And Away We Go!
Announcing our first Playlist Theme
The theme for the first playlist is:
The next 14 songs (and weeks) will come from shows that defined and expanded the very concept of a Broadway Musical as an art form (and, for better or worse, a business) over the past 120 years. The form is always evolving (though not necessarily in a linear fashion), and it’s important to look at the key turning points that lead us to where we are today.
What makes a show a Turning Point?
I see a turning point as a moment that changed something fundamental about what a Broadway Musical could be or do, or introduced new ways of creating one. It may be the first musical to ______, or it maybe be the show that takes a fledging idea to a higher, undeniable level.
Something I’ve noticed as I’ve prepared for this project is that, while these innovations open up new possibilities, the “old ways” don’t really go away, at least not for good. The musical comedies of the 1930s begat the “musical plays” of the 1940s-1960s, which begat the concept musical of the 1970s which begat the mega musical of the 1980s…and a new musical today may feel aligned with any, all, or none of those past tropes. A Turning Point doesn’t end earlier practices, it introduces new tools were into the Broadway creators’ arsenal.
What is the selection criteria for these songs?
I think a great song in a Broadway musical has one job: take a big idea (or emotion, event, etc.) and condense into something refined, specific, and memorable. If it’s done well, something magical happens in which a big thing becomes a compact thing that then—though the power of music and performance—expands into something more immense than it was in the first place.
For this playlist, I identified which shows were Turning Points first, then I chose the each show’s song based on these criteria (in addition to vibes):
The song itself has historical or cultural significance
The song encapsulates the show’s theme or energy particularly well
It’s my personal favorite
In the Wings
Thank you again for being an early subscriber to this project as we get going. The first arrives next week! Where you do think we will start?