More Theater Monday - Emma and Of Thee I Sing

Me & Mom - We recently had the opportunity to see the Broadway Workshop's production of Emma. The show was based on the book of the same title written by Jane Austen but updated to a modern boarding school.  The show was a musical. The songs were not original, however. They were just pop songs including Chapel of Love, Unwritten, and Roar. Unlike in most musicals which use pop songs, in this show the songs were not limited to a particular decade or artist but they were from all different times and by all different singers. The updated story was enjoyable and would work really well for school productions. The songs chosen were well suited to the plot.  The show had a lot of humor in it as well.  All in all, it was a really enjoyable production.

For more about Broadway Workshop to find out about classes they offer and/or what shows they will be doing next visit www.broadwayworkshop.com.

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Mom - We recently had the opportunity to see Of Thee I Sing at Carnegie Hall. The show is a musical from the 1930s that satrizes American politics. Many of the shows plot points are very relevant to today including a foreign government that is trying to influence American political matters. The show was presented by MasterVoices choir with an all star cast of guest voices in the lead roles including Bryce Pinkham, who previously appeared in A Gentlemen's Guide to Love and Murder and Holiday Inn; and Denee Benton, who was Natasha in the recent Natasha, Pierre and the Great Comet of 1812. The show was extremely entertaining. The plot was very relatable probably even more so than it was originally back in the 1930s. The singing voices were beautiful. The songs were nice although none of them were especially memorable which is why none of them became hugely popular, and you don't really hear them anymore. All in all though, the show was a delight and definitely worth seeing.

For more information about MasterVoices  and or to find out what they will be doing next visit www.mastervoices.org.

And that's our view. Tune in tomorrow for Tips for Tuesday.

Photo credits: All Emma photos supplied by Broadway Workshop
                        Of Thee I Sing production photos by Erin Baiano