My Musical Theater Voyage of Discovery; The Letter T
TWO ON THE AISLE. First order of business: delete all the screaming chorus numbers. Next order of business: mark all tracks by Dolores Gray with 4 or 5 stars. Next order of business: listen to each of Bert Lahr’s hammy comedy numbers and try to decide if I’m ever going to listen to them again? See, he was a great comic. But I want music in my Ipod, not schmacty comedy, however great. Ok. Delete. BUT – this cd yielded many wonderful things to listen to in the Ipod and I am happy to have explored it.
TWO GENTLEMEN OF VERONA. Did this show win a Tony? For best musical? When I started listening to it, I allowed each track to play to the end. Then, two or three tracks in, I began skipping to the next track after about 90 seconds. Then, I began skipping to the next track after about 30 seconds. Then I just stopped listening. I couldn’t get it out of my Ipod fast enough.
TWO BY TWO. Well how much fun is this. Danny Kaye as Noah and he’s building an ark. Danny Kaye is one of Pat’s heroes, so, natch, I wanted to really pay attention to this cd and it really is charming. And if that isn’t enough, there’s a Madeline Kahn solo! I admit that I deleted a track or two that was a little too noisy for me – lots of screaming dialogue over lightning crashes and the floods coming and screaming chorus numbers. I like the solos and the duets.
TWO’S COMPANY. Well Bette Davis DOES hit the pitches, for the most part. I’m a big Bette Davis fan; I also don’t need the star to be a perfect singer. I am a big fan of Lauren Bacall musicals, after all. And Harvey Fierstein in Hairspray. I don’t need a great singer; I need a great actor who is on pitch. Davis has some problems with one or two HIGH notes but she IS. ON. PITCH. The problem is that the songs are stupid. Her songs. The songs that aren’t hers are just boring. This show didn’t capture my attention at all .. except for her final number, Just Like a Man, which I could not skip, as I walked down 49th street. I just walked and listened and smiled, broader and broader. Ultimately, I left the Overture in my Ipod and two of Davis’ numbers.
TOVARICH. I am in love. This will be one of those cast albums I turn on at the Overture (I love overtures!) and just let it run. The songs are catchy and clever and the performers are stellar. Miss Vivien Leigh – what a thrill. I am in love with Tovarich!
[TITLE OF SHOW]. I saw this play and had one of the most wonderful nights in the theater in my life. I loved every bit of it from the clever script to the perfs of the actors. I just haven’t heard this cd since I bought it and put it in my Ipod. I just haven’t taken the time to play it. That’s why it was so great doing it yesterday – it was like learning a brand new musical, all over again! From start to finish – a pleasure and a treasure. Yay, Title of Show!
THREEPENNY OPERA. Not a fan of the discordant Weill. I admit it. I like his brain and I like the ballads (sigh, September Song). I even like one or two of the uber dramatic songs like Pirate Jenny. However, I admit it: Threepenny is too cerebral for me, too dark for me, too discordant for me. It’s a taste thing. If I am going to listen to Weill, I want an Ute Lemper cd or the cast album from Lovemusik because it’s Donna Murphy. So when I saw Lovemusik, I decided I needed to do my show queen duty and investigate Threepenny. Well. I’ve done it. At least I tried. Now the songs in my Ipod from Threepenny are the ones done by Misses Rae, Arthur and Lenya. It’s what I can bear. It’s what I will listen to; for the performances.
THIS IS THE ARMY MR JONES/CALL ME MISTER/TEXAS LI’L DARLIN I know This Is the Army is a classic – but while I was listening to this cd that compiles three musicals for the listener, all I could think was “this is just too old fashioned for me”. I don’t listen to Nelson Eddy and it just seems that every track on the Mr Jones portion of the cd sounds like one fey tenor after another singing Indian Love Call. Not for me. Delete, delete, delete. Except I have to admit I really really like What the Well Dressed Men in Harlem Will Wear. The Going Home Train started me off on the Call Me Mister portion of the cd and it was a good start. The number Little Surplus Me helped me along into saying I think I might like this one. The Red Ball Express was good, too. Looks like we have a winner. Further examination – yeah. A winner. Texas Li’l Darlin was another matter. Didn’t really care for most of it, though I love the Yodel Blues number and always have.
[ For the record: on the list of cds that I already knew when I began going through the Ipod … TRIUMPH OF LOVE, TITANIC, THREE GUYS NAKED FROM THE WAIST DOWN, THOROUGHLY MODERN MILLIE and THEY’RE PLAYING OUR SONG all remain in the Ipod in their entirety, though I did delete most of the West End recording of They’re Playing Our Song. I left in two cuts by Gemma Craven but I was driven to distraction by Tom Conti’s harsh American accent.]
