Amanda Prahl
She Believed She Could: How Passion Carries Marsha Mason Through New Challenges
Album Review: Kristin Chenoweth Sings FOR THE GIRLS
Album Review: Norbert Leo Butz Is In It For THE LONG HAUL
She Believed She Could: HADESTOWN's Anais Mitchell Could Change the World with a Song
She Believed She Could: Why Broadway Just Cain't Say No to Eva Price
She Believed She Could: Dancing into the Future with MARIE, DANCING STILL
Album Review: Sarah Brightman's HYMN To Faith And Music
She Believed She Could: Lisa McNulty and WP Theater
She Believed She Could: Rachel Chavkin Makes an Old Song New AgainBWW Album Review: Kristin Chenoweth Sings FOR THE GIRLS
October 1, 2019
Kristin Chenoweth's latest album, For the Girls, is, just as its name suggests, a celebration of songs by, about, and for women. Chenoweth croons her way through a selection of standards, occasionally with the help of some other incredible female vocalists. It's a lovely album with plenty of top-notch performances; the only flaw is a little bit too much same-ness.
BWW Album Review: Norbert Leo Butz Is In It For THE LONG HAUL
September 23, 2019
The Long Haul is Tony nominee Norbert Leo Butz's first original album. Butz has always been one of the more unconventional, versatile voices in contemporary musical theatre, and this album gives him a new chance to shine as both a singer and as a songwriter. It's a pleasant, bluegrass and country-tinged set of songs that doesn't break new ground but is a perfectly enjoyable album overall.
She Believed She Could: How Passion Carries Marsha Mason Through New Challenges
September 21, 2019
For Marsha Mason, versatility has been the name of the game throughout her long and acclaimed career. Beneath it all is the same genuine passion and willingness to tackle new challenges.
BWW Album Review: MOULIN ROUGE's Cast Recording Doesn't Quite Listen to Its Heart
September 11, 2019
The album revamps the 2001 film's famously pop-laden score to incorporate even more greatest hits of the last two decades, and every single track is packed to the brim with excess that Harold Zigler would be proud of. The downside to this approach, unfortunately, is that the story's sweet, sad, beating heart is nearly buried under all the glitz.
She Believed She Could: Rachel Chavkin Makes an Old Song New Again
September 3, 2019
Over the course of a few years, director Rachel Chavkin has gone from being a staple of the off-Broadway scene to the director with one of the most distinctive and creative aesthetics on Broadway. That's just one of many ways that she proves she's in a league all her own.
BWW Album Review: Opening Up WAITRESS's Bonus Tracks from WHAT'S NOT INSIDE
August 21, 2019
Luckily for fans of Waitress, the creative team has released What's Not Inside, a delightful mini-album of songs that were scrapped on the road to Broadway. It's a charming addition to one of the 21st century's surprise smash hits.
BWW Album Review: HALF TIME Never Quite Scores The Win
August 7, 2019
Based loosely on a true story, Half Time tells a classic fish-out-of-water story: a group of senior citizen dancers who audition to be halftime dancers, only to panic when they learn they have to dance hip-hop. The musical, which includes some of the last songs written by theatre legend Marvin Hamlisch, is certainly charming, but it never quite transcends the cheesiness of its material.
She Believed She Could: Why Broadway Just Cain't Say No to Eva Price
August 10, 2019
This season on Broadway, everything has definitely been going Eva Price's way.
BWW Album Review: Raising Our Cups to HADESTOWN Again and Again
July 29, 2019
If we already know how the story ends, why do we come back again and again? That's the question at the heart of Hadestown, 2019's Tony-winning best musical, whose full Broadway cast recording is out now. With a score by Anais Mitchell that's alternately jazzy, ethereal, and devastating, it makes you believe that music really could change the world.
BWW Album Review: THE LION KING Remake Takes Its Place in the Circle of Musical Life
July 27, 2019
While The Lion King's updated soundtrack doesn't quite roar to life, it does manage to pull off most of the iconic music and take its place in the story's own circle of life.
BWW Album Review: ALICE BY HEART Is Almost a Wonder
July 12, 2019
With a score by Duncan Sheik and Steven Sater, the cast recording of 'Alice By Heart' is a little uneven in parts but still manages to hit the gut-punch of emotion when it counts.
BWW Album Review: OKLAHOMA! Revival Is Doing Much More Than Fine
July 1, 2019
The cast recording for this revival of Oklahoma is unusual, unexpected, and, occasionally, shocking, giving modern audiences an analogue for how the original shocked audiences in 1943.
