Thankful for Good Listening

MarqueePolitics wants to know what roads Perry Como was traveling when he sang, “From Atlantic to Pacific, gee the traffic is terrific,” in the perennial holiday song There’s No Place Like Home For The Holidays.  If you’re like me, and 40 million other Americans who will be driving this week, then traffic and turkey have become synonymous with Thanksgiving.

To make the journey easier, I always load up the iPod with new cast albums and try to listen to shows I’ve never heard before.  So below is my playlist for this Thanksgiving, and for any potential traffic I may encounter on I-495, 1-270, 1-70 or 1-76.

Victor/Victoria – Original Broadway Cast

This 1995 musical is best remembered for two things: Being Julie Andrews last show on Broadway and for Andrews refusal of a Tony nomination for her role as a cross-dressing singer.  Still the show ran a respectable 734 performances, and I dig anything Julie Andrews.  After recently seeing the film, my interest was piqued and so I’ve decided to give the cast album a listen.

As for Andrew’s Tony refusal, the story is quite interesting.  Despite receiving Tony nominations for her two biggest roles (Eliza/My Fair Lady and Guenevere/Camelot), Andrews had yet to win.  When Andrew received Victor/Victoria’s only Tony nomination she made a now infamous speech at the show’s curtain call saying: I have searched my conscience and my heart and find that I cannot accept this nomination.”  Despite not winning any Tonys that year, Andrews’ statement made Victor/Victoria’s ticket sales skyrocket.

Jekyll & Hyde – The Complete Cast Recording and Original Broadway Cast

The geek in me comes alive when I find musicals which went from concept album to cast album, because I love seeing the creative process and Jekyll & Hyde is a perfect example.  The show started off as a demo (1987), then was recorded as a concept album (1990), followed by a ‘complete’ cast album (1994), a Broadway cast album (1997), a concert album (2006) and now a revival concept album (2012). 

Why so many? Quite simply Jekyll & Hyde went through MANY changes, before finally arriving on a Broadway where it ran for an impressive 1,543 performances.  Now it’s on tour and currently aiming for a Broadway revival next year.  Regardless, it’s exciting to hear so many different actors/actresses take on the show, each with their own creative aspect and to hear how the show has evolved.

So while the traffic may not be terrific, hopefully your listening will be.  Just one more reason why I’m thankful for the arts.  Have a safe, happy and wonderful Thanksgiving!

To listen to any of the cast albums mentioned please visit amazon.com.

To buy tickets for the Jekyll & Hyde national tour please visit: http://www.jekyllandhydemusical.com/

Lloyd Webber Hearts Petraeus

Poor Andrew Lloyd Webber, he hasn’t had a money-making hit since The Phantom of the Opera.  Yet, on Friday his latest project just got a bit more interesting, courtesy of CIA Chief David Petraeus’ resignation.  While Patraeus’ affair may have caught everyone by surprise, the mixture of classified intelligence and sex is nothing new.  Enter Lloyd Webber.

Let’s be honest, Lloyd Webber’s most recent musicals have been anything but enjoyable.  There was the soggy Aspects of Love, the painful Whistle Down the Wind and the pathetic Love Never Dies.  However Lloyd Webber recently said something that made me take note.  When asked about his next project, Lloyd Webber responded that he was interested in the events surrounding the Profumo Affair, another sex scandal involving a high-ranking military official.

The Profumo Affair centered on British Secretary of State for War Andrew Profumo and his extra-marital affair with a woman named Christine Keeler. What made the whole affair so scandalous was that Keeler was also romantically linked to a senior military attaché at the Soviet Embassy in London at the same time.  When the story broke, the affair not only brought down Profumo, but also the government of conservative British Prime Minister Harold Macmillan.

While the story may be well known, many questions about the Profumo Affair, and indeed the Petraeus affair remain unanswered. Why?  Why do these men, entrusted with classified information, cheat?  It remains a fascinating question, and one that Lloyd Webber might use as a guide should he decide to pursue the Profumo Affair as his next project.

Lloyd Webber has a great talent for turning motivations and emotions into powerful songs.  His best score, Evita, does just that.  The whole show is one woman’s defense for committing morally and politically reprehensible acts.  Yet her justification through song, specifically “Buenos Aires” and “Don’t Cry for Me Argentina”, makes such a wicked person seem so human.  With the Profumo Affair, it would be interesting to see how Lloyd Webber would not only tell the story, but how the characters would sell it to the audience.

Unlike the Profumo Affair, the Petraeus story is far from over.  There remain too many unanswered questions, not to mention possible security leaks. Regardless though, it will be interesting to see how both stories play out: one on the national stage, the other on the Broadway stage.

To learn more about Andrew Lloyd Webber, or to purchase tickets to the shows mentioned, please visit: http://www.reallyuseful.com/

The Most Powerful Man in Washington

Shortly after President Barack Obama won re-election on Tuesday night, Speaker of the House John Boehner was elevated to the post of most-powerful-person-in-Washington.  For as Congress returns for a marathon Lame Duck session, it is Boehner who holds the fate to: Obama’s political legacy, the future of the Republican Party, any potential economic recovery and the debt deal needed to continue that recovery.

Next week Congress returns to address the looming fiscal cliff and series of sequestration cuts set to go into effect in 2013. If the cuts go into effect, they have been predicted to lower the American GDP rate to .5%, essentially halting the economy. The only way to avoid that is to financially reform the tax code, entitlement system and government spending. That means, both Obama and Boehner have to agree to a comprehensive deal, almost similar to the one which fell apart last summer.

Boehner’s position could not be more Machiavellian, even if it had been written by Shakespeare himself. For while the Lame Duck session contains the same characters from last year’s failed debt negotiations, Boehner is politically in a different place. He has proven that he can defend the House majority electorally, and unlike the president, he is not term limited.  That being said, a few things bear mentioning.

It’s worth remembering that in 2011, it was Obama who walked away from the grand bargain.  This action burned Boehner, and did significant damage to their relationship, emboldening House Republicans to block all Obama-favored legislation in Congress.  Second, Obama is a now a lame duck president and the economnic recovery is a major part of his legacy.  In an unusual way Boehner’s ability to work with Obama, gives him access to shaping what exactly that legacy will be.  Remember, a deal is need to prevent the sequestration cuts and Boehner is key to the negoiations.

Finally, Boehner’s ability to deal, and the type of deal he may/may not enact, will also cast a shadow on the looming Republican civil war. Make no mistake, after Romney’s loss Republicans are fighting for the soul of the party and Boehner is at the center of that fight. As the Party leader, any deal he constructs will shape the GOP’s economic messaging for the next two years, and possibly the 2016 presidential election.  Boehner can move the party’s economnic image beyond tax cuts and smaller government, to something that is more tangible.

Boehner is an old-school politico, whose only ambition was to be speaker. He is the type of speaker, like Tipp O’Neil and Sam Rayburn, willing to cut a deal. Regardless though, President Obama, the Republican Party, and the financial health of the country are all relying on John Boehner.  Hence why he is the most powerful man in Washington, DC.

For more information on Speaker John Boehner, please visit: http://www.speaker.gov/

For more information on the Lame Duck Session please check out:

The Economist – July 14, 2012 edition – “The American Economy: Comeback Kid”

National Journal – July 2, 2012 edition – “Field Guide to the Lame Duck Session”

The Price of Politics by Bob Woodward, Available for purchase on amazon.com