In preparation for tomorrow's show on record labels and new releases, I found this fabulous listing for a Japanese CD set. Disney classic tunes, performed in English at
Footlight.com Here are the song titles, obtained from a Japanese website: translated from English to Japanese and back again. Guess that song!
CD 1:
1. Hole new world [[arajin]]
2. The past when it is revealed [[arajin]]
3. Beauty and beast [beauty and beast]
4. If eye [nevua] new u [[pokahontasu]]
Artist John [sekada] & plain gauze Nice
5. Color of the window [[pokahontasu]]
6. Yule B in my heart [Tarzan]
Artist Filling Collins
7. Feeling love, [the lion king]
8. Alice of the country of wonder [Alice of the country of wonder]
9. Once upon a time, with dream [the beauty of the forest which you can sleep]
10. As for me wonder [the beauty of the forest which you can sleep]
11. As for dream secretly [Cinderella]
12. Once upon a time the prince [Snow White]
13. [u] wooden pail obtaining of love [Bambi]
14. My baby [[danbo]]
15. From the right 2nd star [Peter pan]
16. Someone waits, [large venture of [bianka]]
17. Go the distance [[herakuresu]]
18. Look through my [aizu] [brother bear]
Artist Filling Collins
19. My funny friend and me [the king who becomes the llama]
Artist [suteingu]
20. Sum D [Notre Dame bell]
Artist All 4 one
21. [hoen] sea [ravudo] me [toy story 2]
Artist Plate [makurakuran]
22. Aisle try [Peter pan 2]
Artist [jiyonasa] brook
23. Part of [yua] world [Little mermaid]
24. In star request [Pinocchio]
CD 2:
1. Hawaiian [rorakosuta] ride [[riroandosuteitsuchi]]
Artist Mark [keari] hole & [kamehamehasukuru] child choir
2. Favorite become, you cannot be, [[riroandosuteitsuchi]]
Artist A* [teinzu]
3. Pineapple princess [[riroandosuteitsuchi] 2]
Artist [anetsuto] [hunisero]
4. Under the sea [Little mermaid]
5. Kiss the girl [Little mermaid]
6. Dig the hole [the lion king 3 [hakuna] [matata]]
Artist [rebo] M& [vuinkusu]
7. [topushi] [tavui] [Notre Dame bell]
8. Round rise of [utsudei] [toy story 2]
Artist [raidazu] in the sky
9. Even as for also you ([uiji] [vuajiyon]) [toy story 2]
Artist Robert [guretsuto]
10. You companion [Peter pan 2]
11. It continues in the leader, [the Peter pan]
12. It can fly you! [Peter pan]
13. High hoe [Snow White]
14. It was late to time, [Alice of the country of wonder]
Artist Building Thompson
15. We would like to become everyone cat, is, [the foppish cat]
16. We would like to become like you, [the jungle book]
17. April rain [Bambi]
18. [chimu] & [chimu] cherry [Mary [popinzu]]
19. [bibidei] [babidei] [bu] [Cinderella]
20. When being troubled, the whistle [the Pinocchio]
21. [jitsupa] D [dou] [da] [southern part ‰S]
22. [kuruera] of town [101 cups]
23. Time of [yua] life [[baguzu] life]
Artist [randei] [niyuman]
24. Unless you are, [the [monsutazu] ink]
Artist [biri] crystal and John Goodman
Bonus Track:
25. Very him pirate [[pairetsu] of [karibian]]
Tuesday, December 05, 2006
Tuesday, May 09, 2006
May 10: Once Upon a Time
Beauty and the Beast opens this Sunday for Spokane Children's Theatre, part of the 60th anniversary season. It's an ambitious undertaking: the full Disney version based on the popular animated movie. Disney is synonymous with musical fairy tales, but theatre is full of shows and songs based on "Once Upon a Time."
- Ray Bolger performed in the 1969 show "All American," where he and Eileen Herlie sang a wistful make-believe.
- In honor of the Children's Theatre production, the opening song from Beauty and the Beast, the stage version.
- The Royal Shakespeare Company's stage version of the Judy Garland film The Wizard of Oz.
- The best fairy-tale show by far is Stephen Sondheim's Into the Woods. Hello Little Girl introduces the wolf to Little Red Riding Hood, and I Know Things Now is her summation of what happened and the lessons she takes.
Cinderella also stars in Into the Woods, with her dilema of being stuck on the steps of the palace. But first, Rodgers and Hammerstein turned the same story into a television special with Julie Andrews. Edie Adams is the Fairy Godmother.
- Carol Burnett made her stage debut as a very un-typical princess in Once Upon a Mattress, a retelling of The Princess and the Pea. She's got to pass a test in order to marry the prince she loves, and is studying by reading the fairy-tale history of the kingdom.
- Hans Christian Andersen wrote many beloved fairytales, and the Danny Kaye musical of the author's life showcased many of the sweet stories, including Thumbelina.
One of the interesting facets of fairy tales is how they can represent fascets of our ordinary lives.
- Pajama Game: Young love usually feels like a fairy tale, so why not use fairy tales to tell someone how much you love him/her?
- Two Fairy Tales: Stephen Sondheim initially meant this song to introduce the sunny ingenue and moody son-in-law of A Little Night Music. Goes to show that fairy tales mean different things to different people.
- Meadowlark: The show is The Baker's Wife, by Stephen Schwartz (more of his songs in July as Cour d'Alene Summer Theatre present his show Pippin). A womanis torn between her older husband and an exciting young stranger, and uses a fairytale to sort out her situation.
- Race You To The Top of the Morning: From "The Secret Garden," the father secretly reads to his ill child every night, again putting his situation into fairytale form to tell the sleping child.
- The show Once Upon an Island is a beautiful Caribbean-style fairy tale, with a young girl in love with a prince-like rich boy. Like the original Little Mermaid, this young woman does not get the boy, and sacrifices herself for love, transformed into something beautiful. The final song is special not for the end of the story, but the storytellers themselves explaining why they tell the story: "for out of what we live and we believe, our lives become the stories that we weave."
Incidentally, Peter Pan is playing at Coeur d'Alene Summer Theatre this summer, and in July we'll have a collection of songs from the many different versions.
- Ray Bolger performed in the 1969 show "All American," where he and Eileen Herlie sang a wistful make-believe.
- In honor of the Children's Theatre production, the opening song from Beauty and the Beast, the stage version.
- The Royal Shakespeare Company's stage version of the Judy Garland film The Wizard of Oz.
- The best fairy-tale show by far is Stephen Sondheim's Into the Woods. Hello Little Girl introduces the wolf to Little Red Riding Hood, and I Know Things Now is her summation of what happened and the lessons she takes.
Cinderella also stars in Into the Woods, with her dilema of being stuck on the steps of the palace. But first, Rodgers and Hammerstein turned the same story into a television special with Julie Andrews. Edie Adams is the Fairy Godmother.
- Carol Burnett made her stage debut as a very un-typical princess in Once Upon a Mattress, a retelling of The Princess and the Pea. She's got to pass a test in order to marry the prince she loves, and is studying by reading the fairy-tale history of the kingdom.
- Hans Christian Andersen wrote many beloved fairytales, and the Danny Kaye musical of the author's life showcased many of the sweet stories, including Thumbelina.
One of the interesting facets of fairy tales is how they can represent fascets of our ordinary lives.
- Pajama Game: Young love usually feels like a fairy tale, so why not use fairy tales to tell someone how much you love him/her?
- Two Fairy Tales: Stephen Sondheim initially meant this song to introduce the sunny ingenue and moody son-in-law of A Little Night Music. Goes to show that fairy tales mean different things to different people.
- Meadowlark: The show is The Baker's Wife, by Stephen Schwartz (more of his songs in July as Cour d'Alene Summer Theatre present his show Pippin). A womanis torn between her older husband and an exciting young stranger, and uses a fairytale to sort out her situation.
- Race You To The Top of the Morning: From "The Secret Garden," the father secretly reads to his ill child every night, again putting his situation into fairytale form to tell the sleping child.
