I’ll be New York-bound at dawn tomorrow. This Saturday and next, those of you in the NYC area can come see me in my old show, “The Next Big Broadway Musical.” Yes, it’s running again, for the first time since I moved West, and I’ll be taking part in the fun for two shows only.
For those of you who’ve never heard of it, it’s a completely improvised musical. Yes, really. I swear. In the first act we present the “nominated” songs (and scene snippets) by drawing your song titles from a hat, quickly summarizing the musicals they suggest to us, and… singing (or in my case, caterwauling). You are then required to vote on which wins The Next Big Broadway Musical Award. After an intermission, we present the winning musical in its entirety, complete with an attempt to re-improvise the song from the first act in context.
It’s that simple.
Meanwhile, you can expect Fanatical Apathy to be updated with the same reliable lack of regularity as always. That is, so long as I can figure out how to operate the kind of computers they’re using on the eastern seaboard these days. It’s been a while.
[Update: The show now has its own domain. So I’ve updated the link. Oooh, snazzy!]
Fanny Roborat
16 comments
Steve
May 19, 2005 at 6:49 pm
1Frist!
Uh, I mean, First!
madbard
May 19, 2005 at 9:27 pm
2Frist?! I am going to filibuster this post (at least until Adam executes the nukular option).
Murray
May 19, 2005 at 9:45 pm
3Adam, is that like “The First Nudie Musical?” or am I thinking of something else?
So break a leg, arm, or neck or what ever it is you theatrical type do for luck or unluck, uhh,.. this is just too confusing. Anyways, enjoy The City.
tess
May 20, 2005 at 12:24 am
4Steve, have you been on atrios’s site, you naughty boy?
Adam,
Best of luck. I’m sure that you sing better than half the Miss American contestants any day, and any year.
I still don’t get why so many people honestly think they can sing. It’s like the whole US population’s in a giant karaoke bar where everyone thinks the person next to them’s offkey.
Mary
May 20, 2005 at 9:01 am
5I still don’t get why so many people honestly think they can sing.
I blame it on church choirs.
Adam, step in scata. Wish I could see the production.
Allison in Santa Cruz
May 20, 2005 at 1:27 pm
6Hey now, let’s not paint all church choirs with the same brush! I sing in ours, and we’re damn good; good enough that about a third of our repertoire is a cappella. And Tess, I have sung in groups where the people on each side were offkey. Talk about being the lone voice of good pitch!
Emmarie
May 20, 2005 at 4:01 pm
7Wow. I finally got the “start spreading the news.” Ummm…
On the good side, I never knew it was an accomplishment that I admit I can’t sing.
Pete IVDL
May 21, 2005 at 5:08 pm
8Improv singing? Holy handbasket, I thought you were as brave as it gets as a comedian, but this puts you in Nobel nomination territory as far as I’m concerned! Give ‘em hell!
Isn’t it great how good your own voice sounds in your own head? I used to think I could kinda hold a tune, but I ‘accidentally’ recorded my own voice seriously trying to “sing along” with one of my favourite songs some time ago. It sounded so offal I didn’t even recognise it at first. It sounded kinda like a Stuka attacking a pig. So I have nothing but R E S P E C T for anyone who can sing, a capella or a a capella.
Start spreddin’ the nooze… (You’re quicker than me picking up the pun, Emmarie!)
Leslie
May 21, 2005 at 8:23 pm
9Okay, am I missing a pun or is it just that, being old enough to remember my parents listening, I automatically think of the Frank Sinatra song when I see those words, Pete IVDL and Emmarie? Wait, be careful how you answer that. I sit next to a 30-year-old at work who delights in telling me all the movies and songs I mention that she doesn’t recognize. I’m working on switching things around from me being old to her being uncultured, but honestly I just feel old. Ah, well, she doesn’t know what she’s missing!
JB
May 22, 2005 at 3:03 am
10Leslie I didn’t pick up on the Frank Sinatra reference until Emmarie mentioned it. If there is another reference or pun, (I don’t think there is. Isn’t Sinatra enough?) I’d like to know. Aww heck, someone make one up. Surely a Dylan reference can be construed.
Emmarie
May 22, 2005 at 10:20 am
11All I got was the song. If Pete had something else, I don’t know about it either.
Now, if you can make that Dylan reference a Dylan Thomas reference, I’d be more interested…
Steve
May 22, 2005 at 12:11 pm
12I got the Sinatra reference immediately. . . and the damned song hasn’t been out of my head since. Curse you, Felber!
Adam Felber
May 22, 2005 at 12:58 pm
13Great, great… but did no-one get the similar reference in the title of the previous post? I was proud of that one.
David
May 22, 2005 at 1:39 pm
14Curse you twice, Felber. The Snotra tune also did the commercial jingle thing to me, but I missed the “Georgia on My Mind,” I guess because the topic was so bloody serious. And it’s ok for Ray Charles to rattle around in my head, dammit.
Leslie
May 22, 2005 at 6:49 pm
15Oh, oh! Thanks for cluing me in, Adam, even if I’m cursing myself for missing it myself. It was really good. I kept looking at it thinking I was missing something. At least I was right about that!
Pete IVDL
May 24, 2005 at 8:57 pm
16Too good puns!
No, I didn’t find anything deeper in the Sinatra double-pun. I did recognise the Georgia song reference, but I warn’t sure which Georgia…
Leslie, we’re so “retro”, as some of my nephews and nieces are wont to tell me. Mind you, those same kids keep asking me where they can get “The Clash” and the Beetlz. What goes around, comes around I guess - hop on board the Retro Express!