Woah.

This TED conference video is my favorite yet. Probably because I relate well, but I'm curious to see how you are affected by what the speaker has to say.

Jane is incredible!

Jane Monheit is a fantastic jazz singer that I ran across while researching musicals this summer. Leonard Bernstein's On the Town was on the short list for me to choose for this fall. I didn't end up going with it, but I found this incredible singer and her fabulous version of this song. I think you'll be impressed!

Water Shortage Video

Madrigals-

I found an interesting video to introduce you some of the problems regarding the world's clean water shortage and one man's innovation to help solve the problem. It is from one of the TED (Technology, Entertainment, Design) Conferences - which I find fascinating and often moving. There are tons of clips on hulu.com if you'd like to watch more - they have a wide variety of topics. Also, ted.com has other options.

After you watch the video, work in your teams to research charities for us to support!

TED and Spoken Word Meet

At the 2011 TED Conference, Sarah Kay was invited to speak. She is a fantastic Spoken Word Poetry artist who I think deserves some attention. Unlike the previous TED video I posted - which was technical, this "talk" is more artistic and heart-felt. I was moved by spoken word poetry for the first time earlier this summer when I ran across the young man who performed at the White House. I was watching a variety of TED talks this weekend and found this young woman. Again, I was moved. I think the teacher in me related to the teacher in her and the artist in me related to the artist in her. I found several of the other talks interesting and also moving - but this one was my favorite. I hope you enjoy it and my next post will take us back to my male singer kick! :)

It is a bit long... so wait until you have 20 minutes!

Male Singers - Round 2/AUTO-TUNE RANT

As I was trying to decide which Broadway singer to use for my second installation of my Male Singers series, I was led to a few clips of Matthew Morrison (most commonly known for his portrayal of Mr. Schuester on the hilarious, Emmy-Award winning, and all-around-great-show Glee). Before Glee, he was hot-stuff on Broadway. He originated the role of Link Larkin in Hairspray, the role of Fabricio in The Light in the Piazza, and most recently played the role of Lt. Cable in the well-received Lincoln Center production of South Pacific. Here is a clip from The Light in the Piazza, which has one of the most gorgeous and intricate scores of any modern, successful Broadway show. The composer is Adam Guettel, grandson of Richard Rodgers (of Rodgers and Hammerstein and Rodgers and Hart fame!)

While listening to his fantastic singing, I couldn't help but be shocked by how different he sounds on Glee - which then leads to these negative feelings I have regarding auto-tuning. I know I'm not just a music snob, here. I think it is an obvious problem and one that I hope the public will get tired of quickly - so the music industry will end the fad sooner rather than later. So, listen to this raw, live recording of Matthew Morrison singing Il Mondo Era Vuoto - all in Italian (he just met Clara and has fallen deeply in love with her even though he doesn't speak English and she doesn't speak Italian).

Now, here are my opinions re: auto-tuning the heck out of everything.

Cons
1. It removes the natural sound of the voice. Consider how vastly different Mr. Morrison sounds here compared to on Glee - and not all of that is just because it is a different style of singing!
2. It cheapens the art of singing by allowing computers to do some of the work. How do you think Ashlee Simpson, Miley Cyrus and various other pop singers have survived even though they clearly cannot sing well? If you watch unedited live footage of them singing, it sounds terrible, but because computers can fix it, they can have a career.
3. The general public now expects perfect pitch singing. This, in my opinion, is the primary reason the Glee producers choose to use auto-tune - because it sounds more mainstream. Obviously with the talent they have on the show, they do not need to use this much, but it sounds more like everything else on the radio and they want to make some money! My other thought about their reasoning behind using auto-tuning instead of going organic is because the cast doesn't have much time to learn the music, nor to spend time in the recording studio. After watching the Glee Project this summer, I now have realized how little time they actually have - this way, they don't have to think about notes, they can just work on "emotion."

Pros
1. It offers a new electronica sound that can be used as a tool to get a certain effect. When Cher first used this in her song "Believe" in the late 1990's, I was rather intrigued by the sound. I liked it in the song - I thought it was interesting and different and it worked! Unfortunately, it has now been incredibly over-used. I think in 20 years from now, people will be able to distinguish music from the previous few years and the following few years based on the auto-tune sound in the same way we can distinguish music from the 1980's based on the use of the synthesizer. I least that is my hope.

Enough auto-tune blathering for now! :)

It's time for male singers!!

