15 Surprising Show-Tune Covers for Broadway's Big Night
Dear listeners,
This is Scott Heller, the former theater editor (now I'm on The New York Times Book Review). With the Tony Awards this Sunday, I'm serving up show tunes to Amplifier readers — but not the usual fare.
There are no deathless standards here, like Judy Collins singing 'Send in the Clowns' or anything from Barbra Streisand's 'Broadway Album.' And if you're the kind of person who saves your Playbills, you've already listened to the Pet Shop Boys version of 'Losing My Mind' — a lot.
Rather, I'm hoping this edition of The Amplifier is full of surprising covers, and covers of show tunes you may not know as theater songs in the first place. I've mostly stayed away from pop albums designed to market the shows themselves, though I couldn't resist opening with one, from well before 'Hamilton' got into that game. And, alas, one of my favorites — Jill Sobule's 'Sunrise, Sunset,' recorded for the 'Fiddler' tribute compilation 'Knitting on the Roof' — doesn't seem to be streamable. But you can find it on her website.
Laden with happiness and tears,
Scott
Who knew? This delightful curiosity comes from a 1968 Motown album on which the trio performed 11 songs from 'Funny Girl,' a tie-in released just as the movie version reached theaters. Take away the ugly duckling story line and the Brooklynese and it doesn't exactly add up. But who cares when greeted with brash horns, sunny vocals and a group cheer after the unforgettable rhyme, 'When a girl's incidentals / are no bigger than two lentils.'
Want all of The Times? Subscribe.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
5 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Gwyneth Paltrow stars as Astronomer spokesperson after Coldplay kiss-cam scandal
NEW YORK — Astronomer has enlisted Gwyneth Paltrow as their temporary spokesperson after her ex-husband and Coldplay frontman Chris Martin caught the company's CEO and head of human resources cuddling at his concert. In a video shared on social media Friday night, Paltrow, seated behind a desk with her hands clasped, reveals she'd been hired 'on a very temporary basis to speak on behalf of the 300-plus employees at Astronomer.' 'Astronomer has gotten a lot of questions over the last few days,' the 'Shakespeare in Love' actress says. 'And they wanted me to answer the most common ones.' The first question posed to Paltrow reads: 'OMG what the actual f-?' The Oscar winner offers a soft smile and a nod before going on to discuss Astronomer rather than the scandal that cost the company its CEO, Andy Byron, and HR executive Kristin Cabot. 'Yes, Astronomer is the best place to run Apache Airflow, unifying the experience of running data, ML and AI pipelines at scale,' Paltrow cheekily explains. When asked how the company's social media team was doing, the Goop Founder, instead of answering, reveals there are still spots available for Astronomer's Beyond Analytics event in September. 'We will now be returning to what we do best, which is delivering game-changing results for our customers,' Paltrow concludes. 'Thank you for your interest in Astronomer.' The clip comes just more than a week after Byron and Cabot, both of whom are reportedly married to other people, attended a Coldplay concert together in Foxborough, Massachusetts. At one point during the night, the couple were blasted onto the jumbotron — but the moment they appeared on the big screen, both Byron and Cabot immediately tried to duck out of frame. 'Oh, look at these two,' Martin could be heard saying from the stage. 'All right, come on, you're OK,' the singer continued. 'Either they're having an affair or they're just very shy.' Video of the incident has since taken social media by storm, spawning no shortage of jokes and memes.
