Books to Music: The Scarlet Pimpernel

You can tremble, you can fear it
But keep your fighting spirit alive boys
Let the shiver of it sting you
Fling into battle, spring to your feet boys
Never hold back your step for a moment
Never doubt that your courage will grow
Hold your head even higher and into the fire we go

The Scarlet Pimpernel is one of my favorite stories ever and my love kinda started with this musical.  A friend recommended it to me but I couldn't really get into the soundtrack because I was unfamiliar with the book.  So I read the book, listened to the musical and completely fell in love.  It doesn't quite capture the book - I think the book is nearly impossible to adapt as it is because of various reasons (which I don't want to reveal in case you haven't read it) but I do think this musical captures the characters - and makes the character of the Pimpernel so engaging and believable.  The actor to play him in the musical - Douglas Sills - is amazing at all the facets he must portray of this character - a sensitive romantic, an adventurer, someone who is cunning and intelligent and deeply devoted to his cause, and someone who can pretend to be ridiculously inane and foppish.  The musical underwent some changes from the original broadway cast recording but the OBC is the only commercially available recording so I will be referring to it in this post.

The songs that capture the romance and despair that the Pimpernel feels are probably my favorite ones in this musical.  "Believe", "Prayer" and "She Was There" are moving ballads that show such deep emotions that they almost always make me want to tear up.  Even when it's happy, it is so beautifully touching to hear the deep emotions in these songs.  Marguerite's song "When I Look At You" is also a deeply moving song of regret and love and is another example of the brilliant way the songs in this musical captures the heightened emotions of the characters.  But again there's more to this story than all that heart-hurting romance because the Pimpernel embarks on many daring missions to save the innocent victims of the French Revolution.  And while the gravity of the situation is addressed in various scenes, there is a sense of boyish glee in how the rescues are portrayed on stage and in the music.  There are inspiring and fun songs to bring everything to life and probably one of the best parts of the show is the humor that comes from the Pimpernel's attempts to convince people that he could not possibly be the one causing such havoc in France.  "The Creation of Man" is a truly clever patter song with an argument to why men should be more concerned with keeping up their physical appearances and wearing pretty clothes than off being brave and fighting.  It's such a funny scene in the show.

I feel like I have to do justice to the villain of the show as well - Chauvelin - who has some great songs that bear out how much he believes in what he is doing; so much so that it is difficult to find fault with his actions when he thinks he is doing the right thing.  The mark of a great villain I think.  Unlike the book, the musical adds a seductive note to Chauvelin's character which makes him even more interesting to watch.

This musical is so close to me, that I wish everyone would give it a listen because it has all the things that make musicals a joy to me - humor, romance, and danger, and all set to catchy tunes, with wonderfully clever lyrics.  Everyone that I've introduced this musical to has loved it and I hope that if any readers here check it out, they will feel the same! But first read the book!

Song Spotlight: You Are My Home
If you click on the link above, you'll see a performance of this song on the Rosie O'Donnell Show by the original cast and you get a bit of back story to where the song functions in the show as well.  So highly recommend watching that.  But first, I'll say that this is not my favorite song in the show ("Believe" is) but I picked this song for the spotlight because it is an intensely gorgeous melody.  I remember when I first heard it, it literally raised the hair on my arms, because it's so beautiful.  It's a song sung between brother and sister when they believe they will die soon at the guillotine and that despair and deep love mingle very well to create such a breathtaking and moving song.  The original has better orchestration than that youtube link by the way, but I couldn't find the original on youtube.

Books to Music: Daddy Long Legs

It's been nearly two months now
Since I wrote you last
You can't imagine my regrets
Still it wasn't very nice not to write.

I so regret not seeing this musical when it was near me a few years ago because I love the music!  It is based on the novel by Jean Webster and written by Paul Gordon who wrote the music and lyrics for Jane Eyre the Musical which I also love.  Because the book is a series of letters, the songs are basically the letters sung through, and to keep that intimate setting, the show features only two actors, Megan McGinnis as Jerusha and Robert Adelman Hancock as Jervis.  Jerusha leads the musical of course as she sings her story and either acts it out or sings in harmony with Jervis.  It's a great balance between the two in revealing character and story through the letters, and of a necessity the songs have to bear much of the storytelling.

While in "Jane Eyre" Paul Gordon's music is much darker and romantic, "Daddy Long Legs" has a lighter feel with gorgeous melodies that emphasize the emotion of the characters.  And the singers each capture their parts expertly, especially Megan McGinnis' clear, youthful soprano voice.  The music in this show brings out the charm and whimsy of the original novel while also showing the progressive growth of Jerusha from teenager to a young woman.  It's a gorgeous little show, which I hope to see someday!

Song Spotlight: I Couldn't Know Someone Less
This is my favorite song from the show!  Jerusha is angry because her benefactor won't let her leave the farm to vacation with her friends, and while she is almost apologetically angry and tries to temper her hurt in the beginning, the lyrics get progressively despairing and reproachful.  The emotion comes through so well in the lyrics and in the soft slow beginning of the music and the emotional surge halfway through.  Another thing I love about this song is how the lyrics show so much about Jerusha's character, her hopes and dreams, and her current, stagnant life on the farm.  This song packs a lot into it, in my opinion, and is a great character piece.

