Bottomless Broadway

Latest Episodes:

A Strange Loop Jun 03, 2022

Show notes

We're back to talk about the most recent Pulitzer Prize-winning musical, and while we can't promise any loops in this episode, you never know what might happen because we're back to talk about the most recent...

Take a look at Blake Lively's Met Gala dress transformation, which disappointed Christine. In contrast, you can see Zendaya's gown from 2019 which included a bit more pizzaz.

See what Michael R. Jackson has to say about the piece in a track-by-track breakdown.

Also learn more about the conception and writing of A Strange Loop with this article from The Cut.

Hear directly from Michael R. Jackson and other creatives in this panel discussion at the Guggenheim, including Michael R. Jackson performing Inner White Girl and Memory Song.

If you want to fall down the Wikipedia rabbit hole of what a strange loop is in the metaphysical sense, this article makes a good starting point.

Or check out some of Christine's other favorite strange loops:

M. C. Escher's Ascending and Descending
Ted Chiang's short story, Tower of Babylon
The Shepard-Risset glissando
The Skin of Our Teeth, another Pulitzer Prize-winning show that was on Broadway this year

Music featured in this episode:

While the Broadway cast recording won't be fully released until June 10, six tracks are currently available, and excerpts from the Broadway version were used when possible. All other music comes from the original off-Broadway cast recording.

A Strange Loop (Original Broadway Cast Recording)
Apple Music / Spotify / Amazon Music

A Strange Loop (Original Cast Recording
Apple Music / Spotify / Amazon Music

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Mrs. Doubtfire May 04, 2022

Show notes

Mrs. Doubtfire is "Rockin' Now" on Broadway so take a listen to hear "About [our] Time" there and how we felt about this show.

Note: we do talk through the entire show so minor spoilers ahead (especially if you haven't seen the movie)!

If you'd rather see what the pros had to say, the critics were also fairly mixed for this show, as told by the Did They Like It review roundup.

Want to hear more about the behind the scenes of the show? Here is the panel interview Christine references in this episode on Variety's Stagecraft podcast.

Once again, Christine is recommending The Secret Life of the American Musical by Jack Viertel to get a glimpse of how musicals are structured.

If you're interested in some. of the specific changes the show has gone through, take a dive into the Broadway World Message Boards, where users have cataloged the differences.

While a cast album has been recorded, it has not been released yet, so music clips in this episode come from a variety of performances and rehearsal footage.

Easy Peasy: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_tNJjssOOqA&ab_channel=Broadwaycom
I Want to Be There: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1pabfNNNt9Q&ab_channel=theatermania
What the Hell/About Time https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BHwtdsiI5rs&ab_channel=NerdNewsToday
Rockin' Now: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=53jso4KYfWY
Let Go (song appears at 39:24): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hZ4CEtR-Jgo&ab_channel=StarsInTheHouse
Just Pretend: https://www.instagram.com/tv/CG8DZalhaZu/
As Long as There Is Love: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bFWGntd5Bi4&ab_channel=Mrs.DoubtfireBroadway

Follow us on Twitter and Instagram @BottomlessBway, our blog at https://bottomlessbway.home.blog/, or email us at bottomlessbway@gmail.com! You can also leave feedback in this 30-second survey.

The Music Man (2021) Mar 28, 2022

Show notes

In this episode, we "Pick-A-Little, Talk-A-Little" about the new Music Man revival starring Hugh Jackman and Sutton Foster, but rest assured that we'll be "Sincere" in our discussion on it. So come take a listen if "Ya Got Trouble" of the kind that "Seventy-Six Trombones" might be able to solve!

You can learn more about how the two leads landed their roles in this show with the Vogue feature on Hugh Jackman and an interview with Sutton Foster from Elle.

Take a look at the discussion around some of the lyric changes made in this production and how it might subtly change the tone of the Iowa townspeople in this article from Slate.

If you haven't read The Secret Life of the American Musical, Christine considers it a must-read for anyone interested in the history or structure of musicals.

Check out the expanded lyrics of My White Knight, which you can hear on Barbara Cook's Carnegie Hall album.

Did you know about My White Knight and Sadder-But-Wiser-Girl originally being a duet? You can hear a snippet of Meredith Willson talking about that original version and demonstrating how they'd fit, with his wife singing Marian's part.

According to this meme, all Hugh Jackman's ever wanted to do was sing in a movie.

You can see a snippet of Benjamin Pajak singing a bit of Gary Indiana in this video (with some minor accompaniment from Hugh).