- The show Once Upon an Island is a beautiful Caribbean-style fairy tale, with a young girl in love with a prince-like rich boy. Like the original Little Mermaid, this young woman does not get the boy, and sacrifices herself for love, transformed into something beautiful. The final song is special not for the end of the story, but the storytellers themselves explaining why they tell the story: "for out of what we live and we believe, our lives become the stories that we weave."
Incidentally, Peter Pan is playing at Coeur d'Alene Summer Theatre this summer, and in July we'll have a collection of songs from the many different versions.
May 3: And Now For Something Completely Different
Our pledge drive request show brought some interesting results: requests for comedy songs. Jimmy Durante, Victor Borge, Spike Jones, more Tom Lehrer. Almost all of these songs have been performed on stage. Comedy Tonight!
Sunday, April 02, 2006
Religion and musicals
On April 12, Passover begins. Easter is on the way. This week is the setting for both Jesus Christ Superstar and Godspell. It's the perfect time to take a look at how religion and beliefs are portrayed in musicals. There's far too much material to cover in one hour, and there are no sweeping generalizations. But there are wonderful songs to share.
Fiddler on the Roof: If I Were a Rich Man
In the creation of Fiddler on the Roof, Zero Mostel insisted on a serious verse, where Tevye considered how life would be if he could just sit in the synagogue and pray.
Jesus Christ Superstar
This is the show everyone thinks of when you mention "God" and "Musicals" in the same sentance. "Superstar" is Tim Rice and Andrew Lloyd Webber's personal take on the New Testament, with several liberties to the traditional views.
Two songs from the 2000 London recording, followed by Jerry Hadley's take on Gethsemanie.
In most epic stories about political injustice, faith in God is a central theme - usually holding on to God as an anchor. Here is a collection of prayers (or as I call it, "Bible Belting.")
The Color Purple (based on the book and subsequent film) is about personal freedom and the context of racism. Celie goes from a childlike view of God to complete disbelief to strong spirituality, while living in a strong Bible-belt community.
Sarafina is an Apartheid show (later a film with Whoopie Goldberg) about students fighting for equality. At the start of the day, they sing the Lord's Prayer.
Notre-Dame de Paris, based on The Hunchback of Notre-Dame (by Victor Hugo), takes place in the famous cathedral. At one point, the gypsy woman Esmeralda takes refuge in the church and prays to Mary.
In the Disney animated film of Notre Dame, the same moment is "God Help the Outcasts," written by Stephen Schwartz.
Speaking of Stephen Schwartz, he wrote 'that other musical about Jesus,' Godspell.
(More about Stephen Schwartz this summer when Coeur d'Alene Summer Theater presents his show Pippin)
In Victor Hugo's novel Les Miserables, religion is the core reason for Jean Valjean's redemption, as heard in this selection from the opening of the show. (By the way, this musical mentions "God" more than all the successful Broadway musicals combined.)
Mario Lanza sang the music for the film version of "The Student Prince," which includes "I'll Walk with God"
And finally, the Sabbath Prayer from Fiddler on the Roof.
Some other songs that we can't fit on the show:
- On the Deck of a Spanish Sailing Ship, a captain sailing to the New World prays for his crew and passengers. (From Songs for a New World)
- Whistle Down the Wind: Set in the American South, some kids believe an escaped convict is Jesus in the second coming.
- Randy Newman's Faust, a musical retelling of the Devil vs. God test with Faust in between. James Taylor sings the role of God, coming across as a pompous celeb (in true Randy Newman style, who by the way sings the Devil).
Old Testament stories: Just as novels are a core source material for musicals, so is the Bible.
- Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat - pop songs tell the story without one mention of "God"
- Two by Two is Richard Rodgers' version of Noah and the Ark, most famous because of Danny Kaye's performance.
Sometimes instead of an anchor, the singer is wondering where God is during all this trouble.
- Lost in the Stars: 1949 Kurt Weill
- Dog Eats Dog from Les Miserables.
Two Off-Broadway musicals poke fun with respect at Catholic beliefs: Nunsense (and its various sequels) and Altar Boyz. Each have their "in" jokes that non-Catholics don't quite get, but each are good-natured fun.
- Altar Boyz takes the premise of a stereotypical pop 'boy band,' with the religious members Matthew, Mark, Luke, Juan, and Abraham singing in that American Idol style. (Cheyanne Jackson isn't on the CD, but he took a turn as group leader Matthew)
Non Judeo-Christian
- In The King and I, Yul Brynner's King makes a Prayer to Buddha for preservation of the kingdom against the British. When Carousel Players present The King & I later this summer, I'll do an hour of music inspired by Asia.
A PBS program interviewed Jerry Herman on his spirituality and the songs that reflect that. Transcript is here.
Fiddler on the Roof: If I Were a Rich Man
In the creation of Fiddler on the Roof, Zero Mostel insisted on a serious verse, where Tevye considered how life would be if he could just sit in the synagogue and pray.
Jesus Christ Superstar
This is the show everyone thinks of when you mention "God" and "Musicals" in the same sentance. "Superstar" is Tim Rice and Andrew Lloyd Webber's personal take on the New Testament, with several liberties to the traditional views.
Two songs from the 2000 London recording, followed by Jerry Hadley's take on Gethsemanie.
In most epic stories about political injustice, faith in God is a central theme - usually holding on to God as an anchor. Here is a collection of prayers (or as I call it, "Bible Belting.")
The Color Purple (based on the book and subsequent film) is about personal freedom and the context of racism. Celie goes from a childlike view of God to complete disbelief to strong spirituality, while living in a strong Bible-belt community.
Sarafina is an Apartheid show (later a film with Whoopie Goldberg) about students fighting for equality. At the start of the day, they sing the Lord's Prayer.
Notre-Dame de Paris, based on The Hunchback of Notre-Dame (by Victor Hugo), takes place in the famous cathedral. At one point, the gypsy woman Esmeralda takes refuge in the church and prays to Mary.
In the Disney animated film of Notre Dame, the same moment is "God Help the Outcasts," written by Stephen Schwartz.
Speaking of Stephen Schwartz, he wrote 'that other musical about Jesus,' Godspell.
(More about Stephen Schwartz this summer when Coeur d'Alene Summer Theater presents his show Pippin)
In Victor Hugo's novel Les Miserables, religion is the core reason for Jean Valjean's redemption, as heard in this selection from the opening of the show. (By the way, this musical mentions "God" more than all the successful Broadway musicals combined.)
Mario Lanza sang the music for the film version of "The Student Prince," which includes "I'll Walk with God"
And finally, the Sabbath Prayer from Fiddler on the Roof.
Some other songs that we can't fit on the show:
- On the Deck of a Spanish Sailing Ship, a captain sailing to the New World prays for his crew and passengers. (From Songs for a New World)
- Whistle Down the Wind: Set in the American South, some kids believe an escaped convict is Jesus in the second coming.
- Randy Newman's Faust, a musical retelling of the Devil vs. God test with Faust in between. James Taylor sings the role of God, coming across as a pompous celeb (in true Randy Newman style, who by the way sings the Devil).
Old Testament stories: Just as novels are a core source material for musicals, so is the Bible.
- Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat - pop songs tell the story without one mention of "God"
- Two by Two is Richard Rodgers' version of Noah and the Ark, most famous because of Danny Kaye's performance.
Sometimes instead of an anchor, the singer is wondering where God is during all this trouble.
- Lost in the Stars: 1949 Kurt Weill
- Dog Eats Dog from Les Miserables.
Two Off-Broadway musicals poke fun with respect at Catholic beliefs: Nunsense (and its various sequels) and Altar Boyz. Each have their "in" jokes that non-Catholics don't quite get, but each are good-natured fun.
- Altar Boyz takes the premise of a stereotypical pop 'boy band,' with the religious members Matthew, Mark, Luke, Juan, and Abraham singing in that American Idol style. (Cheyanne Jackson isn't on the CD, but he took a turn as group leader Matthew)
Non Judeo-Christian
- In The King and I, Yul Brynner's King makes a Prayer to Buddha for preservation of the kingdom against the British. When Carousel Players present The King & I later this summer, I'll do an hour of music inspired by Asia.