Books to Music: Matilda

Just because I find myself in this story
It doesn't mean that everything's written for me.
If I think the ending is fixed already
I might as well be saying that it's OK
And that's not right!

I saw this musical based on Roald Dahl's book when I was in London a couple months ago and I had very mixed feelings on it.  Now, I think I read the book when I was in 5th grade and haven't read it since.  But my main memory about the book was that Matilda had telekinetic powers (I guess that was what I wanted to have so I remember that!) and it was odd to me that this part of the book was revealed very late in the musical.  The musical focused on Matilda's uncompromising personality and her inner world and that was great to see.

What I didn't quite like was how the musical moved away from Matilda's story.  There was a lot of time given to Matilda's tediously comical parents and her father's shady dealings and also to the only solace Matlida seemed to have - the library where she told stories to the librarian.  Which introduced a major side plot where Matilda is telling an ongoing story to the librarian.  The story has significance, but I did have some questions about it which I don't want to go into here lest I spoil the story for people.   I think I found the show moved all over the place - especially in the first act - and so it lacked a clear focus.  I was also disappointed that there seemed such a separation between Matilda and her story and the children's suffering at the hands of Mrs. Trunchbull.  Until the last half of the second act where things really came together and there were lots of engaging and catchy melodies that all culminated in the wondrous "Revolting Children" song when the children are finally free of Mrs. Trunchbull and they celebrate their freedom.  That number is so energetic and full of the power of these children, I was suddenly entranced by the message of the whole musical.

And that's where I'm mixed up with this show.  I adored the heartfelt melancholy in the idea that adults don't have the same fire and energy and optimisim in them as children, and that children suffer when made to feel inadequate and unimportant when they are anything but.  So initially I was put off by pacing issues and sideplots, but by the end I was very much caught up in the children's journey that I left wanting to dance and sing in the streets.  Thankfully for the populace I did not.  I do think that the music and lyrics of this show was so very thoughtful, clever and inspiring that that makes up for any issues I had with the development of the story.

Song Spotlight: "Revolting Children"
I already mentioned this song and how much I loved it, that I think just putting a video up of it is the next step.  This is the Tony Award's performance, and they did a mash-up of "Naughty", "Revolting Children" and "When I Grow Up" (which happen to be my three favorite songs in the whole show!) and I was completely blown away by this performance!  The children in these shows are amazing!

Books to Music: Lucky Stiff "Times Like This"

A friendly face, the kind of face
That melts you with a grin
The kind of eyes that welcome you
The minute you walk in
A tender glance you simply can't refuse

I am not familiar with this musical sadly, but it is being made into a movie (hopefully it will be released this year!) so I can soon fix that!  It's based on a 1983 book called The Man Who Broke the Bank at Monte Carlo by Michael Butterworth.  Quite a mouthful.  The musical is a farcical comedy and although I'm only really familiar with the song "Times Like This", I think I would enjoy the whole show and the music.

"Times Like This" isn't a comedy song, it's a most sincere and heartfelt love song with a wonderful twist.  Go back and read the quoted lyrics in the beginning.  Yes, now please.  I'll wait.

Okay.  The next line is "At times like this a girl could use a dog." Awww!  This song completely captured me with that one line!  And cleverly the song continues the comparison - typically romantic imagery linked to  the faithful and loyal dog.  It's so touching really, and this song illuminates a lot about the character singing it in this musical.  (She represents a dog home)  She loves simplicity and honesty and probably hasn't had too many great romantic relationships.  And the line "give me a quiet night, a stack of books, a tuna melt on rye" is just the greatest, I identify so much with this song it's ridiculous.  It's amazing the snapshot of life this song captures, to me at least, and one that I feel is often not represented.  I would highly recommend giving it a listen!

Books to Music: Shrek "Who I'd Be"

An ogre always hides.
An ogre's fate is known.
An ogre always stays
in the dark and all alone.

Shrek the Musical is based on the animated movie which is based on the children's book by William Stieg, so I think it fits the whole books to music thing!  But I'm just song spotlighting "Who I'd Be" from the Broadway cast recording for my post today because I love the song a ridiculous amount of course, and then it's a lovely "I want" song which illustrates a lot of character.

For me, the songs in musicals that have a lot of longing, appeal to me the most and in "Who I'd Be", Shrek puts aside his cynicism a little to sing what he would like out of life instead of what he has. Our Shrek has a romantic heart underneath his gruff exterior, and his song is really very poignant because he's trapped by his exterior and other people's perception of him.  One of my favorite moments in this song is when he's singing of how he would hypothetically rescue a princess:

But standing guard

would be a beast.

I’d somehow overwhelm it.

I’d get the girl.

I’d take a breath,

and I’d remove my helmet.

We’d stand and stare.

We’d speak of love.

We’d feel the stars ascending.

We’d share a kiss.

I’d find my destiny.

