Since I couldn’t really create a podcast around the introductory show, I made the decision early in the semester to have a bonus podcast. The bonus podcast is focused on film based musicals and jukebox based musicals. Enjoy!
Current Musicals are an interesting section to deal with. For instance, a good portion of the musicals that we discussed in our broadcasts over the last few weeks could be considered a current musical. Musicals such as South Pacific, West Side Story, The Phantom of the Opera and Mary Poppins are currently running on the Broadway stage. Yet these plays had already been discussed previously, so it would be unfair to add them into this weeks playlist.
Instead, I decided to focus on the musicals that were unable to fit into the other categories. For the most part, a good portion of the current musicals are either film based musicals, jukebox musicals or revivals. Only a few are original shows.
Wicked
In the broadcast, I played two songs from the musical of Wicked. If I had my way, I’d probably play the entire cast album. It was one of the first cast albums I purchased and my love for Idina Menzel really opened a lot of doors for me when it came to the world of musical theater. I truly wish I had the opportunity to see her shine as Elphaba on stage. Perhaps she will return to the part at some point in her career, but I do hope if she does take on the role of Elphaba again, she takes better care of her voice. Her performances were raw and sent shivers straight up your back, partially because of the scream she manages to do several times throughout the show. But that scream did horrible things to her tones and it was very evident during the Rent film. Her voice was not as strong and it seemed, as a viewer, that she may have damaged it from the volume she hit with her screams during her turn as Elphaba.
Kristin Chenowith is also a performer that I’d really like to see in Wicked as well. I’m not sure how likely it’ll be for her to return to the production, but it’d be a wonderful treat. Kristin Chenowith is simply adorable in her whole physique and her voice is darling. I never get sick of hearing her sing and I do miss being able to hear her perform rather often on the brilliant but canceled television series (of which I am still mourning) Pushing Daisies.
I miss this show so terribly.
And last but not least, Norbert Leo Butz. He is about to debut in Enron on Broadway, a musical I had no interest in until I discovered he was part of the ensemble. He is another one of my favorite vocalists. Just as I do with Patrick Wilson, I’m willing to try anything that Norbert Leo Butz is a part of. While he was great on the cast album for Wicked, in my opinion, his best work will always be The Last Five Years.
Here he is with Sherie Renee Scott, singing “The Next Ten Minutes,” which we played during the introductory playlist.
Hair
I talked a good portion about Hair in a earlier blog posting, so I won’t hit on it again for this blog. But it was featured highly during the on air broadcast, actually finishing out the playlist. The Flesh Failures may indeed be the last song we play on the actual radio show for The Stage and Musical Show. Who knows, really.
Jersey Boys
Jersey Boys became my favorite to win the Tony a few days before it actually won at the ceremony. I remember being blown away by the casts performance on the awards show and it became an almost mission for me to see the play. By a stir of luck, I managed to while visiting my roommate’s family in San Francisco.
Our seats were just a few rows back from the stage, possibly the closest I have ever been to the front row, and I had to sink back some in my seat in order to really see the entire stage set up. But it didn’t matter as I was completely brought into the world of Frankie Valli and the Four Seasons. As I have always been a sucker for biopics in the film genre, it was no surprise that I loved the biopic in the theater setting.
Next to Normal
My sister is the one who introduced me to Next to Normal. While I had seen the performance by the cast on the Tony awards, and enjoyed it, I didn’t put much research into the production. Several days after that broadcast, my sister began to talk of nothing but Aaron Tveit, the performer who plays Gabriel. We are both pretty rabid about musicals in general but rarely was she the one to bring a musical to my attention. The only other time in memory where this occurred was with the Cats film.
While I have not hit a level obsession with Next to Normal, I am quite intrigued by the entire thing. I enjoy the cast album intensely and every performance clip I have seen has been hard to look away from. But what has really caught my attention with Next to Normal was the fact it won the Pulitzer Prize for drama. The last musical to win this award was Rent, over ten years ago. Clearly musicals rarely are honored with this award and when they are, it is for good reason. So my curiosity is now officially a strong desire to see just what about this play is that good. I am hoping to see the production in the near future.
Favorite Clips
I used to watch this video on a constant loop. I truly loved the whole world of the Wizard of Oz and Wicked. I love just how well this performance seems to capture the spirit of the show and the amount of energy that Idina Menzel and Kristin Chenoweth have. Plus, Joel Grey is so excited to announce them and the crowds reaction is just brilliant.
