Why did Obama give the Queen of England an iPod of Show Tunes?
What do you give a Queen who has everything?
That was the big Q put to Obama’s administration . . . and guess what they came up with?
Two things:
- A rare songbook of Rodgers and Hart tunes
- An iPod preloaded with 40 of the best of Broadway tunes
Haha! Score one for the Broadway branding team! How you like them apples, Hollywood? You don’t see the Queen getting an video-pod full of Pulp Fiction and Porkys, now do you? Booya!
Truth is, I think the gift was a bit of a shock to all of us . . . but it makes sense.
The Broadway musical . . . that ultra specific theatrical art form . . . is one of the few things that we can say is truly and uniquely American. It was born here. It was perfected here. And it’s gonna stay here. So it remains one of the most perfect representations of who we are.
It’s also something that I will snobbishly say we still do better than anyone else. Yes, the Brits had a nice run in the late 80s and early 90s, but so did the Republicans.
In a way, it’s like football, another great American pastime that no one does better, despite repeated attempts (and we also modified it from a pre-existing form, just like we did with the musical).
But, I heard the Queen already has a set of shoulder pads and a helmet.
Rock it out, Queen E. The next time you’re in town, let me know. I’ll take you to see Hair . . . just so I can see yours blown back.
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Only 15 Days until the 1st Theater Bloggers Social!
Thursday, April 23rd.
6 PM
Planet Hollywood
For more info and to RSVP, click here.
Podcasting
Ken created one of the first Broadway podcasts, recording over 250 episodes over 7 years. It features interviews with A-listers in the theater about how they “made it”, including 2 Pulitzer Prize Winners, 7 Academy Award Winners and 76 Tony Award winners. Notable guests include Pasek & Paul, Kenny Leon, Lynn Ahrens and more.