BWW Album Review: How Wonderful Life Is Now ROCKETMAN Is in the World
June 22, 2019
As any Broadway theater-goer knows, jukebox bio-musicals are surprisingly difficult to pull off well. Stringing together hit songs in a way that serves a story, while also dealing with all the real-life egos involved, often involves sacrificing musical or dramatic integrity. It's even more surprising, then, that one of the best recent bio-musicals isn't even a Broadway show: it's Rocketman, the musical movie about the early life and career of Sir Elton John. By giving itself permission to be a musical first, the movie's soundtrack manages to capture the iconic musician's sound without giving up on a satisfying dramatic arc.
BWW Album Review: Laura Benanti Arrives in MY FAIR LADY
June 18, 2019
the latest revival of My Fair Lady proved that they're all for breaking traditions, and this is just the latest one: releasing an EP with Laura Benanti. It's a treat to hear another of modern Broadway's top leading ladies tackle this iconic role.
BWW Album Review: So In Love (Mostly) with KISS ME KATE's Revival Cast Album
June 12, 2019
It's another op'nin' of another version of Kiss Me, Kate, the iconic Cole Porter musical that adds a sassy, meta-theatrical, mid-century twist to Shakespeare's battle of the sexes The Taming of the Shrew. With an all-star cast, the cast recording of Roundabout's latest revival has little in the way of surprise or novelty, but plenty of talent along the way.
BWW Review: What You Missed at the 2019 TONY AWARDS Broadcast!
June 10, 2019
At the 73rd annual Tony Awards, the best and brightest of the Broadway season was on full display. The show featured performances from the season's shows, plus a slew of powerful wins and speeches. I spent the night watching the broadcast closely to put together a comprehensive recap and review - ahead, check out some of the most talked-about moments of the night!
BWW Album Review: A New ALADDIN For a Whole New World
May 31, 2019
The soundtrack for the live-action remake of Aladdin manages to tweak the classic score just enough to not sound like a pale imitation while keeping the core of the magic that's made it one of the most enduring scores of its generation.
BWW Album Review: THE CHER SHOW Takes a Triple Dose of an Icon
April 26, 2019
The onslaught of jukebox musicals doesn't seem to be ending anytime soon, which, in turn, means that there are an awful lot of cast albums that also double as very well-sung cover albums. That's definitely the case with the original cast recording of The Cher Show, which functions okay as a cast album but mostly rides on its cast's considerable talent and the sheer joy of Cher's catalog.
She Believed She Could: Stephanie Hsu Is Ready For This Upgrade
April 27, 2019
Origin stories are a weird thing, and nowhere on Broadway right now is there an odder origin story than Be More Chill. For star Stephanie Hsu, it started with a fake lemonade ad skit in the third grade.
She Believed She Could: HADESTOWN's Anais Mitchell Could Change the World with a Song
April 20, 2019
Previously a folk singer-songwriter, Anais Mitchell is blazing new ground on Broadway this season, both with her unique jazz-folk interpretation of classical Greek mythology and as the first woman in over a decade to be solely responsible for the book, music, and lyrics of a Broadway musical.
October 1, 2019
Kristin Chenoweth's latest album, For the Girls, is, just as its name suggests, a celebration of songs by, about, and for women. Chenoweth croons her way through a selection of standards, occasionally with the help of some other incredible female vocalists. It's a lovely album with plenty of top-notch performances; the only flaw is a little bit too much same-ness.
BWW Album Review: Norbert Leo Butz Is In It For THE LONG HAUL
September 23, 2019
The Long Haul is Tony nominee Norbert Leo Butz's first original album. Butz has always been one of the more unconventional, versatile voices in contemporary musical theatre, and this album gives him a new chance to shine as both a singer and as a songwriter. It's a pleasant, bluegrass and country-tinged set of songs that doesn't break new ground but is a perfectly enjoyable album overall.
She Believed She Could: How Passion Carries Marsha Mason Through New Challenges
September 21, 2019
For Marsha Mason, versatility has been the name of the game throughout her long and acclaimed career. Beneath it all is the same genuine passion and willingness to tackle new challenges.
BWW Album Review: MOULIN ROUGE's Cast Recording Doesn't Quite Listen to Its Heart
September 11, 2019
The album revamps the 2001 film's famously pop-laden score to incorporate even more greatest hits of the last two decades, and every single track is packed to the brim with excess that Harold Zigler would be proud of. The downside to this approach, unfortunately, is that the story's sweet, sad, beating heart is nearly buried under all the glitz.
She Believed She Could: Rachel Chavkin Makes an Old Song New Again
September 3, 2019
Over the course of a few years, director Rachel Chavkin has gone from being a staple of the off-Broadway scene to the director with one of the most distinctive and creative aesthetics on Broadway. That's just one of many ways that she proves she's in a league all her own.
BWW Album Review: Opening Up WAITRESS's Bonus Tracks from WHAT'S NOT INSIDE
August 21, 2019
Luckily for fans of Waitress, the creative team has released What's Not Inside, a delightful mini-album of songs that were scrapped on the road to Broadway. It's a charming addition to one of the 21st century's surprise smash hits.
