Me and the Sky ✈️✈️: Flying north to see "Come from Away" in Gander (today's MARQUEE)The Great White Way 🎭 meets The Great White North 🇨🇦
Shalom, Broadway lovers!In today’s MARQUEE: The Broadway Maven’s Weekly Blast: a review of the production of Come from Away playing this summer in the small town in which it is set, Gander; a homework video for next month’s Godspell class, and a Last Blast about Gypsy. Today, Premium subscribers also get a Piano Talk about rock music in Bye Bye Birdie; a student report about a Sound of Music tour in Salzburg, Austria; a Broadway Blast about The Book of Mormon; and a review of the current Broadway production of Cabaret. NOTE: The calendar for the second semester of 2024 Broadway Maven classes has been announced, and a July-December ALL-ACCESS Pass is now on sale. Get automatic access to 50 classes for just $99. Includes a 6 months’ Premium subscription to MARQUEE (a $30 value), access to the archive, two bonus classes only for ALL-ACCESS Passholders, and periodic drawings for off-Broadway and Broadway tickets, including at least one opening night. Classes offered include Rodgers & Hammerstein, Stephen Schwartz, “Sondheim Academy,” Jewish Broadway, Lyrics & Lyricists, and more. AUGUST: FREE four-part Rodgers & Hammerstein course every Monday in August at Noon and 7 pm ET; and a four-part Stephen Schwartz course every Tuesday in August at Noon ET.
REVIEW: Last weekend I had the pleasure of being “welcomed to the Rock” by the residents of far-north Gander, Newfoundland, where I traveled to see a local production of Come from Away, the Canadian musical about the community’s kindness and generosity in times of extreme stress. Come from Away tells the story of the week after September 11, when thousands of passengers were stranded in Gander and welcomed into the homes, institutions, and lives of a local community not much bigger than they were. It’s a time in the city’s history of which locals are very proud, a deserved emotion that ran through the performers and the audience during this emotionally draining but ultimately satisfying presentation of an already moving show. This is not the same production that appeared on Broadway, in Toronto, and around the world since the show’s 2017 debut. It has been re-directed by a Newfoundlander, Jillian Keiley, and a solid majority of the cast is local to that part of Canada as well. The staging is somewhat different, without a turntable on the small stage and the band in a pit, and more authentic accents and local lore from that week working their way into the show. Seats on the planes doubled as suitcases, and in one clever scene as the planes themselves. The evening’s tone was set from the start by an understudy from Gander who introduced a local whose church had taken in 40 Moldovans during (what I call) the Miracle of Gander. He described using Bible verses to communicate with visitors who spoke only Russian – a detail that shows up in the musical. We were also encouraged to introduce ourselves to the people around us, which was totally consistent with the tone of the show, and of the town. Gander is really, really small. But Keiley told me that her show sold out last year and has already sold more tickets for this year than last. Keiley (a subscriber to MARQUEE for many years!) and her team are hoping to produce the show locally every summer, encouraging people to make “pilgrimages” to honor the musical and the town in which it was set. Mine was one of those pilgrimages. I have long been touched not only by the musical but by the story it tells, so being in a room with the people who carried out the Miracle of Gander as they re-experienced that week musically and dramatically was one of the peak theater-going experiences of my life.
HOMEWORK: To prepare for the August 6 class on Godspell, watch this medley of songs from that Stephen Schwartz musical. Which number is your favorite? Explain your answer in the comments. 
Join Broadway Maven David Benkof for an exclusive four-part series on the works of legendary composer and lyricist Stephen Schwartz. This special event, taking place every Tuesday in August 2024 from Noon to 1 pm ET, offers an in-depth exploration of Schwartz's most iconic musicals, as well as his lesser-known gems. Whether you're a long-time fan or new to his work, this series is designed to enrich your understanding and appreciation of one of Broadway's most influential figures. $12 per session or $36 for the series.
Note: Links to register for ALL classes are always available at TheBroadwayMaven.com.• Friday, July 26-Sunday, July 28 BroadwayCon in Times Square (four panels hosted by The Broadway Maven) • Monday, August 5 Noon and 7 pm ET Oklahoma! class (FREE) • Tuesday, August 6 Noon ET Godspell class ($12, or $36 for the series) • Monday, August 12 Noon and 7 pm ET Carousel class (FREE) • Tuesday, August 5 Noon ET Pippin class ($12, or $36 for the series) • Monday, August 19 Noon and 7 pm ET South Pacific class (FREE) • Tuesday, August 20 Noon ET Wicked class ($12, or $36 for the series) • Monday, August 26 Noon and 7 pm ET The Sound of Music class (FREE) • Tuesday, August 27 Noon ET Lesser-known Schwartz class ($12, or $36 for the series) • Mondays in September: Noon and 7 pm ET Jewish Broadway series • Tuesdays in September: Noon ET Sondheim Academy Act Three NOTE: As always, ALL-ACCESS Passholders do not have to sign up or pay for anything. Just show up!
LAST BLAST: Despite the fact the song “If Momma Was Married” from Gypsy is a duet, sisters Louise and June want marriage for Madame Rose for different reasons. Louise fantasizes about living in a house and settling down, but June fantasizes about escaping her mother’s influence altogether: “once and for all I'd get Momma out too.” Louise sings “I’ll gladly support you… I’ll even escort you” to which June replies “and I’d gladly give you away,” which is both a reference to part of the marriage ceremony and a desire for escape from the family (which she later achieves through her elopement with Tulsa). Broadway Maven David Benkof helps students further their appreciation of musical theater through his classes, his YouTube channel, and MARQUEE: the Broadway Maven’s Weekly Blast. Contact him at DavidBenkof@gmail.com. Invite your friends and earn rewardsIf you enjoy MARQUEE: The Broadway Maven's Weekly Blast, share it with your friends and earn rewards when they subscribe.
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Me and the Sky ✈️✈️: Flying north to see "Come from Away" in Gander (today's MARQUEE)
July 25, 2024
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