There are many things that Broadway knows how to do well. From the big opening numbers, to the set pieces they convey. Broadway has also been known to keep us swooning with love songs. There are of course the classics like ‘If I Loved You’ from Carousel, the 1945 Rodgers and Hammerstein musical, or something with a bit more humour for those who fall for the one who makes them laugh like ‘Do You Love Me’ from Fiddler On The Roof which opened on Broadway in 1964. Ranking the top 5 Broadway love songs was not easy when taking everything into consideration.
Oklahoma! will be made into a modern-day series for television. The classic musical show is just one of several upcoming productions that are set to be created for both film and tv as part of a new initiative and collaboration with Skydance productions, Condord Theatricals and triple-threat superstar Jennifer Lopez.
While many have speculated on what solutions for socially distanced performances may entail, The Flaming Lips have kicked off 2021 with what could be the gig experience of the future – performing a live show to an audience contained by Zorb ‘space bubble’ protective balls.
There are moments on stage that are magic. Moments like listening backstage at the Oregon Shakespeare Festival during a performance of Oklahoma! in 2018 when a group of students stood with a rainbow flag after each act of love displayed on stage. I still get chills thinking about the impact of that production and was honored to a part of it.
In the weeks following the Tony Awards on June 9th, Broadway has seen the closing of many of shows: King Lear, Network (June 9), Gary: A Sequel to Titus Andronicus (June 16), Hilary & Clinton (June 23), All My Sons, Kiss Me Kate (June 30) and The Ferryman, My Fair Lady, Ink (July 7). In the coming weeks they will be joined by, Be More Chill, The Prom, What the Constitution Means to Me, Frankie & Johnny…, Cher, Pretty Woman and King Kong! Thousands of people have enjoyed these shows; however, they will soon be gone.
The 73rd Annual Tony Awards certainly did not disappoint. An evening of glamour, show stopping performances, breathtaking speeches and even some commercial-break-karaoke, set this year’s awards show apart from the 72 that preceded it in more ways than one.
I’m one of those theatergoers that runs away screaming at the idea of “audience participation.” I avoid improv comedy like the plague because I disdain being called upon to provide a suggestion. When attending the theatre I like to be out of the line of the sight of actors, as catching the eye of one of the performers could take me out of the storytelling.
