Shudoranto!

A little here, a little there

I'm procrastinating.  I sat down to finish a 10-minute play that I started SIX MONTHS AGO.  And here I am listening to cast albums and writing about them.  I missed my scheduled session last weekend, but I forget why.  That's not why I'm doing 2 this morning.  I'm pretty sure I'm doing 2 because I'm a mighty fine procrastinator.  I mean, my day job writing copy for 30-second radio commercials often finds me taking coffee breaks after I've written 15 seconds (though really the coffee break comes when I try to save my 30-second radio commercial and the UNIVAC I'm working on with an old version of Word Perfect 5.1 [or Microsoft word 2003, it's hard to tell] decides it'll take 10 minutes to save, but I digress... because I'm procrastinating now on writing my responses to some musicals.).

So!  This morning finds me stumbling across the new original cast album of The Little Mermaid.  Apparently I'm on some sort of Alan Menken kick, because I followed The Little Mermaid up with the Original UK Cast Recording of Little Shop of Horrors. Let me just start off by saying it was a lackluster morning of music for me.  I'll start with the bad first.

Little Shop:

A little aside, after talking with one of my coworkers about a kid who sang a selection from Bye Bye Birdie on a local morning show, I told her to check out his phenomenal work in a little show I directed.  So we watched "Suddenly Seymour" and with about a year's removal from the experience, I suddenly realized we made the song really slow.  It's not awful, just slow.  And even as slow as we staged it, we still rocked harder than what I heard in the Original UK Cast Recording.  

Not to be vicious, but when you listen to a recording from a CD that someone has seen fit to print a lot of, you expect certain things.  Things like voices being in sync with the music.  And energy. About the only thing I liked about this recording is that Audrey didn't sound like an attempt to copy Ellen Greene.  Unfortunately, she doesn't sound better then Ellen, who is so hard to top that really, it may not be worth mentioning.  But Su Pollard is the only name I can find for the original UK cast, and it's probably the only name worth mentioning.  Audrey's numbers are probably the only numbers worth listening to. I've already deleted the entire album though.  I don't expect to want to hear those numbers again when I've got the Original Cast Album to listen to.  

Other noteworthy bits:  much like the Original Cast Album, a lot of songs are missing, Including Closed for Renovation, Call Back in the Morning, and Meek Shall Inherit.  There aren't that many songs to begin with, so why leave some out?  Especially when you include a "megamix" which isn't really a dancy remix but a badly done medley of the songs from the show.  I wish I had something better to say.  I don't.  Some of Alan Menken's best work is in this show, and this recording does it no justice. 

Next for the morning is another Menken musical:  the recently opened Little Mermaid.  This recording is also a bit of a disappointment.  I don't know if Alan Menken can top his work from that period of the early 80's.  It's possible I've got a lot of nostalgia I'm bringing to the table, but Little Shop, the original music for Little Mermaid and Beauty and the Beast and Aladdin are tough to top.  I'm beginning to think that Howard Ashman was an important part of that songwriting duo.  Menken is still capable of great work, but the clear winning tracks on the Little Mermaid Original Broadway Cast Album are the original songs from the film.  Unfortunately, those songs don't win out over the original film versions. 

There are some cute gems, like "Human Stuff" which is a great number for the kids, but doesn't have as much broad appeal as other kid songs I have heard and enjoy.  The quartet, "If Only" is in a style I usually enjoy.  I love when multiple singers sing in counterpoint; "Model of Decorum and Tranquility" from Chess is one of my favorite showtunes, as is "His Work and Nothing More" from Jekyll & Hyde.  Both songs are very much like "If Only," but "If Only" seems to be missing something, and I think it's that it's at odds with the rest of the show.  It sounds like a dropped song from Les Mis, rather than a song from a children's musical that features a song about brushing your hair with a fork or about cooking fish.  I don't know if it's wrong to try to expand the tone of a show when adapting it for the stage.  There's certainly a lot of exciting leeway for expanding on characters and their inner processes, but I think the problem is when the tone varies so wildly.  All in all, Little Mermaid is probably more exciting to watch than it is to listen to.  Give the album a try, but it's definitely better to listen to the original soundtrack.

