Five of this season's guests--William Forrest  (Episode 118: The Sherman Brothers' Movie Musicals for Disney), Rick Rhobajt Widen (Episode 121: Bible Musicals), Tara Krieger (Episode 123: Tim Rice, Benny Andersson, and Björn Ulvaeus's Chess), Nathan Platte (Episode 126: Meet Me in St. Louis), and BethAnn Cohen (Parody in Musical Theater (Ep. 127))--return to discuss topics from the season and answer listener questions and comments. We also discuss the song "Chim Chim Cher-ee" from the 1964 film Mary Poppins. This discussion was held live on Monday, December 22nd on Scene to Song’s YouTube channel, and was recorded for this podcast almost in its entirety. Scene to Song will return in January 2026. In the meantime, you can write to scenetosong@gmail.com with a comment or question about an episode or about musical theater, or if you’d like to be a podcast guest. Follow us on Instagram at @ScenetoSong and on Facebook at “Scene to Song with Shoshana Greenberg Podcast.” And be sure to sign up for the new monthly e-newsletter at scenetosong.substack.com. Contribute to the Patreon. The theme music you are hearing is by Julia Meinwald. Music played in this episode: "Chim Chim Cher-ee" from Mary Poppins

Did you know writer and anthropologist Zora Neale Hurston wrote a musical? Now you do!

Multidisciplinary Black feminist scholar-artist Jordan Ealey discusses Hurston’s 1944 musical Polk County and what this anthropological musical was like, as well as its past and future in the musical theater canon. We also discuss “Sweet Chitty Chatty” from Kirsten Childs’s 2000 musical The Bubbly Black Girl Sheds Her Chameleon Skin.

Join us for the annual Scene to Song Live Show on December 22nd at 8PM EST- streaming on Scene to Song's YouTube page: https://www.youtube.com/@SceneToSong 

Music played in this episode:

"Halihmuhfack"

“Wake Up, Jacob”

“Sweet Chitty Chatty” from The Bubbly Black Girl Sheds Her Chameleon Skin

In this episode, writer Rick Rhobajt Widen discusses bible musicals, running the gamut from Children of Eden, Two by Two, and Jesus Christ Superstar to religion-adjacent musicals like Saved and Leap of Faith . We also talk about the song "Writing a Gospel Play" from Michael R. Jackson's 2022 musical A Strange Loop. You can write to scenetosong@gmail.com with a comment or question about an episode or about musical theater, or if you’d like to be a podcast guest. Follow on Instagram at @ScenetoSong and on Facebook at “Scene to Song with Shoshana Greenberg Podcast.” And be sure to sign up for the new monthly e-newsletter at scenetosong.substack.com. Contribute to the Patreon. The theme music is by Julia Meinwald. Music played in this episode: "Generations" from Children of Eden "Why Me?" from Two by Two "Deborah (Lead Me to the Rock)" from Bible Women "Answer Me" from The Band’s Visit "Two by Two" from Two by Two "Samuel Anoints David" from King David "I Don’t Know How to Love Him" from Jesus Christ Superstar "Feelings" from The Apple Tree "Writing a Gospel Play" from A Strange Loop "Faith Hope Love" by Rick Rhobajt Widen

In this episode, performer and creator Victoria Gordon discusses Stephen Sondheim and James Goldman's 1966 television musical Evening Primrose, looking at the contradictions of art vs. capitalism and inside vs. outside and at Charles and Ella's relationship. We also talk about the song "Storybook" from Frank Wildhorn and Nan Knighton's The Scarlet Pimpernel, specifically Linda Eder's version.

In this episode, writer and musician Kirk Hamilton discusses Lin-Manuel Miranda's musical Hamilton, looking at the character of Eliza, how the show's visual elements work with the score, and the songs "Non-Stop" and "The Reynolds Pamphlet." We also talk about the songs "You'll Be Back," "What Comes Next?" and "I Know Him" from Hamilton.

In this episode, Warren Hoffman, author of The Great White Way: Race and the Broadway Musical, discusses his book, specifically whiteness and white identity in musical theater, in preparation for the book's second edition. We also talk about the song "Love Can't Happen" by Maury Yeston from the musical Grand Hotel. 

In this episode, composer and lyricist and theatrical producer Gregory Jacobs-Roseman discusses the musicals of composer and lyricist Jerry Herman. We also talk about the song "The Best of Times" from Herman's La Cage aux Folles. 