The clip that really solidified my interest in Jersey Boys. John Lloyd Young is quite charming in his portrayal of Frankie Valli.
The family musical is a genre that I just can’t help but love. I have always been a big advocate of Disney films so being able to see some of my favorites performed in a theater setting is a true treat. However, not all family musicals are released by Disney. Perhaps the first family musical I knew of as a child was Peter Pan.
Peter Pan
This musical went in direct correspondence with the fact that I loved anything related to Peter Pan as a child. The Disney film was alright but the Peter Pan based stories were this musical, Hook, and Peter Pan and the Pirates. It never seemed to bother me as a child that Peter Pan was evidently being played by a woman. In fact that notion doesn’t bother me as an adult either. Peter Pan has always been traditionally portrayed by a woman on stage, going all the way back to J.M. Barrie’s time. I loved so many different songs from the production and as an adult, tried my hardest to procure the film on DVD. I have been unable to obtain a true copy of the production and will not settle for the Cathy Rigby Production.
Though I can’t find the DVD, the entire production can be found on youtube. Above is a clip from the production known as ‘Never Grow Up.’
The Lion King
Erika and I with Mufasa, 2010.
I was lucky enough to get to visit New York City for a third time right before our Broadcast for the Family Musical. I had saved up and redeemed all of my Disney Movie Reward points, which allowed me to get two free tickets to see The Lion King on Broadway. I went with my friend Erika, as she helped me to earn some of the movie reward points. Though the trip was stressful (we missed our bus and had to catch another one), the show experience was just as grand as I remember it being when I first saw the show with my father in March of 2003.
The Lion King, thus far, has proved to be the only musical that will continually make me cry on repeat views. I believe this has a lot to do with the emotional connection I personally have to the storyline, as it is my favorite film of all time.
Mary Poppins
I’ve not had the ability to see the musical as of yet and only can rely upon the cast album, but I have very mixed feelings about the changes between the Mary Poppins stage show and the original film. A lot of the songs are out of the order they appeared in during the film and this raises a red flag to me personally as it indicates that some plot changes have been made. It appears as if the stage show is a blending of the film and of the original novels, instead of a direct adaptation of the film. Even though I may be concerned about the changes in plot, it is a very small amount of worry, since I know that Cameron Mackintosh is behind the production. As evident from my earlier postings in the British Imports post, I adore Cameron Mackintosh so I know to not be entirely skeptical of him.
Beauty and the Beast
Beauty and the Beast was the very first production that Disney brought to Broadway. While no longer on Broadway, I am hopeful for a revival as I really wanted a chance to see the production.
Favorite Clips
The ‘Circle of Life’ may not be my favorite song within the musical, but it is certainly the one that causes the most emotion from me. It always manages to make me tear up and it takes a great deal of effort for me not to sob when I see the The Lion King live. This is the original Broadway cast performing the song on the Tony Awards.
The ‘Circle of Life’ may be the main song to make me cry during The Lion King, but Endless Night will always be my favorite song from the production. I had hoped that they’d animate the song and add it onto the DVD special features, but instead they choose to do ‘The Morning Report.’ Jason Raize was a great Simba.
I am still putting research into the Shrek musical, but out of the cast album, this is my favorite track thus far. I aired this song during the initial broadcast but this gives a nice visual to how the scene pans out on stage.
I have posted clips of Hugh Jackman before on the blog so when I ran across this clip, I was ecstatic to see the performer in Beauty and the Beast. Gaston is my favorite Disney villain so I really enjoyed seeing him playing the character. It is also an interesting news segment on Hugh Jackman himself.
The Mega Musical was something truly introduced during the 1980’s. Generally a Mega Musical is a production that has large ensembles, lavish sets and expensive special effects. The three longest running musicals of all time are examples of Mega musicals. They are also all British Imports.
Cats
I first saw Cats on home video when my little sister convinced my parents to purchase it on DVD, so she could finish watching the production (they had watched some during one of her classes). I ended up watching the film with her and at first was indifferent about it. Days later though, the songs remained in my head and I found myself re watching the DVD. This continued and I got to the point where I was watching the DVD nearly every day, for several weeks. This isn’t unfamiliar for me. But I began to talk about nothing but Cats. At the time I fell in love with the production, it was still the longest running musical on Broadway, though not for long. Only a few years later was it trumped by Phantom of the Opera. My entry about Phantom of the Opera can be found here.