Weird Romance

Fun times!  This is the first entry I'm gonna do where I'm actually listening to the cast album with the intention to note and talk about it. I'm reminded of my first introduction to musical theatre, when my complete interaction with a production was through the cast album.  I still haven't seen that many professional productions.  And when you add the community or university theatre that I've seen, it still doesn't add that many shows, so there are a LOT of productions I'm aware of that I only know through the CD.  And some research.

This often leads to some misinformation.  I remember being flabbergasted when I discovered (SPOILER!!!) Coalhouse Walker is shot at the end of the show.  I think it's included in the liner notes, but I totally missed that little tidbit.  Anywho, I say that to preface that I don't know what's going on with the story of Weird Science, so while I want to talk about story elements, I should probably stay away.

What I do know;  Weird Romance is 2 one-act musicals with music by Alan Menken. Both are science fiction tales that deal with love.  And it sounds like Alan Menken.  There's a lot of moments that remind me of Newsies.  I don't know if there's anyone who can write a heart-tugging song like Alan.  In fact, the first show, The Girl Who was Plugged In, features Ellen Greene (queen of vulnerability... can that actually exist? Yay for oxymorons!) in an early song singing about how no one ever sees her.  She's then taken in by a scientist who puts her soul, Avatar-like, into the body of a clone that's much more beautiful.  Ellen Greene's character controls the body of Delphi, the beautiful clone from her own body.  I wonder if James Cameron gave any money to James Tiptree Jr. for stealing elements of his story.

Girl Who Was Plugged in is a pessimistic vision of the future though, resulting in a mixed bag musically. After the heart-rending "Stop and See Me" is the superfun, undeniably catchy "That's Where We Come In" where the scientists & marketers do a lively literal song and dance to mirror the figurative one they give Ellen Greene about rejecting her body to control the new, more attractive one.  A decidedly different take on the Cinderella story.  A lot of the music, though, is strident.  Melodic, but still difficult to listen to as everyone belts out about how awesome Delphi is.  It also results in some biting lyrics that point to where the writers think our society is heading.  In the short story the show is based on, advertising is verboten, but instead corporations foster celebrities to sell products.  "Amazing Penetration" shows this mentality, as we're told how well Delphi is getting into the public consciousness.  As little as they care about the real woman, Delphi the avatar is only so useful as she serves the company.

Of course it doesn't end there.  Juxtaposed with the vicious "Amazing Penetration" is "Eyes That Never Lie" another example of Menken's ability to write beautiful, melody.  I mean, this is the guy that wrote "A Whole New World."  I can see myself singing "Eyes..." instead from now on.  Sal Viviano plays the love interest that is attracted to Delphi's beauty, but appears to truly love the mind within (Oh! will he love her if he sees her?).  Another vicious shift as Ellen Greene/Delphi (Marguerite MacIntyre) is told that she can't tell the new love interest about her real life because he'll never love her.  It's perfect that Ellen Greene comes back to the fore at this point because there's no one who can break your heart like her.

I'm not sure how the story ends precisely, but it feels all sorts of sad.  Everyone seems incredibly disappointed.  And I am a little.  But I'm glad to have "Stop and See Me" and "Eyes That Never Lie" as souvenirs from this show.

The second act is a little more optimistic, if still extremely bittersweet.  This story was easier to find.  "Her Pilgrim Soul" features another scientist who gets absorbed in his work to the detriment of his relationship to his wife.  The bulk of the music in this act is more soaring, full of hope.  Even though the Opening starts with what I'm pretty sure is the wife talking about her husband and his work, the music quickly segues to the husband and his team coming off of their great success.  Then once Ellen Greene returns to the album, this time as the hologram, Nola, she starts as a young child that quickly ages.  "You Remember" is a pleasant enough song, with a child-like waltzing tempo, as Kevin, the scientist helps the holographic child remember elements of her childhood.  Then as she ages, she helps him remember his wife.  

