Ep 5 “Forget About the Boy” with Dick Scanlan — The Craft Behind a Tony-Winning Showstopper | Does It Sing?

📄 DescriptionIn Episode 5 of Does It Sing?, David Goldsmith continues his conversation with Tony-winning lyricist and bookwriter Dick Scanlan (Thoroughly Modern Millie, Motown the Musical, The Unsinkable Molly Brown, Everyday Rapture).🎭 This episode covers:• How “Forget About the Boy” replaced a cut Act II opener (“Picture Perfect”)• The brainstorm with Jeanine Tesori that produced the hook — on Labor Day weekend 1998• Writing the full lyric in a single train ride (with “albatross / no great loss / double-crosser”)• The craft of feminine rhymes, penultimate stresses, and lyric/melody counterpoint• Sutton Foster’s thrilling interpretation and Rob Ashford’s choreography• How Ralph Burns and Doug Besterman orchestrated it into a showstopper• The thrill of hearing stenographers sing names like “Barney Schreiber, CPA”• Why adapting flawed movies can be more fruitful than “perfect” ones (Millie vs. Tootsie)• Dick’s current projects: new opera for the Met, Mark Twain Shouldn’t Say Such Things, and a Carnegie Hall concert celebrating Lin-Manuel Miranda🎧 This is a deep craft dive into one of Broadway’s great Act II openers — a true “Best 25 Songs of the 21st Century” entry.—About Virtual Stage LabVirtual Stage Lab (co-founded by David Goldsmith & Paul Gordon) film-captures original musicals and plays to democratize development, viewing, and licensing. Watch full captures free on the VSL YouTube page.Pitch a segment: virtualstagelab@gmail.comCatalog & info: virtualstagelab.comFair Use note: Any audio/video excerpts are for commentary/education. Please support the rights holders by streaming or purchasing official recordings.⏱️ Chapter Timestamps00:00 Opening parody & intro02:10 Introducing Dick Scanlan’s full bio & credits07:15 How “Forget About the Boy” replaced “Picture Perfect”11:00 Labor Day weekend 1998 — writing the song in one day15:20 Crafting the hook + counterpoint with “Jimmy”20:00 Ralph Burns, Doug Besterman, and Rob Ashford elevate the number23:10 Michael Mayer’s reaction — cutting a big number for a better story25:30 Triple rhyme: “albatross / no great loss / double-crosser”28:55 Why feminine rhymes are more satisfying than masculine ones31:10 Sutton Foster’s instinctive performance choices36:40 Dance break: why it’s earned, not ornamental40:00 Janine Tesori’s deep analysis of Millie & Jimmy43:00 The stenographer names (Barney Schreiber, CPA, and more)47:00 Millie today: reflections on adapting flawed movies51:00 Sublimation of ego & serving the God of Story53:20 Dick’s new work: Met opera, Lin-Manuel Miranda concert, Mark Twain Shouldn’t Say Such Things57:30 Outro: subscribe + next episode tease#DoesItSing, #ForgetAboutTheBoy, #ThoroughlyModernMillie, #DickScanlan, #JeanineTesori, #SuttonFoster, #Broadway, #TonyAwards, #BestSongs21stCentury, #MotownTheMusical, #UnsinkableMollyBrown, #EverydayRapture, #MusicalTheatre, #SongwritingPodcast, #DavidGoldsmith, #VirtualStageLab, #BroadwayShowstopper, #TheatrePodcast, #LyricWriting, #ComposerLife, #LyricistLife, #TheatreCraft, #BehindTheScenes, #StageDevelopment, #OriginalMusicals🔑 Keywords / TagsForget About the Boy song analysis, Thoroughly Modern Millie Broadway, Dick Scanlan interview, Jeanine Tesori songwriting, Sutton Foster performance, Broadway Act II opener, Ralph Burns orchestrations, Doug Besterman, Rob Ashford choreography, Barney Schreiber CPA, Best 25 Songs 21st Century musicals, David Goldsmith podcast, Virtual Stage Lab📌 Pinned Comment“Forget About the Boy” almost didn’t exist — it replaced an elaborate movie-theatre number called Picture Perfect.👇 Do you think cutting “spectacle” for story always pays off? Or do you have a favorite Broadway song that is spectacle first?Subscribe for more deep-dive episodes of Does It Sing?: @DoesItSing