To quote Shannon, "Murder! Murder! Murder!"  Yes, we're carrying on with this year's Sondheim theme of murder ballads, and we're carrying on with Sweeney Todd. This episode, we discuss the sort of duet, but not really, "My Friends."  All clips are from the 2002 production of Sweeney Todd in Concert featuring George Hearne as Sweeney Todd and Patti Lupone as Mrs. Lovett and are used in accordance with the Fair Use Exemption for criticism and commentary. Buy the DVD on Amazon! Listen to...

It's Sondheim time again -- the most wonderful time of the year here at SMSTS. This year, Shannon got her pick of themes, and she chose Sondheim's murder ballads. So, y'know, buckle up. We're starting off with the opening of 1979's Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street appropriately named "Prelude/The Ballad of Sweeney Todd." Attend the tale. All clips are from the 1979 Original Broadway Cast Recording of Sweeney Todd featuring Len Cariou as Sweeney Todd and are used in...

We conclude our look at inspirational songs with "I Know Where I've Been" from Hairspray, the 2002 Marc Shaiman and Scott Wittman musical based on the John Waters film of the same name. It's been a few years since we talked about the show's propulsive and endlessly optimistic closing number, so how does this song -- coming just before the final sequence and featuring a darker, if still optimistic tone -- sit within the show? And what's Erik's Grand Unified Theory of songs of inspiration?  ...

We return to Annie, a show we last talked about a few years back with Miss Hanigan's delicious villain song. This time, however, we're taking a look at the show's signature tune --and one of the most recognizable musical theater songs of all time -- "Tomorrow." Is it inspirational or an example of what's wrong with America? Buckle up. All clips are from 1977's Annie - Original Braodway Cast Recording featuring Andrea McArdle and are used in accordance with the Fair Use Exemption for...

Some great shows have a few mediocre songs, and some great songs come from otherwise mediocre shows. Such is the case with this episode's selection -- or is it? Join us as we continue our journey of inspiration with "The Impossible Dream (The Quest)" from Man of La Mancha.  All clips are from 2002's Man of La Mancha: The New Broadway Cast Recording featuring Brian Stokes Mitchell and are used in accordance with the Fair Use Exemption for criticism and commentary. Buy/stream the album on...

Welcome to 2023! As we enter a new year, we could all do with some inspiration, so we're starting the year off with a miniseries of inspirational songs. First up, we look at The Sound of Music for the first time, with "Climb Ev'ry Mountain." The last Rodgers & Hammerstein collaboration, this 1959 musical is one of the best known and best loved of all Broadway -- and film -- musicals.  All clips are from 2103's The Sound of Music: Music from the NBC Television Event and are used in...

It's the most wonderful time of the year! For our third annual holiday special, we're being the rules a bit and looking at a festive movie musical -- namely, 1992's The Muppet Christmas Carol starring Michael Caine and the Muppets. We talk about the meloncholy air surrounding the making of the movie, the performances, and, of course, all of the songs written for the film by the great Paul Williams. Happy Holidays! See you in 2023! All clips are from 1992's The Muppet Christmas Carol:...

The second and final part of our look at songs that escaped the shows they were written for brings us to arguably one of the greatest songs never to be performed on Broadway -- "Meadowlark" from the ill-fated Stephen Schwartz musical The Baker's Wife. The show may be forgettable, but the song certainly is not. All clips are from Lindsay Mendez's 2017 performance of "Meadowlark" at Feinstein's/54 Below and are used in accordance with the Fair Use Exemption for criticism and commentary. ...

And now for something completely different. We're embarking on a mini-mini-series: a 2-part look at songs that managed to have a life even if they shows they came from didn't. First up, it's "You've Got Possibilities" from the almost totally forgotten 1966 musical "It'sa Bird...It's a Plane...It's Superman". A score by Charles Strouse and Lee Adams -- and production and direction by Hal Prince -- didn't save this show from being the biggest flop in Broadway history at the time, but somehow...

We conclude our tour of musical theater blindspots with Jason Robert Brown's 2014 The Bridges of Madison County and the sweeping love duet "One Second and a Million Miles." Will Shannon persuade Erik that this score deserves to be known far and wide, or will his cold, stony heart be unmoved? All clips are from the 2014 Orignal Broadway Cast Recording of The Bridges of Madison County featuring Steven Pasquale and Kelli O'Hara and are used in accordance with the Fair Use Exemption for...

We're trying to take care of musical theater blindspots, and this time it's Shannon's turn to introduce Erik to something new. So, how will he respond to "I Believe" from 2011's The Book of Mormon? Will he be converted, or will he slam the door in her face? All clips are from the 2011 Original Broadway Cast Recording of The Book of Mormon featuring Andrew Rannells and are used in accordance with the Fair Use Exemption for criticism and commentary. Buy/stream the album on Amazon! Listen...

We just couldn't stay away from the Andrew Lloyd Webber/Time Rice songbook as we cover our musical theater blind spots. This time, it's Evita with Patti Lupone singing "Don't Cry for Me Argentina." What will Shannon make of this truly strange show that she'd never experienced before? All clips are from the 1978 Original Broadway Cast Recording of Evita featuring Patti Lupone and are used in accordance with the Fair Use Exemption for criticism and commentary. Buy/stream the album on...

We're back after our brief end of summer hiatus, and we've got a new miniseries in store. We all have our blind spots -- shows that we feel as if we should know, but don't. In this miniseries, we're trying to clear up some of those blind spots -- 2 from each host -- and we're starting with a biggie. Join us as we talk about one of the greates roles in musical theater: yes, it's time for 1959's Gypsy and "Everything's Coming up Roses." All clips are from the 2015 London Cast Recording...

