Category Archives: Reference

Today in Musical History: Joseph

Posted on January 27, 2021 by boz

Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat opened Jan. 27, 1982, on Broadway, more than a dozen years after its British premiere. The sung-through musical, with lyrics by Tim Rice and music by Andrew Lloyd Webber, is based on the Biblical … Continue reading →

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Today in Musical History: Jacques Brel

Posted on January 22, 2021 by boz

The revue Jacques Brel Is Alive & Well & Living in Paris debuted Off-Broadway on Jan. 22, 1968, at the Village Gate in Greenwich Village and ran 1,847 performances over the next four years, before transferring to Broadway for a … Continue reading →

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Today in Musical History: The original Wizard of Oz

Posted on January 21, 2021 by boz

The first musical adaptation of The Wizard of Oz opened Jan. 21, 1903, on Broadway. Novelist L. Frank Baum had asked his friend Paul Tietjens (a composer) to help him bring his book to the stage. They completed the script … Continue reading →

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Today in Musical History: High School Musical

Posted on January 20, 2021 by boz

The made-for-TV film High School Musical premiered Jan. 20, 2006, on Disney Channel. The plot is a modern version of Romeo and Juliet about high school juniors Troy and Gabriella from rival cliques. Troy, a basketball team captain, and Gabriella, … Continue reading →

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Today in Musical History: 7 Rings

Posted on January 18, 2021 by boz

Ariana Grande’s “7 Rings,” the second single from her album Thank U, Next, was released Jan. 18, 2019. Grande and several others cowrite the song, which contains an interpolation of “My Favorite Things” from the 1959 Broadway show The Sound … Continue reading →

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Today in Musical History: Forbidden Broadway

Posted on January 15, 2021 by boz

The original version of the long-running revue Forbidden Broadway opened Jan. 15, 1982, at Palsson’s Supper Club in New York City. It upgraded from Off-Off-Broadway to Off-Broadway status on May 4 and ran for 2,332 more performances at the venue. … Continue reading →

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Today in Musical History: An American in Paris

Posted on January 11, 2021 by boz

The Oscar-winning film An American in Paris, the pinnacle of MGM’s Freed Unit musicals, received its wide release on Jan. 11, 1952. The story centers around expat painter Jerry, who has moved to Paris after WWII and is quickly caught in … Continue reading →

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Today in Musical History: High Hat

Posted on January 8, 2021 by boz

The January 8, 1978, episode of The Carol Burnett Show (the 15th installment in the 11th — and final — season of the CBS variety series) featured the Emmy-winning mini-musical “High Hat,” a comic tribute to the 1930s Fred Astaire/Ginger … Continue reading →

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Today in Musical History: Yentl

Posted on January 6, 2021 by boz

The Oscar-nominated musical Yentl received its wide release on Jan. 6, 1984, some 15 years after Barbra Streisand originally secured the film rights. Produced by Larry DeWaay with Rusty Lemorande and Streisand, the film is based on Leah Napolin and … Continue reading →

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Today in Musical History: The Wiz

Posted on January 5, 2021 by boz

L. Frank Baum’s Oz stories have been musicalized countless times, including the currently running Wicked. The first Broadway version was a 1903 adaptation with book and lyrics by Baum himself in which Dorothy traveled with her pet cow, Imogene. Broadway … Continue reading →

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