Show Notes, Uncategorized

#6: The Secret of Happiness – Tiny Casts

Sally Henry Fuller
Click here to listen to the full episode

Musical theatre has a history of big, splashy, high-kicking casts, and that’s what many people think when they hear the word “musical.” The increasing trend for writers wanting to tell a poignant, dramatic story (and producers wanting to pay fewer actors) is to use a tiny cast of six or fewer to narrow the focus without getting distracted by glitter.

In today’s episode, we examine tiny-cast shows with a deep dive into one of Ashley’s favorites, Daddy Long Legs. We debate the title, discuss why every straight play should be a musical (except The Crucible), postulate that Megan McGinnis is likely an Enneagram 6, and Sally tries to keep Ashley from reciting the entire libretto.

Shout-Outs

  • Daddy Long Legs rocks our socks off. Take a listen to it or check out the streaming performance this weekend (November 5-8) on The Pumphouse Players website!
  • You know what else rocks our socks off? Stage Door Players. Please consider showing them some financial love here. 
  • Our favs: 110 in the Shade, Lord of the Rings the musical (it’s a thing, y’all!), The Story of My Life, Our Buddy Ben Brantley, Will Chase, Malcolm Gets, Emma, Paul Gordon, John Caird, Megan McGinnis, Adam Halpin, The Last Five Years, Jane Austen’s Emma, Next to Normal, Suzi Bass Awards, Chase Peacock, Legacy Theatre, Jeremy Jordan, Anna Kendrick
  • Other mentions: St. James Theatre, Frozen, American Idiot, BroadwayHD (where you can stream Megan and her husband in DLL!)
  • Special thanks to Crazy Love Coffeehouse, Land of a Thousand Hills Coffee, Ground & Pound Coffee, and Noble & Main for being the best editing offices.

Bonus Videos

For the budding theatre fans

For the fangirls

For the die-hards

Addendums

The married couples starring opposite each other in Next to Normal we were referring to were Jason Danieley and the late Marin Mazzie who did that on Broadway.

We mentioned the Side Show scandal that happened in 2014, and I double-checked that research wondering if I had made it up. Oh I hadn’t, y’all! Here’s a summary and some articles about it:

Clear Channel claimed to be broadcasting a song from the Side Show revival live from a Broadway performance into Times Square, and after the fact, it came out that the broadcast was not live. Clear Channel’s explanation was that the performance started 23 minutes late, and airing the song live would have put them out of the bounds of their time allotted by their city permit. There were also reports from audience members in the St. James theatre that night that Emily Padgett and Erin Davie’s live performance was not nearly as good as the stream (which was available to view afterwards). Instead, Clear Channel used a backup video they had already made for the occasion. The whole situation was sketchy, at best.

When we recorded this episode a million years ago, Ashley and her Daddy Long Legs cast had just finished blocking Act I, with performances in the distant future. Now they have completed the filming process, and all they have left is to share the recording with audience members less than a week from now. Look how far they’ve come!

  • Christie Lee Fisher, Jonathan Whitmire
  • Jonathan Whitmire
  • Christie Lee Fisher, Jonathan Whitmire
  • Christie Lee Fisher

Etiquette corner

Actors who greet fans at the stage door are going above and beyond, but they do not owe that to anyone. But also check out this pic of Ashley with one such above and beyond actor, Aaron Tveit.

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Published by Sally Henry Fuller