The Music Man

• CHICAGO, Jan. 17, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- A constellation of renowned Broadway stars is set to grace the stage for the Pulmonary Fibrosis Foundation's (PFF) 14th annual Broadway Belts for PFF!
• The benefit concert promises an evening of unforgettable performances aimed at raising funds and awareness for the more than 250,000 Americans living with pulmonary fibrosis.
• "Broadway stars are raising their voices in support of people with pulmonary fibrosis," said actress Julie Halston.
• Broadway Belts for PFF!, the Pulmonary Fibrosis Foundation's single-largest fundraiser, has raised over $3 million to drive PF research and to support those living with the disease.

• The musical town of the show’s first season is an amalgamation of the golden age musicals of the 1940s and 1950s.
• Happily, it works: the corny musical tropes become deeply meaningful and a vital therapeutic resource for the couple.
• Brecht believed that dramatic music’s seductive charms could dupe audiences into submission, so the musical comprised a dangerous smokescreen.
• In Josh and Melissa’s case, the musical has distorted their sense of reality and they are about to enter a world of danger.

The musical darkens

• This era is more concerned with terror, excitement, shock and disgust – themes familiar in gothic fiction.
• These musicals resemble the formulaic gothic dramas of excess, hyperbole and fantasy, which garnered a similar mass appeal from the late 18th century.
• This era was also associated with concept musicals, which rejected traditional storylines and linear narratives in favour of abstract ideas.

How season two deviates

• Season one followed the structure of a golden age musical.
• Season two’s outcome, however, is less predictable.
• The musicals of this era have no clear moral and the couple have no idea what lesson they must learn in order to escape.
• While Melissa is an expert in old-timey musicals, she is less familiar with the Schmicago era.

• As the agency expands its footprint to capitalize on the burgeoning hotbed of production in the South, Daniel Hoff's local agents will bring the personal touch that has defined the agency's growth over the decades and is the firm's hallmark.
• Now, with the explosive industry investment and growth in the South, planting our roots in Atlanta was an obvious next step for our clients and the agency," said Daniel Hoff, founder of the Daniel Hoff Agency.
• "Our track record speaks for itself and we can't wait to work closely with the extraordinary and diverse artists who live and work in this vibrant city."
• Added senior Atlanta-based agents Marta Parrillo and Renee Banks, "We're thrilled with the opportunity to expand our reach and have boots on the ground in this amazing community.