 "Another Woman" is a more exciting entry, when he returns to his wife and she asks point blank if he's leaving her.  

Then, returning to Nola, the music becomes soaring again, but this time slightly darker.  Something's wrong (I had to look up the story to figure it out though).  Eventually, Kevin realizes that while Nola represents someone who once existed, and that she has very particular meaning to him.  And luckily for him and his wife, she's not simply another woman.  

The two shows do make good companions.  I definitely prefer listening to "Her Pilgrim Soul" after "The Girl Who Was Plugged In."  It's better to end on a more optimistic if bittersweet note.  Totally recommendable though. Anything featuring Ellen Greene is bound to get a recommendation from me.

And I am telling you...

I don't have anything clever to finish off that title, but in honor of Black History Month (and also because I don't wanna get too far ahead of myself [I listened to this show last Saturday] and I wanna listen to a love-themed show in honor of Valentine's Day) I'm going to review Dreamgirls. But not very well, because I listened to it last week.  

Because of my great love for Audra McDonald, I had to get my hands on the concert album that was recorded from a one-night-only engagement that not only had Audra as Deena, but Heather Headley (most famous to me at least for Lion King) as Lorell and Lillias White as Effie.  This is probably the strongest trio taken together.  In fact, when I heard that Audra was Deena, I was taken aback because Deena is supposed to have a lighter voice.  Not bad, just lighter, certainly lighter than I'm used to hearing from Audra. In fact, if there's much of a complaint to be made it's that.  I could be biased, but I found myself mostly listening for Deena on this album (where, usually I'm listening for Effie.).

One problem that one usually finds on concert albums is that the rehearsal process tends to be rushed and even though they're usually special events that boast star-studded casts, they come out sounding less than awesome.  You end up listening to them to hear a particular performer on a particular song, but aside from one or two gems, the entire album falters for one reason or another.  Dreamgirls, surprisingly, suffers less from that than any other album.  Lillias White, while not being quite equal to Jennifers' Holliday or Hudson performances, is a powerful Effie White.  Same for Heather Headley, who plays the usually meek Lorell.  Of course where Lorell is never meek is "Ain't No Party" which Heather knocks out of the ballpark.

Additionally, the dialogue spots are really fun to listen to.  Usually.  These women really have a handle on their characters, even in a concert performance. Unfortunately, I can't remember much about the guys.  I've fallen into the trap of ignoring the boys in favor of the girls, but they do all give great performances.  Billy Porter channels everyone from James Brown to Little Richard for a great performance as Jimmy Early.  

It's also worth mentioning that this concert recording is the only complete recording available.  Even the recent rerelease of the original cast album with additional material doesn't include all of the music written for the show.  For the entire kit and kaboodle, this album is the one to get.  And to be honest, that's the best reason to own this album.  Otherwise, as recommendable as this is, the Original Cast Album is the one I'd go for if I had to choose just one.

I love a Parade, but not necessarily its music.

So the first album I listened to in what seems to be a Saturday morning routine was Parade, an original musical by Jason Robert Brown who won a tony for his score.  It's a musical that makes use of a lot of traditional American folk sound as it tells the story of a Jewish guy, Leo Frank, who's framed for the murder of a young girl.  While the most heinous antisemitism is the property of Germany and Eastern Europe.. oh, and the mid east.  the US doesn't have a perfect history, and the lynching of Leo Frank despite the evidence of his innocence is a pretty dark spot on that history.  When Stephen Sondheim, the guy who wrote a musical about assassins decides not to touch your story, it's probably some REALLY off-the-wall subject matter for a musical.

