhail Baryshnikov, Madeline Kahn, Stephen Sondheim, Tom Stoppard, David Mamet, and more.