I was so enthralled by Cats that I was able to convince my parents, with the help of my sister, to take us to see the production live in Washington DC. Right before the play began, I was so overcome by my excitement that I began to cry just from the first few notes of the opening theme. I was ecstatic. My favorite song and pair of cats within the show had always been Mungojerrie and Rumpleteazer, so I kept my eyes upon them for the majority of the show. I had been quite pleased with the experience, even though I knew by the intermission I was the only one who was really excited out of my family.
I had such a reputation for my love of Cats that one of my friends, Alicia, even made me my very own Mr. Mistoffolees arm warmers for Christmas that year.
In the background you may notice on the wall a framed vinyl of the original cast album for Cats. Also, I began to collect figurines that were released over the years that were based off the musical. As you can see, I was thoroughly obsessed. I saw it one additional time as a University production and I have potential plans in the near future to see it for a third time in Hershey Park. The plot of the musical may be minimal but I still adore it.
Les Miserables
The Day I saw Les Miserables, it rained all day. It felt appropriate.
Les Miserables may no longer be on Broadway, but it still is playing on West End. Due it still playing in London, it has now become the longest running musical in history. And for good reason.
The friend I mentioned earlier, Alicia, was one of my true confidants in the world of musical obsession; along with the girl I mentioned in the Phantom of the Opera post, Mary. Les Miserables was one of my first cast albums and during my freshman year of college, I caught a commercial for the tour. Realizing it was going to be stopping in Washington DC, I pleaded with my father for him to get me tickets. Alicia was the girl who I ended up going with for that show.
I am very picky when it comes to Les Miserables. Even though I have three different cast albums, my favorite is the Complete Symphonic Recording. I feel as if the other cast albums will never hold a candle to the Symphonic recording and I rarely listen to the other versions, even though I own them.
“On My Own” was my gateway into the world of Les Miserables. I had heard the song in an episode of “Dawson’s Creek“, way back in the 5th grade, when Katie Holmes was my idol. In other words, along time ago.
I then proceeded to have a friend in the seventh grade who was already obsessed with this musical. She introduced me to “Master of the House” and the recordings were often in the background when we spent time together. Soon enough I got the cast recording myself and not long after that, we had an entire Broadway based marching band show in my high school. I was one of the few who understood that “I Dreamed a Dream” was not a cheery song, without being told by my band director.
Being able to see it on tour solidified the show as my favorite musical of all time. Only recently has this position been rivaled and that has been due to my experience seeing Hair, which now shares the spot of favorite with Les Miserables.
Miss Saigon
I only own a Best of recording for Miss Saigon, a fact that I am very upset over. Eventually I plan to get my hands on the entire cast album, but it doesn’t seem likely any time soon. I hope that one day Miss Saigon will be revived on Broadway, only out of my own yearning to see it.
Favorite Clips
Mungojerrie and Rumpleteazer from the Cats film. It is my favorite song from the musical and I hate the fact that it is impossible to find this version of the song on CD. Originally this song was much slower and had a jazz feel to the tune. Then there was another version that was sang by Mr. Mistoffelees and the two characters were puppets he conjured up. I believe this peppy duet is the best version of the three choices and the best song from the entire production. Who cares about Memory? Cats has so many rich and lively songs. Memory is just a worn out ballad that really needs to be put to rest.
My favorite song from Miss Saigon by one of my favorite performers. It is a horrible camera video but it really should be viewed for the 30 or so seconds of Patrick Wilson rocking out the tune.
Lea Salonga is also one of my favorite performers. She played the character of Éponine in Les Miserables for a time and is the singer for the part on the Complete Symphonic Recording (as well as the 10th anniversary concert). My love for her vocals is what lead me to Miss Saigon, as I was trying to find more of her work. She plays Kim in the original production and this is a video of her supposed audition for the musical.
Earlier I posted the clip from “Dawson’s Creek” that got me interested in Les Miserables. Here is a video of Lea Salonga performing the song at the 10th Anniversary Concert. She will always be my favorite Éponine and this is a chilling performance. The entire DVD is superb and really worth checking out if you are a fan of the musical.
When I was a sophomore in high school, I was able to experience New York City for the very first time. My first musical experience was meant to be the Phantom of the Opera. The morning we were to leave for the city, my father drove me to the school. He was listening to an AM station that was dealing with the news and I was half asleep. He then proceeded to tell me that I might not be able to see the play. In confusion, I began to listen to what the news was saying.
The Broadway musician’s union had started a strike. In a panic, I rushed into my band music room to ask my Professor if we’d still be able to see our show. We didn’t.
