Today we have another musical I've never listened to before. My younger brother has seen this one before and told me he liked it as a kid, but doesn't remember much about it. Let's dig in.
Five Guys Named Moe debuted on the West End in 1990 and at Broadway in 1992. The music and lyrics are by Louis Jordan, who the show is a tribute to. I can't seem to find a plot synopsis of this one, so I'll interpret what I can from the songs. From what I've found, this is a very high energy show that involves a lot of audience participation. When listening to this one, get ready for some jazz.
We start with a very jazzy overture where the narrator introduces us to the five Moes, Big Moe, Four-Eyed Moe, Eat Moe, No Moe, and Little Moe. You have to love the puns. They all seem rather arrogant.
Our next song, "Early in the Morning" is fairly quiet and mellow. If we weren't already in the mood for jazz or the blues, we should be by now. The lyrics indicate the narrator is going through all of the normal things that cause the blues, but it's early in the morning. Geeze, I know how that feels.
Our next song is "Brother Beware". Has a narrator telling us about the kind of women to be afraid of - the ones who fall in love with you! He explains why we shouldn't bother with these girls. This is a pretty funny song.
"I Like 'Em Fat Like That" is exactly what it says on the tin. It's yet another comedic song. I'd be surprised if you don't crack a smile during this song, at least.
"Messy Bessy" is about a raucous woman who one of the Moes seems to be dating and his troubles trying to keep her presentable in public. We get an awesome saxophone solo in this song. This is a song that seems to be very danceable.
"Pettin' and Pokin'" gives a story about Jack and Jill...not the hill walkers, but a couple of lovers who live next door who never can seem to keep "quiet". At one point a lion visits the pair and runs back into its cage! Oh married life.
"Life is So Peculiar" is about peculiar things that make complete sense. I don't quite get the point of this song, but it's lively.
"I Know What I've Got" is about seeing that his girl isn't the best, but she's far from the worst. Have I mentioned how short these songs are? Because they're very short.
"Azure Te" is a slow and quiet song about longing for someone far away. This is one of those songs that it seems easy to drink to in a dimly lit bar.
"Safe, Sane, and Single" starts off with some slow humming and quickly picks up energy. It's basically a hoedown song about staying single. One of the verses is pretty damn funny. This is probably one of my favorites.
"Push Ka Pi Shi Pie" has a Calypso flavor to it. It's very upbeat with a rhythm like what you'd typically find in most Calypso dance music. From what I gather, the song itself is about a female con-artist.
"Saturday Night Fish Fry" has a big band sound. I definitely like this one.
"What's the Use of Getting Sober?" is pretty depressing. Alcoholism tends to be. :(
"If I Had Any Sense" is very short and it's very upbeat. The lyrics are not nearly as upbeat as the music. Ouch, lyrical dissonance.
"Dad Gum Your Hide, Boy" is great. It's about repaying what is owed...sort of. You just have to listen to it. :)
"Let the Good Times Roll" contains parts of the title song and is a very exciting song. I can only assume there is some great dancing while this song is being performed because of the sound effects in the song.
"Cal'donia" sounds quite a bit like other songs in the show, but this one has a lot more audience participation. These kinds of shows are always a lot of fun.
"There Ain't Nobody Here But Us" is about someone hiding in a hen house. Um, you'll have to listen to it. This is my favorite in the show.
"Don't Let the Sun Catch You Crying" is another slow, sad song. Geeze, I feel like I need a drink now.
"Look Out Sister" is a continuation on "Brother Beware", except it's a warning for the ladies. I find this one funnier.
"Choo Choo Boogie" is one I've heard before. It's really catchy and I'll probably be humming it the rest of the night.
The next song is a medley of three songs. The one I recognize right off the bat is "Is You is or is You Ain't my Baby?" I blame Tom & Jerry.
Now we get another track named "Five Guys Named Moe". It's very short and it plays the group out.
The final song is "Band Play Out", which is exactly what it sounds like. It's a jazz number that plays the Moes out while they sing a bit. It's a great ending to the show and sounds a lot like a good time to give applause and standing ovations and whatnot.
