By the Numbers
Sunday, August 09, 2026
Hosted by Katie Cass
Playlist
[06:01]
One
— A Chorus Line
(opening)
[08:04]
Seventy-Six Trombones
— The Music Man
[14:59]
Seventeen
— Heathers
[17:16]
Thirteen
— 13 the Musical
(title song)
[23:27]
The Next Ten Minutes / Ten Minutes Ago
— The Last Five Years / Cinderella
(mashup)
[41:47]
Nine to Five
— 9 to 5
[42:34]
Sixteen Going on Seventeen
— The Sound of Music
[56:09]
42nd Street
— 42nd Street
(closing)
Transcript
[01:03]
Madison Savoyards invites you to their annual Gilbert and Sullivan production,
[01:10]
and this year brings a brand new twist on a classic. From July 31st through August 9th,
[01:15]
they'll present The Mikado, a fresh adaptation of The Mikado at the Bartel Theater. This
[01:21]
reimagined version relocates the original Japanese setting to Scotland, giving the
[01:25]
topsy-turvy tale a new backdrop while keeping the brilliant musical score audiences have loved
[01:31]
for more than a century. Set in the fictional town of Ballydoo, the story follows a disguised prince,
[01:36]
Nanki Doug, his beloved winsome, and the comically reluctant executioner,
[01:42]
Coco, as they navigate a ridiculous law, requiring executions for flirting.
[01:48]
When the Mikado arrives, romantic entanglements, mistaken identities, and comic reversals pile up,
[01:54]
all resolving in classic Gilbert and Sullivan fashion with love triumphant and order restored.
[02:00]
Ticket and Showtime information is available at BartelTheater.org. That's Madison Savoyards
[02:06]
production of The Mikado, July 31st through August 9th at the Bartel Theater. You're
[02:11]
listening to WORT FM Madison. Happy Sunday, everybody. You are listening to WORT FM 89.9
[05:19]
in Madison, Wisconsin. I hope you guys are all having a great weekend so far. My name is Katie
[05:26]
Cass and I will be your host for Better Living Through Show Tunes today. We are here every
[05:35]
Sunday at 2 p.m. for just an hour, but we like to play you our favorite show tunes and give you
[05:41]
a little information about the history or the actors and just discuss all of our favorite
[05:47]
things about Broadway and music and all that fun stuff. So I started the show off with a tune you
[05:54]
may know. Whether you've seen a chorus line or not, you probably have heard this song at one point,
[06:01]
but it is called One. And I remember doing it in show choir and having all the top hat and the
[06:09]
gold outfits and all that fun stuff. But I chose today's theme because that song had stuck in my
[06:17]
head and I thought, what theme could go along with that song? And I was like, what about all
[06:25]
shows with songs that have numbers in the title? So you will definitely catch on to the theme,
[06:35]
even though I just told you the theme. But if you're listening and you hadn't checked this
[06:38]
part out yet, you might be like, oh yeah, I see what she's doing here. So I hope you
[06:43]
enjoy all the songs that I picked today for you. And let's move on to the next one.
[07:17]
My friends, what a handful of trumpet players did to the famous fabled walls of Jericho.
[07:22]
A billion pile of walls come a-dumbling down. Oh, a band will do it, my friends. Oh, yes,
[07:28]
I mean a boy's band. Do you hear me? I said River City's gotta have a boy's band and I mean
[07:33]
she needs it today. Well, Professor Harold Hill's on hand and River City's gonna have a boy's band
[07:39]
as sore as the Lord made little green apples. And that band is gonna be in uniform. Johnny,
[07:44]
Willie, Teddy, Fred. And you'll see the glitter of crashing cymbals and you'll hear that thunder
[07:49]
of rolling drums and that shimmer of trumpets. And you'll feel something akin to the electric
[07:56]
thrill I once enjoyed when Gilmore, Liberati, Pat Conway, the great creator, W.C. Handy, and
[08:04]
John Philip Sousa all came to town on that very same historic day. 76 trombones led the
[08:15]
big parade with 110 cornets close at hand. They were followed by rows and rows of the finest
[08:26]
virtuosos to cream of every famous band. 76 trombones called the Morning Sun with 110 cornets
[08:39]
right behind. There were more than a thousand reeds ringing up like weeds. There were horns
[08:46]
of every shape and kind. There were copper, bottom, tippity, and horse platoons.
[08:53]
Thunder in, thunder in, all along. Bubble valuophoniums and big bassoons. Each bassoon
[09:01]
having his big fat say. There were 15 out of cannon and a battery. Thunder in, thunder in,
[09:08]
louder than before. Clarinets of every size. Intrepiders who'd improvise. They'd pull
[09:14]
octave higher than the sky. My place has the one and only bass and I own part up down the square.
[13:18]
Damaged, but that does not make us wise. We're not special. We're not different. We don't choose
[13:59]
who lives or dies. Let's be normal. See bad movies. Sneak a beer and watch TV. We'll bake brownies
[14:09]
or go bowling. Don't want a life with me. Be sensey. That's all I will hurt us. Or they vanish.
[14:41]
And you're right. It really blows. But we let go. Take a deep breath. Then go buy some summer
[14:50]
clothes. We'll go camping. Play some poker. And we'll eat some chili fries. Maybe prom nights.
