You're Killin' Me, Pauls

After refusing to divulge the details of Paul’s lunch the previous day with David’s wife, Paul starts us off with a throwback to Dylan and why greatness in one genre isn’t always a guarantor of success in Musical Theatre. Then Paul divulges his three Groundbreaking Musicals: A Chorus Line, Company and  Hamilton. This leads to a mock trial of Groundbreaking v Inspirational, with David representing the defense. An overdue look at the great song “Omar Sharif” from the great The Band’s Visit follows, and backstage stories of how that song, along with some of our greatest moments from our own stuff on Broadway, faced the back alley dumpsters before being rescued. A little song, a little dance, a little “The Miller’s Son” (from the foundational A Little Night Music) down your pants. Then back to our main subject of the day, how to make pop music work on a stage… and what to do about all those 8 beats in between lines they inevitably, problematically, bring along with them. What am I supposed to do here, Maestro? Hence, this week’s title.