Essential elements of the "Golden Age" sound
May 25
2019, 02:48:23 PM
In addition to the large string section (which was usually supplemented for the cast album, so what we hear on the OCR is not quite what was heard in the theater), the presence of a harp in the pit. I'm still peeved that "Curtains"--a musical set during the 1950s--had no string section in the pit at all! Good luck coming up with a large string section for your show 
Compositionally, Golden Age composers (or their orchestrators) would often introduce a counter-melody in the middle of the texture...a good example is the beginning of the chorus of "A Wonderful Guy."
And yes, nowadays Broadway singers are conservatory-trained so their voices are more conventionally "beautiful" at the expense of character.
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Brigadoon
Nov 18
2017, 04:12:02 PM
No one cares that they cut "Once In The Highlands"? I always thought it was unusual/gutsy for a show to open with two slow choral numbers. That said, I thought it was first rate!
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Eliza? - My Fair Lady Revival 2018
Oct 6
2017, 12:47:05 AM
Count me among those underwhelmed by the poster. It seems to lack a point of view...maybe I'm spoiled by the artwork for the original production, but one of the main themes of My Fair Lady is the English class system, and I don't get that here, with the characters mingling freely. I agree with the poster above who called it a frozen tableau...in fact it reminds me a bit of Seurat's "Sunday", except without the strong composition. Interesting that Eliza
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Encores Golden Apple
May 14
2017, 04:44:21 AM
"The Golden Apple" is my favorite musical and I loved this production. I'm sure it will never receive a better performance, at least in terms of the music. I was especially enthralled by Mikaela Bennett--according to the program she is still a student at Juilliard but she doesn't sound like she has anything else to learn! Ryan Silverman was also excellent in what must be one of the biggest roles in terms of stage time in all of musical theatre.
In re
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Remembering SHERRY! 50 Years Later
Mar 28
2017, 01:46:13 PM
My profile picture is from this show so I thought I should weigh in...that image has always seemed to me to embody the essence of flop musical comedy. Besides the title song, "Maybe It's Time For Me" and "Imagine That" are also great songs and might work well in a cabaret setting. I tend to associate this score with "How Now Dow Jones" in that they are both by composers better known for their work in Hollywood. Agree that the studio cast is
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ANASTASIA Set for Broadhurst Theatre, Spring 2017
Sep 13
2016, 09:05:47 PM
Perhaps this bothers me unduly because I am a huge Russian history buff but I wish they hadn't made Anastasia blonde in this production, since the original Anastasia had dark hair.
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Geeky OBCR Funny Girl Overture question
Sep 3
2016, 10:08:58 PM
Wow, you have a really good ear! I looked at the score and listened to some other recordings of the overture and I think you are right! What seems to have happened is that the xylophonist mistakenly came in playing the notes he was supposed to play at 2:52...compare what he is playing at 2:43 and 2:52 and see if you think it sounds the same. (In the score they are supposed to be different.)
(Oh, and when the brass lay into "Don't Rain On My Parade," it i
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Could you recommend me something
May 19
2016, 05:53:34 PM
Seconding the recommendation of THE GOLDEN APPLE. The composer, Jerome Moross, had a classical background and worked extensively in Hollywood. He also collaborated on the orchestrations. I listen to a LOT of classical music and this is my favorite Broadway musical.
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Under-active composers
May 8
2016, 02:04:39 PM
I'm surprised no one has mentioned Steven Schwartz...Wicked was 12 years ago! At Wall to Wall Steven Schwartz at Symphony Space a few weeks ago they performed a few songs from works in progress (Houdini, Schickaneder, My Son Pinocchio and My Fairy Tale) but I wasn't there for that part of the concert.
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Tony Awards Make Final Rulings of the Season on SHUFFLE ALONG & More!
Apr 29
2016, 05:15:56 PM
^ ^ ^
Pretty sure Bob Stillman played the piano as George Gould Strong in Grey Gardens.
(And Mary Martin and Robert Preston played violin and saxophone in I Do! I Do!, if not particularly well.)
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What are your FAVORITE lesser known Cole Porter songs?