[14:59]
Maybe dancing. Don't stop looking. It was 17 from the musical Heathers. I saw Heathers on Broadway
[17:03]
and I absolutely loved it and I saw it again when it was done by the university here in Madison
[17:09]
and I thought that they did an amazing job. So I picked that song obviously because it was called
[17:16]
Seventeen. Another show that has a special place in my heart is a musical called Thirteen,
[17:23]
the musical. And fun fact Ariana Grande was in the original cast. The cast and the musicians
[17:33]
were all actual 13 year olds. So that's a fun little tidbit for you to share
[17:41]
at your next little theater party if you didn't already know that. I did a show in New York and my
[17:47]
mom came out to see it and afterwards I'm gonna be a little bougie here but we got to go to a
[17:55]
cast party at Sardis which was like a dream come true and we had to leave early because we had
[18:00]
tickets to see Thirteen and we were like oh gosh should we go like this is so much fun I can't
[18:06]
believe we're here at Sardis doing a cast party in New York City like this is crazy and then we
[18:10]
went to see Thirteen and we were so happy because it was such such a fun show. So this song is the
[18:19]
title song from that show the opening number and it's the single version so not directly from
[18:26]
the opening of the show but pretty much the same thing so hope you like this one.
[19:21]
My head stopped I wanted to re-arms and twist He's an angel with the dust of the stars in his eyes
[23:20]
We are dead we are flying and he's taking me back to
[23:27]
You share your life with me for the next 10 minutes for the next 10 minutes
[23:41]
We can handle that the way we could watch the sky or just sit and wait as the time takes by
[23:59]
and if we make it till then can I ask you again for another turn if you turn agree to the next
[24:18]
10 minutes and the next 10 minutes till the morning come and just holding you
[24:30]
You gave me the feeling your size I want to share never come down again
[24:55]
I'm not always on time please don't expect that from me 10 minutes ago I will be late but if
[25:06]
you can just wait I will make it eventually 10 minutes not like it's in my control not like I'm
[25:16]
proud of the fact but anything other than being exactly on time I have found he's an angel with
[25:33]
the dust of the stars in her eyes he's taking me back to life with me
[26:35]
lifetime from there till the water I still need to see never come down to
[27:16]
was the next 10 minutes ago which was a fun little mash-up between two songs
[28:07]
the next 10 minutes is from the last five years by Jason Robert Brown and also Cinderella
[28:16]
which is kind of fun 10 minutes ago from Cinderella so that brings back some memories for me too I
[28:23]
want to give a shout out to my friend Paige Fecto we've been friends since we were in sixth grade
[28:28]
here in Madison and we lived together in New York City and when we were in middle and high school
[28:33]
I would go to her piano and voice recitals and she sang the next 10 minutes and we always used
[28:38]
to just make up other songs and change the lyrics to that one and then years later I sang the next
[28:45]
10 minutes in her wedding to her wonderful husband Steve so that song really touches my heart
[28:53]
I hope that you like that little mash-up it's a little bit different than what I usually play
[29:00]
but I found that version and I thought that would be a fun way to kind of get more songs in in this
[29:07]
hour so uh next up is a show called tick tick boom if you're not familiar it was written by
[29:13]
Jonathan Larson who also wrote rent fun little number was from the 25th annual Putnam County
[41:28]
Spelling Bee I've actually never seen that show I really want someone to do that around here so I
[41:34]
can see it I know it's still running out in New York and they've got so many different celebrities
[41:42]
in and out and making guest appearances during that show so it sounds really fun before that
[41:47]
you heard nine to five from nine to five and this next song some of you might remember and I
[41:54]
was actually very surprised to find out that my client's 10 year old is now addicted to this
[42:05]
musical as well because you know it's from back in the day but it is an absolute classic
[42:34]
we'll one two ride on to a 16 going on 17 baby it's time to think
[42:52]
better beware be canny and careful baby you're on the brink you are 16 going on 17 fellows will fall
[43:05]
in line eager young lads and crewways and cats will offer you food and wine totally unprepared
[43:19]
are you to face a world of men timid and shy and scared are you things beyond your kids someone
[43:34]
wiser telling you what to do i am 17 going on 18 i'll take care
[43:48]
lows i'm 16 gladdenders are brandies what do i know though totally unprepared am i to face a world
[45:03]
of things be older and wiser tap the door congratulations laura you made it
[51:59]
just past the midpoint of the 20th century the average fan of the hapless washington senators
[52:04]
felt this way about the legendary new york yankee so naturally the wives felt this way about their
[52:14]
husbands and since the average senator fan's conversation was usually limited to some variation
[52:22]
of this the rich marriage around washington worked something like this every year i might as
[52:41]
well be made of stone every year when i'm with him out of every year he doesn't take me anywhere
[53:00]
six mode of every year when i play cards they ever seen apart but then the washington
[53:18]
take over every year from which i find it was november hey broadway babies thank you for
[56:03]
listening with me today to better living through show tunes next up is on the horizon with helena
[56:09]
i hope you have a wonderful sunday and here is one more show tune for you a little 42nd street
[56:23]
it's the part of little old new york that runs in two times square
[56:32]
a crazy quilt that wall street
[56:36]
it
[56:42]
you've got a time to spare i want to take you there come and meet those dancing feet
[57:06]
taking them and meet those dancing feet i'm taking you to second street hear the beat
[57:41]
of dancing feet team marie and bayou juju on sunday august 9th straight from norones team
[60:43]
marie and bayou juju channel a fresh take on traditional cajun creole zydigo swamp pop
[60:49]
and nola rnb their albums feature everything from acoustic improv to live shows from the sweaty
[60:55]
dance floors of dive bars the sounds of a seven piece band rocking on the banks of the mississippi
[61:01]
team marie will lead a cajun dance workshop at 4 30 p.m followed by a potluck supper at six
[61:07]
transitioning at 7 p.m to the concert and dancing more information at folklore village.org
[61:14]
team marie and bayou juju will be bringing some louisiana heat to folklore village on sunday august
[61:19]
9th you are listening to wrt madison