I’d have a hero’s ending.

There's a dramatic pause between the first and second stanza where the music completely cuts out.  He removed his helmet - what is the princess's reaction??  Completely perfect because Shrek is accepted. It's so moving and then immediately poignantly sad because Shrek follows up by saying "it's not for me."

There is something else that appeals to me the most in musicals - when two or more characters (usually singing about different but complimentary things) are singing together in harmony.  And in this song Fiona and Donkey start singing towards the end.  Donkey seemed like he was added on kinda last minute, but I love Fiona's lyrics because the audience knows she's an ogre too, and both Shrek and Fiona want the same thing, but their attitude towards it is completely different.  Fiona believes she can have her happy ending, but Shrek doesn't.  It's so brilliant to juxtapose their thoughts that way in this song!  

The lyrics are witty, the melody is ... melodious, and the emotions of the characters comes through very strongly in this song.  It captures so much about the story all in 4 minutes!  Brilliant!

Books to Music: The Phantom of the Opera

You will curse the day you did not do
All that the Phantom asked of you

Oh Phantom.  I think most everyone agrees this musical is great.  There is something about it that just resonates. But when looking at the book, it is interesting to see how Andrew Lloyd Webber was able to make this story work so well as a musical.  There are minor changes to the plot, but for the most part, the musical follows the story closely.  And taking the appeal of the Phantom (who's disfigurement isn't nearly as bad as in the book) out of the equation, I think the biggest reason this musical is so much more memorable than the book is the music.

Beautiful voices and beautiful music is a major plot point for the story, and although there have been some iffy choices voice-wise in actors to play the Phantom, generally the music is very difficult to sing, and requires actors with superb voice control.  And there have been many who have pulled it off so well.  There is a lot of power in these songs, from the pure singing side (there are many operatic passages) to the guitar riffs and the overpowering organ.  It brings a level of drama to the story that I don't feel is necessarily in the book (although I haven't read it in awhile) and heightens the tension and dark obsessive romance of the story.

The lyrics bring another side of gorgeous story-telling to the novel, because it highlights the emotions of the characters so well.  "Wishing You Were Somehow Here Again" is a song that has never personally enthralled me, but when I took the time to really listen to the lyrics recently, I was struck by how well it captures Christine's inner turmoil and the cause of her character weakness.  So many great lyrics in this show that are able to tell the story and tell you more about the characters at once.

Song Spotlight: Music of the Night
I've youtube linked to the 25th Anniversary performance of Music of the Night where they had 5 Phantoms perform the song! Five awesome singers! What!  Anthony Warlow is my favorite Phantom for the record.  The thing I always think about when I hear this song is that it is hard to sustain a note with the E vowel and so when listening to the song I especially like to listen to how the singer sounds singing 'Let your soul take you where you long to be'.  Just a little thing I do.  This is my favorite song from the musical because I love the lilting seductiveness of the music and the lyrics and the poignancy in the Phantom's need for companionship.  It's so beautifully done just like this whole darn musical!

Books to Music: Once Upon A Mattress

And you may be sure way down deep I'm demure,
though some people I know might deny it at bottom 
I'm quiet and pure!
I'm aware that it's wrong to be meek as I am; 
my chances may pass me by.
I pretend to be strong, but as weak as I am, all I can do is try.

Oh this musical, what a delight!  It's based on Hans Christian Anderson's fairy tale "The Princess and the Pea" and changes up several things about the story.  The Queen doesn't want her son to marry a princess, but stay with her always, so the Queen is turned into a great campy villain in this film production from 2005.  Carol Burnett (who played Princess Winifred in the original off-broadway/broadway production) is over the top, but perfect for this bright, colorful, exuberant production.  And of course her vocals are spot on!  They even wrote a new song for this version, sung by Carol's Queen called "That Baby of Mine" which lets Carol really vamp it up and play up the comedy.  I'm a huge fan of Carol Burnett so I'm probably a little biased about how great this show is!

They do have a stellar cast here though.  Matthew Morrison (Broadway actor and now actor on Glee) has a gorgeous voice, and is really perfectly matched with Zooey Deschanel as Lady Larkin.  Their songs are so playful and romantic and are a great foil for the quirky romance between Tracey Ullman's "shy" Princess Winifred, and Prince Dauntless played by Denis O'Hare. (OMG True Blood fans! Russell Edgington can sing!)  The music is mostly the old-style Broadway sound - very glossy and buoyant - and of course catchy and upbeat.  The big dance number song (Spanish Panic) is really fun and shows just what this musical is about - it's entertaining, funny and over the top, and brings a great new spin to the original fairy tale.

Song Spotlight: Shy
This song showcases the Princess's personality, which is very endearing even if she doesn't seem all that shy. Her words belie her very forward and strident voice. Yet even though it seems unlikely that people find her shy when they meet her, it's interesting that you can believe she really is a bit timid on the inside because she has such a unique personality that might not be acceptable to everyone (the Queen for instance.)  There is a little song within this that serves as the prelude and is a part of the dance break in the middle that I also really adore.  It has a lovely, fluttering melody and I wish I could hear it developed into it's own song!

