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The Gospel of Musical Theatre (The Gospel of Musical Theatre)

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DateTitreDurée
15 Oct 20212.2 My Fair Lady!00:56:21

We know you've been waiting for it - this week, we take a critical (but loving) look at Lerner & Loewe's best-known musical, the 1956 classic My Fair Lady! And the faultless Julie Andrews!

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We talk about: 

- Myths & Legends: The show’s origin in the mythology of Ovid and the social agenda of English playwright George Bernard Shaw – and, perhaps, the Biblical story of Job. 

- The "Grass Is Greener" Effect: The musical’s exploration of the philosophical question, “If you got everything you wanted, would that really make you happy?” 

- Misogyny: The misogyny of the idea (both theatrical and religious) of a masculine God who controls men & women. How does My Fair Lady both perpetuate and push back on these images?

- Love Stories: The true love story of My Fair Lady. Is it Eliza and Higgins? Eliza and Freddy? Higgins and Pickering? Or some combination?

- The Challenge of the Ending: Is My Fair Lady a redemption story or an indictment of Henry Higgins and everything he represents?

- Complacency: The danger of “becoming accustomed” – to faces, situations, and damaging cultural norms. 

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You’ll hear: 

- Julie Andrews (Patron Saint of this podcast) singing “Wouldn’t It Be Loverly” and “I Could Have Danced All Night” from the 1959 West End cast recording. 

- Rex Harrison singing “A Hymn to Him” and “I’ve Grown Accustomed To Her Face” from the 1959 West End recording. 

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________________________________

Check out some of our all-time favorites!

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Continue the conversation with us on Instagram (@gospelofmt).

29 Oct 20212.3 Camelot & Gigi!00:49:02

We're talking about two of Lerner & Loewe's most problematic and legendary (wait for it...) shows - the 1958 film Gigi and the 1960 Broadway musical Camelot!

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We talk about:

- Pedophilia: Gigi’s origin in the short stories of the French writer Colette (1873-1953) and the film's lurking pedophilia

- Feminism (and Lack Thereof): The nature of women’s roles (in 19th-century Paris, 1950s America, and today), and the development of cultural norms around gender, marriage and sexuality.

- The Marriage Fantasy: Traditional marriage and the degree to which Christianity has upheld and supported it – and how both Gigi and Camelot explore conventions around heterosexual marriage.

- Threesomes: The relationship between Camelot's Arthur, Guinevere and Lancelot as an echo of Higgins, Eliza and Pickering's relationship in My Fair Lady.

- JFK: How Camelot relates to the Kennedy presidency and 1960s America

- Power and Corruption: The show's central theological questions: can there be power that is wielded for good - and is the realization of the Beloved Community possible in this life?

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You’ll hear:

- Maurice Chevalier singing “Thank Heaven For Little Girls” from the 1958 Gigi film soundtrack.

- Richard Burton singing the title song and Julie Andrews &Richard Burton singing "What Do the Simple Folk Do?" from the 1960 Broadway Cast Recording of Camelot

- Our Lady Julie Andrews singing “The Lusty Month of May” from the 1960 Camelot Broadway Cast Recording

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Continue the conversation with us on Instagram (@gospelofmt).

08 Apr 20223.7 Sweeney Todd! (with Arwen Myers!)01:10:47

Sort of-guest Arwen Myers—soprano, Sweeney stan, and executive producer of this podcast—joins Peter and Nathan for a wide-reaching conversation about her favorite musical... which just happens to be about murder and meat pies (and Victor Garber).

That's right: it's the 1979 Tony-Award winning Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street!

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We talk about:

- The Dies Irae: The medieval chant Dies Irae and how it frames Sweeney Todd as a story about death, violence, and revenge with explicitly religious overtones.  

– Who's the Villian? Who’s the real villain of Sweeney Todd? We talk about how none of these characters are who they appear to be, and how the music helps to signal what’s going on underneath.

– Sacred Violence: The various versions of Christianity that haunt this show, notions of sacred violence, sin & sacrifice, and the redemptive promise—or false lure?—of blood.  

– Are We All Sweeney? The social & cultural aspects of the world that’s being presented – and we make of the warning embedded in this very dark musical. Is Sweeney "out there..." or is he inside each of us?

– Is this show actually about Victor Garber?

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You’ll hear:

  • Angela Lansbury, Len Cariou, Ken Jennings, Victor Garber, and Edmund Lyndeck on the Original Broadway Cast Recording singing "The Ballad of Sweeney Todd," "A Little Priest," "Johanna," "The Worst Pies in London," "Epiphany," and "Not While I’m Around."

________________________________

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04 Jun 20211.3 Carousel!00:43:27
We're taking a critical look at the 1945 masterpiece Carousel – maybe Rodgers & Hammerstein’s finest score, but a show that definitely hasn't aged well. What can contemporary audiences do with Julie Jordan and Billy Bigelow and their complicated and violent relationship?   ________________________________   We talk about...
  • Cycles of Abuse: Billy and Julie’s complicated relationship and the idea of the "conditional love song"
  • Redemptive Suffering: The myth of redemptive suffering – and Carousel's theatrical depiction of the afterlife
  • Are we more than our worst choices?
  • Is it true that “you’ll never walk alone?”
  • Redemption: Can a problematic show with a gorgeous score be “redeemed” for contemporary audiences?

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You'll hear this music from the 1956 film version of Carousel:

  • Shirley Jones & Claramae Turner singing “You’ll Never Walk Alone”
  • Shirley Jones singing “If I Loved You”
  • Barbara Ruick, Claramae Turner, Robert Rounseville & Cameron Mitchell singing “This Was a Real Nice Clambake”

________________________________

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Continue the conversation with us on Instagram (@gospelofmt).

28 Jan 20223.3 A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum & Anyone Can Whistle!01:07:35

It's TWO musicals by Stephen Sondheim – a hit & a flop!

We're chatting about A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum (1962) and Anyone Can Whistle (1965)— which lead to an unexpected conversation about comedy, farce... and miracles.

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We Talk About:

  • Sondheim’s love of obscure source material – how many musicals do you know that are based on the plays of an ancient Roman?
  • Opening numbers—especially Forum’s famous "Comedy Tonight"—and Jerome Robbins’ legacy
  • What to do with sexual jokes that haven’t aged well ("Everybody Ought to Have a Maid", anyone?)
  • A theology of comedy: what do we learn about God through laughter?
  • Sondheim’s wrestling with his own sexuality in songs like “Anyone Can Whistle” – and his romance with Lee Remick, who introduced the song on Broadway
  • The social upheaval of the mid-1960s and the sweetness of human connection – what French theologian Jean-Pierre de Caussade calls "the sacrament of the present moment"

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You’ll Hear:

  • "Comedy Tonight," "Free," and "Pretty Little Picture," sung by Zero Mostel, Bryan Davies, and Preshy Marker from the Original Broadway Cast Recording of A Funny Thing Happened On the Way to the Forum
  • "Everybody Ought to Have A Maid," sung by David Burns, Zero Mostel, Jack Gilford and John Carradine from the Original Broadway Cast Recording
  • The Cookie Speech, "Everybody Says Don’t," and "With So Little To Be Sure Of," sung by Bernadette Peters and Scott Bakula on the 1995 Carnegie Hall Concert Recording of Anyone Can Whistle
  • "Anyone Can Whistle," sung by Lee Remick on the Original Broadway Cast Recording – as well as a “demo” version sung by Sondheim himself (available as a bonus track on the Original Broadway Cast Recording)

________________________________

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________________________________

Check out some of our all-time favorites!

________________________________

Continue the conversation with us on Instagram (@gospelofmt).

 

16 Aug 20246.4 Frozen!00:54:43

What better way to celebrate summer than with a frozen cocktail of Disney Princess mania? It’s 2013’s Frozen, beloved by aspiring Elsas and Annas, reviled by parents and caretakers who threaten to lose it if they hear “Let it Go” one more time (trigger warning: you’ll hear it in this episode).

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You’ll also hear:

  • Love is an Open Door: a catchy romance ballad that sets up deeper questions about true love – both in the Disney tradition and in a contemporary society where women and men are navigating complicated and often contradictory relationship patterns.
  • Let It Go: the power ballad to end all power ballads. Winner of the Oscar for Best Song, it’s the film’s great moment of self-actualization and release. How do we read this moment theologically? What does Elsa represent?
  • Fixer-Upper, Vuelie and Summer: a strong score that incorporates elements of the Broadway tradition, Sami folk singing, and some beautiful choral writing that establishes an otherworldly, mythical atmosphere for this contemporary parable.

