Murney Videos

Author: FanGirlNYC10026 Keywords: Chess Abba Josh Groban Adam Pascal Julia Murney Doug Storm Broadway musical theater Added: November 16, 2009

Special Episode #7: It's been so long since I've done one of these episodes that I omitted a word from my intro! (Did anyone catch it?) I'm thrilled to welcome back the incomparable Sutton Foster. Not just a ridiculous talent, but also one of the warmest, most generous people with whom I've had the privilege of collaborating. Sutton is currently giving a stellar performance as Princess Fiona in the musical Shrek, but only through January 24, 2010, so if you haven't seen her in it yet, get moving! With one Tony Award and three Tony nominations under her belt, she is one of Broadway's great leading ladies, infusing everything she does with her idiosyncratic charm, humor, and heart. Sutton is here to sing "My Heart Was Set on You," the song I wrote for her wonderful debut CD, Wish. A new activist, Sutton has been outspoken in her support of Marriage Equality and has sponsored a bus to take people to the National Equality March in Washington DC this weekend. Check out Sutton's video for the organization Broadway Impact. Coming soon is her eponymous website, a concert tour, and a teaching stint at NYU! Those lucky kids!! To see what kind of soup I served her from my Jeff and Martha cooking project (a la Julie and Julia), visit my blog! This episode was recorded on October 9, 2009.

Broadway Stands Up For Freedom is an annual New York Civil Liberties Union fundraiser. For more information, visit our website at www.nyclu.org.

Rosie O'Donell introduces Broadway stars Julia Murney, Gavin Creel, and Rosie s Broadway Belters, who sing and dance Supercalifragilistic , on the first night of a cruise to Mexico. Rosie and her Broadway star friends took turns entertaining the wonderfully diverse audience on the r family Vacations / PFLAG Spring Break 2008 cruise from San Diego, CA, to Cabo San Lucas, Mazatlan, and Puerto Vallarta. The charter cruise/vacation company founded by Rosie, her partner Kelli O'Donnell, and their friend Gregg Kaminsky, specializes in vacations for gay parents and their children, extended family, and all friends. In fact, the cruises set sail with a glorious and eclectic mix of people and performers, who bask in the warmth of the welcoming and open atmosphere. Look for info on the internet at rfamilyvacations.com. Check out the two-for-one special for the next cruise, in July, from New York to New England and Canada!

Rosie O'Donell introduces Broadway stars Julia Murney and Gavin Creel, who sing a song from Baby on the first night of a cruise to Mexico. Rosie and her Broadway star friends, took turns entertaining the wonderfully diverse audience on the r family Vacations / PFLAG Spring Break 2008 cruise from San Diego, CA, to Cabo San Lucas, Mazatlan, and Puerto Vallarta. The charter cruise company founded by Rosie, her partner Kelli O'Donnell, and their friend Gregg Kaminsky, specializes in vacations for gay parents and their children, extended family and friends. In fact, the cruises sail with a glorious and eclectic mix of people and performers, who bask in the warmth of the welcoming and open atmosphere. Look for info on the internet at rfamilyvacations.com. Check out the two-for-one special for the next cruise, in July, from New York to New England and Canada!

Epidose #5: Look who came over this week! Victoria Clark, "the most talented person in the world," and this year's Tony winner for her spectacular performance in my favorite new show, The Light in the Piazza, dropped by to sing "I Won't Mind," lyrics by Annie Kessler and Libby Saines, music by me. Recorded 1/6/06. Don't miss Vicki's Lincoln Center American Songbook Series Concert on February 10th! She's a magnificent concert performer, plus there's a handful of Blumenkrantz songs on the program! (And some great Jane Kelly Williams songs too!) And if you haven't seen The Light in the Piazza yet, quit stalling and go! Vicki gives a must-see performance, the whole show is wonderful, and the score features the most ravishing music I've ever heard. In my life. Ever. The end.

Bonus Episode #1: Becca's back! I've made it a policy to avoid repeat guest appearances, but I had to make an exception for Rebecca Luker: a) because she was my first podcast guinea pig, back before I was able to separate the piano and the vocals, and I wanted to have an opportunity to record her magnificent voice with better sound, and b) because this song was written expressly for her. Rebecca Luker is the quintesssential Broadway leading lady. Not only has she led the casts of such high-profile Broadway revivals as The Music Man (Marian), The Sound of Music (Maria), Nine (Claudia) and Showboat (Magnolia), but she has also appeared in such original musicals as The Secret Garden (Lily) and The Phantom of the Opera (Christine). Lately, she has been enjoying a rather busy concert career, including a solo evening in the 2005 Lincoln Center American Songbook Series, a highly-acclaimed stint at Feinstein's at the Regency, and many symphonic gigs across the country, not to mention the odd Jeff Blumenkrantz Songbook Concert and seemingly every New Voices Concert at Symphony Space. She has two wonderful solo CDs (Leaving Home, Anything Goes - Rebecca Luker sings Cole Porter) and a deservedly impressive discography. Today, she sings a song that does not appear in the songbook. (Something for Volume Two!!) It's called "Lovely Lies," and it has lyrics by the wonderful Beth Blatt (The Mistress Cycle) and music by me. It was written for Rebecca's recent engagement at Feinstein's, and hopefully she will sing it again when she returns there this May 9-20 for her encore engagement. (Call 212-339-4095 to reserve now!) Recorded 2/22/06.