A PBS program interviewed Jerry Herman on his spirituality and the songs that reflect that. Transcript is here.
Songs of the Western Plains
- Movies and the stage both romantisized life in the frontier. In honor of Oklahoma coming to town, let's look at some of the songs set in the old American West.
One pleasure of seeing "the west" onstage is the roughness and anything-goes energy, usually from the men. Here are some of those fun-and-fancy-free numbers, the Buffalo Bill show, and Belly up to the Bar.
* Colonel Buffalo Bill - The opening number to "Annie Get Your Gun," David Garrison from a studio recording (also featuring Thomas Hampson as Frank)
* Belly Up to the Bar, Boys - Tammy Grimes is the title character in The Unsinkable Molly Brown
* The Lonesome Cowboy - from Crazy for You, the reworking of "Girl Crazy" set in a Nevada mining town
A few songs about the slow, often lonely pace of the West.
* Bidin' My Time - the quartet from Crazy for You lyin' about on stage makes for my favorite rendition of this Gershwin classic
* Lament (Lonesome Polecat) - Matt Mattox from the film Seven Brides for Seven Brothers.
* They Call The Wind Maria - Opera star Bryn Terfel is Welsh, but channels the lonely calling of the western wind in this classic from Paint Your Wagon.
* Joey, Joey Joey - Another 'wind calling you away' song, thi time from the original cast of The Most Happy Fella.
When you're lonely, you go looking for companionship. Sometimes you find it, sometimes you just keep complaining that it's not there.
* The Wild Wild West - When America headed west, so did Fred Harvey's restaurant chain...and so did a lot of young waitresses who didn't know how wild the frontier was. Virginia O'Brien's character thought it would be a lot wilder, though, and has one of the fun songs from this 1946 film.
* Bless Yore Beautiful Hide - Howard Keel in the 1954 answer to Oklahoma's success
* Doin' What Comes Natur'lly - Bernadette Peters won a Tony for her 1999 revival of Annie Oakley's story; this song revels in the facts of the birds and bees with her little siblings.
* What Takes My Fancy - Lucille Ball took a spectacular flop on Broadway with "Wildcat," which includes this rough-and-tumble duet between a crotchety varmit and a sassy gal who come to a mutual understanding.
Just a few more songs to wrap things up...
* Hand Me Down That Can 'O Beans - from Paint Your Wagon, Robert Penn and the men celebrate a gal coming to town.
* On the Atchison, Topeka, and the Santa Fe - the big number from The Harvey Girls with Judy Garland. You can live in the Wild West, but it sure helps to be connected to civilization once in a while with a train!
* March of the Doagies - an outtake from the Harvey Girls, with Judy Garland
And finally, some people just like civilization a lot better.
* Way Out West - from the film Words and Music, with Betty Garrett.
A few other shows that feature cowboys and the west:
- Will Rogers Follies: The restless Rodgers broke in horses for the British Army, was a trick roper in South Africa, roped on Vaudeville, and eventually worked up a routine for Ziegfeld's follies. His story's told in an Ahrens-Flaherty musical set up like a Ziegfeld show.
- Roadside: The 2001 musical by Tom Jones and Harvey Schmidt, following a traveling tent show on an Old West adventure. Also based loosely on "Green Grow the Lilacs," the play that birthed "Oklahoma"
Desperate Measures - a reworking of Shakespeare's Measure for Measure
Girl of the Golden West - a 1938 film with Nelson Eddy and Jeannette MacDonald.
Tuesday, March 21, 2006
Mar 22: Happy Birthday Andrew
Sir Andrew Lloyd Webber, arguably the most popular modern composer, turns 58 on March 22. This week we hear a collection of songs from his musical career. While his work incorporates rock, pop, gospel, and other music genres, Janean will focus mostly on ballads, Lloyd Webber's strong suit.
Born in Britain on March 22, 1948, Andrew Lloyd Webber is probably the most popular composer of our time. His show Phantom of the Opera holds the record for the longest-running musical on Broadway, surpassing his other record-breaker, Cats, in January. His honors include seven Tony Awards, three Grammy Awards, an Oscar, an International Emmy, six Olivier Awards, and a Golden Globe Award.
But he is also the most polarizing person in today's theatrical world. Love him for his soaring and memorable melodies, or hate him for his syruppy style and stealing from Puccini -- and himself!
I visited London in spring of 1991, and he had four productions running at once -- Phantom, Cats, Starlight Express, and Aspects of Love. All four hold fond places in my heart, for varying reasons. My second musical was JC Superstar at the Civic. I helped my parents present Joseph at the school they taught at. Evita was the first musical I was bombarded with advertisements for (leading me, during a regular grocery trip with my mom, to point to a brand of processed cheese and sing, "Velveeeeeta, Velveeeeta...")
Andrew Lloyd Webber's music is certainly that cheesy, and he's not my favorite composer. His lyricists, for the most part, don't measure up to the songs.
Notes about a few of the specific songs:
"Half a Moment" - Lloyd Webber attempted a show based on the "Jeeves" novels, which fell flat. This song was one of its highlights, and occasionally he would talk about all the good songs that were lost to the general public because the show it's from flopped. That eventually led to a CD with then-wife Sarah Brightman called "The Songs that Got Away."
"The Love Trio" - Three of his best love songs were combined for a leading ladies concert, televised by PBS. Audra McDonald sings Love Changes Everything (from Aspects of Love), Marin Mazzie sings Unexpected Song (from Song & Dance/Tell Me On A Sunday), and Judy Kuhn sings I Don't Know How To Love Him (JC Superstar). The old adage about something being worth more than the sum of its parts holds true with this combination.
"Could We Start Again Please" - Not on the original concept album, this song gives an important voice to the disciples after the confusion of the trial. Renee Castle, on the 2000 CD cast recording, gives a beautiful quietness to Mary Magdaline. (Look for more JC Superstar songs in mid-April, when we explore religion in musicals)
"Whistle Down the Wind" - The show was perhaps too ahead of its time. With lyrics by Jim Steinman, the dark soul behind the Celine Dion hit "It's All Coming Back to Me Now" and most of Meatloaf's success (the "Bad Outta Hell" albums), the lyrics are brooding, gothic, and not the feel-good show the producers thought was expected of Lloyd Webber. It sold out in Washington DC (1996), but went back to London for its final run. (Of course 10 years later, here comes "Lestat" - if it fails, Lloyd Webber will probably say 'Told you so.') Fans call the title tune one of the best in the show, with a Steinman-esque turn of the ol' "Chin Up" message.
"Sunset Boulevard" - The American version debuted in Los Angeles, appropriately enough. From that recording, Alan Campbell as Joe sets the stage.
"Capped Teeth and Ceaser Salad" - Speaking of life in Los Angeles, this sweet and funny song captures the shallowness of the media life there. Bernadette Peters performed the one-woman show it's from, "Tell Me On A Sunday," (otherwise known as the "songs" half of "Song and Dance") on Broadway in 1985. By the way, some years ago Ann Fennessy took on the demanding role of Emma for Spokane Opera (then called Uptown Opera).
"Tell Me On A Sunday" - The title song from the aforementioned show. Denise Van Outen is a British model and TV personality who starred in a West End revival (and update) a few years ago.
"I Believe My Heart" - Lloyd Webber's most recent show was The Woman in White, which came and went pretty quickly. The recording is from the opening night performance at the Palace theater in London, September 2004.
"Anything But Lonely" - The big emotional finale to Aspects of Love.
Forbidden Broadway did a great parody of the big song "Love Changes Everything" making it "I Sleep with Everyone." It should be called "Aspects of Lust" since the only true love shown in the show is that between father and daughter in the second act. (Or is that really Alex's daughter and not his niece? None of the characters ever make that connection, but...) Despite the crazy, improbable relationships from the novel, some of the music is truly gorgeous.
"All I Ask of You" - JC Superstar and Evita made it to the big screen, Cats made it to video, so Phantom had to follow suit. By the time it was ready to film, both Sarah Brightman and Michael Crawford (the original stars) were too old for the parts. Emmy Rossum was a child singer for the Metropolitan Opera, and at age 16 won the part of Christine for the film. Her Raoul is Patrick Wilson, who was excellent as Joe Pitt in the cable TV version of Angels In America.