You’ll hear Idina Menzel, Kristen Bell, Santino Fontana, Josh Gad and the rest of the cast from the 2013 soundtrack recording.

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10 Dec 20213.1 West Side Story! (Sondheim Season Premiere)01:05:15

It's time!! We're beginning our long-awaited exploration of the musicals of the great Stephen Sondheim (1930-2021), who died recently at the age of 91.

We're starting with one of Sondheim’s early collaborations: the 1957 classic West Side Story, which saw Sondheim working as lyricist alongside composer Leonard Bernstein.

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We talk about:

- Sondheim. The death of Sondheim and his emerging status as a guru/wisdom teacher in the “church” of musical theatre – a reputation famously sent-up by the song “God”

- Race in America. The origins of West Side Story (1957) in the racial & religious tensions between Jewish & Catholic immigrants in New York City’s East Side at the turn of the 20th century, and how race in America had shifted by the 50s

- Longing. "Something’s Coming," "The Jet Song," and the two dueling religious systems in West Side Story: group belonging vs. love, and the desire for a conversion experience

- Love. The show’s classic love songs—"Tonight," "Maria," and "Somewhere"—with their theological ideas about the full embodiment of sexual desire, and the power (and lure) of forbidden love

- Blame. West Side Story’s social agenda, explored in "Gee, Officer Krupke" and "America," and the tension between whether we hold society or individuals responsible for violence

- The Ending. Whether the show ends in tragedy or hope – the challenge of redemptive violence and the promise of Maria as the priest of her community

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You’ll hear:

- The company of the 2010 revue Sondheim on Sondheim (including the great Barbara Cook, Vanessa L. Williams, Leslie Kritzer, Erin Mackey, Tom Wopat, Norm Lewis, Euan Morton, and Matthew Scott), singing the song “God”

- Isaac Cole Powell singing "Something’s Coming" (available to watch here)

- Larry Kert & Carol Lawrence singing "Tonight," "Somewhere" and "I Feel Pretty" from the original 1957 Broadway Cast Recording.

- Max Goberman, Eddie Roll, Grover Dale and the company of the original Broadway cast singing "Gee, Officer Krupke"

- Carol Lawrence, Carmen Gutierrez, Marilyn Cooper and Elizabeth Taylor singing "I Feel Pretty" from the Original Broadway Cast recording.

________________________________

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________________________________

Check out some of our all-time favorites!

________________________________

Continue the conversation with us on Instagram (@gospelofmt).

08 Nov 20247.3 Les Miserables!01:18:28

Somewhere beyond the barricade, is there a world you long to see?

There’s no more overtly theological (or more popular) musical than Claude-Michel Schönberg & Alain Boubil’s 1980 Les Misérables, based on Victor Hugo’s 1862 novel.

From Valjean and Javert to Eponine and Fantine, this musical crams more pathos, prayer, and bad wigs into three hours than any other musical we know. Do you hear the people sing?

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We talk about:

  • Prologue (the Bishop) / Stars / Javert’s Suicide – Javert, the police inspector, embodies a law-and-order version of the Christian gospel (shout-out to our Jansenist followers!) – and ultimately, the mercy he is shown destroys him. Are these competing atonement theories, or is there more subtlety in Les Mis’ treatment of the Christian gospel and its consequences?
  • I Dreamed a Dream / On My Own / A Little Fall of Rain – Fantine gets one, brief, shining moment before she dies (it's a weeper), and Eponine stands in for every alto who dreams of being the soprano – and then she dies, too. Why do most of the women in Les Mis end up dead?
  • Turning, Turning – "What's the use of praying if there's nobody who hears it?" In a musical where women are mostly prostitutes or virgins, the women’s chorus gives voice to one of the show’s darkest and most provocative theological questions.
  • Bring Him Home / Do You Hear the People Sing? – What does an evangelized life look like on the ground – and what does “somewhere beyond the barricade” really mean?

You’ll hear Colm Wilkinson, Phillip Quast, Lea Salonga, Michael Ball and Judy Kuhn from the 1995 “Dream Cast Recording.”

You’ll also hear Anne Hathaway sing “I Dreamed a Dream” from the 2012 film soundtrack because she won an Oscar for it, and attention must be paid.

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Check out some of our all-time favorites!

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23 Feb 20245.2 Funny Girl!01:04:37

Isn’t it "people who DON'T need people are the luckiest people in the world?"

Today we look at the role that made Barbara Streisand's early career: the role of Fanny Brice in Jule Styne & Bob Merrill’s 1964 musical Funny Girl and the 1968 film directed by William Wyler.

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We talk about:

  • The Greatest Star: The phenomenon of the original Fanny Brice, how Barbra got involved in the project, and where the line between ego, strength, and vanity lies.
  • The Audience: The sacred relationship between performer and audience and Barbra’s theory of audience (or—in a religious context—a congregation) as a truth barometer.
  • The Patriarchy: Nick Arnstein & Fanny Brice's relationship, Barbra & her male collaborators, the creep factor of "You are Woman," and the dangerous myth of romantic love (attention straight people: beware writing your own vows!)
  • The Parade: Is "Don’t Rain on My Parade" a feminist anthem?
  • The People: What’s the theology of people who need people? Is this just a hymn to extroversion, or does it channel Archbishop Desmond Tutu’s theology of ubuntu?

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You’ll hear:

– The 1968 Film Soundtrack: "I’m the Greatest Star," Omar Shariff and Barbra singing "You Are Woman, I am Man," "My Man," "Don’t Rain on My Parade" and—of course—"People."

________________________________

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Check out some of our all-time favorites!

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Continue the conversation with us on Instagram (@gospelofmt).

18 Jun 20211.4 South Pacific!00:43:06

This week, we continue with our deep dive into Rodgers & Hammerstein with South Pacific (1949) – their first “big hit” and a pioneering (but problematic) look at the deeply-embedded racism of white Americans during World War II.

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We talk about:

  • Mary Martin, Enzo Pinza, and how Rodgers and Hammerstein created a love story where two characters never have to sing together.
  • The Phenomenon of World War II and how Rodgers and Hammerstein began to craft a new mythology out the American experience of that war.
  • Being Carefully Taught: What it means for white Americans to be "carefully taught" to fear and discriminate against those who are not white.
  • Oscar Hammerstein’s social agenda, his early training in faith and religion, and how South Pacific embodies his theology of social change.

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You’ll hear:

  • Mary Martin and Ezio Pinza in the Original Broadway Cast Recording (1949) singing "Twin Soliloquies" and "Some Enchanted Evening."
  • Matthew Morrison singing "You’ve Got To Be Carefully Taught" from the 2008 Broadway Revival recording

________________________________

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Check out some of our all-time favorites!

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Continue the conversation with us on Instagram (@gospelofmt).

05 Jul 20246.1 The Music Man!00:50:38

Band Geeks of the world, unite!

We’re taking a fizzy summer tour through some of our favorite movie musicals – and what better way to observe the Fourth of July weekend in the USA than with one of the most patriotic and Americana-obsessed musicals of all time, the 1962 film version of Meredith Willson’s 1957 Broadway musical The Music Man!

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We talk about:

  • "Rock Island" – One of the most impressive opening numbers in any musical, a laser-quick intro to the economics and social mores of early 20th-century America.
  • "Iowa Stubborn" – The people of River City basically tell us what assholes they are. Is this song about whiteness, small town life, or the human condition?
  • "Trouble" – Harold Hill’s infamous patter song. It’s like a hellfire-and-brimstone sermon, in the tradition of Jonathan Edwards and the great preachers of the Great Awakening.
  • "Sincere" – The role that barbershop music plays in The Music Man... and in American nostalgia for a "simpler time."
  • "The Wells Fargo Wagon" – What's the deal with Winthrop?

You’ll hear:

Robert Preston, Barbara Cook and the cast of the 1957 Broadway cast – because we love Shirley Jones, but there's only one Marian the Librarian.

