Ep 8 The Zina Chord: Taylor the Latte Boy, Five Women, and Baltimore

EP 10 Wicked, The Schwartz, & I

Wicked, The Schwartz & I. Stephen Schwartz was one of the best teachers I ever had. Now let’s talk “Wicked.”Why is Wicked both a masterpiece and a minefield?In the Season 1 finale of Does It Sing?, I break down “The Wizard and I” — the genius, the chaos, the craft, and the lyrical gymnastics that have baffled me for 22 years.Season finale is out now on YouTube, Apple, and Spotify.🎧📺 Search: DoesItSing-WDG#DoesItSing, #DoesItSingPodcast, #WickedTheMusical, #TheWizardAndI, #StephenSchwartz, #MusicalTheatre, #BroadwayPodcast, #SongwritingPodcast, #LyricWriting, #BroadwayNerd, #TheatreTok, #Vampirina, #DisneyMusic, #ChristmasKarma, #MusicalTheatreNerd

EP 10 Wicked, The Schwartz, & I (Season 1 Finale)

In the Season 1 finale of Does It Sing? with David Goldsmith, we do something we haven't done since Episode 1: no guest, just a solo deep dive into the craft of musical theatre — through one very famous song. In this episode: * A recap of Season 1 and its guests: * Alexandra Silber and her revelatory new book for the upcoming BRIGADOON at Pasadena Playhouse * Dick Scanlan and the reimagined THOROUGHLY MODERN MILLIE workshop (with a cameo mention for my wife, Bryonha Marie) * Stephen Flaherty on THE LORAX and the RAGTIME prologue * Zina Goldrich on the Broadway-bound EVER AFTER * What’s coming in Season 2: * Lynn Ahrens on reshaping DAMN YANKEES for the 21st century * David Javerbaum on parody lyrics, The Daily Show, and why rhyme, meter, and prosody matter even more when you’re trying to be funny * A few personal updates: * Writing “Maybe I’m Falling” for the new Disney series Vampirina: Teenage Vampire (along with some special fan footage and personal demos!) * Upcoming film Christmas Karma, written and directed by Gurinder Chadha, with songs I’ve co-written * And then: a forensic breakdown of “The Wizard and I” from Wicked * How the ASCAP/Disney Workshop (with Stephen Schwartz at the helm) shaped my thinking about giving notes * Why Wicked is both a towering achievement and a mixed bag of craft * The prosody and rhyme gymnastics in “The Wizard and I” — when they work, and when they pull you out of the story * The tension between cleverness and clarity * How the show brilliantly seeds the “melting” payoff from this I Want song all the way to the final scenes Along the way we talk about actors rescuing awkward scans, the danger of writing to impress instead of to serve story, and why Wicked still answers the three essential questions: Does it sing? Do I care? Why this show, why now? 🔔 Subscribe on Apple, Spotify, or YouTube (DoesItSing-WDG) so you don’t miss Season 2.

EP 9 Zina With A Z! Zina Goldrich Interview Pt 2, "Does It Sing?" AUDIO ONLY

🎹 Zina Goldrich breaks it all down for you. In this episode, Zina takes us inside the writing of “Who Needs Love?” — the Cinderella “I Want” song for the Broadway-bound Ever After — and shows how it transformed into a completely different Act 2 number with a brand-new dramatic job. From there, she sits at the piano to premiere the Prince’s counterpoint, putting the whole puzzle together in real time. And at the end? You’ll hear the full demo of “Zina With a Z,” the patter song we wrote together — the one that dares to follow Kander & Ebb. 🎧 Episode 9 is streaming now. 🎹 A rare composer-behind-the-piano masterclass.

EP 9 Zina Goldrich, Pt. 2: How It Started vs. How It’s Going: Goldrich & Heisler’s 20-Year Journey to “Ever After”

In this episode of Does It Sing?, award-winning composer Zina Goldrich returns for Part 2 of our in-depth conversation on the evolution of "Ever After"—the new musical based on the beloved 1998 film, currently headed toward a 2027 Broadway debut via Phoenix Theatre. David and Zina revisit the very first “I Want” song from the show’s earliest days—and how the journey through 100+ rewrites and 20 years led them to the version audiences will hear today. It’s a vulnerable, craft-driven look at the long game of musical theatre creation—and the song at the heart of it all. PLUS: David shares the only song he’s written with Zina—the hilarious, patter-heavy “Zina With A Z,” performed in cabaret but never before released. We play the full original demo here. You won’t want to miss it. 🕊️ Zina Goldrich & Marcy Heisler are recipients of the Fred Ebb Award, the ASCAP Richard Rodgers New Horizons Award, and have earned accolades for their globally loved catalogue including Taylor the Latte Boy, Baltimore, Dear Edwina, and Junie B. Jones. 📍 Spotify | Apple | YouTube 🔗 @DoesItSing | #DoesItSingPodcast 🎧 Listen to the full episode

Ep 8 The Zina Chord: Taylor the Latte Boy, Five Women, and Baltimore

Broadway composer Zina Goldrich joins David for a deliciously deep dive into the origin of Taylor the Latte Boy — how a one-off song inspired by a real barista turned into a musical theatre phenomenon, a publishing deal, and an enduring songwriting partnership with Marcy Heisler. David and Zina explore early gems like Oh, How I Loved You, the Does It Sing? segment breakdowns, and the surprising backstory behind the Five Women At An Airport opening number — which David admits was inspired by Marcy & Zina’s hilarious Audra McDonald showstopper Baltimore. Along the way, Zina breaks down her own harmonic language from the piano, revealing the secrets behind what David calls The Zina Chord — and why it sings. 🔹 How Taylor the Latte Boy became a hit 🔹 The real story behind “Baltimore” 🔹 What makes Zina’s music craft-first and audience-loved 🔹 The legacy of Goldrich & Heisler 🔹 Song nerdistry: “Oh, How I Loved You” dissected 🔹 And more, from Carnegie Hall to Broadway debuts-in-the-making.