We took the trip anyways and I missed out on the Phantom of the Opera. Instead, since the trip was a marching band field trip, we traveled all around the city. Many of us stopped and talked to the people participating in the picket lines. I was new to the musical world and really had no idea who I had a chance to speak with, though I remember some were performers from Aida and some were performers from The Producers. After touring the city, my specific group of friends and chaperon ended up joining in the marches down time square. People carried coffins and tossed sheet music into them, symbolizing how the music would die if musicals were to being relying upon taped music. The protests shut down nearly every show on Broadway at the time. Performers sang on the streets in front of their empty theaters. It was an event I was so glad to be able to witness for it solidified my respect for musicians and performers who put some much heart into their productions.
The Phantom of the Opera
The reason I bring this up is because whenever I think of the Phantom of the Opera I think of this weekend. I eventually had the privileged to see the Phantom of the Opera twice, once during my senior year of high school and once during this year.
The Phantom of the Opera truly is the definition of a mega-musical. It is the longest running musical on Broadway and it doesn’t appear to be going anywhere anytime soon. The theater is constantly selling massive amounts of tickets for each show. It is one of the few Broadway shows in history to be given a sequel, something that is traditionally reserved for film and television only. It is the true King of New York City.
My First Viewing
My first Phantom was portrayed by Hugh Panaro. I was a senior in high school and it was the second musical I had seen at the time. Just as my sophomore trip was, this trip was with my high school marching band. We had managed to get a group rate with very good seats because a student in our class was related to one of the performers. I sat beside one of my best friends, Mary, and we analyzed the entire theater before the show even began, noticing the very detailed and naughty angel sculptures that surrounded the stage.
Nothing is like your first experience with the Phantom of the Opera, when it is brand new to you individually. The chandelier rose from the stage after a crack of music, the famous overture starting. I sunk down in my seat, staring up at it in amazement, before focusing back on the stage. When the chandelier fell at the end of the first act, I was one of the many who gasped loudly and almost cowered, afraid it may actually fall upon us. Which clearly it would not have, but I was naive back then.
Then the second act came. All of the second act, I was in tears. I was just overcome with emotion and I could not believe how sad the production was, or how much I wanted to know more.After the play we even got a chance to ask the performers questions. It was absolutely thrilling.
The Obsession
The Phantom of the Opera truly was an emotional roller coaster for me, something I would not stop talking about for several months after seeing the play. It didn’t help that the film came out in time to coincide with my viewing of the play. I devoured everything I could that was related to Phantom. I read the original novel and the many novels that came out over time that were inspired by the musical. My favorite novel was ‘Phantom‘ by Susan Kay and it is still one of my favorite novels to this day. As an additional note, I’m still holding out hope for a ‘Phantom’ by Susan Kay based filmed.
Billy Crudup for Charles de Chagny!
Love Never Dies
I used to desperately want a sequel. I sought out these additional novels (and often I sought out fan written stories known as fanfiction) just to get as much as I could out of the fandom. But I hated the novel ‘The Phantom of Manhatten.’ I felt it was poorly written and was really just fanfiction that was lucky enough to be published. Notice it’s amazon rating? Yeah check out Gaston Leroux’s original novel’s amazon rating. I’m not the only one who feels this way.
The funny thing…or perhaps the ironic thing…is that novel is what the new Phantom of the Opera sequel, Love Never Dies, is based upon. I got wiser in my years and began to realize that sequels rarely live up to the original. It is typically best if sequels are just never made. I am able to laugh at the fact I used to so desperately want a sequel and I am now getting one, but from the novel I truly hated as a Phantom fan. It’s truly ironic.
Love Never Dies may surprise me. I have no way of knowing just yet. I have to wait for it to arrive on Broadway. I just highly doubt it. Perhaps I’ll discuss my full feelings in one of the podcasts.
I just felt that I needed to post about the Phantom of the Opera, since I just recently saw it. I’ll be posting about all British Imports later this afternoon.
Videos
My clip from the Phantom of the Opera film is ‘All I ask of You.’ Patrick Wilson is my ideal Raoul and the best thing about the film. Let it be known, I am a Phantom fan who can appreciate both Erik (the Phantom) and Raoul. I think it is quite unjust of Andrew Lloyd Weber (and the original author of ‘The Phantom of Manhatten’) to butcher his character in the way they do with the sequel.
The Phantom of the Opera came out during the prime of MTV and due to the popularity, they made this music video based on the title song. It’s rather comical from a modern view. Some of the lyrics are changed. This video features Steve Harley, who was the original Phantom for a portion of the rehearsals, before he was replaced by Michael Crawford. I, for one, am glad that he was replaced by Michael Crawford because Michael Crawford seems to evoke the feeling of the Phantom better. Steve Harley feels too young and has too much of the rock vocals, which was my primary issue with Gerard Butler in the film version.
