Brothers, Benefit, Pirates, Medieval Things

[ceebeegee]

A little less than two weeks and my brother will be here to take home Edna Mo. We are literally counting the days! We love her but she is a HANDFUL--major elimination issues and of course Tatia hates her (not like that's any kind of isolating factor--Tatia hates every other feline life form). Stuart will be here from next Wednesday to Sunday which leaves me Friday night and all day Saturday to play with him and Bart! (Maybe Sunday--possibly I could fit in a brunch before he leaves).

Friday TTC had a benefit at the space and I sang "Times Like This" from Lucky Stiff. The ending of the first verse actually got a laugh--I thought that song was better-known (I won't spoil it but the end of the first verse is a misdirect which, if done properly, is funny). Anya came with me so she got to meet Peggy and Dave--they're doing Rocky Horror this winter, and Anya would be great in that. She'd be a great Columbia except I'm not sure if she has the tap skills.

We finally got a music director for Pirates--a guy named John Bronston who works at the Duplex and who, as it turns out, I know already. He used to work with the Lady of Copper people way back--I was all "huh! I don't remember you..." But he seems cool and most importantly, didn't have a problem with the cuts I'd made. Saturday I went through the score with a red pen, eliminating the MANY redundant elements--there are SO many repeated verses, repeated choruses, repeated jokes in the Pirates score. And then just random things that come out of nowhere, like "Hail, Poetry!" Buh-bye, poetry. Likewise "Sighing Softly to the River..."--that number will not work in a small studio space like this, a slow, sight-gag number like that is meant for a large proscenium stage. It's cut a lot of the time anyway--I know it was cut in at least one of the productions I've done of Pirates, our Major-General did a patter number from, I think, Ruddigore.

So, so busy right now--I'm in the middle of taking notes for a paper due next week. Heloise, proto-modern woman or conventional medieval Griselda--discuss! Speaking of things medieval, I missed the Fort Tryon Park Renaissance Faire again this year *sad face* Last year I had a good excuse, I was in London--I just forgot about it this year, although possibly I wouldn't have been able to go anyway (because of--MY SCHEDULE. Which is cray-cray right now).

Comments

Thou gildest e'en the Pirates' trade

[king-duncan.livejournal.com]

Aw, I love "Hail, Poetry". The random is what makes it funny.

Bronston is great; he was also involved with the crowd that produced an early reading of Thyme of the Season (some of whom overlap with the Lady of Copper people, if I recall).

And re: Rocky, when Joan Jett played Columbia, they replaced the tapping with Electric Guitar; maybe if Anya has another showoffy talent...?

Re: Thou gildest e'en the Pirates' trade

[ceebeegee.livejournal.com]

Yes, he mentioned Thyme as well. And he works at the Duplex! I was all hey, I go there (sometimes)!

Hhhm, she plays the guitar--very well, in fact. Must think...

I understand in theory how Hail Poetry joke is meant to work--it just seems so fussily Victorian for me. I prefer the randomness of Mabel busting out a high E at the very end of the finale while singing about...a random and hypothetical doctor of divinity. Everyone just gets so excited about that! It cracks me up.

Re: Thou gildest e'en the Pirates' trade

[king-duncan.livejournal.com]

Oh, did I tell you, that since I saw Pirates as a child, I never got until recently the main joke of the Doctor of Divinity scene- that real-life pirates would be more given to raping young women than actually abducting them to get married. I was a sheltered child.

Oh, and perhaps it was the "Nightmare" song ("When you're lying awake, with a dismal headache") from Iolanthe that was put in place of "Sighing Softly"? I don't know who you have as MJS, but if he can pull it off, it would make some sort of sense in that portion of the plot.

The 80s Broadway version put the "Matter Matter Matter" trio from Ruddigore in just after or before "A Paradox".

Re: Thou gildest e'en the Pirates' trade

[ceebeegee.livejournal.com]

Oh my God, really, you didn't know that? That's what so adorable about Pirates, that they're all so excited to run out and--get married! Maybe it's my love of pirates and pirate lore but I knew that, yeah--raped and probably murdered. Romanticization aside, actual pirates were terrible creatures.

YES! We did use that song, and it was from Iolanthe, huh?

What I'm going to do is have him start to launch into the song and the the daughters come running out and bowl him over, chattering "Now what is this and what is that..." Frankly I'd rather not make the show longer!

Re: Thou gildest e'en the Pirates' trade

[king-duncan.livejournal.com]

Yep, I think I must have been pretty young; I remember the first time I saw it was on a school trip, and after it was over, The Pirate King had a photo op with The Burger King.

It was from Iolanthe, it was song by Marti's character.

Re: Thou gildest e'en the Pirates' trade

[dry-2olives.livejournal.com]

Yeah, Matter Patter was put in right after paradox. I think Hail Poetry is one of those snippets that Sullivan would insist be included because -- same old story -- he wanted to branch out from operetta and be accepted as a serious composer while Gilbert was happy being snarky.