Musical Theatre: History & Theory

• Burlesque - A rich comic art form, its legacy is often misunderstood today.
• Comic Strip Musicals – From Lil’ Abner to Little Orphan Annie, the funny papers have been a regular feature on the musical stage.
• Guilty Pleasures – A tribute to the short-lived musicals we hate to admit we love
• A Helluva Town: Musicals in New York – This talk celebrates the longstanding relationship between musicals and the Big Apple.
• The History of Musicals - An overview of how this art form developed. (Available as a series or a single talk.) 
• How Musicals Get to Broadway - An insiders look at the way musicals are put together.
• Human Again: Animals & Objects in Musical Theatre - The wonderful and occasionally wacky tradition of anthropomorphism on the musical stage.
• Jews in the American Theatre - How a once-excluded group rose to prominence on and around the stage.
• Musicals Ahoy! - From H.M.S. Pinafore to the Titanic, a look at how Broadway musicals have sailed the seas.
• Of Thee I Sing!: The Presidency in Musicals - Long before TV's The West Wing, musical theatre took audiences into the White House.
• Physical Fitness: Sports in Musicals - Damn Yankees, The Body Beautiful, All American -- so many musicals on stage and screen have set sports to music.
• Screen to Stage: Films That Became Broadway Musicals - Screen projects now inspire many of the latest stage musicals. We'll examine how far back this “new” trend goes, and the answers may surprise you.
• Vaudeville - It eventually reshaped musical plays and films, and it still lives on contemporary television. Just what was vaudeville?
• Vive La France!: The French Influence on Musicals - The musical as we know it was born in France, and that country's influence on the art form continues to this day. From Offenbach to Schwartz to Schoenberg & Boublil.
• Yiddish Theatre - A loving look at a vital ethnic art form that contributed to every form of modern entertainment.
  

New York City History

• Broadway: A Biography - How a native trail became the most famous avenue on earth. Available as one talk or a series.
• Gay Pride: More Than a Parade - The story of a human rights movement that caught fire when the police raided a Greenwich Village bar.
• New York City: A Biography - From the first native settlers to our own time, we trace the growth of the world's greatest metropolis. Available as one talk or a series.
• Summertime in Old New York - A breezy look at how the entertainment capital of the world passed the summer months before the arrival of air conditioning.
• Theatre in New York - How a city and an art form grew together, from the 1600s to the present. Available as one talk or a series.

Great Songwriters

• Irving Berlin - The Russian Jewish immigrant who wrote "God Bless America" and "White Christmas," he was a defining force in popular music for more than half a century.
• George M. Cohan - Yankee Doodle Dandy is wonderful, but it hardly begins to tell the full story behind "The Man Who Owned Broadway."
• Noel Coward - Songwriter, playwright, novelist, film maker; no wonder associates called him "The Master." 
• Dorothy Fields - The only woman to rise to prominence in a field otherwise dominated by men, this native New Yorker was part of a musical theatre dynasty.
• The Gershwins - George and Ira, a double dose of creative genius.
• Gilbert & Sullivan - This British duo brought wit, melody and sophistication to musical theatre, creating shows that have delighted audiences for more than a hundred years.
• Oscar Hammerstein II - Student of Kern, partner of Rodgers, mentor to Sondheim; more than any single person, he redefined the musical theatre in the 20th Century. 
• Larry Hart - Loved by everyone except himself, this gentle genius seemed bent on self destruction; but his brilliant lyrics still delight listeners today.
• Jerome Kern - This composer gave the American musical a new sophistication, creating melodies that will never be forgotten.
• Lerner & Loewe - The only team that outdid Rodgers & Hammerstein at their own game during Broadway's "golden age."
• Cole Porter - This Indiana millionaire brought the crisp glamour of the upper crust to his unforgettable songs, and lived life on his own terms in an age that demanded conformity.
• Richard Rodgers - With over 50 musicals to his name, he can justifiably be called Broadway's greatest composer.
• Jule Styne - A long-overdue discussion of one of the most versatile Broadway composers, able to mold his talents to whatever period or mood a project called for.