Michael Crawford shows how it should be done, again with Sarah Brightman. From the Tony awards.
I may have little faith in this show, but man do I love this song.
Let me explain. Rodgers and Hammerstein was important. I wouldn’t ever dream of cutting them from the lineup. But, believe you me, I am so glad to move on from them. We had a week hiatus due to Shepherd University’s Spring Break (my posting about my viewing of Hair has been added and I’ll put my posting about Phantom of the Opera up after next week’s show, The British Invasion). But our return week went quite well.
The music issue is still relevant, but luckily, I had a bit more material in actual physical format. Into the Woods is always at my apartment as well as about three versions of Sweeney Todd. What we missed out on were selections from his works Company, Follies, Assassins and sadly, A Little Night Music.
Gypsy
Perhaps the saddest exclusion due to my computer issues was that of Gypsy. Gypsy was the first Sondheim work I got to see. Of course it was the film version with Natalie Wood but it was still my first introduction.
Into the Woods
We played a great deal from Into the Woods, West Side Story and Sweeney Todd. In preparation for this show specifically, I actually convinced the library at Shepherd University to purchase the stage version of Into the Woods on DVD. I had originally inter library loaned the DVD but because of my interest in it (and the fact I used to work for the library), I was able to convince them that it was worthy to be in our collection. I am always glad when I can get a musical added into circulation.
I have to say, rather quickly, that I ADORE Bernadette Peters. I think that is perhaps the best part of doing the Stephen Sondheim show. I get to listen to so many different recordings with Bernadette, who I’ve not really seen since her cameo bits on Ugly Betty. After viewing the staged version (which was a real treat) I went on a hunt for more Bernadette Peters recordings. I had played the song ‘No One is Alone,’ which is my favorite song from Into the Woods, during our very first broadcast, so I had chosen to omit it from the actual Sondheim focused show. But during my hunt for Bernadette Peters, I stumbled across her singing it at one of her concerts. It is AMAZING! You must watch it.
West Side Story
On another matter, West Side Story is the kind of musical I think that everyone has seen from Sondheim’s collective. After all, it is an essential film classic. Natalie Wood, featured earlier in this entry, plays the part of Maria in top form. Natalie Wood, may she rest in peace, was a true movie star and is easily one of my favorite actresses. I can’t really fathom the concept of picking a favorite song from the collective of West Side Story, though it’d probably have to be America. I like big ensemble numbers.
West Side Story is currently back on Broadway in a new revival. I am really interested in this revival as the rumors has it that they’ve changed some of the lyrics, making some of the songs actually song in Spanish. I think that this is an acceptable and welcoming change. I am very eager to see it on stage and I do hope I have the chance to see it before it closes. Unlike Sweeney Todd.
Sweeney Todd
I first became aware of Sweeney Todd during a book signing for Anthony Rapp. I was waiting to get to meet him and was positioned rather close to the music listening station. One of the CD’s you could choose to listen to was the revival cast of Sweeney Todd with Michael Cerveris and Patti Lupone.
I listened to it for a good twenty minutes before I grabbed the CD and headed straight for the checkout counter. I didn’t get a chance to listen to the full CD until I was home but I spent a good portion of the drive home looking over the case and the CD’s. I listened to the CD on my way to work the next day and was so entranced by it that I had to go out to my car during my lunch break just so I could hear the rest. It was of course during my listening moments in the car that I reached the song ‘A Little Priest,’ and quickly jumped for the libretto so I could fully grasp what I thought I was hearing. In shock, I laughed along with the song and felt my stomach churn just slightly from the imagery, but it didn’t matter. For I had fallen in love by that point with the entire album.
I never did get a chance to see the revival and I so wish that I had. Unfortunately, plans fell through as they so often do. But I still cherish that recording the most in the Sweeney Todd archieve. Angela Lansbury and Helena Bonham Carter are very good at playing Mrs. Lovett in their incarnations, as are many others, but Patti LuPone will always be my Mrs. Lovett. Below is another great video of her in the role of Mrs. Lovett.
Though this version isn’t from the revival, I really do love it. Neil Patrick Harris has a wonderful voice and we don’t get to see it in action as often as I’d like. However, at least we always have Dr. Horrible’s Sing Along Blog to turn to when we want to hear Neil Patrick Harris sing for more then one single song. He pairs wonderfully with Patti LuPone.