Books to Music: Rebecca (English demos)

When we kiss you are thinking of Rebecca
I don't ask you to love me
Let me be just your companion
I know well that you will always love her.

Rebecca by Daphne du Maurier!  Although this musical did very well in Europe, it hasn't been very lucky getting off the ground in America.  Which is unfortunate because I think it would be a fantastic spectacle dramatic show. Although there is a proper recording of the musical in German, I'm listening to the English demos from 2003 with Maike Boerdam as "I", Uwe Kroger as Maxim DeWinter and the very well-known Dutch actress/singer Pia Douwes as Mrs. Danvers.

First of all the music.  It's properly dramatic and stirring, with beautiful ballads and some dark and sinister overtones.  The recording has a few orchestral interludes (for stage changes?) which are so pretty - I think the music for this show is so gorgeous and rich.  Maike Boerdam's voice is so lilting and pretty and perfect for the shy, retiring "I", and while Uwe Kroger has a very strong voice, I did wish it was a little deeper to capture Maxim DeWinter's darkness better.  Pia Douwes is just perfection.

The lyrics are mostly very solid, but they don't seem very memorable to me.  I have a vague suspicion that the German libretto is better than the English, and I wish I could speak German to confirm.  The musical seems to follow the book very closely though, and I appreciate the fidelity to the source material.  There is one comic relief song for Mrs. Van Hopper which sounds very out of place with the tone of the musical, and a little insulting to Americans, but what can you do?  To get a sense of the story and the direction the composers wanted to take this story, this recording is excellent to listen to, and really makes me hope they will get the musical on Broadway soon!

Song Spotlight: Last Night I Dreamt I Went to Manderley
This is the first song on the recording and I like it the best! It begins with the sound of waves and a reminiscing chorus, and then the main character starts singing of what she remembers.  The music has that touch of something sinister while also being such a beautiful ballad - I love the way it sets up the beginning of the story and is so catchy and pretty.  The last part of the song (before the upbeat transition music kicks in) particularly stays in my head because it's so sweetly dreamy and leads perfectly into the first scenes of the musical.

And for fun, listen to the German version of the song!

Books to Music: Once On This Island

The hopes that make us happy
The hopes that don't come true
And all the love
There ever was

I see this all in you
You are part
Part of the Human heart

Yesterday I reviewed the book this musical is based on - "My Love, My Love or The Peasant Girl" - and I decided to read the book because I had heard of this musical and was eager to give it a listen.  The Little Mermaid connection did help!  The book is short, and this musical is also - it's a one act show. And I found that many of the songs tell the story because this musical appears to be mostly sung through.  Although I don't mind songs that tell the story they are usually not my favorite - at least they are not songs that I listen to over and over again.

From the song lyrics, it sounds like the musical is pretty faithful to the book.  But I did find that Daniel's unfaithfulness to Ti Moune had a bit more of a kick, because he tries to tell her that it could never have worked out, and in the book, Daniel was never so blunt.  His feelings about how their relationship might have gone seemed a little more open. The music in this show is beautiful and has lovely Caribbean rhythms and harmonies that showcase the life and community of the peasants. The show is exuberant, and dreamy and tragic, but I did find the change to the ending much more heartening than the ending of the book, so that the musical still maintained that sense of hope that the main character always held dear.

Song Spotlight:  Waiting for Life
I could only find the original actress who portrayed Ti Moune, La Chanze, singing this song on the Rosie O'Donnell show, so the song is a little stripped down, and the wonderful harmonies in the end are gone, but the song is still beautifully sung on the show.  It's about Ti Moune, dreaming about seeing more of life and especially getting to ride in the wonderful cars she sees going past her village.  She's so bright and full of hope in this song and the lyrics and music support that.  I love especially how much belting she does at the end of some verses, she makes it seem so effortless!  For me, this is the best song in the show!

Books to Music: 8 Femmes

8 Femmes (or 8 Women) is a French comedy drama mystery musical movie.  Yeah.  It's based on a 1958 play by Robert Thomas, but the film was made in 2002.  I was on a French film kick for a bit, and saw this film listed as one of the best so I of course picked it up and loved it!  It stars some pretty amazing French actresses - Catherine Deneuve, Danielle Darrieux, and Fanny Ardant - but all of the actresses in this film are fantastic really.  It's very stylized - reminiscent of 50s films with a Hitchcock/Agatha Christie type vibe.  Even though I found many things very surprising in this movie (mainly the twists and turns in the plot!) I was entirely unaware it was a musical when I first decided to watch it, and I was very surprised when the first actress broke into song.

There are eight songs in the film - one song for each actress that gives some background into their character. It's funny because with some of the songs, there is a ton of subtext behind the choice that is not entirely clear until the end of the movie.  The songs were not specifically written for the film - they were hand picked from among the French pop oeuvre to advance the story as the film explores the secrets these eight women are hiding as they are trapped in a house with the knowledge that one of them is a murderer.  Some songs stand out more for me than others, but I think that is a personal preference, as each song is beautifully worked into the story and reveal so much about each character.  I loved that aspect of the film so much - for such a beautiful, stylized, emotional film, it makes sense that the characters burst into song when their feelings can be expressed in no other way.  There is a fantasy aspect as well, for when the actresses break into song, the lighting changes, or the other actresses dance as backup. It's such a fun film, but a little dark and disturbing which makes it a very eclectic mix of a movie, and so entertaining!