In this episode, seven of this season's guests--Mark Falconer, Anika Chapin, James Ballard, Jessica Fleitman, John Verderber, Marcus Scott, and BethAnn Cohen--return to discuss the topics from the season and listener-submitted questions and comments. 

In this episode, writer, director, and performer Andi Lee Carter discusses Andrew Lloyd Webber's musical Cats--the plot, the songs, its similarities to A Chorus Line--as we prepare for the upcoming film. We also talk about the Overture from Cats. 

In this episode, writer Marcus Scott discusses rock musicals as a vehicle for coming-of-age stories and biographies, looking at Hedwig, The Bubbly Black Girl Sheds Her Chameleon Skin, Passing Strange, and A Strange Loop, among others. We also talk about the song "Skid Row (Downtown)" from the Little Shop of Horrors. 

In this episode, writer and podcaster David Levy discusses the musical revue, from The Ziegfeld Follies to Forbidden Broadway. We also talk about the song "Something" from the revue Upstairs at O'Neals.

In this episode, Afrofuturist, womanist, black femme storyteller, and social activist AriDy Nox discusses musicals that grapple with racial and/or socio-economic politics in non-obvious ways. We also talk about the song "Why We Build the Wall" from Hadestown.

In this episode, bookwriter and playwright Orian Israelsohn discusses the Bock and Harnick musicals Fiddler on the Roof and The Rothschilds, looking at passive vs. active protagonists, time and place, and the song "If I Were a Rich Man" vs. the song "Everything." We also talk about the song "Molasses to Rum" from 1776.

As I prepare to record more episodes, I am sharing a conversation I had with former podcast guest Spencer Robelen on his The Hitchcock Gays podcast about Hitchcock’s 1945 film Spellbound starring Ingrid Bergman and Gregory Peck. I hope you enjoy getting to know Spencer’s podcast, and Scene to Song will be back in two weeks with a new episode. You can write to scenetosong@gmail.com with a comment or question about an episode or about musical theater, or if you’d like to be a podcast guest. Follow on Instagram at @ScenetoSong and on Facebook at “Scene to Song with Shoshana Greenberg Podcast.” And be sure to sign up for the new monthly e-newsletter at scenetosong.substack.com. Contribute to the Patreon. The theme music is by Julia Meinwald.

In this episode, writer/theater critic Jose Solis discusses Latinx characters in musical theater, from Evita to Miss You Like Hell to Manuel vs. the Statue of Liberty (although leaving out West Side Story and In the Heights because they are talked about enough). We also talk about the song "America" from West Side Story.

In this episode, dramaturg and writer Anika Chapin discusses Stephen Sondheim and John Weidman's musical Assassins. We also talk about the song "Another National Anthem" from Assassins.

In this episode, teacher and singer Nicholas Harbison discusses the lesser-known musicals of Lynn Ahrens and Stephen Flaherty: Lucky Stiff, My Favorite Year, A Man of No Importance, Dessa Rose, and The Glorious Ones. We also talk about the song "We Dance" from their 1990 musical Once on This Island.

In this episode, writer EllaRose Chary discusses the formation of white and white Jewish identity in America, as well as the racial history of America, constructed through musical theater. We also talk about the song "The Night that Goldman Spoke at Union Square" from the 1997 musical Ragtime.

In this episode, director and Royal Family Productions artistic associate Mark Falconer discusses the musicals of Tom Jones and Harvey Schmidt, from The Fantasticks to Philemon and Grover's Corners. We also talk about the song "I Said It, and I'm Glad" from Comden and Green and Styne's 1961 musical Subways are for Sleeping.

In this episode, nurse and musician BethAnn Freed Cohen discusses representations of Judaism in musical theater. We also talk about the song "Alone, and yet Alive" from The Mikado.

In this episode, producer and writer Sean Williams discusses David Yazbek's use of genre and tropes in his score to The Band's Visit. We also talk about the song "Answer Me" from The Band's Visit.

In this episode, composer, lyricist, writer, and orchestrator James Ballard discusses orchestrations and creating a sound world of a musical. We also talk about the song "Dust and Ashes"from the recent Dave Malloy musical, Natasha, Pierre and the Great Comet of 1812.