When Andrew Lloyd Webber turned 50 back in 1998, the celebratory concert was at Royal Albert Hall. Dame Kiri Te Kanawa introduced a tune called "The Heart is Slow to Learn," with lyrics by Don Black. It's been recycled in "The Beautiful Game," as "Our Kind of Love."
Born in Britain on March 22, 1948, Andrew Lloyd Webber is probably the most popular composer of our time. His show Phantom of the Opera holds the record for the longest-running musical on Broadway, surpassing his other record-breaker, Cats, in January. His honors include seven Tony Awards, three Grammy Awards, an Oscar, an International Emmy, six Olivier Awards, and a Golden Globe Award.
But he is also the most polarizing person in today's theatrical world. Love him for his soaring and memorable melodies, or hate him for his syruppy style and stealing from Puccini -- and himself!
I visited London in spring of 1991, and he had four productions running at once -- Phantom, Cats, Starlight Express, and Aspects of Love. All four hold fond places in my heart, for varying reasons. My second musical was JC Superstar at the Civic. I helped my parents present Joseph at the school they taught at. Evita was the first musical I was bombarded with advertisements for (leading me, during a regular grocery trip with my mom, to point to a brand of processed cheese and sing, "Velveeeeeta, Velveeeeta...")
Andrew Lloyd Webber's music is certainly that cheesy, and he's not my favorite composer. His lyricists, for the most part, don't measure up to the songs.
Notes about a few of the specific songs:
"Half a Moment" - Lloyd Webber attempted a show based on the "Jeeves" novels, which fell flat. This song was one of its highlights, and occasionally he would talk about all the good songs that were lost to the general public because the show it's from flopped. That eventually led to a CD with then-wife Sarah Brightman called "The Songs that Got Away."
"The Love Trio" - Three of his best love songs were combined for a leading ladies concert, televised by PBS. Audra McDonald sings Love Changes Everything (from Aspects of Love), Marin Mazzie sings Unexpected Song (from Song & Dance/Tell Me On A Sunday), and Judy Kuhn sings I Don't Know How To Love Him (JC Superstar). The old adage about something being worth more than the sum of its parts holds true with this combination.
"Could We Start Again Please" - Not on the original concept album, this song gives an important voice to the disciples after the confusion of the trial. Renee Castle, on the 2000 CD cast recording, gives a beautiful quietness to Mary Magdaline. (Look for more JC Superstar songs in mid-April, when we explore religion in musicals)
"Whistle Down the Wind" - The show was perhaps too ahead of its time. With lyrics by Jim Steinman, the dark soul behind the Celine Dion hit "It's All Coming Back to Me Now" and most of Meatloaf's success (the "Bad Outta Hell" albums), the lyrics are brooding, gothic, and not the feel-good show the producers thought was expected of Lloyd Webber. It sold out in Washington DC (1996), but went back to London for its final run. (Of course 10 years later, here comes "Lestat" - if it fails, Lloyd Webber will probably say 'Told you so.') Fans call the title tune one of the best in the show, with a Steinman-esque turn of the ol' "Chin Up" message.
"Sunset Boulevard" - The American version debuted in Los Angeles, appropriately enough. From that recording, Alan Campbell as Joe sets the stage.
"Capped Teeth and Ceaser Salad" - Speaking of life in Los Angeles, this sweet and funny song captures the shallowness of the media life there. Bernadette Peters performed the one-woman show it's from, "Tell Me On A Sunday," (otherwise known as the "songs" half of "Song and Dance") on Broadway in 1985. By the way, some years ago Ann Fennessy took on the demanding role of Emma for Spokane Opera (then called Uptown Opera).
"Tell Me On A Sunday" - The title song from the aforementioned show. Denise Van Outen is a British model and TV personality who starred in a West End revival (and update) a few years ago.
"I Believe My Heart" - Lloyd Webber's most recent show was The Woman in White, which came and went pretty quickly. The recording is from the opening night performance at the Palace theater in London, September 2004.
"Anything But Lonely" - The big emotional finale to Aspects of Love.
Forbidden Broadway did a great parody of the big song "Love Changes Everything" making it "I Sleep with Everyone." It should be called "Aspects of Lust" since the only true love shown in the show is that between father and daughter in the second act. (Or is that really Alex's daughter and not his niece? None of the characters ever make that connection, but...) Despite the crazy, improbable relationships from the novel, some of the music is truly gorgeous.
"All I Ask of You" - JC Superstar and Evita made it to the big screen, Cats made it to video, so Phantom had to follow suit. By the time it was ready to film, both Sarah Brightman and Michael Crawford (the original stars) were too old for the parts. Emmy Rossum was a child singer for the Metropolitan Opera, and at age 16 won the part of Christine for the film. Her Raoul is Patrick Wilson, who was excellent as Joe Pitt in the cable TV version of Angels In America.
When Andrew Lloyd Webber turned 50 back in 1998, the celebratory concert was at Royal Albert Hall. Dame Kiri Te Kanawa introduced a tune called "The Heart is Slow to Learn," with lyrics by Don Black. It's been recycled in "The Beautiful Game," as "Our Kind of Love."
Monday, March 13, 2006
Mar 15: Donoval Stohlberg shares his 'favorite things'
Donovan Stohlberg of Spokane Civic Theatre comes in to talk about Life 101, his musical making its Northwest debut at Civic's Studio, and other songs from musicals he enjoys.
Donovan has also written "Jack the Ripper: A Musical Mystery." He has directed several productions, including "Picasso at the Lapin Agile" at Civic's Studio Theatre, "Equus," "The Foreigner," and "The Barber of Seville." Donovan holds an MFA in acting from Minnesota State University. He also serves Spokane Civic Theatre as the Marketing and Development Director.
Donovan has also written "Jack the Ripper: A Musical Mystery." He has directed several productions, including "Picasso at the Lapin Agile" at Civic's Studio Theatre, "Equus," "The Foreigner," and "The Barber of Seville." Donovan holds an MFA in acting from Minnesota State University. He also serves Spokane Civic Theatre as the Marketing and Development Director.
Tuesday, March 07, 2006
Mar. 8: Dream Girls
"Dream Girls" pander to male fantasies -- in song. Guys in musicals tend to wax poetically about some girl who's away, or the ideal mate who just hasn't come along yet.
Composers and producers discovered that audiences wanted a ballad early in the show. How can you write a gentle love song for characters who have either just met or don't know each other at all? One answer was a love song to the unknown girl-out-there, the girl they fantisize about.
As a modern woman, of course, I'm always skeptical of these songs. Love ME, not the fantasy you then want me to embody. And writers picked up on that -- sometimes, the girl that the guy falls for is very different than what he imagined. Ruth ain't no "Quiet Girl," Annie Oakland is quite different than the girl Frank envisioned he'd marry.
In Bye-Bye Birdie, a teenage girl dreams of being one of those women. Girls, you can set better goals than to be "what they're whistling at."
There are female counterparts of course -- Marion the Librarian's "My White Knight," The Man I Love. We'll save those for another time. If you have suggestions, email me at janean@kpbx.org.
Composers and producers discovered that audiences wanted a ballad early in the show. How can you write a gentle love song for characters who have either just met or don't know each other at all? One answer was a love song to the unknown girl-out-there, the girl they fantisize about.
As a modern woman, of course, I'm always skeptical of these songs. Love ME, not the fantasy you then want me to embody. And writers picked up on that -- sometimes, the girl that the guy falls for is very different than what he imagined. Ruth ain't no "Quiet Girl," Annie Oakland is quite different than the girl Frank envisioned he'd marry.
In Bye-Bye Birdie, a teenage girl dreams of being one of those women. Girls, you can set better goals than to be "what they're whistling at."
There are female counterparts of course -- Marion the Librarian's "My White Knight," The Man I Love. We'll save those for another time. If you have suggestions, email me at janean@kpbx.org.