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31 Dec 2021BONUS: Steven Spielburg’s West Side Story!01:15:21

That's right... We're not done with West Side Story! Today in this very special bonus episode, we're talking about the 2021 Steven Spielberg adaptation.

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We talk about:

- Spielberg. Spielberg’s style and the political & sociological context that he and screenwriter Tony Kushner bring to the original material

- Religion. Shifts in religious imagery from 1961 to 2021 - and how the film shifts the setting of the story's religious/liturgical moments

- Awareness. How the film raises the stakes of Tony & Maria’s love by paying deeper attention to the political & racial context of the late 50s

- The Immigrant Experience. A deeper and more nuanced take on Maria & Anita and the ways they navigate white society

- Rita Moreno. Valentina, the new character created by Kushner and Spielberg - and what it means to have Rita Moreno’s presence in the film

- Midrash. The phenomenon of midrash in the Jewish exegetical tradition and how this film riffs on the complications & tensions inherent in the original material

- Mary. The theological question of whether it’s true that when “love comes on so strong, there is no right or wrong” – and Maria as a (literal!) Marian figure

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You’ll hear tracks from the 2021 Film Soundtrack:

- David Alvarez and the Sharks singing “La Borinquena”.

- Gustavo Dudamel leading players from the New York and LA Philharmonics in “Mambo” from the Dance at the Gym

- Ansel Elgorty and Rachel Zegler singing “One Hand, One Heart”

- Rachel Zegler, Ana Isabelle, Ilda Mason, Annelise Cepero, Jamila Velazquez, Andrea Burns, Tanairi Sade Vazquez & Yassmin Alers singing “I Feel Pretty”

- Ariana DeBose and Rachel Zegler singing “A Boy Like That/I Have A Love”

- Rita Moreno singing “Somewhere”

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Check out some of our all-time favorites!

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Continue the conversation with us on Instagram (@gospelofmt).

 

 

10 Feb 20234.3 Evita!01:07:13

It's Evita (1978)! The culmination of Lloyd Webber’s collaboration with lyricist Tim Rice, this show offers an epic look at politics, celebrity, and gender through the life of a contemporary saint, Argentina’s beloved First Lady Eva Peron (1919-1952).

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We wonder:

– Whose Politics are These? What does the musical say about Argentinian politics, British politics, and maybe even North American politics?

– Is Evita a Saint? If Eva Peron is beatified by the Roman Catholic Church, what will that mean about how she is remembered?

– Power & Poverty: Do acts of charity enable or indict the structural forces that keep some people in power and others in poverty? What kind of social justice is Evita illustrating?

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You’ll hear:

– Mandy Patinkin, Patty LuPone and Bob Gunton on the 1979 Original Broadway Cast Recording

– Madonna singing “You Must Love Me” and “Don’t Cry for Me, Argentina (Miami Mix)” from the 1996 Motion Picture Soundtrack

________________________________

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________________________________

Check out some of our all-time favorites!

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Continue the conversation with us on Instagram (@gospelofmt).

 

22 Mar 20245.4 On A Clear Day!00:57:07

Peter and Nathan watched this movie so you don't have to!

It's time for a deep cut... We’re talking about the 1970 film version of Alan Jay Lerner and Burton Lane’s very strange musical, On A Clear Day You Can See Forever – a show about a psychiatrist with terrible boundaries.

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We talk about:

  • ESP: Is there a meaningful distinction between extrasensory perception and Christian conceptions of spirituality and prayer?
  • Reincarnation: We talk about the case of Bridey Murphy, the 19th-century Irishwoman who was purportedly reincarnated as a 20th century American housewife. What are we supposed to believe about the afterlife?
  • Grief: So many conversations about the afterlife happen in the context of death & grief. Does profound grief open us up to alternate conceptions of the universe in a way that can be helpful – or is that simply our emotions talking?
  • Clothes: Always the clothes. The Cecil Beaton gowns! The turbans! Be still, our hearts!

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You’ll hear:

Yves Montand, Barbra Streisand and the cast of the film singing "Come Back To Me," "Love With All The Trimmings" and "On A Clear Day You Can See Forever" as well as the Peddlers’ version of the film’s title song.

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Continue the conversation with us on Instagram (@gospelofmt).

25 Oct 20247.2 Ragtime!01:06:21

Immigration, capitalism, feminism, intersectionality, and the civil rights: this musical has it all!

Flaherty & Ahren’s 1998 musical Ragtime is a big, expensive show with lots of plot (never Peter’s strong suit) – but we love this musical and what it has to say about kingdoms of power and the kingdom of God.

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Peter & Nathan make some highly controversial claims:

  • "Ragtime" is the greatest opening number in Broadway history.
  • "Daddy's Son" – Nobody sings this like Broadway’s GOAT, Audra Ann McDonald. Nathan will fight you on this.
  • "Henry Ford" & "Wheels of a Dream" – Is Ragtime just an extended commercial for Ford?

And we wonder together about hearing "New Music," listening for resurrection, and what it means to live faithfully "‘Til We Reach That Day."

You’ll hear Brian Stokes Mitchell, Audra McDonald, Marin Mazzie, Peter Freidman, Judy Kaye and the cast of the 1998 Original Broadway Cast.

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Check out some of our all-time favorites!

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11 Oct 2024Season 7: Cabaret!01:25:14

What would you do? What will you do?

In the election run-up, Peter & Nathan are talking about musicals that deal with political unrest and social change (don't worry, it's still fun!). We begin with the 1966 Broadway classic Cabaret, one of the darkest, kinkiest, and most-enduring musicals of all time.

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We talk about:

– Willkommen / Two Ladies / The Money Song: The "decadence" depicted by the emcee and the performers of the Kit Kat Klub (KKK, anyone?) in 1930s Berlin on the eve of Nazism. Does Cabaret hold this very queer decadence as responsible for the rise of fascism, or is there something deeper at work?

– Married / So What / What Would You Do?   Bob Fosse’s 1972 film version of Cabaret eliminates most of the traditional musical theatre story exemplified in the romance between Fraulein Schneider & Herr Schultz. But these two characters—and the songs that Kander & Ebb wrote for them—carry much of the show’s political weight – and its emotional heart. Is Fraulein Schneider secretly Cabaret’s protagonist?

– Don’t Tell Mama & Cabaret:  We talk about one of Cabaret’s most well-known characters, Sally Bowles. What does she mean when she sings that "life is a cabaret?"

– Tomorrow Belongs to Me:  The incredible music of Cabaret – hymns, patriotic anthems, folk songs and music hall ditties – raises provocative questions about entertainment, pleasure, emotional release, and the rise of demonic ideologies. Religion traffics in some of the same territory. Is good music morally neutral... or not?

You’ll hear Joel Grey, Jill Haworth, Lotte Lenya, Jack Gilford and the cast of the 1966 Original Broadway Cast – as well as Mark Lambert on the 1972 film soundtrack singing “Tomorrow Belongs to Me”.

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20 Aug 2021BONUS: In Conversation with Robin Kermode00:49:23

We're on summer break, but before we dive Lerner & Lowe in Season 2, we're so excited to share this conversation with the one & only Robin Kermode: renowned English actor, writer, and communications coach.

We chat about about Broadway overtures, code switching, what acting has to teach us about spirituality, and finding your authentic voice.

Find Robin’s own podcast (with occasional guest the Very Rev’d Peter Elliott!) at https://robinkermode.com/podcast/

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You’ll Hear:

- The Overture to “The King and I” (Original Broadway Cast recording, 1951)

- Marni Nixon singing “I Could Have Danced All Night” from the 1964 film of “My Fair Lady”

- Rex Harrison singing “Why Can’t the English” from the 1964 film

________________________________

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________________________________

Check out some of our all-time favorites!

________________________________

Continue the conversation with us on Instagram (@gospelofmt).

13 Jan 20234.1 Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat!01:00:35

We're baaaackkkk! We're kicking off our fourth season, a deep dive into the musicals of the one & only Andrew Lloyd Weber: one of the most esteemed and prolific musical theatre composers of all time.

In this episode, Nathan & Peter take a look at an early success he and lyricist Tim Rice had in 1968: Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat!

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We talk about:

- Church Music vs Pop: The intersection of "liturgical" music (Lloyd Webber’s father was a church organist) with pop music

- Dreams, and how they function both in the religious tradition and contemporary pop psychology and musicals. Is it really true that, as Joseph sings, "any dream will do?"

