What hiatus? What are you talking about? Jonah and MJ are back with Natasha, Pierre, and the Great Comet of 1812! Find out when Jonah realizes Natalie and Natasha are the same person, if MJ will ever admit that sometimes Jonah is right, and see whether or not the show can make them forget that Josh Groban is actually a very attractive man. Notes Epic (Brechtian) Theatre https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Epic_theatre An Epilogue https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VN0P2EFjtfE Onceler Deleted Song - Bigge...
Apr 17, 2021•2 hr 4 min
An off Broadway show? A show that didn't even play in New York? That's a twist. Join Jonah and MJ as they discuss the 2013 Starkid Production, Twisted: The Untold Story of a Royal Vizier. Will MJ enjoy the raunchy Disney critique? Will Jonah ever defeat Michael Eisner in a duel to the death over his crimes against the Disney parks? Only one of these questions will be answered on this episode of Bop or Flop. I guess you'll have to listen in to find out.
Feb 28, 2021•2 hr 19 min
We are who we are, and we are talking about the second Broadway revival of La Cage Aux Folles. Jonah and MJ break down the music and cultural significance of this much loved, many times adapted show, and discuss the power and joy in standing up for others and embracing your own truth. Kelsey Grammer falls off a stage https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Eu-BqOsvj00 Harvey Fierstein and Barbara Walters https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wffy5QC40io Inception kick sync https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3A1p...
Feb 21, 2021•2 hr 31 min
In part two of the episode, Jonah and MJ continue to dive deeper into the discomforts and complexities of Alvin and Thomas' strained relationship. They wonder how much we can/should sacrifice of ourselves for others, what counts as catharsis, and wether or not the statement "this is it" is encouraging or terrifying.
Feb 12, 2021•1 hr 34 min
In the first part of an unexpected two-part episode, Jonah and MJ are prompted to ask tough questions about friendship by the short-lived Broadway musical The Story of My Life. Join the hosts as they uncover the anger, pain, insecurity, and confusion inherent in their own, and all, friendships that are wonderfully represented by the relationship between Tom and Alvin. Stay tuned for next week’s equally tense and enlightening part two! Notes Banned Tom Sawyer https://www.cynthiavarady.net/blog/ad...
Feb 05, 2021•1 hr 45 min
Descend into madness with Jonah and MJ as they flail their way through the feline fever dream that is Cats! There's simply nothing more to say about this very chaotic episode of Bop or Flop. Notes This is what MJ thinks Old Deuteronomy looks Like https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JADpVbYy9Yc Lindsey Ellis - Why Is Cats? https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G6iqAip-ZNo Sideways - Musical Analysis https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i3aK-EK5V2k Memory at the Tonys https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5mlllRdIfqw...
Jan 29, 2021•1 hr 51 min
It’s The Two Idiot’s Guide to Gentleman’s Guide to Love and Murder! Join Jonah and MJ as they dissect this fourth wall breaking tony nominated musical and lose their minds a little bit over Bryce Pinkham, patter verses, and just so many quick changes. Notes Sky-Pony: Rapture https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6TWGt-NLp0c Over The Garden Wall https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KBh7kcSwxbg NOT THE BEES https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YEPDg_osR0Y Backstage look at costume changes https://www.youtube.com/...
Jan 25, 2021•2 hr 4 min
We're finally back! We have a new years resolution for the pod, but what is it? Will we stick to it? I guess you'll have to see in this episode where Jonah and MJ discuss Dreamgirls. Between arguing wether or not CC is a coward, if artistic integrity really is everything, if this could have just been the Jennifer Holiday show, and why Jonah brought JFK up for no apparent reason, Dreamgirls made the perfect vehicle to ring in the new year. Notes Dreamgirls at the Tonys https://www.youtube.com/wat...
Jan 15, 2021•1 hr 57 min
Ep. 17 - How Do Elves Reproduce? Ft. Isa Jackowich - Elf (2010) MJ cackles maniacally at Jonah and Isa as they face unpleasant memories of their time working on Elf, the adaptation of the Will Ferrell hit. Join them as they discuss the merits and disappointments in the deviations from the original film plot, relive their rollercoaster of a time directing and choreographing a high school production, and hypothesize as to whether or not the concept of “the sins of the father” apply to receiving gi...