Entertainment Legends

• Julie Andrews - From British music halls to Broadway to Hollywood, this gifted singer and actress has proven herself one of the most versatile and beloved performers of our time.
• The Barrymores - John, Ethel and Lionel were the brightest figures in the "royal family" of American show business.
• Tallulah Bankhead - This infamous star's outrageous personal life often obscured her remarkable talent.
• Fanny Brice - The true story of the original "Funny Girl," the burlesque comic who became Ziegfeld's greatest star.
• Marlene Dietrich - She brought glamour and danger to the big screen, and did it all with a remarkable sense of humor and class.
• Nelson Eddy and Jeanette MacDonald - dismissed as old-fashioned, they were irreplaceable figures in the history of entertainment.
• Gone With the Wind - A look at how the greatest film of Hollywood's studio era came to be.
• Al Jolson - Billed as the world's greatest entertainer, he remains a legend six decades after his passing.
• George S. Kaufman - One of the great wits of the 20th Century, this Pulitzer Prize-wining playwright co-authored and directed several landmark musicals.
• Angela Lansbury - This Hollywood character actress became one of the most honored and beloved stars of the musical stage -- then managed a third career as a television superstar.
• Lunt & Fontanne - The most famous husband and wife acting team in the American theatre, they left a legacy that too few appreciate today.
• Mary Martin - Broadway's most beloved musical star, her performances in South Pacific, Peter Pan and The Sound of Music are hallowed memories.
• The Marx Brothers - Thanks to films, this quartet's zany sense of comedy remains a vital part of our popular culture.
• Ethel Merman - With a powerhouse voice and solid brass stage persona, she became the First Lady of the American Musical and one of Broadway's greatest legends.
• Murder on Broadway: The Stanford White Case - A look back at how the press used a show business murder to redefine the word "scandal."
• Will Rogers - Almost forgotten, he was the superstar of stage, screen and radio less than a century ago.
• The Shubert Brothers - How did three impoverished immigrant boys become the most powerful men in the American theatre? 
• Beverly Sills - She made opera accessible to the TV generation and redefined the role of women in classical music.
• Neil Simon - Despite dozens of hit plays and films, he had to wait far too long to receive true recognition as America's greatest playwright.
• Star Feud: Davis vs. Crawford - The legendary feud between Bette and Joan: fact or studio fiction?
• The Great Ziegfeld - His Follies changed American entertainment , and the "Ziegfeld Girls" have become the stuff of legend. The truth behind the lore.

Musical Film

• Fred Astaire - He personified class, dancing as no one else ever has on stage or screen. An affectionate review of the life and career of this iconic figure.
• Busby Berkeley - His films brought joy to millions, but personal demons made him a nightmare to work with. A look at how this onetime chorus boy became a film legend.
• Arthur Freed & MGM - Under Freed's guidance, MGM produced Hollywood's greatest musicals. How did this producer and this studio set a standard no one ever surpassed? Available as one talk or an MGM series.
• Judy Garland - The greatest female star the musical screen would ever know, her incomparable talent was hampered by an often tempestuous private life.
• Gene Kelly - Dancing across a rooftop or singing in the rain, he was the sexy personification of manly grace -- and his work redefined musical film.

Great Musicals
These talks take a detailed look at how each of these musicals were developed for the stage and/or screen.

• A Chorus Line
• Annie
• Chicago
• Fiddler On the Roof
• Gigi (Screen to Stage)
• Gypsy
• Hello Dolly
• The King and I
• Mame
• Meet Me in St. Louis (Screen to Stage)
• The Merry Widow
• The Mikado
• My Fair Lady
• Oklahoma
• Peter Pan
• Rent
• Show Boat
• Singing In the Rain (Screen to Stage)
• The Sound of Music
• The Wizard of Oz (Screen to Stage)

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