Dec 2
2015, 05:35:13 PM
"Come To The Supermarket (In Old Peking)"--Cole Porter's last list song, plus the syncopation reminds me of "Anything Goes" 'When Love Beckoned (On 52nd Street)"--love the rhyme of "Deanna Durbin" and "suburban" "Why Don't We Try Staying Home"--a surprisingly tender melody and lyric "Which?"--"Which is the right man? Walt Whitman or Paul Whiteman?" "Never Give Anything Away"
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Musicals good or bad, with bad titles
Nov 30
2015, 12:45:27 PM
Well my name is taken from a song lyric...anyone know which one? I would also add THE APPLE TREE, since it only applies to one-third of the show.
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Musicals good or bad, with bad titles
Nov 30
2015, 12:41:45 PM
LA CAGE AUX FOLLES...obviously it was a big hit but seeing it for the first time, unless you know French there is no way you're going to pronounce it correctly or know what it means. TENDERLOIN...I'm sure even back in the 60s many people thought the title referred to a cut of meat. I'm sure many people would disagree but I've always thought SHE LOVES ME is a very generic title, in addition to being kind of spoilery. (In fact I wouldn't be surprised if the
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What are Your Favorite Rodgers & Hammerstein Lesser Known Songs?
Nov 15
2015, 12:59:14 PM
"The Tide Pool" from PIPE DREAM...a refreshingly cynical lyric from Hammerstein, especially compared to "All Kinds Of People" from the same show.
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Your favorite musical theatre song most people may not be familiar with
Oct 7
2015, 02:12:05 PM
The most gorgeous show tune I know..."You Have Made Me Love" from CYRANO.
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Remembering PORGY AND BESS on the 80th Anniversary of its public debut
Oct 1
2015, 06:12:22 PM
Let's give a shout out to the set designer, Sergei Sudeikin, himself a character in the recent play "Nikolai and the Others." Like Boris Aronson, he was Russian, which makes it all the more impressive that he was able to create a set so evocative of the American south--I wonder if he visited Charleston for research, does anyone know? (Although, to play devil's advocate, the set with the houses looks more European to me than American.)
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Instruments associated with one specific musical
Jul 3
2015, 01:39:27 PM
It's not the only musical to use it, but for me SHE LOVES ME is associated with the sound of the accordion.
And naturally there are balalaikas in TOVARICH and ANYA. And bouzoukis and mandolins in ZORBA and ILLYA DARLING.
The quintessential banjo score is ROBBER BRIDEGROOM.
I'm not sure of the exact name but there is a baroque-sounding high trumpet in THE ROTHSCHILDS.
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The Visit
Jun 6
2015, 12:35:16 AM
SPOILERS if you haven't seen the show!
Just saw this and unfortunately didn't think it was great. It was so clearly done on the cheap...one set, no chorus, nine-piece orchestra. So while the railway station set was gorgeous, Claire and Anton's scene in the woods would have been so much more moving if there were actual trees, or any sense that they were in a "green space" set apart from the decaying reality of the city. Doyle's direction struck me as pretentious an
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PS Classics The Golden Apple
May 24
2015, 10:18:33 AM
You're right--it's strange that the new recording doesn't mention the doubling, since it's one of the most conceptually brilliant things about the piece. I assume that the doublings are the ones indicated in the score, which means:
Act I Mrs. Juniper = Act II Madame Calypso
Act I Lovey Mars = Act II The Siren
Act I Miss Minerva = Act II The Scientist
Act I Mother Hare = Act II Circe
To explain a little further for people who don't know the show, The
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PS Classics The Golden Apple
May 23
2015, 10:44:28 PM
The Golden Apple is my favorite musical, so you can imagine how excited I was to hear this recording. Unfortunately, it's not as strong as I had hoped, and I don't imagine that it will make many new fans for the piece. It's not just that the performances are not of Broadway caliber (which is to be expected) but they seem insufficiently characterized--for instance Mother Hare lacks any gravitas or menace. And Helen is screechy and annoying. I much prefer the 1995 Evanst
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