Overall, I'd say I liked this musical, even if it was a bit short on substance. I'm hoping for something with more content tomorrow. :)
Monday, October 3, 2011
Sunday, October 2, 2011
Starlight Express
Ah, we go to the first of many musicals I've never listened to before. It is always exciting to listen to something new. :) These may be less in-depth than the ones I have listened to, but I'll try and use the same track by track look into the show the way I did with Music Man. Let's begin, shall we?
Starlight Express debuted in London in 1984 with music by Andrew Lloyd Webber and lyrics by Richard Stilgoe. Wikipedia says the plot features around a group of toy railway trains, portrayed by actors on roller-skates, who come to life inside the mind of a small boy. The characters race to become the 'fastest engine in the world', and in the end, the underdog, Rusty, triumphs, winning the race and the heart of a beautiful observation car, Pearl. Neat. Oh, and I'm listening to the original London production, according to the CD. Well, let's dig in.
The overture has already gotten me interested in the show. It has a very 80s sound to it and a very sci-fi one at that. It's very keyboard and synth heavy with some kind of narrator. By the end, it sounds like the score to a movie that will lead us into some sort of grand adventure. Very nice.
The first song is "Rolling Stock" and it has a pretty rocking intro. This song is sung by Greaseball and his gang of thugs. Oh, and they're trains. Diesel trains. This song has sort of a David Bowie sound to it. I cannot say that is a bad thing. The character seems pretty full of himself and seems to believe he'll never lose a race.
Enter our hero, Rusty, with the song "Call me Rusty". He's a steam train, apparently. Greaseball and his posse try and intimidate him. Rusty is confident for a rusty engine. He seems like our typical 80s hero, only, of course, he's a train. You go, steam train.
"A Lotta Locomotion" introduces us to the Coaches, and they don't seem to be as confident as he is in his ability to race. The song is pretty poppy and shows us the personalities of the Coaches. We have Ashley, the smoking car who is trying to kick the habit. Buffy, the buffet car who offers snacks. Dinah, the dining car who lends an ear. Finally, we have Pearl, the "new" girl. I'm guessing she's the leading girl. Er, coach.
Next, we have what sounds like another villain song for Greaseball, "Pumping Iron". He's got a rock theme, it seems. He's taking the diesel thing to sound like a greaser.
The next song is "Freight", which introduces the boxcars. I really like the guitar in this song. There isn't much to say about this one, really.
The next song, "AC/DC" introduces us to Electra. He's a showoff like Greaseball. He's got a pretty sexy voice. I like this song a lot, though the synthed voices can be a little grating. I like his use of "AC/DC" to refer to his use of electricity and also his sexuality. Oh, did I mention he was an electric train? His components do a lot of the singing for him. According to the plot synopsis, he's a new challenger in the race that's coming up.
Next, we have "He Whistled at Me". Pearl seems to have dreams of a steam engine that will whistle for her. Man, I'm digging the synth in this show. She runs off to pair up with Electra.
Finally, we start "The Race", which on versions that are not the one I have, is apparently called "Heat One". It starts with the narrator character starting the race. This has something of a disco sound to it, and it seems easy to dance to. Oh, and supposedly, this scene has Greaseball and Dinah cheating. That's not cool, guys.
"There's Me" has Dinah and Greaseball arguing about the cheating. Dinah isn't happy about it. Wait a second, the melody sounds a bit like a Phantom of the Opera song. Nicely done, Webber. This is sung by C.B., who I don't believe I remember. The song is pretty and sounds like your classic musical ballad song.
Ooh, the next song is a blues song called "Poppa's Blues". It's very soulful and teaches us about the blues. You've got to love blues songs in musicals. There's some awesome piano and harmonica in this one. Rusty says he doesn't really want to race unless Pearl will race with him. Poppa offers up another coach for him, Belle the Sleeping Car. Which segues into...
"Belle the Sleeping Car" I bet you didn't see that coming. I really like her voice and she explains the story of her life. She used to race with Poppa and Rusty asks to race with her and she accepts.
Next we enter "Starlight Express". In this song, I believe Poppa has been knocked out of the race and nearly killed. He tells Rusty to believe in the Starlight Express, which I assume is some sort of train god. :p Not a bad song at all. This finishes off Act I.
