Next to Normal and Bricusse Tribute on Playbill Radio July 7-13

By David Gewirtzman
July 3, 2009

In addition to round-the-clock show tunes, Playbill Radio offers the following special programming.

The schedule for the week of July 7 - 13 follows.

Center Stage
July 7: Guests this week are 2009 Tony-winning orchestrator Michael Starobin and music director Charlie Alterman, two of the people who help give the Broadway musical Next to Normal its unique sound.

Starobin won his second Tony Award last month for his work on the innovative new musical, which also won a Tony for Best Original Score. Starobin's orchestrations have been heard in two-dozen Broadway musicals including Sunday in the Park With George, Assassins and the 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee.

Starobin and Alterman — the music director, conductor and keyboard player on Next to Normal — walk Playbill Radio host Robert Viagas through some of the highlights of the newly released original cast album.

Each week's new "Center Stage" show debuts at 7 PM ET Tuesday, with repeats scheduled for (all times ET) 2 AM Wednesday, July 8; 11 PM Wednesday, July 8; 2 PM Thursday, July 9; 11 AM Saturday, July 11; 4 PM Sunday, July 12.

Edited versions of the "Center Stage" programs are available as podcasts, including:
Arthur Laurents (Part 2)
Arthur Laurents (Part 1)
Reasons To Be Pretty stars Marin Ireland and Thomas Sadoski

Composer Spotlight
July 9: A tour through the career of songwriter Leslie Bricusse, composer of Stop the World—I Want to Get Off, The Roar of the Greasepaint—The Smell of the Crowd, Doctor Doolittle, and lyricist of Jekyll & Hyde and Victor/Victoria.

Each week's "Composer Spotlight" debuts at 7 PM (ET) Thursday, with repeats scheduled for: (all times are ET) 2 AM Friday, July 10; 11 PM Friday, July 10; 10 PM Sunday, July 12; 2 PM Monday, July 13.

This weekend's programming features Arthur Laurents (Part 2) at 11 AM Saturday, July 4 and 4 PM Sunday, July 5; and a salute to Jerome Kern at 8 PM Sunday, July 5 and 2 PM Monday, July 6.