Thicket and Thistle Podcast

This episode we are getting a little spooky with the Tim Burton version of Stephen Sondheim’s Sweeney Todd the Demon Barber of Fleet Street, staring Johnny Depp and Helena Bonham Carter! Enjoy the episode.

Hold on to your baguettes and join us on the stairway to paradise because this week we are talking about the Gershwin classic musical: An American in Paris!

Chim-Chim-Cherree Thsitles! This week we are talking about the Classic Disney Movie Musical: Mary Poppins starring Julie Andrews. We are joined in the most delightful way by Steffanie Lee who played Mary Poppins on Broadway for 3 years! Enjoy the episode! 

This week we dive into the seedy and sparkly world of Kander and Ebb’s award winning movie musical Chicago starring Rene Zellweger and Catherine Zeta Jones!

This week, we discuss Hal King, the critically acclaimed new adaptation of Henry IV with composer and producer Steve Wallace.

Ye gods! This week we march to the sound of 76 trombones, as we consider Warner Brothers 1962 classic, The Music Man.

Welcome to SEASON TWO of the Thicket & Thistle podcast, where we talk about our favorite aspects of movie musicals.  This week we’re lying in a technicolor field of poppies and breathing in all the asbestos snow we can handle as we discuss MGM’s The Wizard of Oz.

Just in time for the holidays, we are joined by special guest and erotic audiobook celebrity Will Watt as we follow the supernatural exploits of Ebenezer Scrooge. Starring Michael Caine, the 1992 Muppets adaptation of Charles Dickens’ A Christmas Carol does indeed bless us, every one.

This week, we’re lacing up our favorite nude corset and applying way too much eye liner as we discuss 2010’s Burlesque, starring Christina Aguilera and Cher. Join us as we explore the intricacies of toilet cash, “air rights”, and Alan Cumming hitting on a banana with special guests Ben and Megan from the podcast “So I Married a Cinephile". Enjoy the episode!

Place your bets on which of the various gangsters and gamblers will survive the fortunes of love in the debonair 1955 movie Guys and Dolls, starring Marlon Brando and Frank Sinatra. We are lucky to be joined by a special lady tonight, hip-hop improvisor Rachel Rosenthal. Enjoy the episode!

This week, let your heart lead the way down the romantic back alleys of Belle Époque Paris to everyone’s favorite sexy windmill: The Moulin Rouge. This 2001 Baz Lurmahn extravaganza is not just a visual and musical feast, but a celebration of love and its glory and tragedy for all time.

Listeners, the time has come: America needs you to put on your red, white and blue bodysuit, get into the nearest hummer, call your senators, and strap in for the most explosive musical of the century: Team America: World Police. This irreverent action flick skewers Michael Bay, immortalizes Matt Damon, and blows up just about every world monument you can think of. Please enjoy the episode!

Today we will dive into the supernatural by opening up the sarcastic sarcophagus of the classic Joss Whedon tv series Buffy the Vampire Slayer. Join us as we welcome our guest Corley Pillsbury, an actor/musician, songwriter, and OG member of Thicket & Thistle. Please enjoy the episode!

This episode we take a trip down Portabello Road and into the Beautiful Briny Sea as we discuss the outlandish, nostalgic fever dream that is Bedknobs and Broomsticks. This 1971 Disney movie musical stars the fabulous Angela Landsbury and for all its technical achievements (it did win an Oscar, after all), we’re going to talk about why this film still lives in the shadow of its more popular twin: the classic Disney musical, Mary Poppins. Please enjoy the episode!

This episode we are discussing The Producers. This is a 2005 American musical comedy film directed by Susan Stroman and written by Mel Brooks, based on the 2001 Broadway musical, which in turn was based on Brooks's 1967 film of the same name. The film stars an ensemble cast including by Nathan Lane, Matthew Broderick, Uma Thurman, Will Ferrell. This film garnered generally mixed reviews from critics and is considered a commercial failure. Please enjoy the episode.

This episode we are discussing The Greatest Showman.  It is a 2017 American musical film directed by Michael Gracey in his directorial debut, written by Jenny Bicks and Bill Condon and starring Hugh Jackman, Zac Efron, Michelle Williams, and featuring original songs from Pasek and Paul, the film was inspired by the story of the P. T. Barnum. Please enjoy the episode! 

Don't pass on this strange episode. This week, Thicket & Thistle discusses Passing Strange, a comedy-drama rock musical from 2008. It's about a young African American's journey of self-discovery in Europe, with strong elements of philosophy, self-referential, and the artistic journey. The musical's lyrics and book are by Stew with music and orchestrations by Heidi Rodewald and Stew. It opened on Broadway in 2008, to strong reviews and several awards. And then Spike Lee filmed the musical on Broadwayand releasing it in 2009.

This week we are talking about SINGING IN THE RAIN. This is a 1952 American musical romantic comedy film directed and choreographed by Gene Kelly and Stanley Donen. It's a lighthearted story of three film start in Hollywood in the late 1920s, caught up in the transition from silent films to "talkies".

Tune in as we discuss the slice of life crime drama movie musical: London Road. This 2011 musical has a (book and lyrics) by Alecky Blythe (book and lyrics) and (music and lyrics). Adam Cork. The musical opened to almost unanimous critical acclaim in London's West End,  even though it features some potentially controversial source material. The film adaptation was released in 2015 and  features Tom Hardy and Olivia Colman! 

This episode we discuss West Side Story. Arguably one of the most famous musicals of all time. A stage and screen musical with a book by Arthur Laurents, music by Leonard Bernstein, and lyrics by Stephen Sondheim. It won a ton of awards, has timeless themes and some really, really famous songs. Please enjoy the episode.