We’re coming up on a big portion of the letter T that is just musicals starting with the word THE.
Ech. That’s gonna be a looooooong list.
TWO GENTLEMEN OF VERONA. Did this show win a Tony? For best musical? When I started listening to it, I allowed each track to play to the end. Then, two or three tracks in, I began skipping to the next track after about 90 seconds. Then, I began skipping to the next track after about 30 seconds. Then I just stopped listening. I couldn’t get it out of my Ipod fast enough.
TWO BY TWO. Well how much fun is this. Danny Kaye as Noah and he’s building an ark. Danny Kaye is one of Pat’s heroes, so, natch, I wanted to really pay attention to this cd and it really is charming. And if that isn’t enough, there’s a Madeline Kahn solo! I admit that I deleted a track or two that was a little too noisy for me – lots of screaming dialogue over lightning crashes and the floods coming and screaming chorus numbers. I like the solos and the duets.
TWO’S COMPANY. Well Bette Davis DOES hit the pitches, for the most part. I’m a big Bette Davis fan; I also don’t need the star to be a perfect singer. I am a big fan of Lauren Bacall musicals, after all. And Harvey Fierstein in Hairspray. I don’t need a great singer; I need a great actor who is on pitch. Davis has some problems with one or two HIGH notes but she IS. ON. PITCH. The problem is that the songs are stupid. Her songs. The songs that aren’t hers are just boring. This show didn’t capture my attention at all .. except for her final number, Just Like a Man, which I could not skip, as I walked down 49th street. I just walked and listened and smiled, broader and broader. Ultimately, I left the Overture in my Ipod and two of Davis’ numbers.
TOVARICH. I am in love. This will be one of those cast albums I turn on at the Overture (I love overtures!) and just let it run. The songs are catchy and clever and the performers are stellar. Miss Vivien Leigh – what a thrill. I am in love with Tovarich!
[TITLE OF SHOW]. I saw this play and had one of the most wonderful nights in the theater in my life. I loved every bit of it from the clever script to the perfs of the actors. I just haven’t heard this cd since I bought it and put it in my Ipod. I just haven’t taken the time to play it. That’s why it was so great doing it yesterday – it was like learning a brand new musical, all over again! From start to finish – a pleasure and a treasure. Yay, Title of Show!
THREEPENNY OPERA. Not a fan of the discordant Weill. I admit it. I like his brain and I like the ballads (sigh, September Song). I even like one or two of the uber dramatic songs like Pirate Jenny. However, I admit it: Threepenny is too cerebral for me, too dark for me, too discordant for me. It’s a taste thing. If I am going to listen to Weill, I want an Ute Lemper cd or the cast album from Lovemusik because it’s Donna Murphy. So when I saw Lovemusik, I decided I needed to do my show queen duty and investigate Threepenny. Well. I’ve done it. At least I tried. Now the songs in my Ipod from Threepenny are the ones done by Misses Rae, Arthur and Lenya. It’s what I can bear. It’s what I will listen to; for the performances.
THIS IS THE ARMY MR JONES/CALL ME MISTER/TEXAS LI’L DARLIN I know This Is the Army is a classic – but while I was listening to this cd that compiles three musicals for the listener, all I could think was “this is just too old fashioned for me”. I don’t listen to Nelson Eddy and it just seems that every track on the Mr Jones portion of the cd sounds like one fey tenor after another singing Indian Love Call. Not for me. Delete, delete, delete. Except I have to admit I really really like What the Well Dressed Men in Harlem Will Wear. The Going Home Train started me off on the Call Me Mister portion of the cd and it was a good start. The number Little Surplus Me helped me along into saying I think I might like this one. The Red Ball Express was good, too. Looks like we have a winner. Further examination – yeah. A winner. Texas Li’l Darlin was another matter. Didn’t really care for most of it, though I love the Yodel Blues number and always have.
[ For the record: on the list of cds that I already knew when I began going through the Ipod … TRIUMPH OF LOVE, TITANIC, THREE GUYS NAKED FROM THE WAIST DOWN, THOROUGHLY MODERN MILLIE and THEY’RE PLAYING OUR SONG all remain in the Ipod in their entirety, though I did delete most of the West End recording of They’re Playing Our Song. I left in two cuts by Gemma Craven but I was driven to distraction by Tom Conti’s harsh American accent.]
We’re coming up on a big portion of the letter T that is just musicals starting with the word THE.
Ech. That’s gonna be a looooooong list.
posted by StephenMosher at 7:18 AM
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