So Much Stuff to Sing

Apr 01 2025 100 ep. 37 mins 25

So Much Stuff to Sing Podcast artwork

A podcast about the American Musical. Hosted by Shannon in New York and Erik in Prague; twice monthly.

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Episode 115 - Comedy Tonight

Apr 01 2025 41 mins

It is our annual tribuite to the God of Musical Theater, Stephen Sondheim, and for this year's festival we are exploring some songs of his from the shows that people rarely place among their favorites. The unloved, the ignored, the obscure, and the forgotten. Or, in this case, a show that many know, but doesn't tend to get thought of as a "Sondheim" show. It's time for a song from

Episode 114 - The Field

Mar 15 2025 36 mins

Okay, don't panic! No, you've probably never heard of this song "The Field" -- or maybe even this show --Octet -- but what if I told you it was Dave Malloy's follow up to The Great Comet? And then what if I told you it was a weird chamber musical about internet addiction? Well, maybe listen to the episode anyway, and join us as we discuss the nature of Art, whether the internet is

Episode 113 - The Song of Purple Summer

Mar 01 2025 34 mins

Our next ensemble song takes us to 1890s Germany via Broadway in 2006. Spring Awakening, with book and lyrics by Steven Sater and music by rocker Duncan Sheik, is based on an 1891 German play that explores many of the worst things that can occur to a person, especially during adolescence. Winner of 8 Tonys, the show speaks frankly about sexuality, abuse, and mental health, and whil

Episode 112 - Do You Hear the People Sing?

Feb 16 2025 25 mins

What's that I hear? Why, it's another ensemble song...but this one...is angry! Yes, for our next installement in our Ensemble Song miniseries, we're discussing "Do You Hear the People Sing?" from Les Miserables, by Claude-Michel Schoenberg, Alain Bubil, and Herbert Kretzmer. Opening in 1985 under the auspices of the Royal Shakespeare Company, the song has been a global phenomenon f

Episode 111 - Pick-a-Little, Talk-a-Little

Feb 01 2025 29 mins

Time for another year and another new mini-series! This time, we're turning our spotlight onto the ensemble. From the Greek chorus to the modern Broadway ensemble, the act of a group of people singing together has often been a crucial part of theater. While we're not going to go all the way back to Ancient Greece, we are going to look at 4 examples of choral numbers in shows and th

Episode 110 - The Ballad of the Witches' Road

Jan 01 2025 33 mins

For our holiday episode, we're turning our sights to a song written for television for the first time. This fall the internet went mad for a song with ample Broadway cred -- "The Ballad of the Witches' Road" from Agatha All Along. Let's talk about what made it such a hit, about its songwriters -- the formidable Bobby & Kristen Anderson Lopez -- and about Patti Lupone, of course. Al

Episode 109 - The Wizard and I

Dec 15 2024 42 mins

After 20 years, there's finally an Elphaba on screen, and we're going to finish our Elphabae miniseries by talking about her. Buckle up as we talk Wicked the movie (Part 1), whther Cynthia Erivo will break "the Curse of the Elphabae," and what is either just a mid or a Top 10 "I want" song (depending on which cohost you are) -- "The Wizard and I." All clips are from Wicked: The So

Episode 108 - Woman Is

Dec 03 2024 38 mins

We're back with another Elphaba, and this time they're singing a role essentially built for them! Except...well...join us as we talk the great Eden Espinosa and the show that maybe doesn't rise to her level: 2024's Lempicka. Written by Matt Gould and Carson Kreitzer, the show underwent a long workshop process before an ultiamtely unsuccessful Broadway run. We explore what went wron

Episode 107 - Stars and the Moon

Nov 16 2024 40 mins

Another episode, another Elphaba! This time, we're looking at Shoshana Bean, who was an Elphaba early on before leaving Broadway for over a decade and then finally returning to a string of well-received roles, even if she still hasn't found The One. Here she is singing one of the songs that brough her back, "Stars and the Moon" by Jason Robert Brown from his song cycle Songs for a

Episode 106 - The Writing on the Wall

Nov 02 2024 39 mins

New miniseries time! This time, we're taking a slightly different approach, focusing on a set of linked performers instead of a set of linked songs. Specifically, we're looking at some of the women who've played the original Green Girl, Elphaba from Wicked. First up is Stephanie J. Block who arguably was the original Elphaba, just not on Broadway. We look at her career and why it h