Act II starts with "The Rap". Guess what kind of song it is. Anyway, it has the characters arguing about whether or not Rusty can take Poppa's place. They decide that he should. I've never been a rap fan, so I can't say I'm a fan of this song, especially it seems like one of those rap songs that older people try to imitate whenever they want to seem cool these days.
The next song, U.N.C.O.U.P.L.E.D. has Dinah singing about Greaseball. It's a parody of D.I.V.O.R.C.E. It's pretty funny.
After this, we have a reprise of "Rolling Stock". It has the girls convincing Dinah that she can make Greaseball jealous if she races with Electra.
Next, we have "CB". It starts off sounding like "There's Me" and "The Rap". From what I gather, CB is fond of causing disasters for fun. I like this one because I get to hear more Electra. :)
"Right Place, Right Time" is a rap about racism...I think. It's not bad, but it's pretty forgettable.
After this, we have another plea to the train god with "I Am the Starlight". The train god appears before Rusty and tells him that he has the ability to be Starlight himself. It gives Rusty faith in himself and he now has determination. I like the train god's voice. This sounds a lot like songs from other Webber musicals, but I really dig it.
Then we have a "He Whistled at Me" reprise. My favorite thing about this song is the Cockney accent of the character singing with Rusty...that I still can't identify. This is one of those musicals that I really need to see in order to identify the characters well. Dinah complains that Electra can't whistle at her.
Up next is "Race: The Final". Electra, CB, and Greaseball all crash; Rusty rescues Pearl from Greaseball; and he wins! Again, we have a lot of synth and keyboard with drum machines. I can't imagine how other people would feel about this, but because I'm a big fan of New Wave and 80s pop/rock, I rather like it.
"No Comeback" is a very cool song. I can't really explain what it is about this song that I like, but I guess the fact that it's a tirade by Electra makes me like it. That train has a sexy voice. The song itself reminds me of "Danger Zone" for some reason.
"One Rock n' Roll Too Many" has the cast laughing at the condition Greaseball is in. This is another song that reminds me of the kind of song you'd hear in Grease.
"Only He" is a power ballad delivered by Pearl. It's your basic 80s power ballad sung by a woman...and there's nothing wrong with that. She really tears it up in this song. :)
"Only You" gives us a duet between Rusty and Pearl. Now they're together. Aww. This song really soft-rocks the house. Not being a fan of soft-rock, I can't say I really like this one, but story-wise it's sweet.
"Light at the End of the Tunnel" sounds like a gospel song praising the train god and it brings a message that many steampunk aficionados would agree with. This song is pretty funny to me. Control gets angry that they're not following it any more. Woot, renewable energy in the form of steam. What a way to end the show.
Starlight was an interesting musical. I don't think I'll likely find another musical like it (barring anything that Webber ever does, considering his shows tend to sound the same when Tim Rice isn't involved.) I'm glad to have heard it and I like it, but I wouldn't consider it a favorite. Here's a short clip of AC/DC:
If you can find a better version, please tell me about it and I'll embed that one instead. :)
Starlight Express debuted in London in 1984 with music by Andrew Lloyd Webber and lyrics by Richard Stilgoe. Wikipedia says the plot features around a group of toy railway trains, portrayed by actors on roller-skates, who come to life inside the mind of a small boy. The characters race to become the 'fastest engine in the world', and in the end, the underdog, Rusty, triumphs, winning the race and the heart of a beautiful observation car, Pearl. Neat. Oh, and I'm listening to the original London production, according to the CD. Well, let's dig in.
The overture has already gotten me interested in the show. It has a very 80s sound to it and a very sci-fi one at that. It's very keyboard and synth heavy with some kind of narrator. By the end, it sounds like the score to a movie that will lead us into some sort of grand adventure. Very nice.
The first song is "Rolling Stock" and it has a pretty rocking intro. This song is sung by Greaseball and his gang of thugs. Oh, and they're trains. Diesel trains. This song has sort of a David Bowie sound to it. I cannot say that is a bad thing. The character seems pretty full of himself and seems to believe he'll never lose a race.
