Week 17

These are the songs I picked between 17 October and 23 October 2014. I’ll talk about them next time.

Hooray For Hollywood – Dick Powell, Francis Langford, Johnny Scat Davis, Gene Krupa, And Benny Goodman And His Orchestra … Fun fact. The Mr. Factor, who would make a monkey look good, is Max Factor himself, not the cosmetic company. It is the man who created the cosmetic empire and who worked in Hollywood for many years.

Hundreds Of Girls – Howard McGillin

Tap Your Troubles Away * – Jerry Herman, Tommy Tune

I Want to Go to Hollywood – Sutton Foster … From a solid plan, the song quickly becomes a cry for help, a plea for a woman who is at her wits ends.

The Trolley Song ** – Judy Garland … Whether it is a girl and her girlfriends hanging at the mall waiting for the boy she likes to show up, or even waiting with a smartphone in hand for the same boy to return a text, the sequence perfectly captures what it is to be young, in love and not knowing how to react to these new adolescent feelings of love.

Now You Know * – Alan Mosley, Company, Maria Friedman, Matthew White & Michael Cantwell

Old Friends – Celia Keenan-Bolger, Colin Donnell & Lin-Manuel Miranda

* Top 10 Contender

** Top 10 Fast-Tracked

Week 16

These are the songs I picked between 10 October and 16 October 2014. I’ll talk about them next time.

Stepping Out (Reprise) – Liza Minnelli … What I loved about the show in general was the use of women of different ages and shapes in the chorus. I’m not sure if Liza wanted to make a statement then, or maybe 1992 was just so long ago that young skinny bitches hadn’t conquered the entertainment industry yet.

Bye Bye Blackbird * – Liza Minnelli

I Love A Violin – Liza Minnelli

Dejala Bailar – Soledad Bravo

Catch A Falling Star – Emilie de Ravin … Such a lovely way to give ourselves permission to be sentimental hoarders, we never know when the things we’ve collected and kept near our hearts may awake and finally serve a purpose.

Moving On (Alternate, with Ukulele) * – Orchestra

Shuffle Off To Buffalo – Ruby Keeler, Clarence Nordstrum, Ginger Rogers, Una Merkel, Chorus … This 1933 song reminds me of my childhood. Young readers won’t bat an eyelid since they may assume that’s around the time I was born. 

* Top 10 Contender

Week 15

These are the songs I picked between 3 October and 9 October 2014. I’ll talk about them next time.

Girl of the Moment * – Maria Friedman, Adrian Dunbar …  I listened to this song for weeks, trying to figure out who this girl of the moment was, and why she was so captivating.

Folies Bergeres ** – Catherine Russell, Ginette Garcin

Let Me Be Your Star – Katharine McPhee, Megan Hilty

Let’s Be Bad – Megan Hilty … I have been a video editor for over 20 years; if you asked me what editing is to me, I’d tell you that editing is nothing more than problem-solving.

My Friend – Pamela Isaacs, Lillias White

Little Me – Faith Prince

Closer And Closer And Closer – Gene Wilder, Steven Warner … I had a professor who would describe the Fox as controlling, needy and high maintenance. Although, I didn’t agree with him at the time, I can appreciate now what he meant by it.

* Top 10 Contender

** Top 10 Fast Tracked

Week 14

These are the songs I picked between 26 September and 2 October 2014. I’ll talk about them next time.

Miss Marmelstein – Barbra Streisand … In the booklet, Streisand talks about doing the number seated on a desk chair and sliding around the stage, which naturally I tried to recreate at my new job whenever nobody was watching.

A Quiet Thing / There Won’t Be Trumpets – Barbra Streisand

The Skin Of Our Teeth – Brent Barrett … As we waited for Bruce, John Kander came in the house with Eric Schaeffer. I was going to ask Kander to autograph the poster I had bought, but he and Schafer were having what it seems a serious conversation.

Tom, Dick Or Harry – Ann Miller, Tommy Rall, Bobby Van, Bob Fosse

Dressing Them Up – Brent Carver … Having the character sing this song elevates Molina from a sad middle aged lonely gay man with an active imagination to a man who can be passionate and committed to a cause, or someone he loves.

The Day After That – Brian Mitchell

Manhattan – Ella Fitzgerald

Week 13

These are the songs I picked between 19 September and 25 September 2014. I’ll talk about them next time.

No One Is Alone – Kim Crosby, Danielle Ferland, Ben Wright, Chip Zien

What Kind of Fool Am I – Jason Danieley … It was only recently that I played close attention to the lyrics and noticed the Catch-22 nature of the song.

Loving You – Kym Hoy

I Won’t Send Roses – Rita Moreno

Medley (Almost Like Being In Love-This Can’t Be Love) * – Judy Garland … For younger readers, before iPods and CD burnings, people used to have “tape recording” parties, someone would bring a record and whoever was interested could make a copy of it on a cassette.

There’s No Business Like Show Business – Judy Garland, Ethel Merman, Barbra Streisand

Here’s To Us (outtake) – Judy Garland … It is such an extraordinary moment of self-determination and resilience, that you just want to snap your fingers twice and say: You go girl!

* Top 10 Contender