OBCRs and otherwise

[ceebeegee]

I've been listening to a lot of music lately on my new iPod, including a lot of new (to me) music that I had but had never really played on my computer. Man, the score to Hairspray is terrific! Why didn't I know about this earlier? I love "Good Morning, Baltimore," "You Can't Stop the Beat," "Without Love," "I Can Hear the Bells"...all great songs. I would love to choreograph "You Can't Stop the Beat"--I want to take over the stage just listening to it!

I love the original Hairspray movie--and Susan Mitchell and I've actually worked with LA Powers (Penny Pingleton). When we did Shenandoah back in Virginia, LA was my understudy for Jenny for about three weeks, until she wised about about how crappy that theater was and quit!

I looked up Hairspray's Wikipedia entry and followed the link to the website for Legally Blonde, the Musical. (Laura Bell Bundy played was the original stage Amber and she's Elle in LB.) The website has a couple of songs from the show and one of them is adorable--it's called "Omigod, You Guys."

I also listened to Rex, a musical about Henry VIII, which Michael burned for me (thank you, Michael!). It concentrates (as far as I can tell) on Anne Boleyn and onwards, with a few appearances by Henry's 3 children. Richard Rodgers wrote the music and Sheldon Harmick the lyrics--it's okay, there are some good songs, but it certainly does sentimentalize Henry! He was basically a monster toward the end of his life (most likely due to the progress of syphilis) and doesn't really deserve this kind of musical :/

Comments

[dry-2olives.livejournal.com]

That was the problem they discovered in previews. They realized they should have written a musical about Anne Boleyn instead, because they couldn't figure out a way to make Henry the least bit sympathetic. (Casting Nicole Williamson in the role didn't help.) There was a famous incident where, during the final bows of the 2nd performance one Saturday, a chorus member quietly said "Well, that's a wrap" in earshot of Williamson who thought he said, "Well, that was crap." The last thing the audience saw as the curtain went down was a furious Williamson slapping the guy. I met Sheldon Harnick at an event last year and told him Rex was my first Broadway musical. His immediate response was "We fixed it up a little when we did it at the York." Still, "Away From You" is the last gorgeous Richard Rodgers ballad. (Except Harnick MUST rewrite the last line someday.)

[ceebeegee.livejournal.com]

I liked the lullaby, that was rather sweet. But one wonders if they had done their research.this is the sort of thing Henry did later in his reign. (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Margaret_Pole,_8th_Countess_of_Salisbury#Execution) This is not the stuff of which musicals are made--yes, I agree they should've concentrated more on Anne. Or else made it grander and darker, like Sweeney or something.

I kind of hated the trio with Edward, Mary and Elizabeth. Too cutesy by half, and not in the least bit in character for, really, any of them. Edward was much more precocious than that--he wasn't shy, he was cold and regal.

I've heard the story about the Williamson slap.

[dry-2olives.livejournal.com]

Well, even though he wasn't the bookwriter this was ultimately a Richard Rodgers musical and softening up the facts a bit, especially as they apply to a tyrannical male authority figure, was par for the course.

The lullaby was sung by Ed Evanko, who only did 2 Broadway shows but was a bit of a heartthrob because he had a lovely tenor and looked good in tights. His previous show was Canterbury Tales where he sang "I Have a Noble Cock." He's now a Ukrainian Catholic minister in Canada.

[ceebeegee.livejournal.com]

Okay, I just checked out Rex on ibdb. Their song list seems sketchy--they list the songs thus (slightly edited):

Act 1
No Song More Pleasing...Mark Smeaton
The Field of Cloth of Gold...Company
Where Is My Son?...Company
The Chase...Comus, Will Somers, Mark Smeaton and Gentlemen
Away From You...Henry VIII, King of England
As Once I Loved You...Catherine Howard
Away From You (Reprise)....Anne Boleyn and Henry VIII, King of England
Elizabeth...Mark Smeaton, Lady Margaret and Lady in Waiting
No Song More Pleasing (Reprise)..Lady Jane Seymour and Henry VIII, King of England
So Much You Loved Me...Anne Boleyn
So Much You Loved Me (Reprise)...Anne Boleyn
Te Deum...Company

Act 2
Christmas at Hampton Court...Princess Elizabeth, Prince Edward and Princess Mary
The Wee Golden Warrior...Will Somers, Prince Edward, Princess Elizabeth, Ladies and Gentlemen
From Afar...Henry VIII, King of England
In Time...Princess Elizabeth and Will Somers
In Time (Reprise)...Princess Elizabeth and Prince Edward
Te Deum (Reprise)...Company

"As Once I Loved You" on the CD is obviously sung by Catherine of Aragon, not Catherine Howard--the singer has a slight Spanish accent, mentions making shirts for him (which CofA did), etc. Also on the CD it's before "The Chase" (which seems to be about Henry's pursuit of Anne Boleyn).

Also on the CD "Elizabeth" seems to be sung by only 1 person, not 3. (And I'd assumed the character was her father, not Smeaton--although he was hugely disappointed that Elizabeth was a girl, he did love babies.) Aww, I kind of liked the image of Henry singing to his infant daughter, even if it was a bit unlikely.

Can I assume the the first "Te Deum" is in response to Edward's birth? (It's not on the CD in that order.) I was wondering why there wasn't a song about his birth when there were so many that bemoaned his lack of sons.

Also, "Why?" isn't on the ibdb list.

Too many reprises! Give it a rest, Dick.

[dry-2olives.livejournal.com]

Here is the plot synopsis that came with the cast album. I'm sure it's filled with historical innacuracies. http://www.nodanw.com/shows_r/rex.htm

I believe the first Te Deum was simply a choral introduction that blended the overture into the opening scene.

Yes, it's very odd that the show is about Henry's obsession with having a son, but once he gets one the moment isn't musicalized.