Those of you who've been following my blog probably have realized I have a thing for excellent female singers - usually divas, but really anyone who can sing. Well, I decided I need to try and present some male options as well in an attempt to not seem so sexist. So, for attempt number one - I chose my absolute favorite male Broadway singer, Norm Lewis. Norm has been in plenty of things on stage, including the revival of Les Miserables where he played Javert. He also got to sing this role on the 25th anniversary concert in London. He knocks "Stars" out of the park. Even more recently, he was in a Sondheim revue called Sondheim on Sondheim where they used video clips of a Stephen Sondheim interview to help tell the story. The cast also included Barbara Cook, Vanessa Williams and Tom Wopat. It was directed by Sondheim collaborator James Lapine. Anyway, Norm sang "Being Alive" from Company (my favorite Sondheim musical!) and it is pretty stellar. Here is a video of him singing the song on Seth Rudetsky's Sirius XM show. Sorry for the not-so-great video quality!

Don't Rain on My Parade

This ultimate diva song from Funny Girl is one of musical theatre's best. The role was originated by Barbara Streisand and made popular again on Glee with Lea Michele singing the great role. I've decided to post three versions of it and let me know which is your favorite! I'm choosing the original - Barbara's live television performance from 1975, a 2002 Broadway Cares, Equity Fights AIDS concert with Lillias White (from the How to Succeed 1995 revival and from Once on this Island), and finally the live Lea Michelle performance at the 2010 Tony's... no auto-tuning here! :)

Go about a minute and a half in to where the song starts!

Glitter and be Kristin

Kristin Chenoweth sings one of my favorite songs from Candide (an operetta by Leonard Bernstein). She is, of course, AMAZING!!!!! There is a nice cameo by the queen diva, Patti LuPone here at the beginning. Background on her character: she is being held captive and shared between two men. She knows this is wrong and horrible, but they keep treating her to all of these nice jewels. Candide is a ridiculous farce that is tons of fun. This entire version is available from Netflix and is well worth your time. Not only is it hilariously entertaining, it is also incredibly well sung. The man playing Candide has a voice to melt anyone's cold, hard heart! :)

Amazing, no?!?!

TED Conference

Two summers ago, I randomly watched this documentary on Netflix streaming about the TED conference. It is basically a high profile meeting of the minds, where everyone presents their ideas/creations/projects/discoveries and networks with one another. This year, I was on Hulu and stumbled across this clip. I think it is a fascinating concept and something I think I've believed in and practiced on some level for awhile - now I feel I have full permission to go with this. Thoughts?

Another Anything Goes Clip

I found another (legal) clip online of Anything Goes. This number is the opening of Act II and is the second "show-stopper" in the production. Sutton, again, is amazing. I love her vocal riffs at the end - and all while mastering the intense movement!! Again, two Wichita people are in the chorus of the show....

Digital Short - Andy Samberg - SNL - A Great Day

This is one of the funniest SNL videos of all time. Don't do drugs, kids.

Audra McDonald is legit!

I first heard Audra McDonald on the recording of the revival of Carousel. Her song, Mister Snow, was enchanting to listen to and I loved hearing her voice. The quality, her nuance - both are insane. Anyway, later, I realized she was kind of a big deal on Broadway having been in tons of shows (Dreamgirls, 110 in the Shade, Ragtime, etc.) She also has several CD's out and performs solo at venues like Lincoln Center. You know, no big deal...

Show Boat is a musical with a fantastic score - one of the best in all of musical theatre. Audra rocks out one of the numbers - Bill. Enjoy her voice and her funny Bill Cosby story! :)

Book of Mormon

It is past due for me to post about this show. I purchased the recording on iTunes the day it was available and haven't regretted it nor have I stopped listening to it! In fact... I've sort of become obsessed with the show. It is incredibly irreverent and also incredibly funny. The show is not for the faint of heart (there are even a few moments in the recording that I have a heart time stomaching...) but if you can look past that, it is easily one of the most hilarious shows Broadway has seen in years and the music is fantastic! The video is one of the few clean(ish) songs from the show and this performance is from the 2011 Tony Telecast. The Book of Mormon won 9 of the 14 Tony's it was nominated for, including Best Musical! Students: while the video is fairly clean, you should obtain permission from your parents for the rest!!

1994 How to Succeed clip

I know many of you have seen the exciting revival of How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying. It is easily one of my favorite shows!! Before Daniel Radcliffe, the only thing I knew and loved was the 1994 revival with Matthew Broderick (from Ferris Buhler's Day Off, The Producers, etc.) and Megan Mullally (Will and Grace). The truly amazing part of this production, however, was Ms. Jones - played by the incomparable Lillias White!! Check this thing out and watch it to the end... I think you'll be pleasantly surprised! Copy and paste the link:

http://youtu.be/AV2zOsRSS7s

JTF is horribly hilarious!

My good friend Terrance recruited me to watch Modern Family - I find it incredibly funny! Now, my all-time favorite TV show is Arrested Development (only running for 3 seasons) but it has the zaniest characters, epically funny lines, and riotous re-occurring jokes. 30 Rock, is my second favorite thanks to Tina Fey's genius writing. But Modern Family is certainly up there. Anyway, Jesse Tyler Ferguson (who was in the original Broadway cast of The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee) plays opposite Eric Stonestreet (a K-State alum) and they're both SUPER funny. Stonestreet won an Emmy last year! Recently, Ferguson was at a NYC nightclub and sang a rendition of Gaga's Alejandro (that's my name!!) and puts his own spin on things. I think you'll like this... and I'm trying to convince one of my students to perform this at our cabaret in December!! It would go over quite well, don't you think?

