Bullets Over Broadway

Bullets Over Broadway

When Woody Allen first heard the songs Marvin Hamlisch had written for the Broadway musical adaptation of his 1994 film Bullets Over Broadway, he was disappointed. Reluctant to consider the project in the first place, Allen felt that even with the talented Hamlisch onboard, it still wasn’t coming together. It was only when his sister, Letty Aronson, suggested that they try it again using period songs from the 1920s that Allen saw the light, and thus Bullets Over Broadway the musical was born. A little more than a decade later, the show premiered at the St. James Theatre, featuring new arrangements of a slew of great tunes from the Tin Pan Alley era, including “Tiger Rag,” “Let’s Misbehave,” “There’ll Be Some Changes Made,” and “I’ve Found a New Baby.” With distinctive choreography by Broadway darling Susan Stroman, the show ran in 2014 for more than 100 performances.

Read More

Coming & Going: Bullets Over Broadway

Coming & Going: Bullets Over Broadway

This year is moving just too fast. Earlier, say in January, I spoke with SBHS Drama Department head Otto Layman; we were both in line at Paseo Nuevo waiting to buy a movie ticket. He told me about Bullets Over Broadway, and explained that Santa Barbara High School had the honor of presenting the very first high school production of Woody Allen’s Tony Award-winning musical. I wanted to make sure to cover it and saw that there was plenty of time.

Read More