In this episode, writer John Verderber discusses political musicals and the difference between those that are dated and those that last. We also talk about Stephen Sondheim's song "Someone in a Tree" from his 1976 musical Pacific Overtures. 

In this episode, composer, soprano, and musical director Erin Hoerchler discuss the women of Rodgers and Hammerstein and the echoes of those characters today. We also talk about the song "It Ain't Necessarily So" from Porgy and Bess by George Gershwin and Ira Gershwin, particularly the 1968 Louis Armstrong and Ella Fitzgerald version. 

In this episode, composer, lyricist, music director, and educator Katya Stanislavskaya discusses representations of Russia/the USSR in musical theater from Fiddler on the Roof to Anastasia to off-Broadway's Iron Curtain and many in between. We also talk about the song "The Beauty Is" from Adam Guettel and Craig Lucas's 2005 musical The Light in the Piazza. You can write to scenetosong@gmail.com with a comment or question about an episode or about musical theater, or if you’d like to be a podcast guest. Follow on Instagram at @ScenetoSong and on Facebook at “Scene to Song with Shoshana Greenberg Podcast.” And be sure to sign up for the new monthly e-newsletter at scenetosong.substack.com. Contribute to the Patreon. The theme music is by Julia Meinwald. Music played in this episode: "To Life" from Fiddler on the Roof "Prologue" from Natasha, Pierre, & The Great Comet of 1812 "No One Else" from Natasha, Pierre, & The Great Comet of 1812 "Crossing a Bridge" from Anastasia "Two Worlds" from Doctor Zhivago "That's Capital" from Iron Curtain "Our Time" from Lempicka "The Beauty Is" from The Light in the Piazza

In this episode, educators Courtney Ferrell and Shaun Leisher discuss directing middle school and high school students in musical theater. We also talk about the songs "Blackout" from Lin-Manuel Miranda's In the Heights and "Motherhood March" from Hello, Dolly!

In this episode, writer, actor, and singer Erica Slutsky discusses the films of Todd Graff (Camp, Bandslam, and Joyful Noise) and how they work as musical theater. We also talk about the Jason Robert Brown song "Someone to Fall Back On" and how it's used in the film Bandslam.

In this episode, writer Jessica Fleitman discusses the musical My Fair Lady--its inherent sexism, the new ending in the most recent Broadway revival, and what the musical might look like from a female perspective. We also talk about the song "Without You" from My Fair Lady.

In this episode, writer David Brush and composer Rachel Dean discuss portraying mental illness in musical theater, the shows that do it well and what musical theater can bring to the dialogue and to those affected. We also talk about the song "I Miss the Mountains" from the 2009 musical Next to Normal. 

In this episode, two of this season's guests--Christie Baugher and Brandon Michael Lowden--return to discuss listener-submitted questions and comments. We also talk about songs from two Christmas musicals that no one thinks of as Christmas musicals: "Twelve Days to Christmas" from She Loves Me and "A New Deal for Christmas" from Annie.

In this episode, writer John Verderber discusses musical worlds, conjuring different places through music, in musical theater, with a focus on the composer/lyricist Frank Loesser. We also talk about Meredith Wilson's song "My White Knight" from his 1957 musical The Music Man.

In this episode, composer Landon Braverman discusses rock operas in musical theater, including deep dives into the scores of Evita and Jesus Christ Superstar. We also talk about Michael Friedman's songs "I'm Not That Guy" and "I'm So That Guy" from his 2010 musical Bloody Bloody Andrew Jackson.

In this episode, playwright, composer, and lyricist Daniel Levin discusses plot twists in musical theater. We also talk about Jason Robert Brown's song "Still Hurting" from his 2002 musical The Last Five Years.

In this episode, musical theater writer Christie Baugher discusses the female gaze in musical theater, from Oklahoma to Fun Home. We also talk about Micki Grant's song "Cleanin' Women" from the 1978 musical Working.

In this episode, composer and lyricist Benny Gammerman discusses Meredith Willson's 1957 musical, The Music Man. We also talk about the song "Ya Got Trouble" from The Music Man.

