Kiss Me, Kate 1948

Shakespeare’s plays have been the inspiration for many beloved movies and musicals. I’ve compiled a list of my favorite movies and musicals that use the plot of various works by William Shakespeare. I encourage you to check out this list and see if you’ve been a secret fan of Shakespeare without even knowing it!

Just last week, The Music Man marched back to Broadway- the latest revival of a show from musical theatre's most glorious time- the Golden Age. What was the Golden Age of Broadway all about and what years did it cover? Study up!

Molto spesso noi miseri e incompresi amanti del musical ci lamentiamo di non riuscire a volare fino a Londra o a New York per assistere alle grandi produzioni, a causa di mancanza di tempo e di denaro. Quest'anno pero il Ravenna Festival, giunto alla sua diciannovesima edizione, ha deciso di fare un regalo agli appassionati del genere, portando sul palco del Teatro Alighieri la compagnia inglese Opera North.

Rehearsals are in full swing for The 5th Avenue Theatre's production of Kiss Me, Kate, which begins performances next Friday, April 6.

The Lusty Month of May; like the song says: 'It's time to do a wicked thing or two!' It's May, the time when spring brings that hot-blooded, four letter word: lust. Musicals have had a steady history of lusty musical numbers. There are songs about rolling in the hay, and others extolling the virtues of different (ahem) flavors of man-candy. Some songs are paens to hot, steamy nights, and some are about what you do on those kind of nights. 

'If music be the food of love, play on.' Even before the invention of the musical comedy (more on that later), William Shakespeare knew the importance of music in telling stories on stage. For our March feature, my colleague Jeff Walker and I thought that instead of marking the Ides of March with songs about murder, betrayal, and fate, we would focus on the synergy between showtunes and Shakespeare.