Tuesday, February 28, 2006
Mar 1: Broadway Divas
There is a big difference between a leading lady and a true Broadway diva. A diva is so much larger-than-life that the mention of her name can inspire devotion bordering on fanaticism.
Some would add Barbra Streisand and Judy Garland to this list, but concerts and revues don’t cut it. Barbra only starred twice on Broadway.
Ethel Merman, on the other hand, starred in more than a dozen original musicals. From Girl Crazy in 1930 until the Annie Get Your Gun revival in 1966, the brassy belter of them all graced the Broadway stages. Ethel made her Broadway debut in George Gershwin's Girl Crazy (1930), causing a sensation with her performance of "I Got Rhythm!" She went from there to appear in George White's Scandals of 1931 (opposite Ray Bolger, Ethel Barrymore Colt, and Rudy Vallee), in which she introduced DeSylva, Brown, & Henderson's "Life is Just a Bowl of Cherries" to the world. Her next big score was as Reno Sweeney in Cole Porter's Anything Goes (1936), where she belted out such hits as "I Get a Kick Out of You" and "You're the Top!," thus beginning the long Porter-Merman string of hits (Porter lovingly referred to her as "The Golden Fog Horn"). Rodgers & Hammerstein presented Ethel as historical sharpshooter Annie Oakley in Irving Berlin's Annie Get Your Gun. The greatest performance of her career was as Rose in Gypsy. That was the last role that Ethel created on the stage, but in the late 1960s, she stepped into the role of Dolly Levi (a role originally written for her that she had initially turned down) in Jerry Herman's Hello, Dolly! At this point the microphone had invaded the Broadway stage, but La Merm refused to wear one-- and, indeed, she didn’t need one. She never had.
Mary Martin is -- next to Merman -- the name that pops into most people's heads when they hear the term "The Golden Age of Broadway." As we mentioned last week in the Cole Porter hour, she shot to stardom overnight thanks to her strip-tease singing "My Heart Belongs to Daddy."After that, she played a statue of the Goddess of Love come-to-life in Kurt Weill's One Touch of Venus, introducing to the world such standards as "That's Him" and "Speak Low." From there, she was the original Nellie Forbush in Rodgers & Hammerstein's South Pacific and Maria von Trapp in The Sound of Music. She appeared on national television broadcasts of Peter Pan and Annie Get Your Gun.
Some say Bernadette Peters is the last true Broadway diva. She made her stage debut as Dainty June's understudy in a national tour of Gypsy, and made it to Broadway at age 19. Her second Broadway show earned her a Theatre World citation for George M opposite Joel Grey, and then won her first Drama Desk Award for her performance in Dames At Sea. She was nominated for a Tony for her performance as silent screen comedienne Mabel Normand in Jerry Herman's Mack & Mable and in Sunday in the Park with George. She created the role of the Witch in Stephen Sondheim's Into the Woods, starred in a revival of Irving Berlin's Annie Get Your Gun, and in 2003 returned to her first show, but this time as Mama Rose in Gypsy. She is now considered the foremost interpreter of Stephen Sondheim songs.
Julie Andrews was one of the best voices of the golden age of Broadway. She actually only had four Broadway runs – The Boy Friend in 1955, My Fair Lady from 1956-1960, Camelot in 1961 and 62, and the stage adaptation of Victor/Victoria in the late ‘90s. But those middle two shows, along with her television performance in Rodgers & Hammerstein's Cinderella, and her incredible film roles showcased her outstanding voice.
Barbara Cook is the current reigning master of the art of the American Popular Song. She first made her mark in the cult favorite Flahooley, but really burst upon the scene singing the fiendishly difficult "Glitter and Be Gay" as Cunegonde in Leonard Bernstein's operetta Candide. She went on from there to create the role of Marian the Librarian in Meredith Wilson's The Music Man. From there, she created the role of Amalia Balash in Bock & Harnick's touching and endearing She Loves Me, then essentially went into one warmly remembered flop after another until she ultimately retired to specialize in concert appearances and one woman shows.
Kristin Chenowethis 39 but still looks barely 21. The "diminutive diva" has a soprano to rival Barbara Cook's, and even better acting chops. We can't play her brilliant Conegonde appearance in the New York Philharmonic's staging of Candide, but she can switch from soaring seriousness to trilling happiness with complete believability. She's had fouringénue roles on Broadway, and more in her fim and concert roles. (TV watchers also know her from her role on the West Wing.)
Patti LuPone is the great grand-niece of opera star Adelina Patti. She inherited more than a name, she tok the singing seriousness and also the operatic attitude. She has more than a dozen Broadway credits, including her long-running role as Evita. She was the first English-speaking Fantine in Les Miserables. She was the first Norma Desmond for the musical Sunset Boulevard – and earned full-fledged diva attitude-status when she sued Andrew Lloyd Webber for canceling her contract to originate the role in the states.
Right now, she’s on Broadway in the latest revival of Sweeney Todd. In an interview for the show, she talked about what being a “diva” means to her. She said that no doubt, the opera singers are bigger divas.
“The word diva to me means doing something supernatural with something natural. When you listen to Maria Callas, Renee Fleming, what they did with their instruments, it’s ungodly. As far as the bad behavior is concerned, I think it depends on your circumstances. If you behave badly, then you’re a miserable human being in your life. But the theater is a tough place. It’s not cushioned the way it is in film and television. Somebody said it the other day, “Broadway ain’t for sissies.”
Wednesday, January 25, 2006
Feb. 1: Spring Preview 2006
One of the reasons to do a local program of musical theatre songs instead of taking one of the few other syndicated programs of show tunes is that we can spotlight the great efforts by our region's theaters and performers. For Feb. 1, we'll give a preview of shows coming to the area, through professional cast recordings.
Best of Broadway series
The tap-dancin' show that gives hope to the young talents trying to make it big. Jerry Orbach starred in the original stage version. Listen to Verne Windham's music program on Feb. 3 for an interview with one of the leads in this touring production.
The Rodgers & Hammerstein show that took musical theater to a new level. Spokane native Kasey Graham is the music director for the tour, and will conduct at the Opera House.
Little Mermaid: A Story of Aloha Feb 4-19
The classic Hans Christian Andersen tale goes Hawaiian in this treatment by Spokane actress and director Maria Caprile. The story is set in 1889 Hawaii, where the mermaid wants to be like a sister to the Hawaiian Princess Kaiulani (who left for an European boarding school in that year). The script incorporates many true aspects of the Princess's life, including her friendship with writer Robert Louis Stevenson. There are two original songs in the show, but the bulk of the production depends on hula dance (one of Maria's passions) to traditional Hawaiian chants, such as Ho'opuka E Ka La.
Beauty & The Beast May 14-June 4
Our region has seen the professional tour at the Opera House, and a semi-professional production last year in Coeur d'Alene. Spokane Children's Theater, a volunteer and community organization, tackles the show that started Disney's domination of Broadway. (Auditions are Feb. 4th and 5th.)
Kiss Me Kate Feb 17, 18, 19, 23, 24, 25, 26 March 2, 3, 4
Cole Porter's treatment of Shakespeare's Taming of the Shrew, set in the context of a bad acting troupe's version. The play within a play is silly, romances entwine the cast, and Porter delivers some of his best music.
Clue The Musical May 12, 13, 14, 18, 19, 20, 21, 25, 26, 27
Yes, you read it right. A musical based on a board game. Figure out who done it, with what, and where. Thanks to Lake City Playhouse for providing selections from the show.
Christian Youth Theatre
A Year with Frog & Toad Feb. 24-Mar 5
Appealing music and lyrics by Robert and Willie Reale to Arnold Lobel's classic children's books turned this show into a Broadway success in 2004. The cast recording captures the original production from Minneapolis. CYT will have a total of 58 students of their theater school making up the forest animals. This is one of the best children's theater scripts and scores available today.
Seussical the Musical May 26-June 3
The show loosely constructed from elements of Dr. Seuss's books didn't do so well with the adult Broadway critics, but all agreed it made a fine children's show. While centering on Horton the Elephant, it pays tribute to the thinks you can thinks and the places you can go if you believe in yourself.
