Today I am busy. And the clock is ticking. So today you get a gimme.
Last week I set aside a little time to do something that I haven't done in a long while: watch The Apprentice. It seems like eons have gone by since that day I scrambled to have my Apprentice submission video transferred to DVD and overnighted from Martha's Vineyard. Now I hardly watch the show, save an episode here and there when my husband is watching. However, when I heard that the task was related to pitching new musical theatre to potential investors, I was interested. When I heard the talent included several of young Broadway's A-listers, I was excited. So I tuned in
The episode featured presentations from two new musicals: Darling by composer Ryan Scott Oliver (with bookwriter B.T. Ryback) and Little Miss-Fix It by librettist Kirsten Guenther (with composer Joy Son). And here's a tidbit for you: Ryan and Kirsten collaborated on the award-winning Mrs. Sharp and also the revue Out of My Head. Not unexpectedly, coverage of the task was largely dedicated to the actual teams executing the task and not the presentations. The actors were shown so fleetingly that I did a double-take when I thought I caught a glimpse of the uber-talented Nick Blaemire. I watched the episode up until the board room, which is where I lost interest.
If you would like to watch the whole episode of The Apprentice, click here. Fortunately, NBC was kind enough to indulge the MT geeks and post both full presentations on their site. To watch the presentations and vote for your favorite, click here. RSO also has a wonderful post on his blog about the whole experience, click here to read it.
When you watch the presentation, take note of Jay Armstrong Johnson's insane riff at the end of the Darling presentation. Insane. I am such a fan of Ryan's music, so I am compelled to share with you one of my top-rated RSO songs. This is "The Ballad of Sara Berry", with Johnson, Lindsay Mendez, Alex Brightmean and Natalie Weiss. Take note of the transformational notes that come out of Lindsay Mendez. Mindblowing.
To check out the lyrics for "The Ballad of Sara Berry" (and hear some other RSO tunage), click here.
Yes, the future of musical theatre is bright. Blindingly so.
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