Podcast appearances and mentions of susan birkenhead

Listen: Lauren Class Schneider talks to Stephen DeRosa, originating the role of Grampy in “BOOP! The Musical” at the Broadhurst Theater. “Class Notes” actively covers New York's current theater season on, off, and off-off Broadway. Jerry Mitchell, composed byDavid Foster, lyrics by Susan Birkenhead, and book by Bob MartinPhoto credit read more The post Class Notes: Stephen DeRosa “BOOP!” appeared first on BroadwayRadio.

Today, I'm thrilled to announce my interview with legendary lyricist Susan Birkenhead. Tune in to hear the stories of her great career, including how Shirley Bernstein introduced her to Mary Rodgers, the song of hers that was cut from WORKING, the Patti LaBelle-led project that led to JELLY'S LAST JAM, the show she gets recognized for the most, the hardest role to cast in THE SECRET LIFE OF BEES, how she became involved in BOOP, the lyric that Frank Sinatra loved, how Jule Styne became her mentor, the advice she got from Stephen Sondheim, workshopping the music of Cole Porter with Carolee Carmello, why she ultimately pulled out of FANNY HACKABOUT JONES, the musical she initiated, how she ended up in Lehman Engel's workshop, adapting MOONSTRUCK, working with Cy Coleman on SWEET SMELL OF SUCCESS, and so much more. You won't want to miss this in-depth conversation with one of theater's most fascinating figures.

Olivier nominee Rachel John is In The Frame for an extra special episode! Rachel is currently starring as August in the UK premiere of The Secret Life of Bees at the Almedia Theatre. Adapted from Sue Monk Kidd's novel, the musical has a book by Lynn Nottage, music by Duncan Sheik and lyrics by Susan Birkenhead. Taking us back to the civil rights era of the American South, The Secret Life Of Bees follows an unlikely pair who flee their small town and seek salvation at a remote honey bee farm run by the remarkable Boatwright sisters. Rachel made her professional debut in The Legend of the Lion King at Disnleyland Paris and went on to join the West End productions of The Lion King and Sister Act. After understudying Meat and Killer Queen on the first UK & Ireland tour of We Will Rock You, Rachel transferred to the West End production as Meat, becoming the first black actor to play the role. Rachel went on to play Mimi in Rent (UK Tour) and after a run as the alternate Felicia in the original West End cast of Memphis, she took over the role from Beverley Knight. Next up, Rachel played Nicki and covered Rachel in The Bodyguard (UK & Ireland Tour / West End / Toronto). In 2017, Rachel was cast as the original Angelica Schuyler in the West End premiere of Hamilton, receiving an Olivier nomination and tremendous acclaim for her performance. Most recently, Rachel played Mrs Neilsen in Girl From The North Country (West End / Toronto), The Ghost of Christmas Present in A Christmas Carol (Old Vic) and Songs for a New World (London Palladium). Last year Rachel released her debut solo album, From My Lips To Gods Ear. In this episode, Rachel delves into The Secret Life of Bee, reflects on why We Will Rock You was a massive turning point in her career and explains her unique path into theatre via the corperate world. Make a cup of tea, grab a biscuit and strap yourself in! The Secret Life of Bees runs at the Almedia Theatre until 27th May 2023. Visit www.almeida.co.uk for info and tickets. Hosted by Andrew Tomlins  @AndrewTomlins32  Thanks for listening! Email: andrew@westendframe.co.uk Visit westendframe.co.uk for more info about our podcasts.  

This week we're at the Duke of York's theatre on St Martin's Lane. We review Secret Life of Bees, at the Almeida Theatre, directed by Whitney White and with music by Spring Awakening's Duncan Sheik and lyrics by Susan Birkenhead.Over at the Bush Theatre's rehearsal space we chat with Sir Lenny Henry and Artistic Director Lynette Linton about their forthcoming show August in England.Plus why we weren't so keen of this take on Noël Coward's play Private Lives at the Donmar Warehouse, directed by Michael Longhurst. The show stars Downton Abbey's Laura Carmichael and Green Wing's Stephen Mangan. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Tony Award-winning lyricist Susan Birkenhead, Tony Award-winning actor and director Victoria Clark, director, playwright and artistic director Emily Mann and host former Rolling Stone writer, editor and Broadway producer Loraine Boyle share insider stories about the making of Lucy Simon's latest project, ON CEDAR STREET, a musical adaptation of Kent Haruf's book OUR SOULS AT NIGHT. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This week, Stuart talks with Susan Birkenhead, a Broadway lyricist Susan has been nominated for two Tony Awards for Best Original Score for Working (1978) & Jelly's Last Jam (1992). Their conversation discusses both of those shows as well as some of her work that has never seen the light of day. Susan also gives exclusive insights into latest project to premiere this Summer, Betty Boop.