Where the show really excels is in the duets between Leo and his wife.  Near the beginning of the show, Lucille is on edge because Leo never makes time for her.  Then the stress of his arrest strains their relationship until eventually Leo realizes what he has in Lucille.  This, of course, comes right before he's lynched.  It's a heartwarming tale for sure.

Another bright spot is the music given to the villains of the piece.  While being completely despicable people, they're the characters I'd love to be for the sheer fact of the music they get to sing.  A drunken, loser journalist Britt sings an upbeat, jazzy number that celebrates the career advancement possibilities of reporting on the murder of the young girl.  Hey, the song's awesome, not the character.  There's also the gospel number from service workers who are annoyed that Leo gets sympathy from northerners, when--if he were black--no one would give a second look.

Mostly, though, the music is what you will typically seem to find in modern musicals where it sometimes seems the composer is trying to alienate the listener.  On the one hand, you have Stephen Schwartz writing an entire musical of power ballads, and then Jason Robert Brown reacting against that and giving us really strident characters singing music thats more filled with emotion than melody.  Most of that music sounds like it's more fun for the performer than for the listener.  The emotion is incredible though.  There's no beating the devastating final moments as Leo's lynching is juxtaposed with the jubilant parade like the one that opens the show.  

Nutshell:  the album is totally worth listening to even if more than half the individual tracks don't invite repeat hearings.

Compulsion leads to some blog entries

I don't think I mentioned the great crash of '09.  Most likely because I was too busy trying to reconfigure my new computer.  On a very exciting note, I won a computer from NPR shortly after my computer crashed.  I never backed up my files on the old computer like I should have and so I've basically started from scratch on the new guy.  

When I was in Japan I set myself on a huge project to listen to every piece of music on my computer in order to individually rate each song.  You may imagine that my greatest despair (after losing a bunch of pictures) was losing all of my ratings (I MUST know what I thought of a song at some point in my life years ago).

So, as part of this project to rerate all of my music, I have to make time to listen to my cast albums in one big go (the other stuff I can just add like a jukebox and play at random.  Showtunes have to initially be taken as an album unit, right?) So to help me make time to listen to my cast albums, I've decided to review them.  This'll be really fun in those cases where I have multiple albums for one show.  In some cases multiple languages.  

So yes, expect some cast album reviews in the next coupla weeks as I weed them out of my "never been listened to" playlist.  First up:  Parade.

Yay for obsession! Compulsion ftw!

Hmm... what a choice

So, two shows are in the can, with two left to go.  We're always adding things in at the last minute.  I keep vowing to not do that the next time.  People say that's par for the course, but it makes me too nervous as the production looms closer.

Still, despite the stress, directing kids always ends up with a fun budget in the black.  Also personal rewards and stuff.  Those outnumber the headaches.

But though it's not been mentioned here, Disco's Dead has opened and plans to close in just one more day.  I was privileged to have been asked to direct the 3rd mounting of the production.  When someone asked me "again?!" seeing as Family Playhouse had only just performed Disco's Dead 2 years ago, I said, "why not?"  The performers love it, and the community seems to embrace it too.  We had a near sell-out crowd last night, and we're looking at possibly turning people away at the door tonight.  All in all, it's looking like a successful venture.  I really should blog the process.  It'd be nice to look back to remember what the concerns were from the beginning and how they shaped up now. But that's all done now, so we just get the retrospective.

One of the parents asked me last night what my favorite production was, and I was caught.  I couldn't answer.  If you asked me what my favorite show was as a performer, it'd be pretty easy:  12th Night.  There are loads of other shows I have loved, but I don't think I've enjoyed myself nearly as much as I did while playing Malvolio.  Additionally, my cast mates were awesome, and it all just felt really great.  But to decide which play I favor out of the shows I've directed.  Man, that's tough.

One thing I know for sure though, Alexandria has a surprising amount of talent among its younguns.  I was beginning to think I had merely lucked out with my first 2 productions.  The right people just turned out to audition and everything fell almost perfectly into place.  But now that I'm 3 for 3, I'm convinced there's something in the water.  I mean, one kid in Disco's Dead, hasn't performed at all, and like some giant toy from Mattel, he just came right out of the box in (near) perfect condition.