Enter our hero, Rusty, with the song "Call me Rusty". He's a steam train, apparently. Greaseball and his posse try and intimidate him. Rusty is confident for a rusty engine. He seems like our typical 80s hero, only, of course, he's a train. You go, steam train.
"A Lotta Locomotion" introduces us to the Coaches, and they don't seem to be as confident as he is in his ability to race. The song is pretty poppy and shows us the personalities of the Coaches. We have Ashley, the smoking car who is trying to kick the habit. Buffy, the buffet car who offers snacks. Dinah, the dining car who lends an ear. Finally, we have Pearl, the "new" girl. I'm guessing she's the leading girl. Er, coach.
Next, we have what sounds like another villain song for Greaseball, "Pumping Iron". He's got a rock theme, it seems. He's taking the diesel thing to sound like a greaser.
The next song is "Freight", which introduces the boxcars. I really like the guitar in this song. There isn't much to say about this one, really.
The next song, "AC/DC" introduces us to Electra. He's a showoff like Greaseball. He's got a pretty sexy voice. I like this song a lot, though the synthed voices can be a little grating. I like his use of "AC/DC" to refer to his use of electricity and also his sexuality. Oh, did I mention he was an electric train? His components do a lot of the singing for him. According to the plot synopsis, he's a new challenger in the race that's coming up.
Next, we have "He Whistled at Me". Pearl seems to have dreams of a steam engine that will whistle for her. Man, I'm digging the synth in this show. She runs off to pair up with Electra.
Finally, we start "The Race", which on versions that are not the one I have, is apparently called "Heat One". It starts with the narrator character starting the race. This has something of a disco sound to it, and it seems easy to dance to. Oh, and supposedly, this scene has Greaseball and Dinah cheating. That's not cool, guys.
"There's Me" has Dinah and Greaseball arguing about the cheating. Dinah isn't happy about it. Wait a second, the melody sounds a bit like a Phantom of the Opera song. Nicely done, Webber. This is sung by C.B., who I don't believe I remember. The song is pretty and sounds like your classic musical ballad song.
Ooh, the next song is a blues song called "Poppa's Blues". It's very soulful and teaches us about the blues. You've got to love blues songs in musicals. There's some awesome piano and harmonica in this one. Rusty says he doesn't really want to race unless Pearl will race with him. Poppa offers up another coach for him, Belle the Sleeping Car. Which segues into...
"Belle the Sleeping Car" I bet you didn't see that coming. I really like her voice and she explains the story of her life. She used to race with Poppa and Rusty asks to race with her and she accepts.
Next we enter "Starlight Express". In this song, I believe Poppa has been knocked out of the race and nearly killed. He tells Rusty to believe in the Starlight Express, which I assume is some sort of train god. :p Not a bad song at all. This finishes off Act I.
Act II starts with "The Rap". Guess what kind of song it is. Anyway, it has the characters arguing about whether or not Rusty can take Poppa's place. They decide that he should. I've never been a rap fan, so I can't say I'm a fan of this song, especially it seems like one of those rap songs that older people try to imitate whenever they want to seem cool these days.
The next song, U.N.C.O.U.P.L.E.D. has Dinah singing about Greaseball. It's a parody of D.I.V.O.R.C.E. It's pretty funny.
After this, we have a reprise of "Rolling Stock". It has the girls convincing Dinah that she can make Greaseball jealous if she races with Electra.
Next, we have "CB". It starts off sounding like "There's Me" and "The Rap". From what I gather, CB is fond of causing disasters for fun. I like this one because I get to hear more Electra. :)
"Right Place, Right Time" is a rap about racism...I think. It's not bad, but it's pretty forgettable.
After this, we have another plea to the train god with "I Am the Starlight". The train god appears before Rusty and tells him that he has the ability to be Starlight himself. It gives Rusty faith in himself and he now has determination. I like the train god's voice. This sounds a lot like songs from other Webber musicals, but I really dig it.
Then we have a "He Whistled at Me" reprise. My favorite thing about this song is the Cockney accent of the character singing with Rusty...that I still can't identify. This is one of those musicals that I really need to see in order to identify the characters well. Dinah complains that Electra can't whistle at her.