The Sweeney Todd Film
Sweeney Todd is the most recent film to be added to the Sondheim collective and I’ve barely said much about it. I think it was a good adaptation of the musical but I am still a bit sore from the omission of ‘The Ballad of Sweeney Todd,’ easily one of my favorite songs. However, I love Johnny Depp as Sweeney Todd, which was something I had been rather skeptical about when the film was first announced. Perhaps the best scene, in my opinion, is that of ‘Epiphany,’ which I sadly could not play during the broadcast of the Sondheim show. But the song is below and really worth checking out if you’ve not had a chance to see the film yet.
Check out next week for our post about British Musicals!
I have a long standing history with the musical Hair. It was one of the first film musicals I remember viewing as a pre teen and one of the first I remember obsessing over. I viewed it for the first time somewhere around the age of ten years old, after my mother decided I was finally old enough to watch the film. I later came to realize it was one of her favorite films and since my viewing of the film, it has become a film we watch on mother/daughter days (other films that we’d do this too were Moulin Rouge, Little Shop of Horrors, Across the Universe and the non musical film Hook. Clearly, we like musicals). Of course, my mother did her best to try and censor the film for my young eyes. The song “Sodomy”did not exist in my version of Hair. She fast forwarded through the controversial track and well into my adult hood, I did the same. I’ve broken the habit but to this day it still feels like a taboo if I view or listen to the “Sodomy” segment.
But I’ve gotten off track. I had a point and the point is very simple. I love Hair. During my brief years of entertaining the prospect of becoming a director, of both film and stage, I always dreamed of bringing Hair back to Broadway for my generation. Once America entered the war on Terror, my desire for a Hair revival became greater. Hair seemed necessary in my eyes in our political climate. I wasn’t the only one to have this view and in 2007, Hair began to play in Central Park.
The Central Park Performances
The Central Park performances became my dreams. I wanted to visit New York and watch one of the performances. I had every thing in preparation as well until my lodgings fell through, this being before I realized I was capable of making day trips to the city. I was briefly sullen at my missed opportunity, having been under the impression it was a very limited engagement, and did my best to not sulk too much about the incident. The Central Park performances proved to be so popular that the revival was commissioned, first beginning at the Public Theater then moving to the Al Hirschfeld Theatre, where I was lucky enough to view the show two days ago.
My Viewing of Hair on Broadway
Hair became the third show I’ve seen in New York City. I ventured to New York City as a Spring Break trip with my roommate. Hair was a Christmas present from my parents to her and I, while her parents got us tickets to see Phantom of the Opera later that evening. As I saw the musical on the 17th of March, the original revival cast (which included most of the cast members from the Central Park and Public Theater performances) had just left the musical. The original cast is now working on originating a revival on the West End stage. While it certainly would have been nice to see the original participants of the revival, it didn’t matter much to me as a viewer. It was a revival no matter how you looked at it and all that mattered to me was energy. Energy was something that my cast certainly did not lack. Every cast member seemed to be full of exuberance, loving the performance they were a part of, and seemingly having a great time.
I admit that prior to my viewing of the stage show, I had never put any effort into researching the production. I assumed that the film was a close adaptation of the source material and that perhaps the stage show had a few extra songs. I was of course wrong and I am glad of it. While I will continue to love and cherish the film, it fails in comparison to the stage show. The stage show’s plot is vastly different from that of the film. The differences are so great that one wonders just how a director could take so much creative liberty with the material. When placed together in an effort to find a comparison, one only finds that the songs are identical and characters share the same names. Nothing else is identical.
Differences between Stage and Screen
In the stage show, Claude is a member of the tribe of hippies. The tribe is larger then the four members the film portrays, in fact it comprises of most of the cast. Claude is not the only member in the tribe that obtains a draft card, but is the only one who does not burn his during the Be-In. This makes it so that Claude’s focus in the second act is on what to do. Being drafted into the Vietnam war goes against all of Claude’s beliefs and values. Berger suggests that Claude immigrate up to Canada but Claude never makes it. Claude dies before he is able to escape his fate, appearing on stage in a uniform with a military hair cut, stating how “They got me.”
