Theater Thursday - Musical of Musicals The Musical and More

 

What: Musical of Musicals The Musical and More

Where: Streaming at yorktheatre.org or https://www.youtube.com/watch

Who: Teens and Up

When: Through April 22, 2021 only

As we all know this is a tough time for the theater particularly for small theaters that are just trying to keep going despite losing their main source of revenue due to not being able to welcome audiences through their doors for more than a year. For the York Theatre, this difficulty has been compounded due to a broken water main which flooded and severely damaged their theater. Just the thought of the York not being around anymore is heartbreaking not only for anyone who has ever worked or performed at the York Theatre but for anyone who has ever seen a show there. This small theater whose dual mission is to incubate new musicals as well as shine a light on forgotten musicals of the past is an absolute gem. Of course, not everyone will love every show they see at the York, but seeing any of their shows is always an enjoyable experience, and stepping through their doors is always welcoming.

Now, a group of actors producers, and others who love the York Theatre have joined together to put on a benefit to raise money to repair the theater. The show they have chosen to present is Musical of Musicals the Musical, a show which made its debut at the York in 2003 and later went on to play Off-Broadway. Although the performance of this show is meant as a fundraiser, you do not have to donate to watch as the show as it is also meant to as a tribute to the fans and everyone who loves the York Theater or theater in general, 

Musical of Musicals the Musical is a delightfully fun show. The plot of the musical revolves around the old melodramatic "I Can' Pay the Rent" story.  The show is divided into five short acts each taking that same premise and telling a musical story in the style of a different famous composer or pair of composers. They are Rodgers and Hammerstein, Stephen Sondheim, Jerry Herman, Andrew Lloyd Webber, and Kander and Ebb. The more familiar you are with each of these composers' work, the more you will enjoy the show. However, the show is so funny that even if you are not that familiar with one or all of them you will still enjoy this extremely amusing show.

The present version of the musical has an all-star cast including Christie Altomare, Beth Level, Jose Llana, Telly Leung, and many more famous names way too many to name them all here. Even the narrators are well-known Broadway performers including Victoria Clark, Patty Lupone, and Chita Rivera all of whom have a particular connection to the composer or composers whose segment they are narrating. 

As the title suggests, there is much more to this presentation than the show itself. There are segments in which other composers and performers reminisce about what they love about the York Theatre. There is interesting information about the York Theatre's history. There are fun facts about the York Theatre. There is even a segment in which Audra McDonald remembers her good friend, the late Lovette George, who was a member of the original cast of the show.

All in all, this is an exceptional theatrical event that you won't want to miss!

And that's our view.

For more information or to watch go to yorktheatre.org or https://www.youtube.com/watch but hurry because the show is only available for streaming through today!