When Ashman Met Menken (Don't Miss Today's Weekly Blast!)Their working partnership before "Little Shop of Horrors"
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This week, The Broadway Maven looks at Stephen Sondheim and James Lapine’s Into the Woods and Howard Ashman and Alan Menken’s Little Shop of Horrors.• On Sunday, August 28 at Noon ET and Monday, August 29 at Noon and 7 pm ET there will be a FREE class on the fractured-fairy-tale mashup Into the Woods. Register here.• On Thursday, September 1 at Noon and 7 pm ET we’ll examine the campy horror spoof Little Shop of Horrors. $5. Register here.• This Weekly Blast includes:A) an ESSAY about the origin of the Ashman-Menken partnership (included here FREE in this preview issue);B) a YouTube GEM about the song “Moments in the Woods”;C) a RANT about the movie musical 13, now playing on Netflix;D) a Broadway Maven YouTube GEM comparing The Wizard of Oz and Star Wars (included here FREE in this preview issue);E) a QUIZ about Into the Woods Lyrics; andF) LAST BLASTS about musicals of 100 years ago and about Cabaret.(Last Blasts are a new FREE Weekly Blast feature: quick witty, thought-provoking, or challenging thoughts about Broadway shows.)
It’s true that Little Shop of Horrors was Howard Ashman and Alan Menken’s first big hit, but it wasn’t their first collaboration. The two had been separately involved with various projects – Menken had even worked on Sesame Street – when their mutual friend composer Maury Yeston introduced them. Yeston told Menken that Ashman had the rights to the Kurt Vonnegut novel God Bless You, Mr. Rosewater, but that he only wanted to write the lyrics. Would Menken step in as composer? He later said his first impression of Ashman was that “he seemed edgy and guarded. He wore torn jeans and a bomber jacket. He talked with a tight, intense energy, chain-smoking the entire time. And he was clearly very smart.” Menken, a Vonnegut fan, agreed to the partnership, and God Bless You, Mr. Rosewater played 49 performances off-Broadway. (It has been intermittently revived since.) Clearly, though, the show’s importance was the start of the Ashman-Menken partnership. Here’s Menken, on their writing process at the time: “I wanted to throttle [Ashman] on a regular basis. When we were working he could be controlling, impatient, demanding, cutting, arrogant and condescending. And yet, he was actually the most considerate, thoughtful, smart, compassionate wise, generous and supportive friend I’ve ever had.” Broadway Maven YouTube GEM: You probably haven’t noticed, but the similarities between The Wizard of Oz and Star Wars are uncanny. Check them out: 
Into the Woods is one of Stephen Sondheim's most complex and thoughtful works. We'll dive deeply into the multilayered musical structure of the show and explore the delicious lyrics that accompany them. What's the theme of the show? What do the Woods represent? What are some of the best puns, gags, and jokes in the musical? Who's the show's antagonist (the answer will surprise you)? The class will include presentations by Sondheim expert Gail Leondar-Wright and music educator Mateo Chavez Lewis. This FREE class meets Sunday, August 28 at Noon ET and Monday, August 29 at Noon and 7 pm ET. ALL ACCESS Passholders do not need to sign up.
Little Shop of Horrors is a funny, campy spoof of 1950s horror films, with lovable heroes, two despicable villains, and a score to die for. The first major collaboration from Disney-bound Alan Menken and Howard Ashman, the show follows the adventures of Seymour Krelborn, a flower-shop-assistant schlub who discovers a Venus Flytrap-like plant with a thirst for blood. The class meets Thursday, September 1 at Noon and 7 pm ET. $5. ALL-ACCESS Passholders do not have to sign up or pay.
Great news for people in the Greater Toronto Area! Broadway Maven David Benkof will be joining Torontonian co-host Mateo Chavez Lewis and students from the class for coffee during David’s upcoming visit to Toronto. We’ll meet at Noon on Sunday, September 4 (no class that day). Meet in the lobby of the Courtyard by Marriott Downtown, 475 Yonge St. Be sure to let us know in advance that you’ll be there by writing BenkofStaff@gmail.com.
Your Into the Woods assignment is to watch this video about Freudian themes in Into the Woods. What other shows can you think of with Freudian aspects? Explain your answer in the comments.  For the Little Shop of Horrors class, watch at least the first part of this video with Howard Ashman’s 50 best lyrics. Which is your favorite? Explain your answer in the comments. 
Last Blast: Because of the smash 1971 revival of No, No, Nanette, many people are familiar with the title of that 1925 musical comedy. What they might not know is that in that era many shows had precisely the same style of title: La La Lucille (1919); Yes, Yes, Yvette (1927); and Bye, Bye, Bonnie (1927) are good examples. Last Blast: When Sally Bowles sings, “Life is a Cabaret, old chum,” she’s using a word that means more than “pal.” Chum is fish that gets fed to other fish - an interesting metaphor for the Holocaust.
Note: links to register for ALL classes are ALWAYS available at TheBroadwayMaven.com.• Sunday, August 28 Into the Woods (Noon ET, FREE) • Monday, August 29 Into the Woods (Noon and 7 pm ET, FREE) • Thursday, September 1 Little Shop of Horrors (Noon and 7 pm ET, $5) • Sunday, September 11 Anything Goes (Noon ET, FREE) • Sunday, September 11 WATCH PARTY: The Rocky Horror Show (7 pm ET, ALL-ACCESS Only) • Monday, September 12 Anything Goes (Noon and 7 pm ET, FREE) • Tuesday, September 13 The Rocky Horror Show (Noon and 7 pm ET, ALL-ACCESS Only) • Thursday, September 15 The Wizard of Oz (Noon and 7 pm ET, $5) Reminder: ALL-ACCESS Passholders do not need to sign up or pay for anything. Just show up!The Broadway Maven, David Benkof, helps students further their appreciation of musical theater through his classes, his YouTube Channel, and his Weekly Blast. Contact him at DavidBenkof@gmail.com.
© 2022 David Benkof
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