Claude is where all of the major changes in the film version start. They rip Claude from his family, that of the tribe, and present him as an outsider in the film. By doing this, Claude is not a loved member of the cast but a mechanism for the plot. He is who meets the hippies and does not how to interact with them. He is the one who leaves an impression upon George Berger, even though they only knew each other for the span of several days. He is the one who desperately falls for Sheila, a bastardized version of her stage counter part. Berger knows of Claude’s feelings and wants to see his friend once again, so sparks the road trip to the boot camp that Claude goes to several months after his visit to New York City. Berger gets Claude to sneak from Boot Camp, staying in his stead, and accidentally gets shipped off to Vietnam with no training. The film ends with Claude living and Berger dying.
Two Separate Entities
While the film is a wonderful story, it should be separated completely from the musical. It is important that a viewer thinks of them as two separate entities, as both are good in their own right, but once compared, one wonders why the producers felt the need to change nearly everything. The source material, that of the stage show, was already drastically popular and thus had a guaranteed audience. The most logical explanation would be that they wanted a more concrete plot line. But one does wonder if the producers of the film also wanted a watered down version of the source material. The film is not as explicit as that of the stage show. The audience does not get the impression that Claude, Berger and Sheila are one entity. They appear to be a romantic trio in the stage show, with Jeannie even making a comment to the audience how “Berger is hung up on Everything and Claude is hung up on a cross between Berger and Sheila.” Woof’s apparent sexuality is watered down for the film as well, with Woof making the comment he’d not kick Mick Jagger out of his bed as an apparent in joke. In the stage show, Woof means this statement and appears to have not come to full grasp with his sexual interests, as he is at the very least bisexual. Nudity also does not appear on as large a scale in the film as it does in the stage show. The first act ends with every stage member undressing during the Be-In, after burning the draft cards. All of these elements come together and can be viewed, from at least some perspective, as a watering down of the stage show for the film audiences of the 1970s. Which is a true shame and makes me really yearn for an actual remake of Hair on film. I normally do not support remakes but I feel as if the stage show deserves a chance to be portrayed as it truly is and that it’d be well received in our modern age.
Additional Materials
I discovered the song ‘Going Down’ while I was at the show. Of course there were other songs that I hadn’t heard before but this was the one I particularly enjoyed. I liked it so much I might include it in the final show, where I finally get the chance to play music from Hair.
One really cool thing that Hair does as a stage show is the cast invites the audience on stage to dance with the cast. While dancing, everyone on stage sings a rendition of ‘Let the Sunshine In.’ Not willing to pass up that chance, my roommate and I rushed for the stage once the show was over to participate. What I was not expecting was to find myself in a video online the next day. The video is located here.
As part of my preliminary research for this Blog, I needed to brush up on musicals that were not necessarily my favorite type. For the most part, this meant the Rodger’s and Hammerstein genre. I have always respected Rodger’s and Hammerstein, for they have such a worshiped collection by the general public, and they do have several amazing shows. I just never latched onto them the way I did other musical contributors, such as Sondheim or Andrew Lloyd Weber. In fact, prior to settling on this capstone topic, I had only ever really seen The Sound of Music, Cinderella and pieces from Oklahoma!
Rodgers and Hammerstein have an intense catalog. If you stick to the basic films they’ve produced, you’ve got at least the big six. The Sound of Music, The King and I, Oklahoma, South Pacific, State Fair and Carousel. Then of course you have other examples, but because of the film productions, those are the big six that most people are going to know of. I sat down and forced myself to watch The King and I and Oklahoma!
The King and I
I am going to be straight forward on my opinion here. I did not care for The King and I. It is a major work in theater and cherished by many. But I did not care for it. It took me two days to watch because I had to stop it in the middle in an effort to retain interest at a later time. What I can say about the King and I is how it sparked my interest in the actual events. I wanted to learn about Anna Leonowens and King Mongkut. I spent a good deal of time after my viewing researching the actual events of their relationship, as well as King Mongkut’s effects on Siam during his reign. Vastly interesting from a research stand point, but far too dull for an epic musical.
I think the problem lies in my own personal tastes. I am more likely to flock to the musicals that are big epics, such as Les Miserables, or have roots in rock music, such as Hair or Spring Awakening. Shows that have the standardized show tunes are always going to have issues grabbing my attention, even though I love show tunes. Do not let that be misunderstood. I was very bored with The King and I, but I loved the music. “Shall We Dance?” was simply breath taking from a music standpoint for me.
Oklahoma!
Oklahoma was not nearly as unbearable for me as a viewer. I made the mistake during my radio show by saying that it was my favorite of the Rodgers and Hammerstein film collective. It isn’t. The Sound of Music is. But I did enjoy Oklahoma, so much so that I sought out Hugh Jackman’s version of Oklahoma. I enjoyed that more. I do believe that I enjoyed it more because it was clearly a staged production, not a film. I feel as if staged productions that are filmed and put on DVD are generally more enjoyable than a studio produced film. Not necessarily all of the time, but it has happened more than once in my opinion (best example, Rent).