- The Problems of the Bible: What Bible stories we think are appropriate for children – and which parts of the Bible we sanitize or gloss overto preserve a romanticized ideal of childhood innocence

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You’ll hear Donny Osmond, Janet Metz and the cast of the 1992 Canadian Cast Recording (Really Useful Group Ltd under exclusive license to Universal Music Operations Limited).

________________________________

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Continue the conversation with us on Instagram (@gospelofmt).

 

11 Mar 2022BONUS: Sondheim & Judaism (with Michael & Ida Rae Cahana)!01:15:23

Today we welcome two very special guests: Cantor Ida Rae and Rabbi Michael Cahana of Portland’s Congregation Beth Israel!  

We're chatting about Sondheim’s Jewish heritage – and the subversive power of ritual & theatre in Jewish contexts.

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We talk about:

  • Jewishness in the music of Leonard Bernstein & Stephen Sondheim
  • West Side Story as an immigrant show exploring the tension between alienation and assimilation
  • "Outsider" narratives in Sondheim’s stories as a reflection of both his Judaism and his homosexuality
  • The "problem of the ending" – and the phenomenon of unresolved musical, dramatic, and theological conclusions
  • Purim, the tradition of the Purim Spiel, and the subversive nature of Purim
  • How we pass down our stories to our children

*Read Gabrielle Hoyt’s article "Kaddish for Steve" at https://www.americantheatre.org/2022/01/28/kaddish-for-steve-on-the-jewishness-of-sondheim/ ________________________________

You’ll hear:

  • The Prologue and Quintet ("Tonight") from West Side Story (2022 film soundtrack)
  • The documentary Original Cast Album (You can find it on YouTube!)
  • The Finale ("Children Will Listen") from Into The Woods (Original Broadway Cast recording)
  • "I Remember" from Evening Primrose (Sung by Bernadette Peters on the 2016 Album The Essential Sondheim)
  • The cast of Congregation Beth Israel’s 2016 production of West Side Spiel. Watch the whole Spiel on CBI’s YouTube page: https://youtu.be/Ely7r_Ax_AE

________________________________

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________________________________

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________________________________

Continue the conversation with us on Instagram (@gospelofmt).

 

16 Jul 20211.6 The Sound of Music!00:51:20

It's a good one... We're finally talking about The Sound of Music! Join us for this chat about this Rodgers & Hammerstein masterpiece – both the 1959 stage version and the iconic 1965 film starring the one & only Julie Andrews.

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We talk about:

- Contrasts: How the “marriage trope” intersects a political story about fascism and resistance

- The "Problem" of Maria: Maria von Trapp as both a redemptive figure and a prototypical “good German”

- Being Good: The theology of “Something Good,” and Catholic versus Protestant understandings of love and human worthiness

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You’ll hear:

- Laura Benanti and Christian Boyle singing “No Way To Stop It” and “How Can Love Survive” from the 2013 NBC Soundtrack Recording

- Julie Andrews singing “I Have Confidence” and “Something Good” from the 1965 film soundtrack

- Peggy Wood singing “Climb Every Mountain” from the 1965 film.

________________________________

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________________________________

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________________________________

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19 Jul 20246.2 Barbie!01:03:55

We fixed everything in the real world so all women are happy and powerful.

Just kidding... but we ARE talking about The Barbie Movie! We’re so excited to be joined by Arwen Myers, executive director of the podcast, musicals aficionado – and the person Barbie was made for – to talk about Greta Gerwig's blockbuster 2023 summer hit. Is it a musical? We think it is.

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We talk about:

  • "Pink" – An almost Broadway-level opening number that establishes the all-pink world of Barbieland before everything goes haywire.
  • "Push" – A very specific in-joke for a very specific generation of kids, and a cathartic moment for anybody who’s ever experienced mansplaining.
  • "The Monologue" – America Ferrera’s iconic speech about the impossible contradictions inherent in being a woman in the 21st century. It's the film’s articulation of Gospel. How is this monologue good news?
  • "I’m Just Ken" – The film’s most obvious musical moment – and one of the greatest production numbers of the 21st century. How do we feel about the fact that Ryan Gosling steals every scene he’s in?
  • "What Was I Made For?" – Billie Eilish’s Oscar-winning ballad, Barbie’s eleven o’clock number, and perhaps the most pregnant question the film asks. Is Barbie a prophet? A savior?

You’ll hear Lizzo, Matchbox Twenty, America Ferrera, Ryan Gosling and Billy Eilish from the film’s 2023 soundtrack.

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16 Feb 2024Season 5: Barbra Streisand!00:44:40

Everybody said don't, but we're doing it anyway... It's the Gospel According to Babs!

It's the queerest thing we've ever done. This season, we're focusing on the musical (and musical-adjacent) films of one of the greats – Barbra Streisand: GOAT queer diva, filmmaker, actor, and singer, who just released her autobiography My Name is Barbra.

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We talk about:

– The Method: Barbra’s early training in the method developed by Konstantin Stanislavski and his students in the early decades of the 20th century – and the theology of human experience it depends on.

– The Albums: Streisand as an interpreter of the American Songbook, and the ways in which her acting training influences her recording career.

– The power of thought as Barbra’s autobiography (and discography!) expresses it. Do thoughts really transcend matter?

– Keep a performance fresh – how to stay in the moment when the moment needs to be repeated over and over.

– Streisand as prophet and priest. How does an artist bring a prophetic voice to society?

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You’ll hear:

– Mostly Barbra! “Putting it Together” from the Broadway Album (1985), “Everybody Says Don’t” from Back to Broadway (1993) and “Guilty” (with Barry Gibbs!) from 1980.

________________________________

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________________________________

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________________________________

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20 May 20223.10 Into the Woods! (with Ed Bacon!)01:16:56

We're welcoming a very special guest: Ed Bacon, legendary leader of progressive Christian causes and an inveterate Sondheim fan!

With Ed’s help, we pull apart the spirituality, theology (and the trichology!) of what is probably Stephen Sondheim’s best-known—and arguably best-loved) musical, the 1987 masterpiece Into the Woods.

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We talk about:

- The subversive nature of fairy tales, and what we think we’re doing when we tell these stories to children

- What it means to go “into the woods” – and how can we befriend it?

- Being nice, being good, losing our innocence, and what it means to be "white"

- The complicated nature of community, and the promise and threat of the idea that "no one is alone"

- The Gospel as Fairy Tale (with apologies and gratitude for Frederick Buechner’s Telling the Truth, the book that caused at least one of us to become a priest!)

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You’ll hear:

- Bernadette Peters, Chip Zien, Joanna Gleason and the cast of the Original Broadway Cast Recording (1987) singing “Prologue,” “Giants in the Sky,” “Hello, Little Girl,” “I Know Things Now,” “No One Is Alone”, “Last Midnight,” and “Children Will Listen”

________________________________

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________________________________

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________________________________

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26 Nov 2021BONUS: Schmigadoon – Season 1!00:48:29

In this very special bonus episode, we turn to the contemporary masterpiece (ahem) Schmigadoon! - Apple TV's 2021 spoof/homage to the great musicals of yore. 

 

UPDATE: This episode has been endorsed by show creator Cinco Paul, because we're really very famous.

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We talk about:

- Mormons: The show’s creators, Cinco Paul & Ken Daurio, and their origins in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints

- Marriage: The "marriage trope" – does the show uphold it or undermine it (or both)?

- Metamorphosis: The song "This Is How We Change" and its inherent questions about transformation. How does musical theatre change - and how do we? 

- Musical Fandom: The MANY spoofs & Easter eggs found in this love letter to the world of musical theatre

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You’ll hear:

- The company of Schmigadoon! singing the title number, "Schmigadoon," "Corn Puddin’" and "This Is How We Change"

- Cecily Strong, Cassandra Consiglio & Alex Barima singing "Va-Gi-Na"

- Jane Krakowski singing "I Always, Always, Never Get My Man"

________________________________

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________________________________

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________________________________

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06 May 20223.9 Sunday in the Park with George!01:18:01

It's time for Peter’s favorite Sondheim musical: Sunday in the Park with George!

Stephen Sondheim & James Lapine’s Pulitzer Prize-winning 1985 musical masterpiece is a beautiful meditation on art and art-making. We love this show, and we hope you will too.