So, how do I decide on a favorite?  I don't think I will.  Each show has a wonderful collection of great people that bring something unique to each production.  One thing about Disco's Dead though, is the sheer amount of volunteer power that has been taken to make it happen.  I'm floored by everyone who came out to help it actually occur right up to the last minute.  I still need to learn how to wrangle people together, but this time, so many people came forward to do things and make things happen.  It's been a truly beautiful example of community theatre at its finest.

Wow! Santa's sort of a jerk.

Who knew Santa could be such a scamp?

This weekend, Lagniappe mounted the second Cenla Christmas Spectacular, a fun opportunity for local performers to get together, celebrate the holidays and perform with people they'd probably never get a chance to appreciate otherwise.  

It was also a chance to appreciate a different take on Santa than I'd ever seen before.

The show opened with a forlorn, but upbeat Cajun disc jockey wishing for some Christmas snow.  A person's gotta admire his pluck, wishing for snow while living in Louisiana (we'll disregard the fact that it snowed just last week.)

Well, as you might imagine, there was no snow during the show, except for the Red River Dance's snowflake dance from the Nutcracker.  At the end of the show, not content with stage Nutcracker snow, the plucky, yet forlorn DJ laments Santa's silence in regards to his one Christmas wish.  To everyone's surprise, Santa emerges from backstage, with a hearty laugh, and does some magic gestures.  The theatre was tense with the anticipation of Santa's magical answer to the DJ's wish! Then... nothing happened.  Santa laughed his hearty laugh, even stronger than before and walked offstage, leaving an even more dejected, and now incredibly surprised Cajun disc jockey.

Now wait.  Hold up.  Did I just see that?  Did Santa really just come out and pretend to grant a poor man's Christmas wish, laugh in his face and then walk off?  "Hello, young man!  I *will* grant your wish! whoops!  Just kidding, SUCKAS! HOHOHOHOHOHOHOHO!"

While I began to reconcile this view of Santa with my previous perceptions, suddenly a trickle of snow began to fall on the DJs. Santa had granted his wish!  It was just a little slow in coming.  It turns out Santa's not really a jerk after all.

But I will forever remember that one minute when my notion of what Santa could be was forever changed.

He's baking muffins now

It's time to spread a new idiom.  It means that something's easy, or it's become easy.  Picking up steam perhaps.  Use it!

In case you're curious, it comes from a recent screening of Taken with my good friend Jess.  If you've seen it, you know it's 2 hours of Liam Neeson kicking ass.  and at one point I misheard Jess say, "he's collecting weapons now!" and tried to make sense of what I heard, which was "he's baking muffins now!"  I naturally assumed it was some hip way of saying, "his kicking ass is a cakewalk." 

Clearly "baking muffins" is entirely too hip to let go, so I'm sharing it with you.  Plus I'm still a little hopped up on adrenaline after Taken.  Slumdog Millionaire is also awesome.  Even more awesome on my second viewing.  I watched it before seeing Taken, effectively going from a heart rending film to a heart pumping film in a thoroughly complimentary double feature.  If you're thinking to yourself, "hey, self, I'd like to catch a heart-rending/pumping double feature today," then I recommend Slumdog Millionaire/Taken.   

A little night musing

I'm more than a little concerned that--as part of my constant search for approval--I must make sure people are aware that I'm not extremely self possessed of it.  Just so you know. 

Hnh... a theatre dream

I don't usually have theatre dreams.  This one was so vivid, I had to get it written down some way before I forgot.

Last night, I had a dream that was like one of those TV movies from the early 90's where they have actors from all over the place come in for a star-studded event.  The action took place in Coughlin-Saunders.  We were rehearsing a Cole Porter musical.  I had intended to look up the  music I remember from the dream and see what musical it was in, but I've now forgotten the songs. 