Broadcast and Music Issues
With the Rodger’s and Hammerstein show, I learned something as a radio DJ. I learned how to use the vinyl player in our studio. I’ve always known how to use a vinyl player at home, but the one in the studio intimidated me. I am intimidated by the equipment I don’t regularly use. Which believe it or not does include the CD player as well. Since beginning at WSHC, I’ve been primarily using digital music files that are stored on my ipod.
My ipod, presently, is useless. It has some form of a glitch in it that makes it so I can not make a manual playlist properly. If I add a song to a playlist from an album with more then one track, 75% of the time it automatically goes to another song from the list. Almost like it is shuffling the tracks without renaming them. It has caused me many problems in the past few months, to the point where I have given up on it all together until I can fix my music library.
My music library is stored on my desktop computer, the first big purchase item I bought after obtaining a job. It currently has a virus and I’ve been trying to fix it for some time now. What this means for both The S&M Show, and my original show The Late Night Double Feature, is that I have limited music selection. A lot of my cast albums I purchased through the itunes shop but never bothered to transfer to CD. The CD’s I physically own are scattered between my car and my parents house. Sadly, the majority of my Rodgers and Hammerstein (and Sondheim) collection was purchased through itunes features.
Which means very limited selection. I wished I could have been able to play songs from Cinderella or Carousel, for example. I was really yearning to play “If I loved you,” during my broadcast, but sadly could not. Luckily though, I have an obscene collection of Broadway cast recordings on vinyl. I used the vinyls of The King and I and South Pacific for the broadcast. I found that I loved the way the vinyls sounded over the air. I’ve always been in love with the scratches and pops. I was thrilled with how it turned out.
To end this entry, I figured I’d go ahead and post some links to my favorite clips from the Rodger’s and Hammerstein song catalog.
This is from the Hugh Jackman lead version of Oklahoma. I absolutely love when Hugh Jackman sings and I think this song is a delight as a viewer.
Edelweiss is my favorite number in the Sound of Music and always has been. I think that Christopher Plummer has a real magneficent voice. I often wish he’d have done more musicals during his prime. I prefer the version at the end before they escape from the concert hall, which always evokes tears to my eyes, but I posted this one for readers who may not want the film spoiled if they’ve not seen it.
Patrick Wilson is one of my favorite actors. I discovered him in the film version of Phantom of the Opera. To this day I state that he is one of the only real redeeming factors of the film. Due to my obsession with his voice, I found this clip several years ago and I am absolutely in love with it. His version of “If I loved You” is my favorite and I can only hear it through youtube!
Brandy was massive in my childhood. As a child growing up in the 90’s, nothing was cooler then Brandy. She had her own television show and pretty decent solo albums. So stared in the remake of Cinderella, it was a huge thing for me and my friends. Julie Andrews’ Cinderella is a delight as well, but this was my first exposure to the musical, so it will always mean more to me. Plus, I love Whitney Houston.
Our Introductory show went marvelous, if I may say so myself. I ran into so many problems before broadcasting, such as the fact my main music library is presently unattainable (which I’m not going to get into right now. I’m hoping to have it fixed by next week), but I still consider the first show a genuine success!
Since it was an introductory show, I decided to go ahead and play songs that I liked from all sorts of genres. It gave a nice sort of flow and didn’t scare away listeners by having too much exposure in the first round.
What was truly exciting to me, as a radio DJ, was how big of a response I got. I had four calls in the hour we were on. Most were simply saying how they really enjoyed the music selection, but I even had one caller that stayed on the line during song rotation and discussed with me all things Broadway. Once we hung up, he even called back to express joy once I began playing “One Day More” from Les Miserables Symphonic Recording.
I have to say that my favorite aspect of the introductory show was the chance to play songs from musicals I knew weren’t going to fit into any of my sub-genres in the following weeks. Without a doubt my favorite song I got to play was “The Next Ten Minutes” from The Last Five Years. The Last Five Years is my favorite cast recording of all time, but sadly, can not be placed anywhere in our future lineup.
The podcasts are about to be taped and once everything is worked out with WSHC, I will post the links. It shouldn’t be too long in the future. Stayed tuned for next week where we will air our Rodgers and Hammerstein block!
The Stage and Musical Show 
