Jackson District Library Just Sent Me a Christmas Present (and if you live in Jackson County, you can get one too!)

Love show tunes? Want to get some for FREE? If you have a Jackson District Library card, you can download up to three mp3 tracks a week. Where else can you legally download music at no charge? I got an e-mail this week telling me about this service and at first I wasn't very excited. My first guess was that the music would be odd, old, and unwanted. Wrong. The database may be poorly organized and the search engine leaves a lot to be desired but the collection itself is a treasure trove of surprises.

I'm just going to talk about show tunes here but there are current country, R&B, Pop, and jazz selections available from Beyonce to Brubeck to Yo Yo Ma.

Since shows are listed by performers (and first names at that) one of the first I checked out was Ella Logan and David Wayne. When I clicked on their names, I brought up the 1947 recording of Finian's Rainbow, which includes Old Devil Moon and How are Things in Glocca Morra. It would take a couple of weeks to download all the songs including the Overture but it could be done. You can save songs in a Wishlist and it is probably a good idea to read the FAQ section for help in searching. Later I discovered that last year's revival of Finian's Rainbow was also available.

Here's a partial list of what I found: Into the Woods; Merrily We Roll Along; Sweeney Todd; tick, tick, BOOM!; Godspell; Ragtime; Songs for a New World; Jekyll & Hyde; Peter Pan; Next to Normal; etc. So you can see the variety of old and new original Broadway cast recordings is vast. Unfortunately some are listed under ORIGINAL BROADWAY CAST, ORIGINAL CAST RECORDING, MOTION PICTURE SOUNDTRACK, MUSICAL CAST RECORDING, etc. By browsing I found Linda Eder's self titled album and a several of Kristin Chenoweth's. (Did I mention that you can play samples just like on Amazon?) One that particularly surprised me was Bloody, Bloody Andrew Jackson, which is currently on Broadway although I read it was getting ready to close soon.

What Shows to See in NYC!

Heading to NYC over the holidays? Check out Wall Street Reviewer Terry Teachout's recommendations for current shows HERE.

Planning a Trip to NYC to see Theater?

There are two places I recommend consulting before you take off on your trip to NYC to see theater. Wall Street Journal reviewer Terry Teachout publishes a list of his top choices each week on-line including the likely availability of tickets. The list includes on and off Broadway shows he has favorably reviewed. Check out his So You Want to See a Show.

And Playbill just posted a wonderful article that tells you how the lottery works for obtaining tickets for less. Armed with this information you can see a great show and maybe save some money!

64th Annual Tony Awards

The 64th Annual Tony Awards, celebrating the best of Broadway, will be broadcast live from Radio City Music Hall June 13. CBS will telecast the three-hour evening beginning at 8 PM ET.

On May 4 the nominations will be announced. Playbill.com will publish the complete list of nominees that morning.

The 2010 Tonys are presented by The Broadway League and the American Theatre Wing. For more information visit the official site.

Heading to New York City This Spring?

Chelsea's Jeff Daniels will be opening on Broadway in Spring 2009 with Hope Davis (Proof), Marcia Gay Harden (Mystic River) and James Gandolfini (Sopranos) in Yasmina Reza's God of Carnage. According to reports the story, "deals with the aftermath of a playground fight between two boys and what happens when their parents meet to talk about it." Reza also wrote Art, which had a successful run in the late 1990s. Read more at Playbill.

Tony Awards Announced

Nominees for some categories (complete list at Playbill) of the 62nd Annual Antoinette Perry "Tony" Awards follow:

Best Play:
August: Osage County
Rock 'n' Roll
The Seafarer
The 39 Steps

Best Musical:
Cry-Baby
In the Heights
Passing Strange
Xanadu

Best Revival of a Play
Boeing-Boeing
The Homecoming
Les Liaisons Dangereueses
Macbeth

Best Revival of a Musical
Grease
Gypsy
Rodgers and Hammerstein's South Pacific
Sunday in the Park With George

Special Tony Award for Lifetime Achievement in the Theatre
Stephen Sondheim

Regional Theatre Tony Award
Chicago Shakespeare Theater

The 62nd Annual Tony Awards — hosted by Tony and Academy Award winner Whoopi Goldberg — will be presented June 15. CBS-TV will broadcast the event live from Radio City Music Hall, 8-11 PM ET. (Red-carpet arrivals will begin at 6 PM).

The Tony Awards are presented by The Broadway League and the American Theatre Wing. CBS has broadcast the annual event since 1978.

For more information visit www.TonyAwards.com.