(1) Real men love Broadway. When Randy gets the inside scoop on why men everywhere are taking their wives to see musicals (it's called subtext), he becomes a superfan, and Sharon is so pleased with his newfound appreciation for theatre that she repays him. Handsomely. | Episode #220: Broadway Bro Down (Season 15, Episode 11) (2) Before Glee, show choirs saved the world, not just FOX's ratings. The South Park kids are on their way to Costa Rica to help save the environment. While Kyle struggles ... [Read more]

Deemed one of the best and most beloved musicals of all time, Les Miserables is a show whose reputation precedes it. Over the years, my exposure to it has been colored by its reputation of theatrical eminence. I remember reverently singing "Do You Hear the People Sing?" in high school chorus; then, Susan Boyle shot to fame for her rendition of "I Dreamed a Dream" on Britain's Got Talent (she now has a musical based on her own life, also titled I Dreamed a Dream); the signature ballad was later f... [Read more]

  Welcome to the Smash Files, where I'll discuss the musical theatre dream that is the hit NBC television series Smash. Check back for updates and info on this exciting new show as it relates to the theatre world! Broadway fans are about to get Smashed. We haven't been this excited about a television series since Glee brought showtunes into the mainstream (memorable covers include Rachel's and Kurt's rendition of "Defying Gravity" from Wicked and Mercedes belting out "And I Am Telling You I... [Read more]

On one of my recent pilgrimages to NYC, I saw the new Broadway production of Godspell. This revival (the first on Broadway) represents the show's 40th anniversary. Because of the popularity of the original production, the release of the film version shortly thereafter, and the show's thriving life in schools and community theatres, many people bring their previous experiences with the show to bear when seeing this incarnation. But, like many other young people, I had never seen Godspell before, ... [Read more]

Broadway fans, especially those who aren't lucky enough to live near the theatre mecca, have had a lot to celebrate over the past decade with the releases of film versions of some of the biggest hit musicals ever to hit the Great White Way. The 2002 release of the Oscar-sweeping hit Chicago, starring Renee Zellweger, Catherine Zeta-Jones, Richard Gere, and Queen Latifah paved the way for a new generation of movie musicals. Soon thereafter came Phantom of the Opera (2004), starring Gerard Butler ... [Read more]