Up next is "Race: The Final". Electra, CB, and Greaseball all crash; Rusty rescues Pearl from Greaseball; and he wins! Again, we have a lot of synth and keyboard with drum machines. I can't imagine how other people would feel about this, but because I'm a big fan of New Wave and 80s pop/rock, I rather like it.
"No Comeback" is a very cool song. I can't really explain what it is about this song that I like, but I guess the fact that it's a tirade by Electra makes me like it. That train has a sexy voice. The song itself reminds me of "Danger Zone" for some reason.
"One Rock n' Roll Too Many" has the cast laughing at the condition Greaseball is in. This is another song that reminds me of the kind of song you'd hear in Grease.
"Only He" is a power ballad delivered by Pearl. It's your basic 80s power ballad sung by a woman...and there's nothing wrong with that. She really tears it up in this song. :)
"Only You" gives us a duet between Rusty and Pearl. Now they're together. Aww. This song really soft-rocks the house. Not being a fan of soft-rock, I can't say I really like this one, but story-wise it's sweet.
"Light at the End of the Tunnel" sounds like a gospel song praising the train god and it brings a message that many steampunk aficionados would agree with. This song is pretty funny to me. Control gets angry that they're not following it any more. Woot, renewable energy in the form of steam. What a way to end the show.
Starlight was an interesting musical. I don't think I'll likely find another musical like it (barring anything that Webber ever does, considering his shows tend to sound the same when Tim Rice isn't involved.) I'm glad to have heard it and I like it, but I wouldn't consider it a favorite. Here's a short clip of AC/DC:
If you can find a better version, please tell me about it and I'll embed that one instead. :)
Saturday, October 1, 2011
The Music Man
Well, here we are! The first musical on the list, as deemed by the random generator. I am already pretty familiar with this musical because I saw it once at the Tennessee Theatre (the film, I mean, not the actual play). I love the story and the characters, but I'm not so fond of how long it is.
The Music Man opened up in 1957 with lyrics and music by Meredith Wilson. The story, as if you don't already know, is about a conman salesman ("Professor" Harold Hill) who enters a town (River City) to try and bamboozle them out of their money. All kinds of waaaacky things happen to prevent the mayor from ever really catching him and somehow through all this, he falls in love with the town librarian (Marian).
The first song, "Rock Island", is an interesting one and always one that I like to listen to. It involves a bunch of salesmen on a train, and they keep their conversation in the tune of train noises. It's very entertaining. It ends with Harold stepping off the train and entering River City.
The second song, "Iowa Stubborn", gives us a picture of the kind of people "Dr." Hill will be trying to con. The movie has a certain sight gag that I always laugh at that reminds me slightly of Rocky Horror. I like this song.
The third song "(Ya Got)Trouble", is probably my favorite song in the whole show, as I'm sure it is for many. Professor Hill needs a scapegoat so the people will listen to him, and he singles out the new pool table in town as a source of "corruption" for the young people. The whole town gets involved in the song and it's a blast to see and hear. You've got to love a smooth con man.
The fourth song "Piano Lesson", introduces us to Marian and her mother. It's a short song, but it's entertaining how they frame their conversation on the music a child is playing on the piano in the background.
The fifth song "Goodnight, My Someone", has Marian pining for a man who may or may not exist. It shows us that she's not the ice queen that people in town might think she is. It's a rather sweet song, and pretty relatable, I think.
The next song "Seventy-Six Trombones", is a very catchy and rousing song where Harold has convinced the town to purchase supplies and lessons for a boy's band in River City, which he of course, has no intention of supplying. It's a great march song and is very high energy. It's definitely a favorite of mine.
This one is followed by the first of the quartet songs "Sincere". Hill convinces the school board members to sing together (to get them out of his hair). After this, they are never apart. I like the song, but the quartet starts to get grating later on in the play.
The eighth song is "Sadder, But Wiser". Harold and his old friend talk about how he wants to find a girl that you know will end up being Marian. Not much to say about this one.