LIFE 101 March 10-April 1
When Civic's board hired Yvonne A.K. Johnson to take the reins as Artistic Director, she brought collegue Donovan Stohlberg with her as Development and Marketing Director. Besides having a head for business, Donovan is a composer, with the show Life 101. The show's run in the 2004 Edinburgh (Scotland) Festival was well received, and now we in the northwest get our first look at it. The story, as the title suggests, follows a group of American college students in a semester in London.
Spokane
The Music Man May 19-June 18
Upstairs, Civic brings back another classic favorite, Meredith Wilson's great American small-town USA show.
Pend Oreille
The Mikado April 21
The comedy about a Japanese tailor who becomes an executioner pokes fun at English society. From the Arts Council's website: Carl Rosa Opera, Britain’s oldest touring opera company, present a new production of The Mikado: a hilarious tale of love, marriage, executions and heroics. Carl Rosa’s stunning production uniquely features the glorious Oscar-winning costumes from Mike Leigh's acclaimed film "Topsy-Turvy". These were copied from the original antique costumes created for Gilbert’s production in 1885, now restored by the Carl Rosa Opera
Tuesday, January 24, 2006
Recordings & Videos Sale Preview
The annual R&V Sale is set for Feb. 18 & 19 at the Masonic Temple, and donations are flooding in. The best part for us at the station is listening to the great stuff that people are cleaning out of their collections. Records, CDs, DVDs, cassettes, we take it all.
This week's Matinee focuses on the records that are in the Soundtracks section of the sale. (Incidentally, I HATE my cast recordings being lumped in with movie recordings. Musical theater doesn't use a 'soundtrack,' it's live!)
Some of the CDs that are in this year's sale:
West Side
Bernadette Peters: Rodgers & Hammerstein, Baby Tonight, and Sondheim ETC
Paradise and How Glory Goes
We also have a copy of "Song & Dance, The Musicals Of Broadway," a color book with three CDs, a kind of "best of" compilation (and quite a few famous jazz covers mixed in)
And if you have extra copies of something, or a showtunes CD that you're just not listening to anymore, please donate them to the sale. Come by the KPBX studios at 2319 N. Monroe St any business day.
This week's Matinee focuses on the records that are in the Soundtracks section of the sale. (Incidentally, I HATE my cast recordings being lumped in with movie recordings. Musical theater doesn't use a 'soundtrack,' it's live!)
Some of the CDs that are in this year's sale:
West Side
Bernadette Peters: Rodgers & Hammerstein, Baby Tonight, and Sondheim ETC
We also have a copy of "Song & Dance, The Musicals Of Broadway," a color book with three CDs, a kind of "best of" compilation (and quite a few famous jazz covers mixed in)
And if you have extra copies of something, or a showtunes CD that you're just not listening to anymore, please donate them to the sale. Come by the KPBX studios at 2319 N. Monroe St any business day.
Dec. My Favorite Things: Bob and Carmen Farley
December 14, we continued the My Favorite Things theme with Bob and Carmen Farley. These two have spent more than 30 years directing, producing, and acting in the Spokane theatrical scene.
They also have special significance to me, as they introduced me to the gentleman who would become my husband, and served as a mentor to both of us.
They invited me to their home with a microphone, and we spent more than an hour talking about the productions they'd seen, from New York original casts to the out-of-town tryouts in San Francisco. We touched on several of the shows that they absolutely love. There wasn't enough time to air a song from all of them. I will post a list of what we did air and discuss when possible. In the meantime, thank you Bob and Carmen for your love of theater, and instilling it in other generations.
They also have special significance to me, as they introduced me to the gentleman who would become my husband, and served as a mentor to both of us.
They invited me to their home with a microphone, and we spent more than an hour talking about the productions they'd seen, from New York original casts to the out-of-town tryouts in San Francisco. We touched on several of the shows that they absolutely love. There wasn't enough time to air a song from all of them. I will post a list of what we did air and discuss when possible. In the meantime, thank you Bob and Carmen for your love of theater, and instilling it in other generations.
Nov. My Favorite Things: ARt's Michael Weaver
Every month, we try to bring in a member of the theatrical community for "My Favorite Things," an opportunity to hear what inspires the people who make up the backbone of the arts. On Nov. 30, Actors Repertore Theatre's Michael Weaver came with some great, unique music. His list:
Three Bedroom House - Bat Boy the Musical
Remember - A Little Night Music
Old Enough to Know Better - Merman
Come Back to Me - Bryn Terfel
If - Kristin Chenoweth
Mack the Knie - Marianne Faithful
Crime of the Century - Ragtime
Hot Honey Rag - Chicago
I Went to a Marvelous Party - Noel Coward
Can That Boy Foxtrot - cut from Follies
Sit Down You're Rockin' the Boat - Guys and Dolls (Walter Bobbie revival)
World, Take Me Back - Merman
I'm a Stranger Here Myself - Ute Lemper
Three Bedroom House - Bat Boy the Musical
Remember - A Little Night Music
Old Enough to Know Better - Merman
Come Back to Me - Bryn Terfel
If - Kristin Chenoweth
Mack the Knie - Marianne Faithful
Crime of the Century - Ragtime
Hot Honey Rag - Chicago
I Went to a Marvelous Party - Noel Coward
Can That Boy Foxtrot - cut from Follies
Sit Down You're Rockin' the Boat - Guys and Dolls (Walter Bobbie revival)
World, Take Me Back - Merman
I'm a Stranger Here Myself - Ute Lemper
Friday, January 06, 2006
Jan. 18: Show Biz
Jan 18 No Business Like Show Business
There's an old adage, "Write what you know." If there's anything composers know, it's show business. The list of shows about backstage life goes on and on, and several more songs within shows tackle the subject. In honor of
Parade: Jerry Herman's first professional production. "Show Tune," the catchy 2/4 number, later resurfaced in Mame as "It's Today." Paige O'Hara (best known as Belle's voice) sang it on her Jerry Herman tribute album.
Applause: by Charles Strouse and Lee Adams. Lauren Bacall made her musical debut as Margo Channing, a Broadway diva eclipsed by conniving rising star Eve Harrington (Penny Fuller). With shows like this and
Annie Get Your Gun: The setting of the old Wild West Show gave Irving Berlin the opportunity to wax poetically about show business.
42nd Street: Another great Jerry Orbach show of show biz tunes
The Wild Party (Lippa version): the songwriting team Gold and Goldberg figuring out the recipie for success.
Gypsy, Jule Styne and Stephen Sondheim's masterpiece about Mama Rose and her stripper daughter.
A Chorus Line: I live this every single audition.
A Class Act: This musical tells the life story of Edward Kleban, best known for his lyrics to A Chorus Line. All the songs, including the Braodway Boogie Woogie, are written by Kleban.
The Producers: Break a Leg!
Kiss Me Kate: Cole Porter's great backstage dramady.
The Frogs: Sondheim's college writing wasn't about theater per se, but the Greek setting gave him the inspiration to play with the theatrical conventions, and I do like
George M: Joel Gray as one of the biggest Broadway showmen ever
Something I'll have to save for another show... Amanda McBroom is reportedly a stunning cabaret singer, although I've never had the privledge to see her. I do love many of the songs she's written, including The Rose (yes, the Bette Midler song) and The Portrait. Alan Chapman wrote a hysterical send-up of the Sondheim imitators out there, which McBroom sings from the heart.
Thursday, January 05, 2006
Spokane Talent: Jan. 11
The topic for the January 11 Wednesday Matinee comes from a conversation Verne Windham had with Don Caron, the composer and pianist responsible for the music of The Basket. Caron worked with lyricist Kimberly Hinton to create an opera-like treatment of Mary Shelley's Frankenstein. He'll talk with Verne about it in the second half of the show.
Don is one of several regional people with Broadway aspiration. The first half of the show features Spokanites who have gone on to perfom on the boards.
Scott Wise started out with Spokane Children's Theatre, went on to sing "I Can Do That" in A Chorus Line. Several dance roles on Broadway included Macavity in CATS (although it was hard to recognize him under the fur). He originated two speaking roles on Broadway. One was the dance instructor Billy in The Goodbye Girl with Bernadette Peters, the other was the love interest in State Fair. His latest Broadway credit was Assistant to Director and Assistant Choreographer (working with Twyla Tharp) for Movin' Out.
