Alright, I know that some people will flip off the program as soon as they hear kids' voices. Tough. Kids are a part of Broadway too, and it's time to feature them. I know, sometimes their voices are shrill, thin, small. They're not as well-trained as their adult counterparts, although they do have training. It takes an amazing amount of self-discipline to be a successful child actor. And frankly some of their songs are great in my opinion.One reason for doing the show now is Annie coming to Spokane. I do have fond memories of the show, since it was the first professional show my parents took me to (Los Angeles, 1979 or 1980, I don't remember).
Another reason -- my own child. She loves to sing along to other kids. Her favorite recordings are kids singing kid songs. This is why The Broadway Kids albums have taken off -- those kids are professional, their voices are usually palatable even to adults, and kids can really relate to them. I utilize three tracks of Broadway Kids Sing Broadway
on this show.Other albums from today's show:
Peter Pan OBC
Oliver! OBC
The Music Man OBC
Les Miserables, RSC
Gypsy - 1993 TV
The Boy From Oz OBC
Will Rogers Follies OBC
Annie - Disney TV
Shenandoah OBC
The Secret Garden OBC
Nine, 2003 revival
The King and I, 1992 studio
Mame
There were of course several more shows that I could have featured. I really like BarBara Luna's Dites Moi from South Pacific. I love the song Ordinary Mothers from A Little Night Music -- as Audra McDonald quipped, "I hope my child never sings this about me!" I also love Everyone Hates His Parents from Falsettoland, The Mermaid Song from Aspects of Love. As I mentioned, ALL four of the Disney shows currently on Broadway have child actors. But Chip only has a line or two in Beauty and the Beast
, it's still too early to play I Can't Wait To Be King from the The Lion King (give Spokane a few more years to get over the King's reign), I still don't have the complete London Mary Poppins, or the cast album for Tarzan. I also didn't play songs from The Sound of Music, or Getting to Know You, or other songs where the kids are backup for an adult.There are also many shows where, on the professional recording, the "kids" are played by adults. The Charlie Brown
and Snoopy songs, Willy Wonka, Jack and Red of Into the Woods, Putnam County Spelling Bee, Toby in Sweeney Todd.... There's a good business for short actors!
2 comments:
Anyone who's worked in the theatre knows that these kids, weaned on songs like your featured "Let Me Entertain You" and "I was Born to Sing and Dance" are just barely a notch above those horrible horrible children in those little kid beauty pageants - pretentious, precocious, and destined to an adult life of crippling dysfunction. It's more appropriate to pity them than to celebrate them. Sure, kids are a part of Broadway - the same way death and taxes are a part of life. These kids are awful.
One benefit? Zorba won't seem as nasal and grating today.
For the record, I allowed this one through only because it was the first comment. Any future comments -- good or bad -- must have a name. I despise snotty snitty comments hiding behind "anonymous." If you have something to say, be proud of who you are.
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