@avclub-7aee1b75b527e215f31e20a5c4e7a768:disqus Phantom indeed passed Cats (on Broadway in 2006, I believe) and they are very fond of throwing around that it's "The Most Successful Entertainment Product Of All Time" when talking about it. I was mostly referring to how Starlight came before Phantom, when Cats was ALW's…

Sondheim is probably my favorite artist of all time, but I've never counted Sweeney amongst my favorite shows of his for some reason. I have a hard time emotionally connecting with it, especially a lot of the Anthony and Johanna stuff (it's rare that I really like a version of Green Finch and Linnet Bird, which might…

One of my favorite things about musical theatre is that (in theory) it's very supportive of different interpretations and different takes on the same material, so you can illuminate different things in a show or bring out certain character traits in one version that are less important in other versions. New versions…

See, I can't really do Top 5 with Sondheim unless I get down into hyper specific categories (Top 5 Scores Divorced from their Books, Top 5 Scores Despite Weak Books, Top 5 Intellectually Perfect Shows, Top 5 Emotionally Perfect Shows, Top 5 Shows That I Like For Sentimental Reasons, Top 5 Patter Songs, Top 5 Specific…

Starlight Express is people's go to "joke example of a bad musical" for many many many good reasons, but if you're Andrew Lloyd Webber and your biggest hit ever is based on a bunch of TS Elliot poems about Cats, Starlight Express maybe doesn't sound so insane.

Ah, Starmites. I was student director for that show my senior year in high school. So much of it is dumb and doesn't work, but the music is actually really interesting (and also hard) and provides some fascinating moments. I wouldn't trade being familiar with it for anything, either.

Depending on the weather and other confusing elements, we get ION at my house on our antenna-based television system. It used to be PAX! And they have a kids channel and a lifestyle network as the alternate digital channels!

A few of my favorite Sutton Foster videos (because listing them all would leave me here all damn day):

Are you no longer covering SMASH? But who will I commiserate with about all the wasted potential?

I really really want this episode of zombie Up All Night to happen, because I'm half convinced it might be the greatest episode of television of all time.

We didn't get a ton of Melissa Leo's motivation, but I gathered from some of what Don Cheadle was talking about that she was unhappy that Denzel's tox-screen was inadmissible, and likely had reason to believe that he had drunk the vodka. And he also referenced that because it was just a hearing she could only ask…

We didn't get a ton of Melissa Leo's motivation, but I gathered from some of what Don Cheadle was talking about that she was unhappy that Denzel's tox-screen was inadmissible, and likely had reason to believe that he had drunk the vodka. And he also referenced that because it was just a hearing she could only ask…

I know he said in the LA return that he doesn't know what the joke of it is anymore, but I absolutely die anytime he does a Sports Corner.

@avclub-66f0eb7a6d8ee7b11c8bf8f1100bfede:disqus I seriously don't even think it would be that hard to work in "The I Love You Song" with all of Rachel's issues with her mom and with Brian Stokes Mitchell being the dad who is clearly not biologically related to her, it's just waiting for them to take advantage of all…

Boy, referencing those opening season four hour-longs is reminding me that I'm pretty sure that's when I permanently fell out of love with the show (one of those featured the GPS incident, right? Which many cite as the shift from one type of show to another), despite there being a few high points since then.

I think the show was initially called that in development when NBC first adapted the British series. It's listed under an "Also Known As" on IMDb as such, for what little credibility that grants.

That scene really was fantastic. It's really nice to see an interpretation of Holmes that's just a hair more emotionally articulate and mature than is perhaps traditional, I think it's an interesting spin on the character and really lets Miller and Liu make great things happen in scenes with each other.

I saw Jon Michael Hill on Broadway in Tracy Letts' Superior Donuts with Michael McKean, and he was really extraordinary playing a character with a completely different energy from the character here (clip: http://www.youtube.com/watc… , so it was nice to see him finally get some stuff to play around with. For a show…

I'm not TOO concerned about the Artie thing, because I don't think he's ever been with a fellow wheelchair bound partner before while he's had several able-bodied dates and whatnot, and it certainly doesn't seem like the show is setting up them being together forever, so the notion of him exploring that makes sense.…

I'm somewhat surprised they haven't dipped into Spelling Bee at all, which seems like it would be a fairly easy transfer.