Song Spotlight: Papa t'es plus dans l'coup
Translates to Dad You're Out of Touch, and is the first song in the film so not too much of a spoiler ...  The link is to a youtube video of the scene from the movie, but unfortunately I couldn't find one with subtitles.  It's a fun song sung by the youngest daughter and again, totally caught me off guard when the movie randomly seemed to take a song and dance break.  Since the songs were not written for the movie, they don't all have the same sound, which makes it easier to make each song distinctive to each character.  And the vibe of this one is so full of fun and youth, it captures Catherine perfectly - at least the way her family likes to view her.  Lots of layers in this film, and I wouldn't want to talk about it too much, because it's so great to have all the drama unfold before you!

Books to Music: Romeo et Juliette "Le Poison"

Roméo il nous faut jouer à ce jeu
Pour ne pas mourir
Je dois mourir un peu
Ce poison-là nous sauve
Je reviendrai à l'aube

Romeo we must play this game
To not die
I must die a little
This poison saves us
I'll return at dawn.

I love listening to foreign language soundtracks (it's preferable I'm familiar with the story though, so I know what is going on) and European musicals in general seem to emphasize spectacle and the abstract.  I've heard a couple soundtracks based on this musical version of Romeo and Juliet, but I like the French one the best.

Judging from the youtube video (below) this production definitely has an abstract side to it, but I think this song is especially an interesting twist on the scene.  It has this ethereal, eerie and very romantic melody - an interesting counterpoint to the seriousness of the scene.  And Juliet's lyrics are so plaintive and despairing even though the poison is supposed to give her hope.  Although we know how it all ends, so it kinda tips the tragedy of the scene.  It's just a gorgeous, haunting song, that captures Juliet's desperation to be with Romeo.

Books to Music: Pride and Prejudice

Girls beware, ladies do take care
If a man is proud, if he's vain.
If allowed he'll look down on all that you do
With contempt and disdain.
If you're wise, if you're smart
You'll refrain from the start
From affairs of the heart
With a man who is proud

This is another Bernard J. Taylor musical (last week I looked at his Wuthering Heights) and I think this musical fares a little better then WH.  It benefits from having five Bennett sisters so there can be some wonderful harmonies in their songs, and with Mrs. Bennett and Mr. Collins for comedy, their songs are pretty entertaining.  Especially Mr. Collins pigheaded, self-absorbed ramblings.  I think the music is a little repetitive though (which is something I had a problem with in Wuthering Heights) and the use of synthesizers (I think?) doesn't help the sound much.

The musical as a whole is a bit staid and bland again, especially in what is musicalized.  The songs tell the story too much I think, where it would be more entertaining to hear songs that comment on the emotion of the character or give some insight into character, instead of purely advancing the story.  They say (who's they? I don't know!) that every musical should have an "I want" song. Let's say Wicked for example, I would say that song is "The Wizard and I". Or The Little Mermaid it would be "Part of Your World."  The Producers would be "I Wanna be a Producer" (they really made that easy). I couldn't find an "I want" song in this musical, and I think it's because it doesn't delve deep enough into the characters.  So although this musical is very listenable, it's not very memorable.  I wonder why there has never been a big Broadway musical of Pride and Prejudice, it seems like a property that people would be excited to develop.

Song Spotlight: Don't Ask Me Why
Yay, this song is on youtube! Check out the fan video someone made for the song by clicking on the song name.  I think this song is far and away the best one on the soundtrack, and so different musically to the rest of the recording.  I wouldn't be surprised if this was the first song written for the show, it's so distinct.  Mr. Darcy is singing about his confused feelings for Elizabeth, and I would guess he's actually singing it to her in the show, instead of it being a monologue, so even though it isn't terribly romantic to be told you are loved against better judgement, this song's wistful, romantic melody, and Peter Karrie's sentimental vocals makes it pretty swoon-worthy I think.  There's a latent passion in the words, especially as the song modulates upward, and it ends on a poignant, appealing high note as Mr. Darcy asks Elizabeth to marry him.  YES I'LL MARRY YOU MR. DARCY.

Books to Music: Wuthering Heights

It's been a long long road
But now my quest is through
There's no where else to go
There's no one else but you
I'm racing with the tide
To have you by my side
Only this time it will be forever

So.  This musical isn't terrible.  It's just terribly bland.  It might work better live, but listening to the soundtrack, my mind wanders.  The music is repetitive, and not very inspiring.  There are some phrases in this dramatic score that are very pretty - mainly the ones that recur throughout the musical. But because they recur a little too often, it feels like padding.  The lyrics aren't very inspiring either.  They don't really capture the powerful and concise prose of the novel.