Dec 14, 2020•1 hr 56 min
Jonah and MJ are dreaming of a white Christmas and hoping they don't get cancelled for this surprisingly politically charged episode. Who would have thought that Irving Berlin's White Christmas would have sparked a conversation on the military, voting rights, wether or not Wonderful Chirstmastime is a good song, and if Die hard is really a Christmas movie? Notes Why Christmas Music is Nostalgic https://www.wired.co.uk/article/christmas-music-nostalgia https://www.futurity.org/christmas-songs-nos...
Dec 04, 2020•1 hr 43 min
Why did the Pina Colada song man Rupert Holmes decide to write a meta-comedy musical based on the morose Charles Dickens serial The Mystery of Edwin Drood? Jonah and MJ had no idea, and this episode of Bop or Flop does not answer it. Listen in on their conversation as they discuss tongue twisters, whodunnits, and the definition of love on the show that made MJ fall in love with musical theatre. Notes The most recent revival’s stats https://www.playbill.com/article/they-dunnit-tallies-are-i . n-f...
Nov 20, 2020•2 hr 5 min
In this special “origin story” episode, Jonah and MJ discuss the show that made Jonah fall in love with musical theatre, the 2014 Broadway Production of Disney’s Aladdin. It’s the classic story with a few twists, MJ likes the movie, will she share that same love for Jonah’s precious show, or will she walk all over his dreams like She Loves Me all over again? Notes Why Me? https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AU6AfCWuZKI Humiliate the Boy https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W9vXZncjGvk You’re Only Second ...
Nov 13, 2020•1 hr 59 min
Apparently, there's no place like the West End to revive the classic Americana show, The Wizard of Oz, and Andrew Lloyd Webber had to be the one to do it. Listen in as Jonah and MJ lament the loss of an alto role, become Wicked Witch stans, and question why everything has such...*adult* undertones. Notes Some production shots https://www.playbill.com/article/andrew-lloyd-webber-meets-the-emerald-city-colorful-first-pics-of-dorothy-and-co-in-new-touring-wizard-of-oz-com-375635 Everything’s Nice a...
Nov 06, 2020•1 hr 42 min
It’s Showtime!!! For this very special Halloween episode, Jonah and MJ sit down with their good friend Scott Worley to discuss the 2018 musical adaptation of Beetlejuice. Join them as they discuss the benefits and drawbacks of pop vocals, how Jonah is precisely like the Maitlands, and the magical architecture of Alex Brightman’s vocal chords. Notes Beetlejuice Tony performance https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b2jgBRDPWOA Dies Irae - Gergorian chant https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Dlr90NLDp-0 Verd...
Oct 31, 2020•2 hr 13 min
On this week’s podcast, the hosts praise the orchestration and characters of The Spitfire Grill, Jonah laments the lack of fairies and MJ wonders why they wasted Steven Pasquale's voice.
Oct 24, 2020•1 hr 53 min
Notes Hey all! Thanks for watching this most recent episode of bop or flop. I’ve got a couple notes here for y’all. Spongebob Squarepants the musical Live is available to stream on Amazon, so if you’re interested in seeing the majority of the original broadway cast in action, head over there. If another platform becomes available I’ll do an update. And that’s literally all I have. Not super exciting notes today. AS of recording this bit, I just started listening to The Spitfire Grill, and oh boy...
Oct 16, 2020•1 hr 51 min
This week, MJ and Jonah go on a lot of tangents as they discuss the 1993 rock opera, The Who's Tommy. Get ready to get unexpectedly intellectual as they react to murder, 60s spiritualism, pinball cults, the soaring vocals of Michael Cerveris, and Elton John's giant shoes.
Oct 09, 2020•1 hr 55 min
Buckle up, kiddos, Jonah and MJ get a little personal with Grand Hotel. The hosts explore themes of tragedy, wasted potential, and the willingness to admit love easily in both their own lives and the the characters', and wonder why every queer plot line has to be so damn tragic. Notes The original Baron on Broadway - David Carroll recorded in concert https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Kb_azz--iTs&list=OLAK5uy_kp23nw_JhjPS2fHe_6qanlt_TQ2CPa6Zk&index=23 Here’s a baritone singing Love Can’t Ha...