Episode #11: Judy Kuhn can do (and has done) it all! She's a legit soprano (Cosette in Les Miserables), she's a classic musical theatre leading lady (She Loves Me), she's a dramatic belter (Chess), she's a dramatic actress (Two Shakespearean Actors), she's a pop singer (Eli's Comin'), she's a voiceover artist (Pocohontas), she's a recording artist (Just in Time - Judy Kuhn Sings Jule Styne), and she's a concert singer. She keeps you guessing! Broadway audiences were to have been treated to another Judy Kuhn performance this month, as an interim replacement in The Woman in White in the role of Marian. However, due to that show's untimely closing notice, her engagement was cancelled. Instead, get your Judy Kuhn fix here, as she sings my setting of the Edna St. Vincent Millay poem, “Departure.” Check out the text of the poem. Recorded 2/14/06.

Episode #8: Singing with Liz Callaway is literally a dream-come-true for me. Ever since I first heard her spectacular voice on the Baby cast recording, I have marveled at the purity and musicality of her voice. What a privilege to have her on this podcast today, singing my duet setting of the Edna St. Vincent Millay poem, "Recuerdo." Recorded 1/31/06. (Click here to see the text of the poem.) Since her Tony-nominated performace in Baby, she's maintained flourishing careers on Broadway (Miss Saigon, Cats, The Look of Love), in film (providing the singing voice for the title characters in the animated films The Swan Princess and Anastasia), and in cabaret and recordings (check out her most recent CD, The Beat Goes On, and Sibling Revelry, the terrific recording of her show with her super-talented sister, Ann Hampton Callaway). Liz's discography is incredibly impressive, and rightfully so.

Episode #6: How did I get so lucky to have such talented friends?? This week, it's the remarkable Judy Blazer, who stopped by after a day of rehearsing for Michael John LaChiusa's latest, Bernarda Alba, coming soon to the Mitzi Newhouse Theater at Lincoln Center. Judy lends her comic genius to "It'll Work for You," a Jewish mother's reaction to her composer son's recent coming-out. (Can you guess who might have inspired this song?) I wrote music and lyrics for this one. After the song, Judy and I chat about Bernarda Alba as well as Judy's mystery contribution to The Light in the Piazza. Recorded 1/12/06. I'm thrilled to report that Judy will be among the special guest stars appearing with me at Birdland on February 13th. In the meantime, check out Judy's tracks on these two recordings: Leonard Bernstein's New York and Hello Again. Amazing! Take a minute to browse Judy's impressive Amazon.com discography.

Episode #3: Jeff sings "Independence Day," the songbook's sole pop song. Recorded on 12/26/05. Also, listen for Jeff's celebrity pop singer impersonation.... Happy New Year! For more info about the songbook, check out: http://jeffblumenkrantz.com/songbook.htm

Episode #7: So you've been wondering why that explicit rating has been hovering over this podcast? Finally! Here it is: one of two songs in the book with dirty words in it! Parents (and prudes), be warned. Remember last week's episode with Judy Blazer as the Jewish mother whose son has just come out? Well, this week it's that son and his best friend at a gay bar. The song is "Moving Right Along" (from the abandoned project Fits and Starts), with music and lyrics by me. I'm thrilled to be joined by one of my best friends, the super-funny Ryan Perry, who inspired this song in the first place. (Yes, we went to gay bars together. No, we weren't nearly as horrible as these guys.) Ryan hasn't been acting and singing much lately (Booooo!), but those of you lucky enough to have caught him in Forever Plaid or Whorehouse Goes Public or the tours of The Full Monty and Floyd Collins will remember how fantastic he is. Recorded 1/15/06. And I'm happy to report that I have lured him back to the stage to appear in my Birdland concert on February 13th, along with former podcast guests Judy Blazer, Vicki Clark, Rebecca Luker, and Sally Wilfert. Call 212 581-3080 for reservations.

Episode #4: Hooray!! Another special guest star, this time the amazing Sally Wilfert (Assassins, Tom Sawyer, King David), who sings "I'm Free," from the one-act musical, Precious Little Jewel, with lyrics (and book) by Libby Saines and music by me. Recorded 12/29/05. Look for Sally in Rob Kapilow's upcoming What Makes It Great concerts in LA and Boston, as well as The Jeff Blumenkrantz Songbook Concert live at Birdland in NYC on February 13th. For more info about Jeff, the songbook, and upcoming concerts, visit jeffblumenkrantz.com.

Episode #1: For this first installment, I somehow cajoled Broadway songbird, Rebecca Luker (The Music Man, Showboat, The Sound of Music, The Secret Garden), to sing "Love Is Not All," my setting of an Edna St. Vincent Millay poem. Recorded 12/5/05.