Amanda Prahl - Page 2

Fangirls, Yve Blake’s tongue-in-cheek satire, parodies both fan culture and the historic dismissal of the interests of young women. It’s a smart, intriguing show with a catchy score that makes you laugh as much as it makes you think.

Far from being musical heresy, R&H Goes Pop! instead serves as a reminder of how Rodgers and Hammerstein were at the forefront of musical theatre during their time, and how their music is truly timeless.

The experience of listening to a Josh Groban album is not dissimilar to the experience of watching one of those classic ‘90s romantic comedies. There’s a warmth and familiarity to both, a reassurance that what you’re getting is heartfelt and genuine, even if it’s not reinventing the wheel. That’s exactly what it’s like listening to Groban’s latest album, Harmony.

Within the first few lines of the opening song of Salad Days, the mini-musical already tells you exactly what it’s going to be: a delightful, deliberately modern comedy that lightly pokes fun at the markers of urban millennial life.

Kyle Taylor Parker’s Broadway Soul, Vol. 2 features all the familiar Broadway songs you love, but with a unique take that makes them feel fresh again.

Estella Scrooge has several strong elements: a talented cast giving it their all, catchy music, and witty lyrics. But an inconsistent tone and too many wink-wink references prevent the album from becoming more than the sum of its parts.

The Prom's movie soundtrack is largely a well-made version of Matthew Sklar and Chad Beguelin’s score, although it occasionally seems to prioritize glitz and polish over the scrappy joys of its stage predecessor.

Bright spots in 2020 have been few and far between, but 'Legacy,' a previously-unreleased pair of song cycles from Lynn Ahrens and Stephen Flaherty, is definitely one of the year’s unexpected highlights.

“Spring will come again” may be one of the most iconic lines in Hadestown, but the cast’s new holiday album 'If the Fates Allow' proves that they’re just as talented in the winter chill as in the bloom of spring.

Michael Ball and Alfie Boe are here with a perfect soundtrack for the season, Together at Christmas. The duo of stage icons are teaming up again for an album of holiday favorites, and although there are a few missteps along the way, the end result is, mostly, a pleasantly charming addition to your holiday music rotation.

A Killer Party has figured out exactly how to tap into digital-theatre-era frustrations and jokes. A murder mystery that leans gleefully into the campiness of the genre more than the horror, the soundtrack to this video-conferenced musical is as far from deadly dull as it gets.

Alternately funny and touching, Artists in Residence is a reminder that, even in frustrating days, creativity and community shine a light.

Bobby Conte Thornton's new album, Along the Way, puts a new spin on some of the best of pop and Broadway. It's further proof that he's definitely one of Broadway's rising stars to watch.

Sing Street is a rollicking ride, packed with youthful energy and eloquent emotion a?" it's the kind of album that makes you want to see the show as soon as you can.

Where the first couple of weeks heavily featured monologues directly about the pandemic situation, more and more of these recent monologues are changing direction, portraying the 'new normal' with all that entails.

As the shutdowns continue and it becomes increasingly obvious that a?oeregulara?? theatre isn't starting back up as soon as we'd hoped, it's also increasingly obvious that adjusted, adapted performances like these are more important than ever.

Broadway may be dark and silent right now, but the theatre community isn't. After a successful first run, The 24 Hour Plays: Viral Monologues returned on March 24 with a fresh set of quarantine-inspired short plays and monologues. Since 1995, the 24 Hour Plays project has been matching up writers and performers to create funny, moving, and emotional mini-pieces of theater in, well, 24 hours. The response to the quickly-adapted March 17 edition was so overwhelming that a sequel was immediately born.

When all this is over, one of the enduring cultural moments of the coronavirus pandemic will be the memories of the music. Across the world, people have been turning to music for comfort and community. Clips have gone viral of Italians holding nightly singalongs from their balconies and Spaniards jamming out together from a distance. And here in America, the performing arts community has been coming together to produce all sorts of remote content. The most high-profile of these to date is the one-off 'revival' of The Rosie O'Donnell Show, which streamed live on Sunday, Mar. 22. It was a testament to the power of community (and the humor of technical problems).

There's certainly plenty of nostalgia and good cheer at work in Matthew Morrison's selections, but in some ways, they could have used a bit more pixie dust.

Going into a show titled Emojiland, you're probably not expecting allegories about immigration, politics, mental illness, and the ups and downs of the human condition. Surprise! Keith Harrison and Laura Schein have created a musical that's remarkably straightforward and thoughtful underneath its gimmicky, colorful exterior. The score is alternately silly and insightful, making it a genuinely delightful listening experience.