Seasons of Love
Neil explores why musical theatre is thriving in the 21st century, charting the rise of the 'megamusical' and seeing how they have also captured contemporary life.
Series in which composer Neil Brand explores how musical theatre evolved over the last 100 years to become today's global phenomenon. Neil hears the inside story from leading composers and talent past and present, and recreates classic songs, looking in detail at how these work musically and lyrically to captivate the audience.
In the concluding episode, he explores why musical theatre is thriving in the 21st century. He charts the rise of the 'megamusical' phenomenon, with shows like Cats and Les Miserables, learns the behind-the-scenes story of how Disney transformed The Lion King from a cartoon into a record-breaking stage success, and sees how musicals have captured contemporary life in shows like Rent and Avenue Q. Neil recreates classic numbers to reveal the secrets of their songwriting, including The Rocky Horror Show's Sweet Transvestite, Don't Cry for Me Argentina from Evita, and Les Miserables' Empty Chairs at Empty Tables. Neil meets a host of top musical theatre talent, including master lyricist Tim Rice, Lion King director Julie Taymor, and leading composers Alan Menken (Beauty and the Beast) and Robert Lopez (Avenue Q and Frozen).
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Clips
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Julie Taymor on The Lion King
Duration: 01:14
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Don't Cry For Me Argentina
Duration: 03:37
Music Played
Timings (where shown) are from the start of the programme in hours and minutes
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00:00Citizens Of Oz & Kristin Chenoweth
No One Mourns the Wicked
From Wicked
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00:00Idina Menzel & Kristin Chenoweth
Defying Gravity
From Wicked
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00:01Kristin Chenoweth & Idina Menzel
Defying Gravity
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00:01Claude鈥怣ichel Sch枚nberg
Work Song
From Les Miserables
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00:01Claude鈥怣ichel Sch枚nberg
I Dreamed a Dream
From Les Miserables
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00:01Jonathan Larson
Seasons of Love
From Rent
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00:02Robert Lopez
The Internet Is for Porn
Composer: Jeff Marx.From Avenue Q
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00:02Anthony Rapp
La Vie Boheme
From Rent
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00:02Milton Rosenstock Orchestra
Gypsy
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00:03Galt MacDermot
I Got Life
Lyricist: James Rado. Lyricist: Gerome Ragni.From Hair
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00:03Andrew Lloyd Webber
Superstar
Lyricist: Tim Rice.From Jesus Christ Superstar
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00:04Ronnie Dyson
Aquarius (from Hair)
From Hair
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00:04Richard O鈥橞rien
Sweet Transvestite
From The Rocky Horror Picture Show
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00:07Richard O鈥橞rien
Touch-A, Touch-A, Touch-A, Touch Me
From The Rocky Horror Picture Show
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00:10Richard O鈥橞rien, Little Nell, Patricia Quinn & Charles Gray
Time Warp
From The Rocky Horror Picture Show
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00:11Andrew Lloyd Webber
Superstar
Performer: Murray Head. Lyricist: Tim Rice.From Jesus Christ Superstar
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00:12Andrew Lloyd Webber
Oh, What A Circus
Performer: Colm Wilkinson. Lyricist: Tim Rice.From Evita
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00:15Andrew Lloyd Webber
Don't Cry for Me Argentina
Performer: Neil Brand. Lyricist: Tim Rice.From Evita
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00:19Andrew Lloyd Webber
Macavity: The Mystery Cat
Lyricist: T. S. Eliot.From Cats
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00:19Andrew Lloyd Webber
Race Downhill Final
From Starlight Express
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00:19Andrew Lloyd Webber
The Phantom of the Opera
Lyricist: Charles Hart. Lyricist: Richard Stilgoe. Lyricist: Mike Batt.From The Phantom of the Opera
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00:22Claude鈥怣ichel Sch枚nberg
Work Song
From Les Miserables
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00:23Claude鈥怣ichel Sch枚nberg
La journ茅e est finie
From Les Miserables
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00:24Claude鈥怣ichel Sch枚nberg
At the End of the Day
Lyricist: Herbert Kretzmer.From Les Miserables
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00:24Claude鈥怣ichel Sch枚nberg
At The End of The Day
Lyricist: Herbert Kretzmer. -
00:25Claude鈥怣ichel Sch枚nberg
Empty Chairs at Empty Tables
Lyricist: Jean-Marc Natel. Lyricist: Herbert Kretzmer. Performer: Neil Brand.From Les Miserables
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00:29Benny Andersson
One Night In Bangkok
Performer: Murray Head. Lyricist: Tim Rice. Composer: Bj枚rn Ulvaeus.From Chess
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00:32Jonathan Larson
Rent
Performer: Anthony Rapp.From Rent
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00:33Jonathan Larson
Light My Candle
From Rent
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00:36Jonathan Larson
Seasons of Love
Performer: Anthony Rapp. Performer: Theatre Clwyd.From Rent
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00:35Jonathan Larson
One Song Glory
Performer: Adam Pascal.From Rent
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00:41Alan Menken
Belle
Performer: Paige O鈥橦ara. Lyricist: Howard Ashman.From Beauty and the Beast
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00:47Lebo M
One By One
From The Lion King
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00:48Robert Lopez
The Avenue Q Theme
Composer: Jeff Marx.From Avenue Q
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00:52Robert Lopez
Everyone's a Little Bit Racist
Performer: John Tartaglia.From Avenue Q
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00:59Okieriete Onaodowan, Original Broadway Cast of Hamilton
Alexander Hamilton
Credits
| Role | Contributor |
|---|---|
| Presenter | Neil Brand |
| Producer | Andy Hall |
| Director | Andy Hall |
| Executive Producer | John Das |
| Interviewed Guest | Tim Rice |
| Interviewed Guest | Alan Menken |
| Interviewed Guest | Robert Lopez |
Broadcasts
- Fri 27 Jan 2017 21:00
- Sat 28 Jan 2017 01:00
- Mon 30 Jan 2017 01:25
- Thu 28 Dec 2017 19:00
- Fri 29 Dec 2017 00:50
- Sun 21 Jul 2019 23:30
- Fri 31 Jan 2020 20:00
- Sat 1 Feb 2020 02:30
- Fri 5 Feb 2021 19:00
- Sat 6 Feb 2021 02:25
- Sun 19 Dec 2021 23:45
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