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We talk about:

- The Art of Living: Making art, preaching sermons, and suffering & failure in art... and life

- Paying Attention: Noticing & cultivating attention as a spiritual practice

- Art & Relationships: The relational power of art – and the challenge of living with artists!

- Sunday: The multi-faceted nature of the word (and the hymn!) "Sunday:" a day of rest, a day of sabbath, the finding of shalom

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You’ll hear:

-  Bernadette Peters, Mandy Patinkin and the cast of the Original Broadway Cast Recording (1984) singing "Putting It Together," "Finishing the Hat," "We Do Not Belong Together," "Sunday Hymn," "The Day Off," "It’s Hot Up Here," and "Move On"

________________________________

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________________________________

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________________________________

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22 Nov 20247.4 Urinetown!01:04:24

We’ve got the Lutherans to thank for this one.

It’s the worst-ever name for a musical, but Peter & Nathan think that 2001’s Urinetown, with music and lyrics by Mark Hollmann & Greg Kotis, is worthy of your attention – and some sustained theological reflection.

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We talk about:

  • The show's origin story (thanks, Lutherans!) and its unfortunately timed Broadway debut on the heels of 9/11.
  • The politics of Urinetown – capitalist overlords versus the people's revolution, all painted in broad, satirical brushstrokes. Are there any responsible political figures in this show?
  • What is Urinetown? A prison for malefactors? A way for the powerful to prey on the vulnerable? Death? Despair?
  • "Following your heart" – What does that mean? And what if whatever your heart seems to be telling you turns out to be wrong?
  • The power of music (particularly Gospel music) to move us to action. Who "should" be singing this music, and who is it for?

 

You’ll hear:

  • "Too Much Exposition" / "What is Urinetown?" – satirical take-downs of conventional musical theatre tropes
  • "I See A River" / "Run Freedom, Run" / "Follow Your Heart" – Urinetown asks some complicated questions about love and justice. And the music is pretty dang good.

You’ll hear Hunter Foster, John Cullum, Jennifer Laura Thompson, Jeff McCarthy, Spencer Kayden and the Original Broadway Cast from the 2001 recording.

_________________________________________

Check out some of our all-time favorites!

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19 Apr 20245.6 A Star is Born!00:55:01

Is it a musical? Is it a $6MM home movie? A contemporary Purim spiel? This is a weird movie, you guys.

The evergreen story of A Star Is Born has attracted legendary performers like Judy Garland, Barbra Streisand, and Lady Gaga. Today, Peter and Nathan focus on the 1976 film version with Barbra and Kris Kristofferson in the context of Gaga and Garland. 

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We talk about:

  • The Backstory:  Dorothy Parker, Moss Hart, David O. Selznick, Joan Didion, and all the geniuses who should have made a better movie.
  • The Crowd:  1970s, rock-and-roll culture and the phenomenon of contemporary celebrity culture. Is this idolatry in the way that Hebrew Scripture warn against?
  • The Addiction:  Does addiction help contemporary people understand ancient theological ideas like sin and shame?
  • The Money:  Why does Hollywood keep spoon-feeding us stories about self-destructive men and the women around them? Why do we keep paying money to see them?
  • The Music:  Ephemeral moments of artistic, intellectual, and spiritual connection found between two artists. How well does the Oscar-winning "Evergreen" capture this phenomenon?

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You’ll hear:

  • Kris Kristofferson and Barbra on the 1976 film soundtrack singing "Watch Closely Now," "The Woman in the Moon," and (of course) the 1976-Oscar-Winning classic, "Evergreen."

________________________________

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________________________________

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________________________________

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02 Aug 20246.3 La La Land!00:48:23

“A bit of madness is key to give us new colors to see.”

Today, we continue our Summer Movie Happy Hour Fizzy Summer Tour... thing... as we talk about 2016’s contemporary take on the classic film musicals of the 1940s, 50s and 60s: LaLa Land.

2016 feels like a La La Land ago. How does this film hold up almost a decade later?

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We talk about:

  • "Another Day of Sun" – A great opening number that sets up the world of LaLa Land (literally Los Angeles – but in the context of the election that took place in 2016, the year this film was released, what else might LaLa Land mean?)
  • "Start a Fire" – John Legend’s one contribution to the soundtrack is (maybe?) the best song in the film – and gives us a different perspective on the Jazz Question, which in this film is really a question of race.
  • "The Fools Who Dream" – The moment that wins Emma Stone an Academy Award – her audition song (the eleven o’clock number!) love-letter toast to creatives who refuse to compromise.

You’ll hear Emma Stone, John Legend, and Ryan Gosling singing the Pasek/Patel score from the 2016 film soundtrack.

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Check out some of our all-time favorites!

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08 May 2023BONUS: Schmigadoon – Season 2!01:07:24

Schmigadoon is back on Apple TV! The second season takes us in a slightly different direction, and today we explore the theology of the musicals being lovingly spoofed by "Schmicago" and wonder what it means that "every day can be a happy beginning."

(By the way... if you missed our episode on Schmigadoon Season 1, you can listen here, or wherever you get your podcasts!)

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We talk about:

– The power of parables, and how stories can (and can’t) transform us.

– The theology of the Broadway musicals of the 60s & 70s, steeped in sex & nihilism, and how Schmicago navigates – and ultimately rejects – that theology.

– The show’s ending, and what kind of theology is implicit in the final number.

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You’ll hear:  Cecily Strong, Keegan-Michael Key, Kristen Chenoweth, Alan Cumming, Tituss Burgess, Dove Cameron, Aaron Tveit and the cast of Schmigadoon Season 2.

________________________________

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________________________________

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________________________________

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08 Mar 20245.3 Hello, Dolly!01:07:21

She's still glowin', she's still crowin,' she's still goin' strong...

That's right: we're continuing our deep dive into the great Barbra Streisand with a look at the mid-60s Broadway classic, Jerry Herman’s Hello Dolly!

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We talk about:

  • Discernment: Dolly is a woman on a journey out of grief – and is looking for her sign. What kind of a theology of discernment does the show depend on?
  • Gender: We take a close look at Horace’s song about marriage, “It Takes A Woman” and dig a little bit underneath the surface of the show’s fun to pull apart the class and economics of male-female relationships.
  • Clothes: So much of Hello Dolly is about the clothes – the actual costumes the actors are wearing, and the show’s deeper fixation on the performative nature of class, gender and race.
  • Restaurants: What does it mean that Dolly comes back home where she belongs? Is this the show’s resurrection moment?
  • Moments: Falling in love, Kairos time, moments of divinity and resurrection and where they find us – in church, in the theatre, in the eyes of a beloved.

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You’ll hear:

The 1969 film soundtrack: La Streisand, Walter Matthau, Michael Crawford, Louis Armstrong and the full cast singing “Just Leave Everything To Me,” “It Takes a Woman,” “Ribbons Down My Back,” “Put On Your Sunday Clothes,” “Elegance,” “Before the Parade Passes By,” “It Only Takes a Moment” and, of course, “Hello, Dolly!”

________________________________

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07 May 20211.1 What is The Gospel of Musical Theatre?00:39:09

And we're off! It's the very first episode of The Gospel of Musical Theatre, with your favorite cathedral deans and musical theatre queens, Nathan LeRud and Peter Elliott!

Peter and Nathan are Anglican priests (which basically means they can have sex & swear) and cathedral deans in the Pacific Northwest with a deep and geeky love of musicals – and a love for pulling them apart and looking at them from a spiritual perspective.

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In this introductory episode, we define terms: what does “Gospel” mean when applied to a work of art? What is “musical theatre?" And how can the musical theatre tradition act as secular scripture - helping us grapple with our North American culture, and the values and ideas we inherit from the past?

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We talk about:

  • Liturgy & Art: The intersection of liturgy (“a public work for the common good”) and art.
  • Finding good news in the Gospel beyond traditions of guilt and sin.
  • Keeping A Critical Eye: What it means to develop a critical lens in regards to literature (including the Bible) and works of art, particularly when it comes to questions of gender, sexuality, and race.