Oct 02, 2020•1 hr 59 min
Guest host Paige Pederson joins Jonah and MJ to obsess over David Hyde Pierce in the show within a show murder mystery musical Curtains. Join the hosts as they praise how Curtains captures the spirit of show business, learn a bit about how Jonah and Paige as stage managers feel about opening nights, and see if MJ will ever get over her inability to see the merit in songs irrelevant to the plot! Notes Lass-oh Vs. Lass-oo https://l.facebook.com/l.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fforthright.livejournal.com%2F22...
Sep 25, 2020•1 hr 54 min
In this very special, very long revenge episode, MJ’s good buddy Jackson Johnson rips into Jonah’s favorite musical, the 2016 revival of She Loves Me. They discuss the merits of pure fun, feminism, the treasure that is Zachary Levi, and disagree on whether or not the Red Scare should have played a factor in the plot. Notes Hugh Jackman in his pre-Wolverine days in Boy From Oz https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mA4965Uz8as Why Hugh Jackman (and everyone) sounds bad in the Les Mis movie https://www.y...
Sep 20, 2020•2 hr 11 min
Come From Away gets serious, and so do MJ and Jonah. Along with the usual musical analysis, our hosts compare and contrast the reactions to 9/11 with those of our current pandemic and unrest. Join them as they discuss how the stories and music from Come From Away shed light on the worst and best parts of humanity. Notes The first production after the workshop was produced in 2012 at Sheridan College in Ontario Listen to the masters themselves talk about their show https://www.playbill.com/articl...
Sep 11, 2020•1 hr 44 min
The Golden Age proves to be divisive. Listen in as MJ argues that Jonah is taking bop too literally, Jonah questions the shows improper use of grammar, both agree that we need more baritones, and brace yourselves for a surprise bike horn. You won't be ready for it. MJ and Jonah sure weren't. Notes Nick Cordero https://www.insider.com/amanda-kloots-nick-cordero-finished-song-he-started-recording-2020-8 https://variety.com/2020/artisans/news/nick-cordero-memorial-livestream-broadway-demand-1234748...
Sep 04, 2020•1 hr 39 min
Get ready for Is It Too 70s 2, Electric Boogaloo! Jonah and MJ go overboard on their criticism of the seafaring song-fest, Disaster! Notes Disaster Reviews -AmNY and Chicago Tribune https://www.amny.com/entertainment/disaster-pokes-fun-at-the-poseidon-adventure-airport-1975-1.11552252/ https://www.chicagotribune.com/entertainment/theater/sc-disaster-broadway-review-ent-0308-20160308-column.html NBC Broadway Showcase https://pagesix.com/2020/08/19/nbc-looking-to-revitalize-broadway-with-splashy-p...
Aug 28, 2020•1 hr 49 min
In this totally fetch episode, MJ fangirls a little too much, Jonah passionately defends old school showstoppers, and both of them marvel at the razor sharp wit of the 2017 Broadway hit Mean Girls. Episode Links Diana musical clip https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7yZjS1DadLs Broadway Theatre Tribute https://www.playbill.com/article/see-the-broadway-community-reunite-for-a-moving-tribute-to-the-theatre Power Princess Medley - Taylor Louderman https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YHc5cHtsvJI Fresh Princ...
Aug 21, 2020•1 hr 48 min
Jonah and MJ discuss the 2006 recording of the Sondheim musical Company, question whether or not the entire thing sounds too much like the 70s, and kindly ask John Mulaney if he will be on the podcast. #JohnMulaneyPlease Additional Notes At around 1:13:15 there’s a most bizarre cut. We had a recording issue with no easy way to edit it cleanly, so this nonsense is what you get. Enjoy our behind the scenes bit! Song Links Holiday Party (I Did a little Cocaine Tonight) - Co-op (Original Cast Album)...
Aug 14, 2020•1 hr 37 min
Welcome to Bop or Flop! We’ve got opinions about musicals. Get to know the hosts a bit before Episode 1- Company (2006) premiering Friday August 14th, 2020.
Aug 12, 2020•9 min
