Howard Sings Ashman

Guys I don't know HOW I missed this, but PS Classics is releasing a 2-disc CD set November 11th of the personal demos of the late great Broadway book writer and lyricist Howard Ashman. You remember him as the author of such works as Little Shop of Horrors, The Little Mermaid, Beauty and the Beast, and a few of the songs in Aladdin that he completed before his death of AIDS. You probably don't know his other works, but those include "Smile" (which if you know me, you know I freaking adore), "God Bless You, Mr. Rosewater," and "Kicks: The Showgirl Musical."

Guys, Howard Ashman was a genius. He was one of the best musical theatre book writers we ever had. It sounds weird, but there isn't a day that I don't think about how sad it is he met such an untimely end. He should have stayed around to give us more fantastic musical, and, more importantly, to teach more people how to craft stories the incredible way he did. He was a major, if not the driving force behind Disney's animation come-back. Watch the documentaries on those DVDs--he taught them how to construct those stories, and that's why they're so good. He left a gigantic hole in the art form when he left us, and I'm happy to see this CD's release giving him the attention he is so very due. This is all kind of ironic, actually, because I'm currently working on a post about his musical "Smile." Look for it later this week! [Link]