In this episode, actress, Chair of Performing Arts at New York Film Academy, and original Wicked cast member Kristy Cates discusses Elphaba's journey in Stephen Schwartz and Winnie Holzman's 2003 musical Wicked. We also talk about the song "No One is Alone" from Stephen Sondheim and James Lapine's 1987 musical Into the Woods. You can write to scenetosong@gmail.com with a comment or question about an episode or about musical theater, or if you’d like to be a podcast guest. Follow on Instagram at @ScenetoSong and on Facebook at “Scene to Song with Shoshana Greenberg Podcast.” And be sure to sign up for the new monthly e-newsletter at scenetosong.substack.com. Contribute to the Patreon. The theme music is by Julia Meinwald. Music played in this episode: "The Wizard and I" from Wicked "No Good Deed" from Wicked "For Good" from Wicked "No One Is Alone" from Into the Woods

In this episode, composer, writer, and director John Grimmett discusses the opera libretto vs. the book in musical theater, including the eternal question: what makes a piece an opera and what makes a piece a musical? We also talk about the song sequence "Montage/Safe/The One I Love" from Michael John LaChiusa's 1993 musical Hello Again.

In this episode, composer, lyricist, bookwriter, and performer Joe Iconis discusses outsider characters in musical theater, from Grease to Assassins to his own show Be More Chill. We also talk about the song "Cabaret" from Kander and Ebb's 1966 musical Cabaret.

In this episode, lyricist, bookwriter, dramaturg, and literary coordinator at The York Theatre Company  Seth Christenfeld discusses adaptations in musical theater, from the history of adaptations vs. original musicals to the proliferation today of musicals based on popular movies. We also talk about the "Prologue" from the recent Dave Malloy musical, Natasha, Pierre and the Great Comet of 1812.

In this episode, writer Michael R. Jackson discusses equity, diversity, and inclusion in musical theater, as well as how revivals contribute to inequality in musical theater. We also talk about the song "Not Anymore" from the 1973 musical Raisin.

In this episode, writer Brandon Michael Lowden discusses the off-Broadway musical Venice and why audiences have different reactions to musicals in the theater. We also talk about the song "Last Man" from Venice.

In this episode, writer Sukari Jones discusses nontraditional/colorblind casting in musical theater. We also talk about what makes musical theater so good.

In this episode, composer Julia Meinwald discusses comedy in musical theater. We also talk about Joe Iconis's song "Jeff."

Hosted by writer Shoshana Greenberg, Scene to Song brings on a guest to talk about a musical, musical theater writers, or a topic or trend in musical theater. Theme music by Julia Meinwald.

In this episode, writer, dramaturg, and publishing professional William Forrest discusses the Sherman Brothers' Movie Musicals for Disney, tracing their trajectory from their early pop hits to the sophistication of of the book musical in such films as Mary Poppins (1964). We also talk about the song "Soon It's Gonna Rain" from Tom Jones and Harvey Schmidt's 1960 musical The Fantasticks. You can write to scenetosong@gmail.com with a comment or question about an episode or about musical theater, or if you’d like to be a podcast guest. Follow on Instagram at @ScenetoSong and on Facebook at “Scene to Song with Shoshana Greenberg Podcast.” And be sure to sign up for the new monthly e-newsletter at scenetosong.substack.com. Contribute to the Patreon. The theme music is by Julia Meinwald. Music played in this episode: "Pineapple Princess" by The Sherman Brothers "The Parent Trap" from The Parent Trap "Chim Chim Cheree" from Mary Poppins "A Spoonful of Sugar" from Mary Poppins "Valentine Candy" from The Happiest Millionaire  "Soon It’s Gonna Rain" from The Fantasticks

In this episode, five of this season's guests--Robert W. Schneider (Episode 114: Queer Characters in Musical Theater), Christopher Culp (Episode 105: Class, Race, and Gender Anxiety in Little Shop of Horrors), Andi Carter (Episode 112: Andrew Lloyd Webber's Musical Cats Part 2), BethAnn Cohen (Episode 108: The Bimbo or Ditz Character in Sondheim Musicals), and Matt Koplik (Episode 109: Jeanine Tesori Musicals)--return to discuss topics from the season and answer listener questions and comments. We also discuss the song "Wonderful" from the 2003 Stephen Schwartz and Winnie Holzman musical Wicked. This discussion was held live on Monday, December 23rd on Scene to Song’s Facebook page, and was recorded for this podcast almost in its entirety. Scene to Song will return in January 2025. In the meantime, you can write to scenetosong@gmail.com with a comment or question about an episode or about musical theater, or if you’d like to be a podcast guest. Follow us on Instagram at @ScenetoSong and on Facebook at “Scene to Song with Shoshana Greenberg Podcast.”  And be sure to sign up for the new monthly e-newsletter at scenetosong.substack.com. Contribute to the Patreon. The theme music you are hearing is by Julia Meinwald. Music played in this episode: "Wonderful" from Wicked