Lemme hurry and get out the names of the people in my dream:  Scott Gilbert was directing, Rebecca Taylor May was there, Christine Andres (I dunno her married name) was our accompanist, Lauren Ryland was an actor, Matt Henry was doing his usual schtick at CSPAC, Kody Walker was there as a mention, but didn't make an actual appearance. 

And poo, that's all I can remember. 

(For what it's worth, here's a bit of a character guide: Gilbert and Rebecca are both people from Lousiana Tech, Christine was a childhood friend, a cousin of a friend from church,  Lauren Ryland is a young student who does shows with Family Playhouse.  Her mom serves on the board of directors.  Kody is also from Family Playhouse/local Alexandria theatre scene.  Matt Henry also from the local theatre scene.  He was the musical director of my first City Park Players show.)

The first memory of the dream involved me sitting centerstage as the set continued being loaded in.  I decided to stand up when 3 battons flew in around me, one of them hitting my shoulder, but not hurting me terribly.  That didn't stop me from going off on Christine about not calling out that they were flying in battons.  Weirdly, Matt didn't say anything, since he's usually a person you can trust to defend the rules, especially when there's a good reason for a rule, like keeping a person from getting hit with a falling batton.  Perhaps because he was also flying in one of the battons that didn't hit me.  We called the cast and crew around to give a refresher on call and response, except I couldn't hear what Matt was saying so I wanted to make sure I was able to explicitly say what needed to be said.  I had to give up.

2nd vignette:  After that, I started wandering around looking for my costume so I could get ready for dress rehearsal.  Christine passed by and we walked backstage to a large lobby area with glass walls as I tried to apologize for yelling.  My reason may have been noble, but my form was not.  She was okay, all had already been forgiven.  In between the batton incident and now, she had found her fiance (an unrecognizeable character in this dream) and was telling him stories about a group trip we took together.  I was apparently very entertaining in the airport.   I left them to go find my costume.

3rd vignette: I ended up backstage and the rehearsal had started.  The lights were low, and Lauren Ryland was being harnessed to fly and was singing some song about dancing.  By this point, I realize my costume is in the dressing room, so I start to head there, but my feet get tangled up in the flying lines, which are fishing wire.  Fortunately I extricate my foot after much difficulty (and fear of ruining the line) before Lauren actually had to fly.  I also imagine since she wasn't flying, that's why there were no people around to operate the ropes/fishing line and help me get my foot out.  Lauren says something about not being able to dance.  Fearing my culpability, I scamper off to get into costume.

4th vignette:  I head to what is usually the men's dressing room, a tiny tiny closet leading to an attic.  I think I've dreamt about the cramped closet/attic dressing room before.  This time, there was a flowery sign on the door saying "Piano Player's Dressing Room."   I hear laughter from inside and I peek my head in to see Christine and Rebecca laughing and chatting.  I ask where the men's dressing room is if this is now Christine's room, and they look at each other and laugh: "Someone believed it!" Rebecca then set me straight, telling me that they had just played a joke, that the guys stuff was inside.  There was another door.  Elaborate setup, this.  Dressing room now even smaller.  I have concern that the fake wall they've erected will block the light from the tiny room.  Rebecca points me to another light switch, and behold!  there is light!   When I open the door, I ask, "where are the costumes?" I look again and realize that they're all laid out on shelves, not hung up.  I mutter to the girls, "Kody, that fuckwad!  Why has he laid all of these costumes out like this?  He knows better!"  In the possibility that I have dreamed about the miniscule dressing room before, they had been hung by rails near the ceiling.  Also there don't seem to be labels on any of the costumes, I'm not sure which are mine.  I stop myself, take a deep breath and tell myself that I intend to be calmer.  I'd already ranted once today.  Then I notice a tiny label of masking tape on the hanger with my (or my character's) name on it.  I then apologize to the girls for changing in front of them.

And that's where the dream ends. 

 Click for a touch of analysis.