To close out our look at the Broadway megamusical, we turn our attention to one of the most popular -- and controversial -- entries in the subgenre: Miss Saigon. Join us as we dicuss "I Still Believe" and the enduring debate about this show's depiction of its Vietnamese characters.  All clips are from the 1989 Original London Cast Recording of Miss Saigon featuring Lea Salonga and Claire Moore and are used in accordance with the Fair Use Exemption for criticism and commentary. Buy/stream...

Not all megamusicals were big hits -- not on Broadway, at least. This episode, we look at one of the most infamous and enduring of the failed London to Broadway transfers: Chess. The score, by Time Rice, Benny Andersson, and Bjorn Ulvaeus, has endured, however, powered by such pop hits as "Nobody's Side." All clips are from the 1988 Original Broadway Cast Recording of Chess featuring Judy Kuhn and are used in accordance with the Fair Use Exemption for criticism and commentary. Buy the...

The undisputed king of the megamusical, Andrew Lloyd Webber, is back with his biggest hit, and one of the biggest hits in musical theater history: The Phantom of the Opera. This episode we discuss the title song, our history with the show in general, and the sequel that never really caught on. All clips are from the 1986 Original London Cast Recording of The Phantom of the Opera featuring Sarah Brightman and Michael Crawford and are used in accordance with the Fair Use Exemption for...

MAKE IT BIGGER! That was the refrain in the 80s on the West End and Broadway, and we're looking at some of the highlights of the megamusical era in our new miniseries. We begin with the show that arguably started it all -- Andrew Lloyd's Webber's 1981 phenomenon, Cats. Join us, won't you, as we discuss "Prologue: Jellicle Songs for Jellicle Cats."  All clips are from the 1981 Original London Cast Recording of Cats and are used in accordance with the Fair Use Exemption for criticism and...

We conclude our series on seduction songs with a trip down to 2019's Hadestown --written by Anaïs Mitchell and developed and directed by Rachel Chavkin -- to discuss "Hey, Little Songbird." All clips are from the 2019 Original Broadway Cast Recording of Hadestown featuring Patrick Page as Hades and Eva Noblezada as Eurydice are used in accordance with the Fair Use Exemption for criticism and commentary. Listen to and buy the album on Amazon! Listen to the SMSTS playlist on Spotify. ...

Our seduction song cycle moves to Moscow as we revisit a perennial favorite, Dave Malloy's Natasha, Pierre, and the Great Comet of 1812 and one of that show's standout moments -- "Charming." All clips are from the 2017 original Broadway cast recording of Natasha, Pierre, and the Great Comet of 1812 featuring Amber Gray as Helene and are used in accordance with the Fair Use Exemption for criticism and commentary. Listen to and buy the album on Amazon! Listen to the SMSTS playlist on...

We continue our run of seduction songs with a return to one of the first shows we ever covered: Chicago. This time, we're looking at Billy Flynn's "Razzle Dazzle," a song that's both darker and slower than you may remember. All clips are from the 1975 original Broadway cast recording of Chicago featuring Jerry Orbach as Billy Flynn and are used in accordance with the Fair Use Exemption for criticism and commentary. Listen to and buy the album on Amazon! Listen to the SMSTS playlist on...

Hey, big spender! Spend a little time with Erik & Shannon as they begin a new miniseries, featuring songs of seduction. We begin with one of the most blatant come-ons ever staged for Broadway, "Big Spender" from 1966's Sweet Charity. All clips are from the 1966 original Broadway cast recording of Sweet Charity and are used in accordance with the Fair Use Exemption for criticism and commentary. Listen to and buy the album on Amazon! Listen to the SMSTS playlist on Spotify. Follow the...

We conclude our journey through Into the Woods with The Baker's Wife's moving and profound exploration of the meaning of life, "Moments in the Woods." All clips are from the 1987 original cast recording of Into the Woods featuring Joanna Gleason as the Baker's Wife and are used in accordance with the Fair Use Exemption for criticism and commentary. Listen to and buy the album on Amazon! Listen to the SMSTS playlist on Spotify. Follow the show on Twitter: @somuchstuffpod Follow SMSTS...

After a brief break, we are back with our annual Sondheim series featuring the "I know now" songs from Into the Woods. This time, we look at one of the most challenging and daunting songs from the show, Cinderella's big moment "On the Steps of the Palace." All clips are from the 1987 original cast recording of Into the Woods featuring Kim Crosby as Cinderalla and are used in accordance with the Fair Use Exemption for criticism and commentary. Listen to and buy the album on Amazon! ...

We continue our annual Stephen Sondheim celebration with a discussion of "Giants in the Sky," as we go deeper Into the Woods and look at what our chracters are learning. All clips are from the 1987 original cast recording of Into the Woods featuring Ben Wright and are used in accordance with the Fair Use Exemption for criticism and commentary. Listen to and buy the album on Amazon! Listen to the SMSTS playlist on Spotify. Follow the show on Twitter: @somuchstuffpod Follow SMSTS on...

In honor of the upcoming anniversary of his birthday, we are beginning our third annual Stephen Sondheim miniseries. This time, we are focusing on four of the songs from Into the Woods, perhaps his most accessible and most popular show.  In our first episode, we discuss Little Red's song "I Know Things Now" and talk about how it connects with the many themes running through the show. All clips are from the 1987 original cast recording of Into the Woods featuring Danielle Ferland and are...