The ninth song, I'm going to combine with the tenth one because I'd rather not waste time on the quartet song. This one is called "Pickalittle (Talk-a-little)" and it's a pretty funny song because of the connection it makes with the gossiping ladies and a bunch of chickens. The movie shoves a bunch of chickens into the scene just in case we didn't get that. Funny song. Harold gets harassed by the school board, but he gets them to sing good night to the ladies.
The next song is another favorite of mine "Marian the Librarian". In this song, Harold tries to convince Marian to basically go out with him. It's a cute song.
The 11th song is "My White Knight". It's basically Marian's second "I Want" song. It's pretty, but it doesn't bring much to the show. It's at least better than what's coming later.
And the last song in the first act is "The Wells Fargo Wagon". It's a pretty amusing song that the townspeople sing about, well, you know. Living in a pretty small town, I can't help but feel the same way when I see the UPS truck and I know Amazon is supposed to be sending me my order.
The second act opens up with another quartet song and then it shifts into the most pointless song in the show "Shipoopi". I really can't say I like this song at all, considering all it seems to be is filler. I generally skip this one.
Next we get a reprise of Pick-a-little and another quartet song. This quartet song is sung along with "Will I Ever Tell You?" It's kind of a duet between the quartet and Marian and it's the only other song featuring the quartet that I don't skip besides the first one.
Next up is "Gary, Indiana". Mr. Hill tries to explain where he's from and comes up with this one on the spot. It's a pretty good song and it pushes the plot along.
Next we get a reprise of a quartet song and that's followed by Marian's song to Harold, "Til There Was You." This is a beautiful song, especially if you're listening to the original cast album. Barbara Jones has such a beautiful voice and it really shows in this song. The end of the song has Harold singing with her. Sure, the lyrics don't make much sense considering how fast she fell for Harold, but hey, this is a musical, and in musicals love is spontaneous and beautiful (most of the time). Just roll with it.
This is followed by a reprise of "Seventy-Six-Trombones, "Good Night My Someone" and then a final reprise for "Til There Was You". I won't usually go over reprises unless I feel they're especially good, and while these are certainly not bad, I won't really go into them.
That's pretty much the ending of the play. Overall, I really like this one. Harold Hill is one of the greatest musical characters ever and it really shows. The only thing to really say against it is the abundance of filler songs, but even most of those have importance (except Shipoopi.) I recommend seeing the movie if you haven't seen the show before. It's a little long, but it's good.
The Music Man opened up in 1957 with lyrics and music by Meredith Wilson. The story, as if you don't already know, is about a conman salesman ("Professor" Harold Hill) who enters a town (River City) to try and bamboozle them out of their money. All kinds of waaaacky things happen to prevent the mayor from ever really catching him and somehow through all this, he falls in love with the town librarian (Marian).
The first song, "Rock Island", is an interesting one and always one that I like to listen to. It involves a bunch of salesmen on a train, and they keep their conversation in the tune of train noises. It's very entertaining. It ends with Harold stepping off the train and entering River City.
The second song, "Iowa Stubborn", gives us a picture of the kind of people "Dr." Hill will be trying to con. The movie has a certain sight gag that I always laugh at that reminds me slightly of Rocky Horror. I like this song.
The third song "(Ya Got)Trouble", is probably my favorite song in the whole show, as I'm sure it is for many. Professor Hill needs a scapegoat so the people will listen to him, and he singles out the new pool table in town as a source of "corruption" for the young people. The whole town gets involved in the song and it's a blast to see and hear. You've got to love a smooth con man.
The fourth song "Piano Lesson", introduces us to Marian and her mother. It's a short song, but it's entertaining how they frame their conversation on the music a child is playing on the piano in the background.
The fifth song "Goodnight, My Someone", has Marian pining for a man who may or may not exist. It shows us that she's not the ice queen that people in town might think she is. It's a rather sweet song, and pretty relatable, I think.
The next song "Seventy-Six Trombones", is a very catchy and rousing song where Harold has convinced the town to purchase supplies and lessons for a boy's band in River City, which he of course, has no intention of supplying. It's a great march song and is very high energy. It's definitely a favorite of mine.
