Dark Monday • Raul Esparza & Lin-Manuel Miranda

When I first discovered this clip, I giggled like a tween girl finding her first One Direction music video. After all, Lin-Manuel Miranda is adorable, and so very talented. He was the man behind 'In The Heights', writing the music and lyrics. And Raul Esparza is my future husband, he just doesn't know it yet. He is talented, gorgeous, and has a wonderful smile. Together, they are just Papi realness, and I can't resist it. They take on "A Boy Like That"/"I Have A Love" from 'West Side Story', the amazing musical with music by Leonard Bernstein and lyrics by Stephen Sondheim. I hope you enjoy it as much as I do.

I must say, I wasn't sure how well their voices would sound together, but I was more than pleasantly surprised. I love it, and keep hitting play again and again. This was taped as part of 'Miscast 2014', produced by the Manhattan Class Company, a group founded in 1986. The event allows Broadway performers to take on songs they wanted to sing, but had no chance of ever being cast without it. After watching this, I don't see why Lin-Manuel and Raul are not cast as Anita and Maria!

Dark Monday • Wonderful Town

I must start by saying I love this musical, and have since I first discovered it when doing a production at Albright College in Reading, Pennsylvania. But then again, it would be tough to not love the 1953 musical, with a book written by Joseph A. Fields and Jerome Chodorov, lyrics by Betty Comden and Adolph Green and music by Leonard Bernstein. The story was based on the short stories of Ruth McKenney, originally adapted as 'My Sister Eileen', the 1940 Broadway play by Fields and Chodorov. There are some great songs, many that I still remember fondly even though I worked on it over 30 years ago.

The original production starred the magnificent Rosalind Russell as Ruth, the older sister who moved to New York with her sister, Eileen, played by Edie Adams. Together, their adventures are brought to life in the musical. I am particularly fond of the song "Ohio", which I often sing to myself when the situation calls. On their first night in the city, Ruth and Eileen lament the decision to move, sining "why-oh-why-o-why-o, why did we ever leave Ohio". In 1958, the production was put together for a television special, with Eileen played by Jacqueline McKeever. This is Russel and McKeever sing "Ohio" from 'Wonderful Town'.

In December of 2002, the Berliner Philarmoniker produced a full concert version of 'Wonderful Town', as part of the New Years Eve celebration. In the lead roles, they cast impressive Broadway star Kim Criswell in the role of Ruth, and six-time Tony Award winner Audra McDonald in the role of Eileen. The show was sold out, and got outstanding reviews. It can be found on DVD. I just adore Audra's voice, and can't help but listen and sigh whenever I hear it. This is Audra McDonald singing "A Little Bit In Love" with the Berliner Philharmoniker.

In 2003, there was a fantastic revival of 'Wonderful Town'. It was directed by Kathleen Marshall, and starred 2-time Tony Award winner Donna Murphy as Ruth and Jennifer Westfeldt, star of the film 'Kissing Jessica Stein'. The revival ran for over a year at the Al Hirschfeld Theatre. This production started out as part of the 'City Encores!' concert series, with Murphy headlining. Later in the run, Brooke Shields replaced Murphy as the star. I loved the way Murphy brought the song "Swing" to life. There is a joy and vibrance to her voice and performance. This is "Swing", as sung by Donna Murphy in the 2003 Broadway revival.

If you are interested, you can purchase the 'Wonderful Town Original Broadway Cast Recording' from iTunes and Amazon. You can also find the 'Wonderful Town 2003 Revival' recording from iTunes and Amazon. Be careful on Amazon, for when I clicked for the Revival, it kept bringing me to a cut-rate Rosalind Russell recording. If you'd like the more classical approach, you can find the Berliner Philharmoniker with conductor Simon Rattle's concert version of 'Wonderful Town' on DVD from Amazon.

Kristen Chenoweth • 100 Easy Ways

The extraordinary Kristin Chenoweth has won both a Tony and an Emmy, and that should come as no surprise to anyone who has been enchanted by her talent. After all, we've seen her showcased in shows like 'Glee', 'The West Wing' and 'Pushing Daisies', and Broadway hits like 'You're A Good Man Charlie Brown', 'Promises Promises', and her showstopping turn as Glinda in 'Wicked'. In February of 2013, she performed in 'Dames of Broadway...All of 'Em!', part of the Lincoln Center's American Songwriter Series. During the course of the show, she took on some of the great characters of the Broadway stage, from 'Babes in Arms' to 'Sweeney Todd'. She also chose to include Ruth from 'Wonderful Town' in the show, as she takes on a great song from the show with music from Leonard Bernstein, and lyrics by Betty Comdem and Adolph Green. This is a clip of her singing "One Hundred Easy Ways" from 'Wonderful Town'.

I have to say, not only is Chenoweth insanely talented, she is also a very cool chick. She has never allowed her strong faith to stop her from supporting equality for all. For more about Kristin Chenoweth, visit her official website. You can also 'like' her on Facebook and 'follow' her on Twitter. If you enjoyed this song, I will be featuring more from 'Wonderful Town' tonight in my 'Dark Monday' post.