The biggest name right now is Cheyenne Jackson, or at least the biggest up-and-coming name. He turned heads starring in All Shook Up, and will appear in an upcoming film. He's not too big for his roots, though; he still keeps his Spokane performances on his resume.
Casey McGill dropped his big-band-style combo when Broadway called, and contributed songs and music arrangements to the 1999 show "Swing." Although he says he initially didn't want to be a performer, he created the role of 'bandleader' with ukelele in hand. At the 2000 Tony Awards presentation, he performed this opening number.
Stretching the concept a little, I'm starting the show with Thomas Hampson, "America's Leading Baritone." While he has not actually performed on Broadway, he's a world-class talent who has done an admirable job in researching and recording American song. This includes musical theater. When he came to Spokane last fall for a benefit at the Fox, I found more than half a dozen albums with good and somewhat unusual work. My opinion is that he acts far better than the average opera star, paying attention to the lyrics and not just the sound he makes.
Some other notes that can't make it onto the show:
Kasey Graham musical-directed several productions in Spokane, including "Return to the Forbidden Planet" with me. After some time in NYC, Kasey is touring as conductor for "Oklahoma!" which is coming to town April 13-16. Seems like just a few years ago he graduated from Whitworth.
Spokane native Julia Sweeney took her one-woman play "God Said Ha!" to Broadway for a month in 1996. When she came to town for a benefit at the Fox, she told Verne Windham that she'd like to do that again.
Craig T. Nelson, the Spokane-born actor who has played lead roles in Coach, The District, and The Incredibles, went on the boards in 1998 as an actor in the revival of Ah, Wilderness!
Going the other way around, a Broadway and television star who came to live in the Northwest is Patty Duke (aka Anna). Her first role was Helen in The Miracle Worker in 1960. She went on to another play called Isle of Children. After doing some community theater with Jack Phillips at Spokane Civic Theater, she got the role of Aunt Eller in the revival production of Oklahoma!
And stretching the concept a different way, a relative of a current Inland Northwesterner: John Travolta, brother of Idaho resident Ellen Travolta. I recently borrowed a copy of his first singing production, called "Over Here!" This is a 1970s vehicle for two of the Andrews Sisters. Yes, big band harmonies in the disco era. This was right before John would gain fame as Vinnie Barbarino on Welcome Back Kotter. He'd already been on Broadway during the run of Grease (Doody replacement; incidentally a young Walter Bobbie was in that cast too). On "Over Here," the voice that would later sing "Summer Niiii-hiiiiiiiiiits" croons with a big band. No kidding.
There are others who have moved to New York or have been and back, but these are the only names I know. I remember seeing a touring production of Annie Warbucks with the villianess played by a woman who had been at Spokane Civic Theater. And we wouldn't be surprised if Abbey Crawford makes a splash on the cabaret circuit in New York.
Bottom line: There are too darn few recordings of local talent singing showtunes. We have a wealth of talent here in the northwest, but not the financial wealth to record it. Then again, as we've seen in the studio, sometimes the talent doesn't translate well when reduced to simply audio. So go to any (or all) of our local theaters and check out the talent we have in our back yard.
Don is one of several regional people with Broadway aspiration. The first half of the show features Spokanites who have gone on to perfom on the boards.
Scott Wise started out with Spokane Children's Theatre, went on to sing "I Can Do That" in A Chorus Line. Several dance roles on Broadway included Macavity in CATS (although it was hard to recognize him under the fur). He originated two speaking roles on Broadway. One was the dance instructor Billy in The Goodbye Girl with Bernadette Peters, the other was the love interest in State Fair. His latest Broadway credit was Assistant to Director and Assistant Choreographer (working with Twyla Tharp) for Movin' Out.
The biggest name right now is Cheyenne Jackson, or at least the biggest up-and-coming name. He turned heads starring in All Shook Up, and will appear in an upcoming film. He's not too big for his roots, though; he still keeps his Spokane performances on his resume.
Casey McGill dropped his big-band-style combo when Broadway called, and contributed songs and music arrangements to the 1999 show "Swing." Although he says he initially didn't want to be a performer, he created the role of 'bandleader' with ukelele in hand. At the 2000 Tony Awards presentation, he performed this opening number.
Stretching the concept a little, I'm starting the show with Thomas Hampson, "America's Leading Baritone." While he has not actually performed on Broadway, he's a world-class talent who has done an admirable job in researching and recording American song. This includes musical theater. When he came to Spokane last fall for a benefit at the Fox, I found more than half a dozen albums with good and somewhat unusual work. My opinion is that he acts far better than the average opera star, paying attention to the lyrics and not just the sound he makes.
Some other notes that can't make it onto the show:
Kasey Graham musical-directed several productions in Spokane, including "Return to the Forbidden Planet" with me. After some time in NYC, Kasey is touring as conductor for "Oklahoma!" which is coming to town April 13-16. Seems like just a few years ago he graduated from Whitworth.
Spokane native Julia Sweeney took her one-woman play "God Said Ha!" to Broadway for a month in 1996. When she came to town for a benefit at the Fox, she told Verne Windham that she'd like to do that again.
Craig T. Nelson, the Spokane-born actor who has played lead roles in Coach, The District, and The Incredibles, went on the boards in 1998 as an actor in the revival of Ah, Wilderness!
Going the other way around, a Broadway and television star who came to live in the Northwest is Patty Duke (aka Anna). Her first role was Helen in The Miracle Worker in 1960. She went on to another play called Isle of Children. After doing some community theater with Jack Phillips at Spokane Civic Theater, she got the role of Aunt Eller in the revival production of Oklahoma!
And stretching the concept a different way, a relative of a current Inland Northwesterner: John Travolta, brother of Idaho resident Ellen Travolta. I recently borrowed a copy of his first singing production, called "Over Here!" This is a 1970s vehicle for two of the Andrews Sisters. Yes, big band harmonies in the disco era. This was right before John would gain fame as Vinnie Barbarino on Welcome Back Kotter. He'd already been on Broadway during the run of Grease (Doody replacement; incidentally a young Walter Bobbie was in that cast too). On "Over Here," the voice that would later sing "Summer Niiii-hiiiiiiiiiits" croons with a big band. No kidding.
There are others who have moved to New York or have been and back, but these are the only names I know. I remember seeing a touring production of Annie Warbucks with the villianess played by a woman who had been at Spokane Civic Theater. And we wouldn't be surprised if Abbey Crawford makes a splash on the cabaret circuit in New York.
Bottom line: There are too darn few recordings of local talent singing showtunes. We have a wealth of talent here in the northwest, but not the financial wealth to record it. Then again, as we've seen in the studio, sometimes the talent doesn't translate well when reduced to simply audio. So go to any (or all) of our local theaters and check out the talent we have in our back yard.
Mamma Mia! What a fun concert!
My husband Justin used to work tech crew for rock concerts in his college days, and always wore earplugs. Last Tuesday night at the Opera House, he remembered why. As fun as the music can be, the high volume can wreak havoc on your eardrums. The ABBA concert cleverly disguised as a musical pushes the volume to the upper limits, especially when the vocalists aren't on stage (overture, entr'acte) and the encore 'concert.' In Denver, I walked past a theater hosting a touring production of Mamma Mia near the end, and the throbbing beat of that encore made its way through the walls, and I'm sure anyone out by the fountain on Stevens and Main would feel the beat too.
"Jukebox musicals" are becoming more prevelant on Broadway, but Mamma Mia is the cream of the crop. While many of the songs are bubble-gum electronica pop, the lyrics usually tell their own story. The show's book writer tapped into those individual stories to create a fun story, less flimsy than most. The 'who's the dad' story is less important than the connections between old friends, and even the relationship between mother and daughter.