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You’ll hear:

  • Julie Andrews singing “I Could Have Danced All Night” (My Fair Lady Original London Cast Recording, 1958)
  • “I Could Have Danced All Night,” as recorded by André Previn (piano), Leroy Vinnegar (bass) and Shelly Manne (drums) from Modern Jazz Performances of Songs from My Fair Lady (1956)

________________________________

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________________________________

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02 Jul 20211.5 The King and I!00:48:25

We're talking about Rodgers & Hammerstein's The King & I (1951), a complicated and beautiful show about cultural imperialism, gender emancipation and the dangers of the white savior complex.

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We talk about:

- Divas: The rise of the “star vehicle” for a diva actor, and the interesting racial & cultural background of Anna Leonowens (and Gertrude Lawrence, the actor who played her).

- Colonialism: The intersection of colonialism with Western values of equality, and when a “liberating” culture becomes an imposed culture that does violence in the name of greater freedom.

- Forgiveness: The nature of forgiveness, and the possibility of real relationship across cultural, gender and ideological difference.

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You’ll hear:

- Gertrude Lawrence singing “Getting to Know You” from the Original Broadway Cast recording.

- Lea Salonga and Peabo Bryson singing “We Kiss In A Shadow” from the 1993 Studio recording.

- Ruthie Ann Miles singing “Something Wonderful” from the 2015 Broadway Revival Cast Recording.

________________________________

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________________________________

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12 Nov 20212.4 Paint Your Wagon!00:50:30

It's the last installment of our Lerner & Loewe deep dive, and it's kind of a downer. But an interesting one: Paint Your Wagon, the quintessential expression of loneliness and the challenge of connection.

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We talk about:

  • Changes: The differences between the 1951 Broadway musical and the 1969 film – and how things had changed in the real world from 1951 & 1969
  • Polyamory: The sexual & gender politics of Ben, Pardner & Elisa's relationship in the film
  • Manliness: The vision of American masculinity embodied in the Western myth and the songs "Wandrin’ Star," "Another Autumn," and "I Talk to the Trees"
  • Dynamics: The theological, economic, and social dynamics of connection & completion given voice in songs like “They Call the Wind Maria,” and the dynamics embodied in the questions they raise.
  • Wistfulness: Whether shows from another era—like My Fair Lady, Paint Your Wagon, Gigi—help us identify with their creators & original audiences, or whether they romanticize & perpetuate a false narrative about the past
  • Our Verdict: Our speculative take on the psychology of Lerner & Lowe based on the characters they create

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You’ll hear:

  • James Barton singing “Wandrin’ Star” from the 1951 Broadway Cast recording
  • Justin Guarini singing “Another Autumn” and Nathan Hackman singing “They Call the Wind Maria” from the 2015 Encores! Cast recording
  • Tony Bavaar singing “I Talk to the Trees” from the 1951 Broadway Cast recording

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Continue the conversation with Peter (@pgeinvan) and Nathan (@nathan_lerud) on Twitter, and follow us on Instagram or Twitter @gospelofmt!

________________________________

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________________________________

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________________________________

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10 Mar 20234.5 Phantom of the Opera!01:06:19

We descend into the depths of the Paris Opera for the 1986 musical phenomenon The Phantom of the Opera – a troubling story about abuse, lust, and the power of music.. and one of the most successful & beloved musicals of all time.

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We talk about:

– The Phantom:  Is the Phantom (or "Erik" as he’s known in the original novel) a serpent or a savior?

– The Ick Factor:  What is this relationship between Christine and the Phantom? An abusive mentor relationship? Forbidden love? Artistic partnership? Or is it just a classic Gothic obsession?

– Power & Patriarchy:  How did power and patriarchy operate in the Victorian world of the Paris Opera – and in the 1980s world of rock musicals?

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You’ll hear:

– Michael Crawford, Sarah Brightman and the cast of the 1988 Broadway Cast Recording.

________________________________

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________________________________

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________________________________

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05 Apr 20245.5 The Way We Were!00:56:21

It may not be a musical, but it sure is close... It's The Way We Were!

It’s 1973. Watergate has happened. Barbra Streisand, Robert Redford, Arthur Laurents, and Sidney Pollack get together to re-create the weepy romcom in the non-musical—but musical-theatre-adjacent!—classic The Way We Were.

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We talk about:

  • The Conflict: Streisand & Laurents versus Pollack & Redford, and some of the behind-the-scenes drama that led to the creation of this classic.
  • The Song: Marvin Hamlisch’s classic song that put the film on the map.
  • The Laughter: What does it mean to sing, "so it’s the laughter we will remember?" Laughter emerges as a marker of class & race in this film. How does that marker intersect with the misty, watercolor nature of memory – and the danger of nostalgia?
  • The People & the Principles: the film’s central conflict between personal relationships and principles, and how that conflict maps (and doesn't) onto religious systems. Is Christianity about people, or is it about principles?

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You’ll hear:

  • Barbra singing the film’s title song from the 1973 film soundtrack, and an excerpt from the 1998 episode of Sex in the City, Episode 18 (“Ex in the City”).

________________________________

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________________________________

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________________________________

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03 May 20245.7 Yentl!00:59:46

Papa, can you hear me?

It's the last episode of our Season of Babs, and we're going out strong! That's right: today we look at Barbra Streisand's magnum opus, the 1982 film Yentl – which she both directed and starred in.

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We talk about:

  • Prayer & Texts:  What it means to study sacred texts, and the critical differences between traditionally-Christian and traditionally-Jewish ways of understanding scripture.
  • Sexuality & Gender:  Is Yentl transphobic, or is it ahead of its time?
  • Leadership & Power:  Finally, a woman at the helm of a major Hollywood film! What does Barbra’s experience directing and starring in Yentl tell us about leadership and power?
  • Boats:  Barbra loves a ferry. What is it about boats, water, and crossing over that so compels her? How does it tie into the immigrant story and the American Dream?

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You’ll hear Barbra singing “Where Is It Written,” “No Wonder,” “Several Sins A Day” (cut from the final film) and “A Piece of Sky”.

________________________________

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________________________________

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________________________________

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24 Feb 20234.4 CATS!01:20:01

Peterskins & Grumblethaniel (Peter & Nathan) ascend to the Heaviside Layer for a close theological reading of one of the strangest, silliest, and most sensational mega-musicals ever to tread the boards: the much-beloved and much-reviled 1981 spectacle that is CATS.

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We talk about:

– Names (cats & humans!) – the names that culture and society give us, and the ineffable name that is known only to God.

– Are the cats the Seven Deadly Sins? – and whether or not this is a morality play (...it might just be a show about cats)

– The power of memory and finding meaning in moments of happiness (and the deeply theological question: “does the right cat die?”)

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You’ll hear Betty Buckley, Ken Page, Terrance Mann, and the cast of the 1983 Broadway Cast Recording.

________________________________

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________________________________

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________________________________

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22 Apr 20223.8 Merrily We Roll Along!01:08:42

Peter & Nathan's keep rolling through the Sondheim oeuvre with his most notorious "flop," the 1981 Merrily We Roll Along!

Is it really a bitter, nihilistic look at growing older? Or is there actually something—dare we say—holy at work in this experimental, bittersweet musical about growing up?

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We Talk About:

- Prayers: Is it true that, as Mary says, "God don’t answer prayers a lot?"

- Friendship & Spirituality: How Merrily illustrates a theology of friendship and a queer understanding of the spiritual life

- Burning Bridges: What Merrily says about human relationships and the need to "burn your bridges every now and then"

- Time: Different ways of thinking about time – sacramental, liturgical, narrative – and how Merrily subverts conventional narrative and reflects a more sacred sense of time.

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You’ll Hear:

- The Original Company of Merrily We Roll Along on the Original Broadway Cast Recording singing "The Hills of Tomorrow," "Opening Doors," "Now You Know," "Good Thing Going," "Our Time" and "Bobby and Jackie and Jack"

- Celia Keenan-Bolger and Lin-Manuela Miranda singing "Old Friends" and "Like It Was" from the 2012 Encores! Cast Recording

- Bernadette Peters singing "Not A Day Goes By"

________________________________

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________________________________

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________________________________

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30 Jul 20211.7 Allegro!00:41:48

Okay, we'll say it... It's a flop. We're wrapping up our Rodgers & Hammerstein season with one of their lesser-known works: the 1947 musical Allegro, a show that was ahead of its time but that hasn't been produced much since its original run.