Fox News
5 minutes ago
- Fox News
Dwayne 'The Rock' Johnson pays tribute to 'immortal' Hulk Hogan: 'A childhood hero'
Wrestling legend Hulk Hogan died Thursday at the age of 71, and another WWE icon paid tribute to one of his heroes. Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson posted on social media an emotional ode to "the immortal" wrestler, whom he called "a childhood hero." "In 1984, I gave you your 'HULKSTER' headband back, in the locker room in Madison Square Garden - I was the lucky kid [that] caught it when you threw it in the crowd. You were wrestling 'Mr Wonderful', Paul Orndorff that night in the main event," Johnson recalled. "You were shocked and so happy after the match because you told me that was your very last headband and if it weren't for me, you'd have no way of getting that exact one made again. You promised me that you would get more made and give me a Hulkster headband of my own as a thank-you gift. A month later in Madison Square Garden, you did just that. You kept your word, with a handshake and a 'thanks kid'. And that meant the world to that little 12-year-old boy." Johnson then reminisced on their legendary match at Rogers Centre at WrestleMania X8, a match that Johnson said "was to decide who would go down in history, as The Greatest of All Time." It remains one of the greatest matches of all time and one that has defined wrestling history. The post featured the fight on a small television, reminiscent of that of the late 90s and early 2000s. "When you kick out of my Rock Bottom finisher - just listen and FEEL that crowd go ELECTRIC…all for you. I've never felt anything like that in my entire wrestling career. It takes two to tango, but that historic crowd reaction was all for you," Johnson wrote. "You may have 'passed the torch' to me that night, but you, my friend….you 'drew the house' meaning you sold out every arena and stadium across the country in your prime as Hulk Hogan, on your way to becoming the greatest of all time."From deep in my bones, and on behalf of this wild and crazy world of professional wrestling that we love, I say to you now, and forever…Thank you for the house, brother… Thank you, for the house. RIP Terry Bollea aka Hulk Hogan." WWE paid tribute to Hogan on Friday night's edition of "SmackDown!" with a 10-bell salute, with many of its current superstars, and some of Hogan's old foes, on the stage. The tribute included clips of Hogan's decorated wrestling career and his entertainment ventures outside the ring. The SmackDown crowd erupted in applause and a chant of "Hogan! Hogan!" after the video concluded.
TechCrunch
6 minutes ago
- TechCrunch
Astronomer winks at viral notoriety with ‘temporary spokesperson' Gwyneth Paltrow
After spending the past week-plus in the headlines due to a seemingly inescapable social media scandal, data operations startup Astronomer is trying to shift the narrative with a tongue-in-cheek video starring actress and entrepreneur Gwyneth Paltrow. Paltrow was, of course, previously married to Coldplay singer Chris Martin. And it was at a Coldplay concert in Massachusetts that the company's CEO Andy Byron and Chief People Officer Kristin Cabot were apparently caught dancing together on the 'kiss cam.' When Byron and Cabot (who are reportedly married to other people) awkwardly tried to hide from the camera, Martin joked, 'Either they're having an affair or they're just very shy.' Footage of the exchange exploded in popularity, ultimately leading both executives to resign from Astronomer. In announcing Byron's resignation, the company said, 'Our leaders are expected to set the standard in both conduct and accountability, and recently, that standard was not met.' Astronomer's statement also nodded at the fact that the company had suddenly become famous for reasons having nothing to do with its product: 'While awareness of our company may have changed overnight, our product and our work for our customers have not.' Its new marketing video has a similar message, attempting to refocus the conversation on Astronomer's technology, while winkingly acknowledging why that might be a challenge. Paltrow kicks things off by introducing herself as someone who's been 'hired on a very temporary basis to speak on behalf of the 300-plus employers at Astronomer.' She then promises to answer the 'most common' questions asked about the company — but when the briefly glimpsed, half-typed questions are all about you-know-what, Paltrow remains cheerfully, and resolutely, on-message. Techcrunch event Tech and VC heavyweights join the Disrupt 2025 agenda Netflix, ElevenLabs, Wayve, Sequoia Capital — just a few of the heavy hitters joining the Disrupt 2025 agenda. They're here to deliver the insights that fuel startup growth and sharpen your edge. Don't miss the 20th anniversary of TechCrunch Disrupt, and a chance to learn from the top voices in tech — grab your ticket now and save up to $675 before prices rise. Tech and VC heavyweights join the Disrupt 2025 agenda Netflix, ElevenLabs, Wayve, Sequoia Capital — just a few of the heavy hitters joining the Disrupt 2025 agenda. They're here to deliver the insights that fuel startup growth and sharpen your edge. Don't miss the 20th anniversary of TechCrunch Disrupt, and a chance to learn from the top voices in tech — grab your ticket now and save up to $675 before prices rise. San Francisco | REGISTER NOW 'We've been thrilled so many people have a newfound interest in data workflow automation,' she says. Paltrow even finds time to plug the company's upcoming conference before concluding, 'We will now be returning to what we do best — delivering game-changing results for our customers.'
