Patrick RyanAlthough jukebox musicals have been a staple of the New York theater scene for years, popular music is infiltrating the Great White Way like never before this fall. Top-40 hits from Lady Gaga, Katy Perry and Adele highlight the splashy stage adaptation of “Moulin Rouge!,” and you’ll never listen to Rihanna’s “Work” the same again after “Slave Play,” a button-pushing satire about race relations.
"They're topics you don't frequently see dealt with in musicals," Cody says. But such is the nature of Morissette's music, which has always been"incredibly candid and bold. We live in a culture now where artists are a lot more confessional, but that was not the case , which is why people were so shocked and electrified by 'You Oughta Know.' She was singing about stuff in that song that was so personal, and she was really exposing herself.
Hall was able to bring that personal connection to Turner's catalog when she joined the creative team for"Tina," a new musical based on the legendary artist's life. The show, which comes to Broadway after premiering in London's West End last year, traces the singer's story from childhood to her late 40s, when she made a career comeback after weathering a tempestuous relationship with first husband Ike Turner.
The show features many rousing, triumphant moments for the superstar . Along with Turner staples"Proud Mary,""Private Dancer" and"What's Love Got to Do With It?," the musical culminates in a crowd-pleasing rendition of"The Best," set at a record-setting 1988 concert when she performed for 180,000 people in Rio de Janeiro.
Broadway is 97% a joke. Very little that is elevated.
White power Alannis? Really?