🎭 My Favorite Sings — Ep. 8: "Early Morning Madness"
Rebranding and the Future of Musical Theater Development

In this episode of My Favorite Sings, hosts David Goldsmith and Paul Gordon announce a major shift for the show — revealing an upcoming rebrand to "Does It Sing?" with David Goldsmith & Friends, focusing on "The Three Questions" that drive every great musical: Does it Sing? Do I Care? and Does It Have A Reason For Being?

Paul shares his candid thoughts on the current state of Broadway, the obstacles facing new musicals, and the urgent need for musical and narrative sophistication. The conversation digs into West Side Story, Company, and A Chorus Line — dissecting what made them revolutionary — while reflecting on structure, storytelling, and why digital platforms may hold the key to theatre’s next chapter. BONUS: Stick around after the final credits, for an easter egg from the episode that reveals the clue of the title.

🎧 Watch on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@davidgoldsmithlyrics
🎙 Listen on Spotify, Apple & all platforms

⏱ Episode Timestamps:

00:00 — Introduction and Rebranding Pre-Announcement
01:21 — Technical Glitches and Podcasting Realities
02:05 — Paul’s Vacation and Catching Up
03:07 — Listener Engagement and Monetization
03:51 — The Connector Concert Experience
07:00 — Broadway’s Musical Landscape
09:41 — The Art of Storytelling in Musicals
13:43 — The Three Questions Framework
23:36 — Groundbreaking Musicals: West Side Story, Company, Chorus Line
26:59 — The Genius of Marvin Hamlisch
30:05 — Challenges in the Broadway Industry
34:09 — The Importance of Digital Transformation
36:16 — Paul Gordon’s Farewell and Future Plans
41:24 — Advice for Aspiring Musical Writers
47:06 — Final Thoughts and POST-CREDIT SURPRISE Anecdote

While Paul’s off gallivanting in LA, David welcomes his longtime songwriting partner John Kavanaugh as guest co-host. John (9-time Emmy nominee, Sofia the First, Elena of Avalor, Descendants 3) joins for a deep dive into the realities of songwriting for Disney, film, television, stage—and what separates a song from a track.

They cover:

✅ Landing their newest Disney song (and how blind submissions work)
✅ The strange mix of art, commerce, and luck behind every song placement
✅ The craft of structure, form, and musical theatre songwriting vs pop songwriting
✅ Their collaboration on My Once Upon A Time (Descendants 3)
✅ The long road of their musical Five Women at an Airport — now streaming on Virtual Stage Lab

🎧 PLUS: A never-before-heard surprise — the original demo track of "My Once Upon A Time"
Produced by Marco Marinangeli & performed by Ashley Morgan — the first recording Dove Cameron heard before laying down her version.

💻 More from this episode:

• 🎼 Five Women at an Airport → https://fivewomenatairportmusical.com
• 🎥 Virtual Stage Lab → https://virtualstagelab.com
• 🎶 Watch/listen to My Once Upon A Time → https://youtu.be/eS4po4pY3xs?si=AKSfgVJEkAFnhr5Y
• 🎙 Contact Virtual Stage Lab: virtualstagelab@gmail.com

My Favorite Sings is a production of Virtual Stage Lab.

CHAPTER TIMESTAMPS

00:00 — Pink headphones, Pride Month & LA flashbacks
04:40 — Guest intro: John Kavanaugh’s Emmy-winning resume
08:15 — Landing their newest Disney song
12:50 — Blind submissions & the Disney song process
17:20 — Structure: musical theatre vs pop songwriting
24:00 — The story behind My Once Upon A Time
35:00 — Why training matters for songwriters
42:10 — The evolution of Five Women at an Airport
52:30 — Virtual Stage Lab & democratizing musical development
1:02:00 — Shameless Plugs: Five Women at an Airport
1:07:30 — Tony Awards recap
1:13:00 — 🎧 BONUS: The original demo of "My Once Upon A Time"

🎙️ NEW EPISODE!
“What, Me? Shameless Plugs?” — Ep. 6 of My Favorite Sings is live!

David Goldsmith & Paul Gordon get real(ish) about:
✅ Launching the pod
✅ Taking notes (or not)
✅ Segment ideas they may never use
✅ And why filmed musicals might just save the industry

Also: some very shameless plugs. You’ve been warned.

🧢 Stream now wherever you get your podcasts
🎭 Watch on YouTube + Spotify

#MyFavoriteSings #MusicalTheatrePodcast #BroadwayWriters #VirtualStageLab #PaulGordon #DavidGoldsmith #NewMusicals #FilmedTheatre