Sound of Musicals with Neil Brand

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Neil Brand

Andy Hall

John Das

Tim Rice

Alan Menken

Robert Lopez

Sound of Musicals with Neil Brand: Episode 3: Seasons of Love

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Seasons of Love

Episode 3

Episode 3: Seasons of Love

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Neil explores why musical theatre is thriving in the 21st century.

Neil explores why musical theatre is thriving in the 21st century, charting the rise of the 'megamusical' and seeing how they have also captured contemporary life.

Series in which composer Neil Brand explores how musical theatre evolved over the last 100 years to become today's global phenomenon. Neil hears the inside story from leading composers and talent past and present, and recreates classic songs, looking in detail at how these work musically and lyrically to captivate the audience. 

In the concluding episode, he explores why musical theatre is thriving in the 21st century. He charts the rise of the 'megamusical' phenomenon, with shows like Cats and Les Miserables, learns the behind-the-scenes story of how Disney transformed The Lion King from a cartoon into a record-breaking stage success, and sees how musicals have captured contemporary life in shows like Rent and Avenue Q. Neil recreates classic numbers to reveal the secrets of their songwriting, including The Rocky Horror Show's Sweet Transvestite, Don't Cry for Me Argentina from Evita, and Les Miserables' Empty Chairs at Empty Tables. Neil meets a host of top musical theatre talent, including master lyricist Tim Rice, Lion King director Julie Taymor, and leading composers Alan Menken (Beauty and the Beast) and Robert Lopez (Avenue Q and Frozen).

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BBC Four reflects arts, music and culture with an ambitious range of intellectually and culturally enriching programmes, taking an expert and in-depth approach to its subjects.

Music: Easy Listening, Soundtracks & Musicals

Factual: Arts, Culture & the Media: Arts

How musical theatre evolved over the last 100 years to become today's global phenomenon.

Composer Neil Brand explores how musical theatre evolved over the last 100 years to become today's global phenomenon.

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Sound of Musicals with Neil Brand

Episode 3: Seasons of Love

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