The musical only adapts the first half of the book, as usual for Wuthering Heights adaptations.  And it may be that Heathcliff is rendered a little more sympathetically in the story, as his songs are rather soft, and appealing and dramatic instead of angry and vengeful.  It seems to be equally sympathetic to both Cathy and Heathcliff though, even though I've always thought Cathy was more to blame for the tragedy of the story.  I think what would work best for a musical version of Wuthering Heights is something a little hard-edged and not so traditional sounding.  There's very little warmth in this story, and I feel like it should be reflected more in the music.  The singers are all fantastic though, with the bonus of Bonnie Langford as Isabella (Classic Doctor Who fans anyone?)

Song Spotlight: Coming Home To You
I like this song the best (although I have to say that "I Belong To The Earth" is another good one).  Heathcliff is happy to be coming home to see Cathy (his joy is soon to be cut short of course).  And it's not a side of Heathcliff one would normally see, as he is so hopeful.  The song builds in a way that is both sweeping and driving and a touch haunting as Heathcliff sings about his hopes now that he has worked so hard to become independent and can now marry Cathy.  When I listen to this song, I feel the buoyant hope of Heathcliff, but there is this tragic sense underlying it which may be more me reading into the song.  But it does feature one of the more catchier musical phrases.

Books to Music: Into the Woods

How do you say to your child in the night 
Nothing's all black, but then nothing's all white? 
How do you say it will all be all right 
When you know that it might not be true? 
What do you do?

Stephen Sondheim is a musical theatre genius.  The things he can do with music and lyrics utterly shames the talents of ordinary people.  These are true facts.  Unfortunately I don't like all his shows.  It's just so story and character focused, and the music always complements that.  And if the story doesn't appeal to me, the music loses it's lustre. To me only in the whole wide world, I'm sure.  But you guys, this is not the case with this musical.  I adore this show, it brings joy to my story and music loving soul and the adapting, reworking and weaving of the different fairy tales is sheer perfection.  There are repeating themes and layers of meaning from the plot and lyrics that extend clear through to the repeating motifs in the melodies.  And if that isn't enough, this musical is hilarious!  Seriously, Stephen Sondheim is not human.

The first act is the happily ever after, and interweaves the stories of Cinderella, Rapunzel, Little Red Riding Hood, and Jack (of Beanstalk fame).  The second act is about the consequences.  And things aren't so happy.  To be honest, there are so many layers to this musical, it is difficult to break it down in this short insignificant post of mine.  Sondheim's music almost always supports the words - it's not often he has a conventional melodic song in his shows - but it totally works for his shows.  And so to really enjoy his musicals you must know and appreciate the story.  They are very much intertwined.  I can't say much more than if there is an opportunity to see this show live, you must see it.  I can almost guarantee that if you like fairy tales, you will enjoy this musical!  Listening to the soundtrack is entertaining, but seeing the whole picture makes everything come together perfectly.

Song Spotlight: "Your Fault"
There are some amazing songs in the musical obviously, but I've always been a little obsessed by this very short song in the second act that leads into "Last Midnight".  It's five characters having an argument.  Singing!  Five characters!  And the music builds to a  fast and frantic pace; I'm just amazed at the amount of practice it must take to be able to sing the lines, with the right emphasis and with the right timing.  Everybody is pointing fingers at everyone else for the bad things that have happened, and the music is a whirling melody, just fueling everyone's anger and unreasonable accusations.  And then when it slows down for "Last Midnight",  the frenzy of the song is that much more emphasized.

And I just want to mention my favorite bit in this song - just this one moment, when Jack points his finger at Little Red because she dared him so it's her fault, and then everyone gets on board and says 'so it's your fault!'  Little Red's line is "Wait a minute."  But when it's done right - with just that touch of 'WTF! Are you guys freaking serious?' attitude behind it - I love it!  It just kills me, it's so funny!

Books to Music: Cyrano "Thither Thother Thide of the..."

Indecency is a very correlative terminalogical brusteration of the whole concept of contracept.
Depending on the mode of varitriculation between subject and object.
Subject and upject.
Oh that's ridiculous really.

Another look at one song, this is the comic nonsense song from the 1973 musical adaptation of Cyrano. I heard that one of the reasons Christopher Plummer accepted the role of Captain Von Trapp in The Sound of Music was because he wanted to practice singing in musicals - especially so he could play this part.  Of course in The Sound of Music, his singing didn't make the soundtrack, but here you get to hear his real voice.  And it's really pretty good!

"Thither, Thother, Thide of the...." takes place when Cyrano is trying to distract De Guiche while Roxana and Christian marry.  He interrupts De Guiche and acts like a madman while he talks about... something on the other side of the moon. Except he can't really get all his words out, and he constantly interrupts himself.  The lyrics of this song are pretty genius, given how hard it must be to write nonsense that sounds meaningful and conversational.  And Christopher Plummer pulls off the conversational part brilliantly, because there is such conviction and purpose in his delivery.  The song captures Cyrano's command of language because it seems more difficult to engineer such nonsensical but convincing claptrap on the spot.