In this episode, composer, lyricist, and playwright Spencer Robelen discusses musical theater in the films of Alfred Hitchcock, from his early silent movies to Waltzes from Vienna to Stage Fright to The Man Who Knew Too Much (1956). We also talk about the song "Miss Up-to-Date" from his 1929 film Blackmail. You can write to scenetosong@gmail.com with a comment or question about an episode or about musical theater, or if you’d like to be a podcast guest. Follow on Instagram at @ScenetoSong and on Facebook at “Scene to Song with Shoshana Greenberg Podcast.” And be sure to sign up for the new monthly e-newsletter at scenetosong.substack.com. Contribute to the Patreon. The theme music is by Julia Meinwald. Music played in this episode: "Like a Star in the Sky" from Waltzes from Vienna "With All My Heart" from Waltzes from Vienna "The Laziest Gal in Town" by Cole Porter, sung by Marlene Dietrich in Stage Fright "Que Sera Sera" by Jay Livingston and Ray Evans, sung by Doris Day in The Man Who Knew Too Much (1956) "Miss Up-to-Date" by Billy Mayerl and Frank Eyton, sung by Cyril Ritchard in Blackmail

In this episode, theatre historian, author, and producer Jennifer Ashley Tepper discusses women writers in musical theater as part of her new book, Women Writing Musicals: The Legacy That the History Books Left Out. We also talk about the song "Old Friend" from Gretchen Cryer and Nancy Ford's 1978 musical I'm Getting My Act Together and Taking It on the Road. You can write to scenetosong@gmail.com with a comment or question about an episode or about musical theater, or if you’d like to be a podcast guest. Follow on Instagram at @ScenetoSong, on X/Twitter at @SceneSong, and on Facebook at “Scene to Song with Shoshana Greenberg Podcast.” And be sure to sign up for the new monthly e-newsletter at scenetosong.substack.com. Contribute to the Patreon. The theme music is by Julia Meinwald. Music played in this episode: "So Little Time" from Don’t Bother Me I Can’t Cope "Once in a Blue Moon" from Stepping Stones "Back to Before" from Ragtime "Old Friend" from I'm Getting My Act Together and Taking It on the Road

In this episode, artistic director, producer, director, and podcast host Robert W. Schneider discusses queer characters in musical theater as part of his upcoming book. We also talk about the song "I Am What I Am" from Jerry Herman and a book by Harvey Fierstein's 1983 musical La Cage aux Folles. You can write to scenetosong@gmail.com with a comment or question about an episode or about musical theater, or if you’d like to be a podcast guest. Follow on Instagram at @ScenetoSong, on X/Twitter at @SceneSong, and on Facebook at “Scene to Song with Shoshana Greenberg Podcast.” And be sure to sign up for the new monthly e-newsletter at scenetosong.substack.com. Contribute to the Patreon. The theme music is by Julia Meinwald. Music played in this episode: "Giving it Up for Love" from Boy Meets Boy "I am what I am" from La Cage aux Folles

In this episode, writer John Verderber discusses Rodgers and Hart musicals of the late 1930s and early 1940s, focusing on Babes in Arms, The Boys from Syracuse, and Pal Joey. We also talk about the song "Disneyland" from Howard Ashman and Marvin Hamlisch's 1986 musical Smile. You can write to scenetosong@gmail.com with a comment or question about an episode or about musical theater, or if you’d like to be a podcast guest. Follow on Instagram at @ScenetoSong, on X/Twitter at @SceneSong, and on Facebook at “Scene to Song with Shoshana Greenberg Podcast.” And be sure to sign up for the new monthly e-newsletter at scenetosong.substack.com. Contribute to the Patreon. The theme music is by Julia Meinwald. Music played in this episode: "This Funny World" from Betsy "I Wish I Were in Love Again" from Babes in Arms "Where or When" from Babes in Arms "The Lady is a Tramp" from Babes in Arms “Prologue” from The Boys from Syracuse “I Had Twins” from The Boys from Syracuse "Can’t You Do a Friend a Favor" from A Connecticut Yankee "Disneyland" from Smile