Jesus Christ Superstar Live! : The Good, The Bad and the Ehh

NBC's annual airing of live musicals took an enormous leap forward with their Easter broadcast of Jesus Christ Superstar. The 1970 Rock Opera, which Andrew Lloyd Webber composed when he was 22 (think on that for a moment), has been a fire rod of controversy and debate since its opening. I think we can agree that it has its fair share of fans and detractors.

So NBC certainly was rolling the dice when it decided to air this on one of the holiest days of the year. How did they do? Let's break it down.

Observations, BroadwayChristopher PetersonApril 2, 2018

My Biggest Hope for "Hercules"

I’m still giddy over the news we are getting a Broadway version of Hercules.It is, in my opinion, one of the most underrated Disney films. That, and Meg is one of my favorite characters of all time. I relate to her in so many ways, more than I can count. And I Won’t Say I’m in Love is both brilliant and iconic.

To be honest, the idea that I have the potential to play a character who means so much to me on stage is thrilling.

Observations, BroadwayChristopher PetersonApril 1, 2018Stefanie Townsend

Conversations about New York theatre are important, even if you don’t live in New York

Broadway is not the be-all-end-all of theatre, though sometimes people act as though it is. Theatre happens everywhere. To say that New York theatre is the only theatre that matters is a misunderstanding of how the theatre community operates. On the other hand, denying the importance of Broadway is a misunderstanding of equal magnitude. Though New York isn’t the only place the theatre community talks about, it is where the largest, most centralized conversations are being had. This is a hard truth for the far-away fan, a side effect of loving a medium that draws some of its magic from being in the same location as its audience.

Observations, BroadwayChristopher PetersonApril 1, 2018

Ten MORE Baritones that are Gifts to the World

We’re doing another series that celebrates some of the very best voices for their vocal ranges, with a primary focus on (but not limited to!) theatre. Many will be well-known, while others you may not have heard of (until now). Your faves might not make the list, but here are some that deserve some love, too! Hopefully, these lists will showcase a wide variety within the vocal classifications, to show there is no single way to create beautiful art!

Here are 10 MORE baritones that are glorious gifts to the world!

Broadway, ObservationsChristopher PetersonMarch 31, 2018Melody Nicolette

A Deep Dive into the Hamilton Stunner “Satisfied”

Having seen Hamilton last year, while I find the entire show to be a masterpiece, I keep coming back to one song that I personally think is not just the best song in the show, but the greatest masterpiece Lin-Manuel Miranda has ever written and one of the finest examples of musical storytelling I have ever seen—”Satisfied.”

“Satisfied” is the eleventh song in the show and comes about halfway through act one. Here’s some background: the song immediately before it, “Helpless,” chronicles, from Eliza Schuyler’s point of view, the first time she and her older sister, Angelica, meet Alexander Hamilton at a party. Hamilton and Eliza are immediately smitten with one another, and in just a few short weeks they’re walking down the aisle. “Satisfied” begins with Angelica giving what appears to be a standard maid of honor toast at the nuptials and quickly becomes so much more.

Let’s break down this number in all its genius, shall we? Angelica beings with a toast…

Broadway, ObservationsChristopher PetersonMarch 29, 2018Erin Conley

Ten MORE Mezzos That Are Gifts To the World

We’re doing another series that celebrates some of the very best voices for their vocal ranges, with a primary focus on (but not limited to!) theatre. Many will be well-known, while others you may not have heard of (until now). Your faves might not make the list, but here are some that deserve some love, too! Hopefully, these lists will showcase a wide variety within the vocal classifications, to show there is no single way to create beautiful art!

Here are 10 MORE mezzos that are glorious gifts to the world!

Observations, BroadwayChristopher PetersonMarch 27, 2018Melody Nicolette

Ten MORE Tenors That Are Gifts To the World

We’re doing another series that celebrates some of the very best voices for their vocal ranges, with a primary focus on (but not limited to!) theatre. Many will be well-known, while others you may not have heard of (until now). Your faves might not make the list, but here are some that deserve some love, too! Hopefully, these lists will showcase a wide variety within the vocal classifications, to show there is no single way to create beautiful art!

Broadway, ObservationsChristopher PetersonMarch 25, 2018Melody Nicolette

Ten MORE Sopranos That Are Gifts To the World

We’re doing another series that celebrates some of the very best voices for their vocal ranges, with a primary focus on (but not limited to!) theatre. Many will be well-known, while others you may not have heard of (until now). Your faves might not make the list, but here are some that deserve some love, too! Hopefully, these lists will showcase a wide variety within the vocal classifications, to show there is no single way to create beautiful art!

Starting off, here are 10 MORE sopranos that are glorious gifts to the world!

ObservationsChristopher PetersonMarch 23, 2018Melody Nicolette

What Musicals and Comic Books Have in Common

I had the good fortune to see the cartoonist Alison Bechdel give a talk at the Rochester Institute of Technology in 2010. Mostly, she talked about the process of creating a comic strip or graphic novel, but one thing she said stood out to me, and made me think of musicals. Unfortunately, that talk was not recorded and put online, but it must have been similar to this part of a talk she gave at Cornell a year or so earlier, which was put on YouTube: “I had the somewhat unusual experience of being raised by parents who loved music and books and art and who really wanted me to become an artist or a writer…It’s a double edged sword because you still have to rebel against it. So I think I came up with a pretty good way of rebelling: instead of becoming an artist or writer, like they wanted me to, I became both at once.”

ObservationsChristopher PetersonMarch 20, 2018Aaron Netsky

Does Being a Thespian Member Still Mean Anything?

For many high school students all over the world, induction into the International Thespian Society is viewed as a crowning achievement. It certainly was for me.

But after almost 90 years and multiple generational attitude shifts, does being a member of such an organization still matter the way it might've used to? Yes, but it all depends on how you and your school values it.

Observations, High School TheatreChristopher PetersonMarch 16, 2018

A University in Rio de Janeiro Performed "The Book of Mormon" without Permission but with Blackface

I love the internet. The amount of material you can find out there in endless. I also love how many people proudly post pictures and videos of past theatre productions. It's a great way to etch those moments in eternity.

But every now and then they expose gross errors in judgment when it comes to theatre. Take for instance the article we published earlier this week about an Indonesian college(I mistakingly called them a high school first) who performed Hamilton with asking permission to do so.

That article opened up the floodgates in my inbox of other theatres who have done the same. While some were more egregious than others, the Federal University of the State of Rio de Janeiro, better known as UNIRIO, took it to another level with an unauthorized production of The Book of Mormon. Beyond the copyright infringement, the show also featured many of the African characters performed in blackface.

ObservationsChristopher PetersonMarch 10, 2018Chris Peterson

Sick & Tired of Forgiving and Forgetting When it Comes to Sexual Misconduct

Not a single person is so talented that they and their abusive, inexcusable behavior cannot be replaced by someone equally talented, creative, capable and qualified--if not more--. No art is so good that it is worth the expense of someone else. No one is so talented that their abuse of others can be excused. No one is so talented that terrible behavior can be excused.

Last, but not least: No one is so talented that it makes their insufferable attitude “worth it.” Regardless of their “talents,” we have to stop rewarding people who do bad things. I am talking about how we as a society let “talented” people get away with just about anything because they’re “talented.” I am also talking about “talent” used as an excuse for bad attitudes or actions.

I’m tired, y’all.

ObservationsChristopher PetersonMarch 2, 2018Melody Nicolette

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