 The pace of this song intrigues me as well - how it starts and stops - which means seeing it live must be the best way to experience it so one can understand the acting choices made.  I can just imagine how fun this must be to perform - swaggering about with bravado on the stage.  The whole song is just one manic run of words and crashing brass and whimsical wind instruments that disorient and confuse.  I also love how the people Cyrano are talking to laugh like they are just trying to humor him. I can imagine their confused nervous glances at each other, while they smile and nod placatingly at Cyrano.  I think this song is a big departure from the music on the rest of the album, which made it stand out for me.

Unfortunately youtube has failed me, in not having this song available to listen, so check out the clips on Amazon if you would like to hear more!

Books to Music: Phantom: The American Musical Sensation

Look within this heart of mine, Christine. 
The very constant soul and music, of Christine.
Behind this mortal mask, this terror of a face conceals, 
the gesture and the grace of you, Christine.

A musical based on The Phantom of the Opera - no not that one.  There is a fundamental difference between the approach of this version (Maury Yeston/Arthur Kopit), compared to the Andrew Lloyd Webber version.  And I tried my best not to think of ALW when I was listening to this.  But can I just say the jaunty Overture is vastly disappointing compared to the stirringly dramatic ALW version.  Okay, I'm done now.

First things first, this is quite a good cast recording.  Surprisingly so, considering how memorable the ALW... oh wait, wasn't going to think of that version.  It's more remnisicent of the traditional musical sound (like Rodgers and Hammerstein) with perhaps a more realistic attempt to sound like a Parisian opera house.  At least there is more French and French accents in this recording.  This musical also has touches of lightness and humor in the music and lyrics which sounds a little odd to me - it seems thematically inconsistent for the source material.  The story takes liberties with the original novel, so that there is more of a focus on the characters and their stories.  Carlotta gets her own character song, and the Phantom is reunited with his father.  Weird.  The ending is still tragic, but done differently from the book and I'm not sure what Christine's real feelings are supposed to be for the Phantom.  At least I hope she did make the decision that she did not want to marry him in the show.  This musical is uneven, but overall quite lovely.

Song Spotlight: You Are Music
This is a great example of what I feel are the strengths and weaknesses in this musical - the beginning has the Phantom preparing Christine for her audition and some bland Do-Re-Mi/singing instructional verses are interrupted by the Phantom and Christine's (inner monologue?) of rather gorgeous music hinting at their fascination with each other.  In the beginning, I'm shaking my head at the lyrics, and then suddenly completely on board for the "you are music" parts.  It's so pretty, and touching when it is reprised in the end for Christine to mourn the Phantom's death.  By the way, at least that is consistent with the book - he does die in the end.

Books to Music: The Little Mermaid "If Only"

I wanted to focus on one song from the musical for today's post, since I already kinda talked about the Disney movie before, but I'm sure I'll come back to the stage musical again for a full review because I love it so.

The song "If Only" is from the second act and is a newly written song for the show.  It features a quartet of singers - Ariel, Prince Eric, Sebastian and King Triton - who all sing about what they wish for.  It takes place after the end of Ariel's second day, just after "Kiss the Girl" so things aren't looking up for her.  It begins with Ariel (yes, she's lost her voice, but the audience can still "hear" her) :

Ariel
If only you would notice how I ache behind my smile,
I guess you never will, I guess it doesn't show
But if I never find a way to tell you so....
Oh! What I would give if only you could know

Ariel's palpable longing for Eric is beautifully backed by the wistful melody as she imagines what could happen "if only."  Although the original fairy tale has the little mermaid wanting two things - to be human as well as marry the Prince - this song only highlights Ariel's love, and I'm such a sucker for romance.  I find Ariel's verses in this song so haunting and plaintive and full of yearning.  It takes that same feeling from "Part of Your World" and makes it a personal need for love and acceptance.

Prince Eric
How come when she looks at me
It seems like time stops moving
Almost like the way it did that day upon the shore

The Prince in the original fairy tale and the Disney movie is a little marginalized.  He's hardly in one, and doesn't get to do much until the end in the other.  This musical develops the character, gives him more songs, adds more to Eric's relationship to Ariel, and makes him unequivocally choose her without knowing she was the one who saved him.  That is the biggest and best character change in my opinion!   (In the movie, I don't think this is really shown unambiguously)  In this song, he is just beginning to realize how much he is drawn to Ariel, even while obsessed with "that voice."

Sebastian
And if I only could,
I'd tell you what I do,
I'd simply wave me claw
And make your dreams come true

Oh Sebastian! I find his character so touching in this story.  Despite his crusty exterior he has such a warm, generous heart and his part in this song is to sing about how much he would do for Ariel to be happy.  He's just as wistful and so sympathetic to Ariel, it kind of makes me teary because it's so lovely for her to have a such a true friend like that.