Pop/rock songs need pop/rock voices, and almost every character delivered. The woman playing "Donna" is a powerhouse, both in character and in voice. Her show-stopping world-weary delivery of "Money Money Money" is smack-on. Her character loses control in the title song, opening up to those long-repressed feelings; it takes a strong actor to 'melt' like that, landing on a beat, while singing. The ABBA song I was most familiar with, "The Winner Takes It All," was beautifully sung as strength in the middle of pain; I didn't get the sense of "no self-confidence" as one lyric goes, because although she has doubts and hurts, but still is going to stick to what she thinks she needs to do. Well, they wanted to stick to the original lyrics as much as possible, and it's a quibble. Fabulous performance from the backbone of the show.
More excellent performances from Donna's best friends (and the former "Dynamos." The actress playing Tanya has also done Ulla in The Producers, and the actress uses her long leggy looks and blonde hair to effect in her numbers. Rosie (a Jean Hardie-like performance) almost steals the show with her physical gags (proof that spandex no longer belongs in this world) and the fabulous staging of Take a Chance on Me, chasing (and getting) her man. As a harmony fan, I appreciated the tight work of the Dynamos, not to mention the off-stage back-up singing of the chorus. The actress playing the daughter, Sophie, sings too nasally for my taste.
I suppose I should mention the guys, although they are truly back-seat to this show. The actor portraying Sam doesn't have that rock delivery, was visibly reaching for his notes in Knowing Me Knowing You and didn't have the technique to vary his delivery in the chorus repetitions. If there's a true weak spot in this production, it was the song S.O.S. First off, the song's lyrics are a little too light to be delivered in such a serious way. Second, Sam and Donna had two different vocal styles which didn't quite mesh. But I admit the two made a nice couple acting-wise. Harry "Head-banger" was a delight, and made a sweet sound out of "Thank You For the Music." The Austrailian, Bill (I want to call him Bruce!) only has incidental singing, and played up the Crocodile Dundee aspect of his personality.
As mentioned before, "Money" was my favorite number, not only because of Donna's singing, but the entire staging. This was the most stylized of the numbers, utilizing the chorus as residents of this Greek island, complete with women in severe dark dresses and headscarves, men in fisherman caps. They gathered around Donna in a Les Mis-style choreography (think Lovely Ladies) with grasping for money and sang the commentary "Ain't it sad," "That's too bad," etc. Hm, a chorus commenting on the action on a Greek island ... could it be ... a Grecian Greek Chorus? I love the unstated pun.
Other staging high points: the dance of the scuba-clad men in Lay All Your Love On Me (second show in a row with buff topless men!), the nightmarish fantasy sequence for Under Attack (the surprise person under the wedding veil was a funny touch), the camp of Dancing Queen and Super Trouper with all the joy of friends reliving their youth while reviving their friendship.
Surprisingly, one song I'd never heard of made me cry. "Slipping Through My Fingers" is a song of parental love and the inevitable separation each daughter has to make. Having a little girl in the terrible twos, and the literal distance between me and my own mom, it was an incredibly personal moment. This is the song on the cast album I've been turning to.
I didn't listen to much ABBA in the '70s, just the occasional songs on the radio. In the early '90s, a theater friend was a closet ABBA nut, and after loosening up with a few drinks at a cast party, was convinced to put on a record and sing along. Just like bell bottoms and spandex, ABBA's songs were one of those guilty pleasures that came back in style (to an extent). During intermission, I asked an usher (who looked about 60) what he thought. "I LOVE it! This is the best show I've ever seen!" The best show? "My favorite used to be CATS, but I never left disco," he explained. It certainly has that driving, electronica beat. The music production is the modern side of disco, with several keyboards in the pit (the only acoustic instrument I noticed in the pit was a regular guitar for "Thank you for the music"), even the conductor has a keyboard. The two drum kits are POWERFUL, it's nearly impossible to NOT tap your feet. It's electronic pop at its best, and there's a home for it. Surprisingly, that home includes the theater stage.
Just don't forget the earplugs.
"Jukebox musicals" are becoming more prevelant on Broadway, but Mamma Mia is the cream of the crop. While many of the songs are bubble-gum electronica pop, the lyrics usually tell their own story. The show's book writer tapped into those individual stories to create a fun story, less flimsy than most. The 'who's the dad' story is less important than the connections between old friends, and even the relationship between mother and daughter.
Pop/rock songs need pop/rock voices, and almost every character delivered. The woman playing "Donna" is a powerhouse, both in character and in voice. Her show-stopping world-weary delivery of "Money Money Money" is smack-on. Her character loses control in the title song, opening up to those long-repressed feelings; it takes a strong actor to 'melt' like that, landing on a beat, while singing. The ABBA song I was most familiar with, "The Winner Takes It All," was beautifully sung as strength in the middle of pain; I didn't get the sense of "no self-confidence" as one lyric goes, because although she has doubts and hurts, but still is going to stick to what she thinks she needs to do. Well, they wanted to stick to the original lyrics as much as possible, and it's a quibble. Fabulous performance from the backbone of the show.
More excellent performances from Donna's best friends (and the former "Dynamos." The actress playing Tanya has also done Ulla in The Producers, and the actress uses her long leggy looks and blonde hair to effect in her numbers. Rosie (a Jean Hardie-like performance) almost steals the show with her physical gags (proof that spandex no longer belongs in this world) and the fabulous staging of Take a Chance on Me, chasing (and getting) her man. As a harmony fan, I appreciated the tight work of the Dynamos, not to mention the off-stage back-up singing of the chorus. The actress playing the daughter, Sophie, sings too nasally for my taste.
I suppose I should mention the guys, although they are truly back-seat to this show. The actor portraying Sam doesn't have that rock delivery, was visibly reaching for his notes in Knowing Me Knowing You and didn't have the technique to vary his delivery in the chorus repetitions. If there's a true weak spot in this production, it was the song S.O.S. First off, the song's lyrics are a little too light to be delivered in such a serious way. Second, Sam and Donna had two different vocal styles which didn't quite mesh. But I admit the two made a nice couple acting-wise. Harry "Head-banger" was a delight, and made a sweet sound out of "Thank You For the Music." The Austrailian, Bill (I want to call him Bruce!) only has incidental singing, and played up the Crocodile Dundee aspect of his personality.
As mentioned before, "Money" was my favorite number, not only because of Donna's singing, but the entire staging. This was the most stylized of the numbers, utilizing the chorus as residents of this Greek island, complete with women in severe dark dresses and headscarves, men in fisherman caps. They gathered around Donna in a Les Mis-style choreography (think Lovely Ladies) with grasping for money and sang the commentary "Ain't it sad," "That's too bad," etc. Hm, a chorus commenting on the action on a Greek island ... could it be ... a Grecian Greek Chorus? I love the unstated pun.
Other staging high points: the dance of the scuba-clad men in Lay All Your Love On Me (second show in a row with buff topless men!), the nightmarish fantasy sequence for Under Attack (the surprise person under the wedding veil was a funny touch), the camp of Dancing Queen and Super Trouper with all the joy of friends reliving their youth while reviving their friendship.
Surprisingly, one song I'd never heard of made me cry. "Slipping Through My Fingers" is a song of parental love and the inevitable separation each daughter has to make. Having a little girl in the terrible twos, and the literal distance between me and my own mom, it was an incredibly personal moment. This is the song on the cast album I've been turning to.
I didn't listen to much ABBA in the '70s, just the occasional songs on the radio. In the early '90s, a theater friend was a closet ABBA nut, and after loosening up with a few drinks at a cast party, was convinced to put on a record and sing along. Just like bell bottoms and spandex, ABBA's songs were one of those guilty pleasures that came back in style (to an extent). During intermission, I asked an usher (who looked about 60) what he thought. "I LOVE it! This is the best show I've ever seen!" The best show? "My favorite used to be CATS, but I never left disco," he explained. It certainly has that driving, electronica beat. The music production is the modern side of disco, with several keyboards in the pit (the only acoustic instrument I noticed in the pit was a regular guitar for "Thank you for the music"), even the conductor has a keyboard. The two drum kits are POWERFUL, it's nearly impossible to NOT tap your feet. It's electronic pop at its best, and there's a home for it. Surprisingly, that home includes the theater stage.
Just don't forget the earplugs.
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