In this episode, Stuart Brown is joined by Marissa Perry to interview musical theater lyricist Susan Birkenhead who has written numerous Off-Broadway and Broadway musicals. She also talks about her new Broadway musical – Betty Boop.

The full cast recording of the Off-Broadway musical, What About Luv, which is based on the absurdist comedy, Luv. The composing team of the show - Howard Marren, who wrote the music and Susan Birkenhead, the lyricist spent time with me to provide remembrances of their time working on the show. Their recollections are interspersed within the songs.

Composer Duncan Sheik reflects on his musical theater career and his latest project, along with lyricist Susan Birkenhead and actor Eisa Davis. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Susan Birkenhead is one of the most in-demand theatre lyricists. She made her Broadway debut as a contributor to Working in 1978. Her songwriting has been featured in many productions both on and off Broadway, including Jelly's Last Jam, Triumph of Love, High Society, Hats!, Radio Girl and most recently The Secret Life of Bees. Susan Birkenhead has written with some of the best composers including Charles Strouse, David Foster, Jule Styne and others. In fact, with Styne, Birkenhead wrote two songs recorded by Frank Sinatra. Support The Paul Leslie Hour by donating to their Tip Jar: https://tips.pinecast.com/jar/the-paul-leslie-hour

At its 2002 Musical Theatre Symposium, SDCF hosted a panel on the writer-director relationship featuring "Urinetown" composer/lyricist Greg Kotis, "The Wild Party" composer Andrew Lippa and director Gabriel Barre, "Violet" composer Jeanine Tesori, bookwriter/lyricist Brian Crawley and director Susan H. Schulman, "Side Show" director Robert Longbottom, "Jelly's Last Jam" lyricist Susan Birkenhead, and "tick, tick...BOOM!" and "Bat Boy" director Scott Schwartz, moderated by Manhattan Theatre Club Musical Theatre Program director Clifford Lee Johnson. The panelists discuss the formation of their writer-director relationship on each of these shows: how the initial connection and trust happened, the barriers they had to overcome, and working on an unfinished show with a living writer vs one who has already passed. The conversation is followed by a lively Q&A session about new musical development programs, the director's role in the development of a musical and how to know when a relationship doesn't work. Filled with many humorous stories, this panel offers great insight into this vital relationship as told by some of today's top Broadway talent.

In November 1992, SDC Foundation hosted a conversation with the creative team behind "Jelly's Last Jam" on Broadway: George C. Wolfe (book and direction), Hope Clarke (choreography), Susan Birkenhead (lyrics), Luther Henderson (music arrangement and additional music), Robin Wagman (set design) and Jules Fischer (lighting design) to discuss their creative process. They discuss the journey from workshops and a production at the Mark Taper Forum to the addition of Wagman, Fischer and Gregory Hines on its way to Broadway, and how each of the design elements and the addition of tap choreography helped to shape the show and discover the heart of the piece. George Wolfe and Luther Henderson talk about working with Jelly Roll Morton's music and manipulating it in order to create a piece that was about Jelly's personality and story as much as it was about what he created. Listen to this conversation for a fascinating discussion of the nature of collaboration at the heart of this production, and a sneak peak into the creation of an original Broadway show.

Oscar, Emmy and five-time American Theatre Wing Tony Award winner, Peter Stone moderates this discussion with lyricist Susan Birkenhead ("Triumph of Love", "Jelly's Last Jam"), composers/lyricists John Kander and Fred Ebb ("Cabaret", "Chicago", "Woman of the Year", "Steel Pier", "The Act"), composer Marvin Hamlisch ("A Chorus Line", "They're Playing Our Song", "The Sweet Smell of Success"), and award-winning country songwriter/composer Don Schlitz ("The Adventures of Tom Sawyer"). The panel talks about the process of musical songwriting, collaboration with other writers, writing songs in conjunction with the book, learning from influential composers, through-composed shows compared to book musicals, pros and cons of workshops, their backgrounds, and their first shows.

Oscar, Emmy and five-time American Theatre Wing Tony Award winner, Peter Stone (Tony Awards for 1776, Woman of the Year and Titanic) moderates this discussion with lyricist Susan Birkenhead (Triumph of Love, Jelly's Last Jam), composers/lyricists John Kander and Fred Ebb (Tony Award winner for Best Original Score in 1967 for Cabaret, 1981 for Woman of the Year and 1993 for Kiss of the Spider-Woman), composer Marvin Hamlisch (A Chorus Line, for which he won a Tony, They're Playing Our Song, Sweet Smell of Success), and award-winning country songwriter/composer Don Schlitz (The Adventures of Tom Sawyer). The panel talks about the process of musical songwriting, collaboration with other writers, writing songs in conjunction with the book, learning from influential composers, through-composed shows compared to book musicals, pros and cons of workshops, their backgrounds, and their first shows.