BWW Album Review: HALF TIME Never Quite Scores The Win
August 7, 2019
Based loosely on a true story, Half Time tells a classic fish-out-of-water story: a group of senior citizen dancers who audition to be halftime dancers, only to panic when they learn they have to dance hip-hop. The musical, which includes some of the last songs written by theatre legend Marvin Hamlisch, is certainly charming, but it never quite transcends the cheesiness of its material.
She Believed She Could: Why Broadway Just Cain't Say No to Eva Price
August 10, 2019
This season on Broadway, everything has definitely been going Eva Price's way.
BWW Album Review: Raising Our Cups to HADESTOWN Again and Again
July 29, 2019
If we already know how the story ends, why do we come back again and again? That's the question at the heart of Hadestown, 2019's Tony-winning best musical, whose full Broadway cast recording is out now. With a score by Anais Mitchell that's alternately jazzy, ethereal, and devastating, it makes you believe that music really could change the world.
BWW Album Review: THE LION KING Remake Takes Its Place in the Circle of Musical Life
July 27, 2019
While The Lion King's updated soundtrack doesn't quite roar to life, it does manage to pull off most of the iconic music and take its place in the story's own circle of life.
BWW Album Review: ALICE BY HEART Is Almost a Wonder
July 12, 2019
With a score by Duncan Sheik and Steven Sater, the cast recording of 'Alice By Heart' is a little uneven in parts but still manages to hit the gut-punch of emotion when it counts.
BWW Album Review: OKLAHOMA! Revival Is Doing Much More Than Fine
July 1, 2019
The cast recording for this revival of Oklahoma is unusual, unexpected, and, occasionally, shocking, giving modern audiences an analogue for how the original shocked audiences in 1943.
BWW Album Review: How Wonderful Life Is Now ROCKETMAN Is in the World
June 22, 2019
As any Broadway theater-goer knows, jukebox bio-musicals are surprisingly difficult to pull off well. Stringing together hit songs in a way that serves a story, while also dealing with all the real-life egos involved, often involves sacrificing musical or dramatic integrity. It's even more surprising, then, that one of the best recent bio-musicals isn't even a Broadway show: it's Rocketman, the musical movie about the early life and career of Sir Elton John. By giving itself permission to be a musical first, the movie's soundtrack manages to capture the iconic musician's sound without giving up on a satisfying dramatic arc.
BWW Album Review: Laura Benanti Arrives in MY FAIR LADY
June 18, 2019
the latest revival of My Fair Lady proved that they're all for breaking traditions, and this is just the latest one: releasing an EP with Laura Benanti. It's a treat to hear another of modern Broadway's top leading ladies tackle this iconic role.
BWW Album Review: So In Love (Mostly) with KISS ME KATE's Revival Cast Album
June 12, 2019
It's another op'nin' of another version of Kiss Me, Kate, the iconic Cole Porter musical that adds a sassy, meta-theatrical, mid-century twist to Shakespeare's battle of the sexes The Taming of the Shrew. With an all-star cast, the cast recording of Roundabout's latest revival has little in the way of surprise or novelty, but plenty of talent along the way.
BWW Review: What You Missed at the 2019 TONY AWARDS Broadcast!
June 10, 2019
At the 73rd annual Tony Awards, the best and brightest of the Broadway season was on full display. The show featured performances from the season's shows, plus a slew of powerful wins and speeches. I spent the night watching the broadcast closely to put together a comprehensive recap and review - ahead, check out some of the most talked-about moments of the night!
BWW Album Review: A New ALADDIN For a Whole New World
May 31, 2019
The soundtrack for the live-action remake of Aladdin manages to tweak the classic score just enough to not sound like a pale imitation while keeping the core of the magic that's made it one of the most enduring scores of its generation.
BWW Album Review: THE CHER SHOW Takes a Triple Dose of an Icon
April 26, 2019
The onslaught of jukebox musicals doesn't seem to be ending anytime soon, which, in turn, means that there are an awful lot of cast albums that also double as very well-sung cover albums. That's definitely the case with the original cast recording of The Cher Show, which functions okay as a cast album but mostly rides on its cast's considerable talent and the sheer joy of Cher's catalog.
She Believed She Could: Stephanie Hsu Is Ready For This Upgrade
April 27, 2019
Origin stories are a weird thing, and nowhere on Broadway right now is there an odder origin story than Be More Chill. For star Stephanie Hsu, it started with a fake lemonade ad skit in the third grade.
She Believed She Could: HADESTOWN's Anais Mitchell Could Change the World with a Song
April 20, 2019
Previously a folk singer-songwriter, Anais Mitchell is blazing new ground on Broadway this season, both with her unique jazz-folk interpretation of classical Greek mythology and as the first woman in over a decade to be solely responsible for the book, music, and lyrics of a Broadway musical.
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