Anything Goes

During the high school's trip to New York in March, four of us (Sarah, Nathan, Lydia and I) had the privilege of seeing the musical Anything Goes with Sutton Foster as Reno Sweeney. It was great fun to watch and one of the best numbers is the Act I Finale which the cast recently performed on Good Morning America. It, of course, is WAY more impressive live - but this will give you an idea of just how great the show was. Sutton is the front-runner to win Best Actress in a Musical at the Tony Awards June 12th. Tune in to see how she does!

In a side note, two of the chorus members are originally from Wichita. They got their start at Music Theatre of Wichita before attending the University of Michigan which then led them to their Broadway debut in Anything Goes. I think it is encouragement to my wonderfully talented students that, yes, in fact, Kansas people can follow their dreams through hard work, dedication and thick skin. :)

Spoken Word?

One of the many things the President of the United States has the privilege of doing, is inviting various artists to share at the White House. President Obama has had several of these already! He's done a Broadway one which Nathan Lane hosted (and sang a number from A Funny Thing Happened...), Idina sang from Wicked, Elaine Stritch sang I'm Still Here - and flubbed up some words - she sounded much better on the Sondheim 80th Birthday Concert, and a slew of people sang a number from Hairspray. The president, despite my strict no-country-music policy, even invited some country "singers" to perform. Apparently, he doesn't know about my policy - he now must pay a fine to support quality music. I'm sending him a letter this week.

Today's post is about none of that. :) Today's post is about a few spoken word/slam poetry pieces which were performed. I noticed the first one because Lin-Manuel Miranda is the performer. He wrote and starred in In the Heights (one of my favorite musicals of all time). He "raps" this funny song about Alexander Hamilton - check it out. The second one posted below took me completely off guard. I had no idea who Joshua Bennett was, I just followed the YouTube link from Lin-Manuel's and had a listen. Check it out, I think it's powerful stuff!!

Patti LuPone scares me.

Patti LuPone is the most famous diva alive today!! In 2008, she starred as Mama Rose (a ridiculous stage mother) in Gypsy. I had the privilege of seeing her in this performance and, let me tell you, she was a force to behold. Above, you can see her performing a number from the show on the Tony Awards (she later won that night for her role in Gypsy) and most deservingly so.  Below, you can listen to a tape of her as she stops the show in the middle of a performance to lecture an audience member about taking photos. Not only does her larger-than-life voice, diva attitude, and perfectionism frighten me - but imagining myself on the receiving end of this lecture makes me pee my pants. A little.

However, I would have LLLLOOOOOVVVVVEEEEEDDD to be there when this happened. O.M.G.

"Wasn't Susan Graham divine?!!"

Tragically, Sen. Ted Kennedy passed away last year around Christmastime. He and his family have traditionally been major patrons of the arts (The Kennedy Center in Washington DC is named after his brother!) and thus at his funeral, they had Susan Graham and Placido Domingo (famous opera singers) perform some of the music. Susan sang Schubert's Ave Maria, and while it is an over-performed song, she knocks it out of the park. Mrs. Dawson (who often has the same thoughts as I do) says to me at lunch that week - "Wasn't Susan Graham divine?!" Placido, the more famous of the two, was far over-shadowed by this amazingness. Sit back and enjoy one of the most gorgeous sounds you've every heard. :)

Follow this link:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KSQFc4SsdR0&playnext=1&list=PLBD0A7DA2B798A7A2

K.Chen is amazing!!

Kristin Chenoweth is easily one of the BEST actresses on Broadway and, needless to say, I'm a huge fan! Not only does she have one of the best-trained voices (Thanks to Oklahoma City University), she is magical on stage!! Her details in this character are unmatched - and are the reason why she won her first and only (so far) Tony Award. At the end of this vid, check out Roger Bart (from Producers) and Anthony Rapp (from Rent).

P.S. Ignore Ben Stiller and that woman with the lame jokes. Who wrote that crap anyway?

First Post

Brittany B. thought I should start a blog with links to various things I think are interesting or entertaining. SO.......... to quote that ridiculous sign in the Sterling College Theatre "HERE IT IS"

What can you find here? Links to my favorite YouTube clips, Playbill videos, recommendations of my favorite books, scripts, movies, etc. Hopefully this can be a reference for my friends and students for that moment in conversation when I ask if you've seen or heard this or that.

You're certainly invited to make comments on what you think of some of my favorite things. If you have a google account, sign-in and follow my blog!!