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We talk about:

- The Dynamic Duo: Rodgers and Hammerstein as commercial Broadway producers and a creative team

- Concept Musicals: The rise of the “concept musical” and Allegro’s role in that tradition (and its influence on subsequent composers... like a kid named Stephen Sondheim, whose first Broadway job was as an assistant on Allegro!).

- Being Vulnerable: Learning to love by investing in other people's thriving – and the power of vulnerability.

- Aha Moments: Moments of epiphany when everything seems to fall into place, and why we might look for those moments on stage because we rarely experience them in day-to-day life. What does it means to find your "true self?"

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You’ll hear:

- Gloria Willis singing “We Have Nothing to Remember So Far” from the 1947 Original Broadway Cast Recording.

- Lisa Kirk singing “The Gentlemen is a Dope” from the 1947 Original Broadway Cast Recording.

 

You may want to check out:

- Episode 19 of Porchlight Music Theatre's podcast Classic Musicals From the Golden Age of Radio with Michael Weber. It contains the full 1951 radio broadcast of Allegro  - and a great introduction by Anika Chapin of Goodspeed Opera Company in CT!

________________________________

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________________________________

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________________________________

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25 Feb 20223.5 Follies!01:04:30

It's camp o'clock! Peter & Nathan turn to Sondheim’s 1971 iconic Follies, a show that takes a loving—but brutal—look at nostalgia, camp, the power of memory, and the danger of looking back.

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We talk about:

  • Nostalgia. The role of nostalgia and the warning articulated in Follies: "never look back"
  • Camp. The nature of camp, Susan Sontag’s essay "Notes on Camp" and how Follies explores campiness, drag culture, and the excesses of the 20th century
  • Women. Follies as a show about women and women’s bodies
  • Spirits. Ghosts, the communion of saints, and the past's impact on the present
  • Aging. The spirituality of aging, what it means to be fully alive, and the power of endurance

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You’ll hear:

  • The Prologue, "Beautiful Girls," "Broadway Baby," and "In Buddy’s Eyes" as performed by Bernadette Peters, Jayne Houdyshell, Michael Haynes and the company of the 2012 Broadway Revival production
  • The late, great Barbara Cook singing "Losing My Mind" from the 1985 Concert Recording
  • The legendary Elaine Stritch performing "I’m Still Here"—which you have to watch on YouTube and then find all the other women in red singing their Sondheim tributes: https://youtu.be/3Xz1TUgdG6A

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________________________________

Check out some of our all-time favorites!

________________________________

Continue the conversation with us on Instagram (@gospelofmt).

 

14 Jan 20223.2 Gypsy!01:04:39

We're starting 2022 right and continuing our discussion of the musicals of the great Stephen Sondheim! Today, we're talking about the iconic Gypsy (1959), Sondheim’s early collaboration with Jule Styne.

 

*We apologize for the audio quality in today's episode - we had some technical difficulties with Nathan's mic!

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We talk about:

  • The diva phenomenon, domineering mothers, and queer men’s mommy issues.
  • Cultural & religious shifts in sexual norms in the 20th century.
  • The agency of women, the use of women’s bodies for entertainment, and questions of morality & ethics around characters like Mama Rose and Gypsy Rose Lee.
  • The "death of vaudeville" as a way of thinking about any institution balancing old traditions with a changing world (can you say 21st century Christianity?)
  • The power of bodies and how sex work is an image of the Kingdom of God.

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You’ll hear:

  • The Overture and "Rose’s Turn" from the 2003 Broadway Revival Cast with Bernadette Peters.
  • "Some People," "Small World," "Everything’s Coming Up Roses" and "Rose’s Turn" as sung by Ethel Merman & Jack Klugman on the Original Broadway Cast Album from 1959.
  • Bernadette Peters, Julia McKenzie, Ruthie Henshall as well as (!) Judi Dench, David Kernan, Lea Salonga, Maria Friedman, Michael Ball & Millicent Martin singing "You Gotta Get A Gimmick" from the 1998 Concert Album, Hey Mr. Producer!

________________________________

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________________________________

Check out some of our all-time favorites!

________________________________

Continue the conversation with us on Instagram (@gospelofmt).

 

 

24 Mar 20234.6 Starlight Express & Sunset Boulevard!01:19:02

Nathan and Peter welcome Ian Farthing, Vancouver-based actor & director and one of the original London ushers for the West End Production of Starlight Express (1984). We explore the theology & themes of Starlight Express – as well as Lloyd Webber’s more recent musical Sunset Boulevard (1993).

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We talk about:

– Theatre as a vocation, and how vocations – religious or artistic – change over the course of a life.

– Where does “the power to move” come from – and how do we learn to run the race with integrity?

– Donald Trump? – Who knew (other than Peter!) that Trump’s favorite film is Sunset Boulevard?

– Nothing: We gossip about our favorite Norma Desmonds, and come to no real theological conclusions (but we do know we love flannel on a man!)

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You’ll hear:

– Excerpts from the original cast recording of Starlight Express (1984)

– Betty Buckley performing “With One Look” live at Carnegie Hall (2006)

– Patti LuPone singing “As If We Never Said Goodbye” and “The Lady’s Paying” from the Original London Cast Recording of Sunset Boulevard (1993)

– Rex Smith & Anita Louise Combe singing “Sunset Boulevard” & “Too Much In Love To Care” from the Canadian Cast Recording of Sunset Boulevard (1996)

________________________________

Never miss an episode! Sign up for our email list to get updates when new episodes are released, info about upcoming special events, and more.

________________________________

Check out some of our all-time favorites!

________________________________

Continue the conversation with us on Instagram (@gospelofmt).

 

01 Oct 20212.1 Brigadoon!00:46:51

Welcome to Season 2: Lerner & Loewe!

Today, we begin our series on the musicals of Alan Jay Lerner (1918-86) and Frederick Lowe (1901-88) – second only to Rodgers & Hammerstein as creators of midcentury musicals that continue to speak to 21st century audiences. And we're talking about Brigadoon.

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We talk about:

- History: The origins of the partnership between Lerner and Lowe and their early flop era.

- Escapism: Why a musical about two American boys falling into a mythical/fantasy version of the Scotland Highlands was so appealing for post-WWII audiences.

- Nostalgia: The interplay between fantasy & reality that Brigadoon illustrates, how that tension represents the tension of musical theatre itself – and the dangers of nostalgia.

- Being Lonely: Lerner & Loewe’s career-long interest in men's loneliness – and the potential of theatre (and love) as a means of connecting men to their emotional core and to the people in their lives.

- Salvation: The tension between individual & communal salvation, and how mythical Brigadoon might illustrate an image of the Kingdom of God.

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You’ll hear:

- Kelli O’Hara and Patrick Wilson singing “Reprise” from the 2017 Broadway Revival Cast recording

- Patrick Wilson singing “There But For You Go I” from the 2017 Broadway Revival Cast recording

________________________________

Never miss an episode! Sign up for our email list to get updates when new episodes are released, info about upcoming special events, and more.

________________________________

Check out some of our all-time favorites!

________________________________

Continue the conversation with us on Instagram (@gospelofmt).

01 May 2023Introducing... The Gospel of Musical Theatre!00:00:33

If you're just joining us... It's priestly, it's profane, it's the queerest thing we've ever done – it's the Gospel of Musical Theatre, the podcast that dives deep into the spirituality of musical theatre!

When we can't find any spiritual themes to talk about, we talk about the clothes and the chorus boys.

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Previous seasons:

Season 1:  Rodgers & Hammerstein

Season 2:  Lerner & Loewe

Season 3:  Stephen Sondheim

Season 4:  Andrew Lloyd Weber

Season 5:  Barbra Streisand

Season 6:  Movie Musical Madness!

Season 7:  Political Rundown (Cabaret, Ragtime & more)

Bonus episodes:

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Check out some of our all-time favorites!

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Meet the Hosts:

Nathan LeRud is a native Oregonian, a pastor’s kid, and a musical theatre geek. With degrees in theology (General Theological Seminary) and English (Whitman College), his great loves are teaching the Bible, exploring Oregon history, attending vintage matinees at the Hollywood Theatre and finding the intersection of popular culture and religion. Nathan is currently Dean of Trinity Cathedral in Portland, Oregon. He also knows how to clog.