Music featured in this episode:

Hugh Jackman singing Ya Got Trouble

Sutton Foster singing Til There Was You

"My White Knight" from Barbara Cook at Carnegie Hall
Apple Music / Spotify / Amazon Music

The Music Man (Original Broadway Cast)
Apple Music / Spotify / Amazon Music

MJ the Musical Mar 09, 2022

Show notes

If you “Wanna Be Startin’ Something”, take a listen to our thoughts on MJ the Musical, and why we think it’s the most successful jukebox bio-musical this side of Jersey Boys!

Addendum: Forgot to mention that Rich and Tone Talauega had joined the choreography team to more accurately direct MJ's movement (and you can also watch them work with Myles Frost on the dance moves)

Critics were fairly divided on this show and Jesse Green was mixed on the show, he gave what Christine considers a clear and well-written review explaining why. On the other hand, Robert Hofler writing for The Wrap seemed to harp on what wasn’t in the show more than what was.

And if you're interested in reading more not-necessarily-nuanced discussion around the show and Michael Jackson's sexual abuse allegations, check out what the people of the BroadwayWorld message boards had to say.

If you (like us) hadn't really known much about the Dangerous World Tour, you can watch the entire thing, including footage of how crazy the fans were. And you can also watch the MTV documentary on it, including interviews with the band and dancers.

While there's no official footage (or cast album) of any of the songs in the show at this point, there are plenty of videos of the curtain call and encore, including this one filmed by BuddyBroadway (also used as our closing music for this episode).

All other music in this episode comes from Michael Jackson or Jackson 5 albums.

Flying Over Sunset Feb 23, 2022

Show notes

We took a trip to "An Interesting Place", as we went to see Flying Over Sunset (twice!) and we're here to take you through the show with us, no flying necessary. So come take a listen as "The Music Plays On".

Note: While we use snippets of the cast album in this episode, the album wasn't yet released when we recorded, so apologies for any inaccuracies, as we were working purely off of memory (without any enhancements).

The entire saga of how Flying Over Sunset came to be is a pretty interesting story and you can read all about it in The New York Times.

The set was one of the biggest aspects of the show (both literally and metaphorically), and you can check out pictures and read commentary from set designer Beowulf Boritt.

In case you missed the joke about Greg in Crazy Ex-Girlfriend, this video (starring Tony winner Santino Fontana) should give you some context.

Want to learn more about modern applications of LSD or other psychedelics? Check out The Prof G Pod episode with neuroscientist Sam Harris or Michael Pollan's book, How to Change Your Mind. Or why not go straight to the source with The Doors of Perception by Aldous Huxley.

Music featured in this episode:

Flying Over Sunset (Original Broadway Cast Recording)

Apple Music / Spotify / Amazon Music

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Come From Away (Apple TV+) Dec 31, 2021

Show notes

You are here…at the start of a new year, and we have one last episode to round out 2021 where we return to a show that’s been a favorite for us both. So whether you’re at the Dover Fault or just somewhere in the middle of nowhere, go ahead and stop the world to listen to our discussion on Come From Away (and stay tuned til the end for an exciting giveaway!).

Spice up your Instagram feed with Cindy’s dog, Dr. Joey Puppington. Or, if you’re more of a foodie, check out Auggie’s Infamous, where we recorded this podcast and while enjoying some of the best pizza of our lives.

As usual, Broadway Backstory has the scoop on how this show came together, or check out the news article describing the conception.

Beverly Bass’s story is one of the things that gets highlighted in the show, but her offstage friendship with Jenn Colella still remains one of our favorite stories.

Haven’t seen Come From Away yet? Check it out on Apple TV+ (there’s a 7-day free trial).

Music featured in this episode:

Come From Away (Original Broadway Cast Recordinig)

Apple Music / Spotify / Amazon Music

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Crazy Ex-Girlfriend, Season 4 Nov 17, 2021

Show notes

The final episode of our Crazy Ex-Girlfriend series is here, and I'm not sad, you're sad. So it's time to seize the day and take a listen, and be sure to let us know how this matched up to your expectations!

Need to catch up on previous seasons? Find our other episodes here!

To see if there's any song references you missed, take a look at this video.

The Facebook post (based off a Twitter/Tumblr post) mentioned in relation to Sports Analogies.

If you haven't seen it already, check out the Heavy Boobs encore from the live concert!

And if for some reason you've made it through all of our episodes without watching the show, be sure to check it out on Netflix!

Music featured in this episode:

Crazy Ex-Girlfriend: Season 4 (Original Television Soundtrack)
Apple Music / Spotify / Amazon Music

Follow us on Twitter and Instagram @BottomlessBway, our blog at https://bottomlessbway.home.blog/, or email us at bottomlessbway@gmail.com! You can also leave feedback in this 30-second survey.

