Category Archives: Musicabilia

All the other musicals of mine (the ones that aren’t “Speakeasy”)

IF ONLY THE POE COTTAGE HAD BEEN OUR TELL TALE MURDER HOUSE!

Posted on January 12, 2019 by

That is the Poe Cottage in the Bronx.  The last home Poe resided in before he died.  We had hoped to make it our Tell-Tale musicabre movie murder home. But alas, it is not to be! Most of the short … Continue reading →

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MARK TWAIN NEVER GOT TO THE LOUVRE (but I did)

Posted on December 14, 2018 by

  A trip to the magnificent Louvre museum with Mark Twain.  Well actually Mark Twain himself never got there, but he wrote about not getting there in “The Innocents Abroad”, and that satirical anecdote about what happens to unwary, blustery … Continue reading →

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A Freaky Little Tell Tale Tidbit

Posted on December 9, 2018 by

Listen to this.  It’s rather creepy, isn’t it, not just because of the unsettling nature of the text, but because of, well, I’ll explain later, just listen now:     I kept quite still and said nothing. For a whole … Continue reading →

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TELL TALE REVEAL!

Posted on November 18, 2018 by

  So what is the big new deal with “The Tell-Tale Heart – a musicabre“?     OK!  Aright!  I know you’ve been on tenterhooks!   The suspense has been killing you!     But only figuratively.   Not literally, … Continue reading →

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TELL TALE SOUNDS

Posted on November 9, 2018 by

The final ghastly Tell-Tale hint before I reveal all!   What is this about?  Click to watch the short video; now can you guess? Yes, we appear to be in a recording studio. What, is that three cellists on the … Continue reading →

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TELL TALE OMENS

Posted on October 14, 2018 by

  What is this about? Have I decided to add cartoonist to my jack-of-the-arts-box?     No.  I am quite aware that my drawing skills are more on the feeble side. These sketches are for practical reasons, which however are … Continue reading →

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WITCHES IN HOUSTON

Posted on September 30, 2018 by

UPDATE:  Lone Star Lyric has postponed their production of “Witches” to June, 2019 However, my Nov 3 talk at the Round Top Theater Forum will include numerous performed excerpts -songs and scenes – from the musical. —— Looking for something … Continue reading →

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TELL TALE SIGN…

Posted on September 8, 2018 by

  Something’s coming…   Something murderous, mad, musical…   A pale blue eye…   Cellos signing;  moaning;  screaming…   His hideous heart…   It’s all returning…   But not the way it was…   It will take on a whole … Continue reading →

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Celebrity Sightings at ART NY 2018

Posted on May 13, 2018 by

The large Yigal Ozeri portrait of Whoopi Goldberg behind the information desk by the entrance into ART NY 2018 was a hint that this year’s exhibition would have more than its fair share of celebrity sightings.  Not only celebrities being … Continue reading →

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In Which I Complete the 30 DAY SONG CHALLENGE

Posted on July 6, 2017 by

Fun on Twitter.  Last month I took on the #30daysongchallenge. Here are the complete results, lightly annotated:   No kidding.  Kurt Weill’s haunting masterpiece. The subject of one of this blog’s most widely read pieces: Speak Low, Phoenix, Speak Low…   … Continue reading →

Posted in Beginnings, Melodies Linger On, Musicabilia | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

SPAMALOT infiltrates EMILY DICKINSON in A QUIET PASSION

Posted on April 24, 2017 by

Arthur: But I’m alone (Patsy: oh no you’re not!) So all alone (Patsy: I’m here you twat!) All by myself I’m all alone   I’m All Alone (from “Spamalot”) – Tim Curry and Michael McGrath What do Monty Python and … Continue reading →

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CANNIBALISM IN THE CARS – a Musical Take on Mark Twain’s Succulent Satire of Congress

Posted on April 11, 2017 by

Congress … yuck!  A distasteful subject!  Quite literally even, according to Mark Twain. Every year Congress gives us more reasons to loathe it.  This year perhaps more than ever. Thinking ill and making fun of Congress is a sport that … Continue reading →

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SONGS OF JOB’S DESPAIR – “I’m Alive” & “Divine Intervention”

Posted on February 16, 2017 by

“I’m Alive” and “Divine Intervention” are two songs that speak to humanity’s age-old despair, in the person of one man crying out against overwhelming unspeakable events outside of his fault and control. They were written for The Song of Job … Continue reading →

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Jacqui Sutton and the Frontier Jazz Orchestra perform “Grass Dolls”

Posted on January 28, 2017 by

My friend and collaborator Jacqui Sutton has posted a video of her and the Frontier Jazz Orchestra performing “Grass Dolls”, a live performance that also functions as a video submission for NPR’s Tiny Desk concerts. “Grass Dolls” is the first … Continue reading →

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HOPE? Maybe just PRAYING FOR TIME

Posted on January 3, 2017 by

Last year I ushered in the new year with Hope for a New Year, featuring the cathartic finale “Hope” of my oratorio The Song of Job 9:11.  A song of phoenix like rising from the ashes, a gently defiant assertion … Continue reading →

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Holiday Repost: HAPPY HOLIDAYS – How this Carol Curmudgeon Ended Up Unwittingly Writing Three Seasonably Suited Carols Himself

Posted on December 28, 2016 by

(Originally posted last Christmas… Last Christmas … sniff… R.I.P. George Michael…) I plead guilty to being a bit of a Christmas Carol Grinch.  OK, I used to be a BIG Christmas Carol Grinch, really loathing most carols and sometimes resorting … Continue reading →

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