Peter Elliott has loved musical theatre his whole life. At age 12, he appeared as Oliver Twist in a semi-professional production of Oliver! During his time as Dean of Christ Church Cathedral in Vancouver, British Columbia, it was the location of many musical theatre productions, including a memorable three night revue of the work of Stephen Sondheim September in the Cathedral with Sondheim, and Jubilation: 125 Years of Musical Theatre.

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________________________________

Continue the conversation with us on Instagram (@gospelofmt).

27 Jan 20234.2 Jesus Christ Superstar!01:13:39

It's finally here... Today, we turn to the Gospel According to Andrew Lloyd Webber: the Biblical rock-opera phenomenon that is Jesus Christ Superstar (1970)!

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We talk about:

– Groovy Gospel: The context of the late 60s/early 70s that gave rise to a rock opera treatment of the Jesus story

– Eroticism: The eroticism in Mary Magdalene’s (and maybe Judas’?) relationship with Jesus and the question of how sexuality & love intersect in the Christian tradition. What does it mean to fall in love with a God with a human body?

– Mary Magdalene (not a prostitute in the Bible!) and the way the musical treats her as a woman, a sex worker, and a romantic lead.

– Anti-Judaism & Anti-Semitism in Jesus Christ Superstar and in the New Testament and what responsibility Christians bear in challenging it.

– Christology: What kind of Christology (big fancy theological word for “understanding Jesus”) undergirds Jesus Christ Superstar, and whether there’s any good news in this musical.

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You’ll hear:

– Ian Gillan, Murray Head, Yvonne Elliman and the cast of the Original Studio Recording (a.k.a. “The Brown Album”) from 1970.

– "Could Ye Not Watch With Me One Hour?" from John Stainer’s Crucifixion sung by the St. Michael Singers (Fox Records, 2009).

– Joshua Mostel singing "Herod’s Song" from the 1973 Original Motion Picture Soundtrack.

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________________________________

Check out some of our all-time favorites!

________________________________

Continue the conversation with us on Instagram (@gospelofmt).

 

21 May 20211.2 Oklahoma!00:49:55

This week, we launch our Season 1 tour through some of the major musicals of Richard Rodgers (1902-79) and Oscar Hammerstein II (1865-1965), who are often credited with pioneering the “integrated musical” that largely defined the great musicals of the mid-20th century.

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In Oklahoma! (1943), we talk about:

  • Definitions of “the land” and who occupies it
  • The cultural impact that Oklahoma! had, and how it reinvented the Broadway musical
  • The hidden history of Oklahoma, “Indian Territory,” and the queerer, darker history of what lies underneath the surface of a deliberately white-washed world
  • Rene Girard, James Allison, and the theological underpinnings of the scapegoating narrative

________________________________

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________________________________

Check out some of our all-time favorites!

________________________________

Continue the conversation with us on Instagram (@gospelofmt).

11 Feb 20223.4 Company!01:12:12

We're moving into the great Sondheim musicals of the 70s & 80s, starting with the groundbreaking Company (1970) – and its perennial questions about gender, sexuality, monogamy, and the changing nature of marriage & human relationships.

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We talk about:

- "New morality” in the works of John A.T. Robinson, Harvey Cox, and how it is explored in the work of Sondheim

- Loneliness. The isolation & verticalization of urban life in the 1960s and 70s.

- Inertia. Bobby’s questions about human relationships—sexual, romantic, platonic—and the deep ambivalence he represents

- Gender. Attempts to update Company—often by changing gender roles

- The Ladies. The women of Company – especially Joanne and her great number “The Ladies Who Lunch”

- Marriage. The changing nature of marriage and commitment – in society and in the church

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You’ll Hear:

- “Company,” “The Little Things You Do Together,” “Sorry-Grateful”, “Getting Married Today,” “The Ladies Who Lunch” and “Being Alive” from the Original Broadway Production on the 1970 cast album

- “Marry Me A Little” sung by Raul Esparza from the 2006 Broadway Revival Album.

- “Happily Ever After” sung by Craig Lucas on the 1986 album “A Collector’s Sondheim”

________________________________

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________________________________

Check out some of our all-time favorites!

________________________________

Continue the conversation with us on Instagram (@gospelofmt).

 

06 Dec 20247.5 Hamilton!01:15:59

Who gets to tell the story?

It's the season finale, and it feels like a perfect time to travel back to 2015, when a blockbuster hip-hop musical about America’s founders took the world by storm.

That's right... Today, Peter and Nathan return to the room where it happened and consider the theology of Lin-Manuel Miranda’s Hamilton.

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You’ll hear:

  • My Shot / Wait For It / The Ten Duel Commandments: Hamilton & Burr—like Valjean & Javert, like Jesus & Judas—represent oppositional forces, responding to similar circumstances with radically different approaches to life. They also each get a great “I Want” song.
  • Burn / Quiet Uptown / Say No To This: Eliza Schuyler Hamilton, Maria Reynolds, Angelica Schuyler Church and the various roles that women play in this story. What does forgiveness look like – and what does Eliza see at the end of the musical?
  • One Last Time / Who Lives, Who Dies, Who Tells Your Story: Few other musicals are so associated with presidential administrations as Hamilton is with Barack Obama. We think about the connections between the Hamilton project and the Obama project, wonder about the soft nationalism at the heart of this story, and think critically about the legacy of George Washington. Who gets to tell the story?

You’ll hear Lin-Manuel Miranda, Leslie Odom Jr, Phillipa Soo, Renee Elise Goldsberry, Christopher Jackson and the cast of the 2015 Original Broadway Cast Album. It won a Grammy.

_________________________________________

Check out some of our all-time favorites!

Never miss an episode! Sign up for our email list to get updates when new episodes are released, info about upcoming special events, and more.

28 Mar 20223.6 A Little Night Music!01:14:48

We're talking about Sondheim's most commercially successful musical, A Little Night Music (1973) – a witty, clever sex comedy made up, in Hal Prince’s famous words, of "whipped cream with knives."

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We Talk About:

– The show’s big themes – love, sex & time – and how they find expression in the music, especially the now-iconic "Send in the Clowns." 

– Three generations exploring love & relationships and the nature of aging. 

– The complicated nature of intergenerational relationships – both creepy and beautiful. 

– The problem of timing, and the complication of lining up sexual attraction with the commitment that love demands.  ________________________________

You’ll Hear:

– Both Glynnis Johns and Catherine Zeta-Jones singing "Send in the Clowns" from the 1973 Original Broadway Cast and the 2010 Broadway Revival Cast recordings.

– Elaine Tompkinson singing “The Glamorous Life” from the 1975 Film Soundtrack. 

– The company of the Original Broadway Cast singing "Overture," "Remember," "You Must Meet My Wife," "Now," "Liasons,” and "The Miller’s Son."

________________________________

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________________________________

Check out some of our all-time favorites!

________________________________

Continue the conversation with us on Instagram (@gospelofmt).

 

17 Jun 2022PRIDE BONUS: The Music Man!01:22:42

To celebrate Pride Month, Peter and Nathan are joined by the incredible Isaac Lamb and Stephanie Smith, director and musical director for a new and groundbreakingly queer production of Meredith Wilson’s 1957 classic musical The Music Man – which opens at Third Rail Repertory Theatre in Portland, OR, on June 17th.

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We talk about:

– Theatre and church, chamber pieces versus extravagant spectacles, and what led Meredith Wilson to create The Music Man.

– The nature of “political” casting, what it means for six women and non-binary actors to take on these roles, and why casting choices matter.

– Learning how to sing and play an instrument – both in the story of The Music Man and in this production, where the actors accompany themselves.

-The purity (and politics!) of joy, and why a show like The Music Man can help us imagine new possibilities in a multi-racial, multiply-abled, diverse, and rapidly changing world.

– We reference Meredith Wilson’s 1957 book But He Doesn’t Know the Territory which was reissued by University of Minnesota Press in 2020.

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You’ll hear:

  • Robert Preston, Barbara Cook and the company of the original New York production singing “Seventy-Six Trombones,” “My White Knight” “Sincere,” “Gary, Indiana,” “Rock Island,” “Pick-a-Little” and “Shipoopi”

________________________________

Never miss an episode! Sign up for our email list to get updates when new episodes are released, info about upcoming special events, and more.

________________________________

Check out some of our all-time favorites!

________________________________

Continue the conversation with us on Instagram (@gospelofmt).

 

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