This one is followed by the first of the quartet songs "Sincere". Hill convinces the school board members to sing together (to get them out of his hair). After this, they are never apart. I like the song, but the quartet starts to get grating later on in the play.
The eighth song is "Sadder, But Wiser". Harold and his old friend talk about how he wants to find a girl that you know will end up being Marian. Not much to say about this one.
The ninth song, I'm going to combine with the tenth one because I'd rather not waste time on the quartet song. This one is called "Pickalittle (Talk-a-little)" and it's a pretty funny song because of the connection it makes with the gossiping ladies and a bunch of chickens. The movie shoves a bunch of chickens into the scene just in case we didn't get that. Funny song. Harold gets harassed by the school board, but he gets them to sing good night to the ladies.
The next song is another favorite of mine "Marian the Librarian". In this song, Harold tries to convince Marian to basically go out with him. It's a cute song.
The 11th song is "My White Knight". It's basically Marian's second "I Want" song. It's pretty, but it doesn't bring much to the show. It's at least better than what's coming later.
And the last song in the first act is "The Wells Fargo Wagon". It's a pretty amusing song that the townspeople sing about, well, you know. Living in a pretty small town, I can't help but feel the same way when I see the UPS truck and I know Amazon is supposed to be sending me my order.
The second act opens up with another quartet song and then it shifts into the most pointless song in the show "Shipoopi". I really can't say I like this song at all, considering all it seems to be is filler. I generally skip this one.
Next we get a reprise of Pick-a-little and another quartet song. This quartet song is sung along with "Will I Ever Tell You?" It's kind of a duet between the quartet and Marian and it's the only other song featuring the quartet that I don't skip besides the first one.
Next up is "Gary, Indiana". Mr. Hill tries to explain where he's from and comes up with this one on the spot. It's a pretty good song and it pushes the plot along.
Next we get a reprise of a quartet song and that's followed by Marian's song to Harold, "Til There Was You." This is a beautiful song, especially if you're listening to the original cast album. Barbara Jones has such a beautiful voice and it really shows in this song. The end of the song has Harold singing with her. Sure, the lyrics don't make much sense considering how fast she fell for Harold, but hey, this is a musical, and in musicals love is spontaneous and beautiful (most of the time). Just roll with it.
This is followed by a reprise of "Seventy-Six-Trombones, "Good Night My Someone" and then a final reprise for "Til There Was You". I won't usually go over reprises unless I feel they're especially good, and while these are certainly not bad, I won't really go into them.
That's pretty much the ending of the play. Overall, I really like this one. Harold Hill is one of the greatest musical characters ever and it really shows. The only thing to really say against it is the abundance of filler songs, but even most of those have importance (except Shipoopi.) I recommend seeing the movie if you haven't seen the show before. It's a little long, but it's good.
Friday, September 30, 2011
Overture
For some, musicals are considered a guilty pleasure. Not this guy. I love musicals with all my heart. I love them so much that I want to start writing about them every day that I can. Musicals embody so much of what I consider good about the world and life in general, even though sometimes the subjects can be dark (Sweeney Todd, for example) or the endings depressing (West Side Story, anyone?)
That's why I'm going to write about one musical per day. I'll randomly select a musical from a list, listen to it, and then I'll write my thoughts about it. There will be no grading scale or anything like that, because I don't believe that does justice to anyone. Originally, I was going to start with "Merrily We Roll Along", but because that cd is taking a little longer to get here, I'll begin with a randomly selected musical like the rest.
I hope that I can make this interesting enough for people to read, but if not, this is a great way to try and place my thoughts out there every day and to expand my horizons with new musicals I hadn't given a chance.
From now on, anything goes. :)
That's why I'm going to write about one musical per day. I'll randomly select a musical from a list, listen to it, and then I'll write my thoughts about it. There will be no grading scale or anything like that, because I don't believe that does justice to anyone. Originally, I was going to start with "Merrily We Roll Along", but because that cd is taking a little longer to get here, I'll begin with a randomly selected musical like the rest.
I hope that I can make this interesting enough for people to read, but if not, this is a great way to try and place my thoughts out there every day and to expand my horizons with new musicals I hadn't given a chance.
From now on, anything goes. :)
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