Crazy Ex-Girlfriend, Season 3 May 26, 2021

Show notes

We’re back in action with our episode on season 3 of Crazy Ex-Girlfriend, where we generalize about men (and women) in the show! And it’s not the end of the movie (er, podcast) yet, so stay tuned next month for our wrap-up on season 4 and overall thoughts on Crazy Ex-Girlfriend!

Listen to our podcast episodes on season 1 and season 2 if you missed them!

Want to hear what Let’s Generalize About Men would sound like if there were a man singing it? Check out David Hull subbing for Vella Lovell in one of the live shows!

Ever get tired of Jesus turning water into the same Merlot every time? This TikTok is for you.

Remember the age of terrible music videos on YouTube? Take a look at one of the classics, Hot Problems. Meanwhile, check out the other audio/visual references from the songs this season.

Allison Shoemaker over at AV Club wrote about how the reprise of Face Your Fears this season did what no other reprise has ever done, and why the other reprises in the show work so well: https://www.avclub.com/crazy-ex-girlfriend-is-breaking-new-musical-ground-one-1823029816

Also check out her recap where she discusses why Trent is the show’s best “narrative secret weapon”: https://www.avclub.com/crazy-ex-girlfriend-welcomes-back-its-narrative-secret-1822888907

Music featured in this episode:

Crazy Ex-Girlfriend: Season 3 (Original Television Soundtrack)
Apple Music / Spotify / Amazon Music

Crazy Ex-Girlfriend, Season 2 Apr 14, 2021

Show notes

We’ll never have problems again when listening to our recap of Crazy Ex-Girlfriend season 2! So take a listen to some of the thought bubbles we had during this season as we pick out our favorite songs and plot points, and be sure to let us know what your favorites are!

There will be spoilers for season 1 of Crazy-Ex Girlfriend, though we'll let you know when to stop listening if you want to avoid major spoilers for season 2.

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If you’ve watched WandaVision, you’ll notice similar Wanda and Rebecca are in some aspects, as shown in this TikTok.

Read about Donna Lynne Champlin discussing how much of a dream come true it was to get a soprano princess number, and how much work went into it.

Hear how Rachel Bloom needed to negotiate with the CW for them to give her two shits (and they also discuss the writing of Greg’s Drinking Song and We Tapped That Ass). Though be warned that there are spoilers for future seasons so don’t scroll too far if you haven’t seen them.

Want to understand just why Nathaniel is such a great character addition? Check out this video essay from Bagels After Midnight (which is also just a fantastic channel for Crazy Ex-Girlfriend analysis).

If you're wondering about some of the other song references this season, take a look at this video!

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Music featured in this episode:

(Note that the albums linked here are the explicit versions, though clean versions exist as well.)

Crazy Ex-Girlfriend: Season 2 (Original Television Soundtrack)
Apple Music / Spotify / Amazon Music

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Crazy Ex-Girlfriend, Season 1 Feb 10, 2021

Show notes

We're taking a trip to West Covina this episode, as we talk about season 1 of Crazy Ex-Girlfriend. So instead of having an in-person Group Hang, start up a Netflix Party and join us in discussing one of our favorite musical TV shows!

For the most part spoiler-free, though we have a spoiler section starting from 29:17.

All four seasons of Crazy Ex-Girlfriend are currently available on Netflix.

You can watch all the music videos from the show (in their explicit versions) on Rachel Bloom's YouTube channel. And you can also see some of the possible inspirations and references in each musical number.

Rachel Bloom's memoir, I Want to Be Where the Normal People Are, is out now and you can listen to an excerpt from the audiobook, where she sings from a script written about how she fell in love with musicals.

Watch as Lin-Manuel Miranda joins Gabrielle Ruiz for a slightly modified version of "Women Gotta Stick Together".

As mentioned by Cindy, see just how many people on the street would say yes to having sex with Paul Rudd.

The song "Heavy Boobs" mentions just how many objects can fit under her boobs, and Rachel Bloom proves it to be true.

For those that love Santino Fontana as much as we do, he can be seen in his upcoming "live" concert with Seth Rudetsky on February 21.

Music featured in this episode:

(Note that the albums linked here are the explicit versions, though clean versions exist as well.)

Crazy Ex-Girlfriend: Season 1 (Original Television Soundtrack, Vol. 1
Apple Music / Spotify / Amazon Music

Crazy Ex-Girlfriend: Season 1 (Original Television Soundtrack), Vol. 2
Apple Music / Spotify / Amazon Music

Also check out the season 1 commentary album!
Apple Music / Spotify / Amazon Music

Follow us on Twitter and Instagram @BottomlessBway, our blog at https://bottomlessbway.home.blog/, or email us at bottomlessbway@gmail.com! You can also leave feedback in this 30-second survey.

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