King Triton
I'll try to understand,
I'll keep my temper low,
I should have started listening to you long ago

King Triton sings of his despair at losing his daughter, which is another reason this song makes me teary.  His verse is short in the song, but to the point and pretty heartbreaking when you empathize with the character.  I've always loved that King Triton is so forbidding and commanding in the show, but he loves his daughters so much and is willing to give up everything for them.  And then this song is reprised later between King Triton and Ariel and, surprise! it's just as melancholy and sweet when it's about Triton letting his daughter grow up.

Yup, this song is a tear fest, and the way all four voices weave together in the end (so perfectly!), just brings all the emotions to a poignant climax which then fades away as the characters have to face their reality.  I think this song does so much in illuminating character and purpose while also reminding everyone what's at stake.  And with it also being a beautifully melodic song, it's definitely one of my favorite songs from any musical, and I hope that if you have a listen you'll enjoy it as well!  Ariel is played by Sierra Boggess, Prince Eric by Sean Palmer, Sebastian by Tituss Burgess, and King Triton by Norm Lewis.  Their voices are so spectacular.

This is an unofficial video from the Denver run (pre-Broadway) so there are some lyric changes - the Bway lyrics are better!  (If Only I could get a better video of this!)  Thanks for making it through this rather long edition of "Books to Music"! :)

Books to Music: By Jeeves

"It's just another episode
Of the Wooster moral code"

Here's a rather under appreciated Andrew Lloyd Webber musical based on the Jeeves and Wooster books by P.G. Wodehouse. One of my favorite series of books EVER!   The musical weaves different scenarios from various books to form the story, and the fun thing about the cast recording are the alternate tracks of Jeeves and Wooster talking to each other about what is happening in the plot, which means listening to the recording is like listening to a radio show with music.  Very easy to follow, and humor is interjected with Wooster's reactions to events because he doesn't really remember what happened.  And of course events become increasingly farcical and outrageous.

Although it's hard not to compare this to the BBC series "Jeeves and Wooster" with the perfect Hugh Laurie and Stephen Fry, the voices of the actors capture just the right tone of Wodehouse's world and the songs are charming and reminiscent of the period - the 1930s.  It sounds like a simple small jazz band, which means the focus is on the voices and the humor.  P.G. Wodehouse's books are all so gently and cleverly humorous and the music captures that whimsy perfectly.

Song Spotlight: Half a Moment
Two people in love, but kept separate because her father wouldn't approve.  And they sing of their devotion in this lovely romantic ballad.  I love how it begins especially because it can move so easily from spoken ardor to song.  The main conceit, that even half a moment is so full of their love that it is like eternity (time they say is relative) is so gorgeous!  Seriously the lyrics of this song touches me with it's simplicity and beauty and cleverness.  It really echoes Wodehouse's style in that way.

Books to Music: Jane Eyre the Musical

Musicals make up a large part of my iTunes content,  so I wanted to try out this possible weekly feature on my blog where I talk about a cast recording or sometimes one song that is from a musical based on a book.  I really want to focus on the music and not the stage show, and talk about how the music captures the novel for me.

Jane Eyre was my gateway musical to theatre love.  I liked a couple of musicals before I listened to this, but I wouldn't say I generally liked the genre.  Being the obsessed Jane Eyre fan, I finally got around to listening to this recording and at first wasn't too impressed! There were aspects and a song or two that I liked, but I feel like the transition from straight story to story told through song does need getting used to.  There is something in me that clicked after a few repeated listens in which the beauty of the story shone through the lyrics and music of the songs.  Now it's almost always that way for me.  If I see the show for the musical, it is much more likely I will add the cast recording to my collection.  I need the context, because my understanding of the story and the emotion behind the scene can transfer to how I enjoy the songs.

With Jane Eyre, the mood of the music is the first thing that drew me in.  It's haunting and meditative, and dark and intense at times.  It matches the power and passion of the novel, and with Marla Schaffel's glorious mezzo-soprano voice, she brings that down to earth, proper quality that fits Jane's character so well.  Her voice does sound more mature than I would wish Jane to sound, but the passion Marla brings to the character makes up for that.  James Barbour's powerful baritone is perfect for Rochester and sounds fantastic matched to Marla.  I love the inflections that James brings to certain songs as well - especially when imitating Celine or teasing Jane in the Proposal song.

Some songs adapt some surprising scenes.  The Gypsy song - a scene often omitted from adaptations of the novel - is included and captures Rochester's whimsy as he talks to his guests and then to Jane in song.  This musical also makes the interesting choice to have a 'greek chorus' narrate Jane's story at times, with interstitial songs sung by the cast that help build the Gothic, sometimes foreboding tone of the music.  It's a wonderful atmospheric recreation of the story that is often more faithful to the book than some of the film adaptations.

Song Spotlight:  Brave Enough For Love
This song isn't my favorite from the album (that would be "Sirens") but I picked this song because the themes that have been building throughout the musical - of love and forgiveness - are woven together perfectly in this finale.  And the title "Brave Enough For Love" echoes musically and lyrically Helen Burn's advice to Jane from the song "Forgiveness".  Beautiful call-back!  This song completely captures the lessons and experience that Jane and Rochester have learned throughout the show, and that is why I think this song is a fantastic example of the beauty and intelligence of this musical.