Can someone explain why Michael John LaChuisa is Important?- Page 2

[camp_actor]

Posted: 8/8/06 at 6:56am

What excites me about LaChiusa's work is that it is so truthful and loyal to the characters. At no point do you get songs that are just "stuck in", all the songs push the plot forward, develop the characters and are completely and utterly justified in the overall structure of the play. He takes the stories of his characters so seriously and never looks down at them or two-dimensionalises them - he looks at the world through their eyes.

His music can sometimes seem like he is "making it up as he goes along" if you don't know about music. But, mate, harmonically that is TRICKY stuff. He is such a clever composer, looking at the piano parts for songs from Marie Christine or Wild Party it is HARD. It is not just scribbled down as he goes along.

I believe that his music is written in respect of his characters' feelings at that moment. It changes and swirls around and makes sharp turns because that what the character's emotions are doing at that particular time. He is building on principles used by people like Blitzstein and then furthered by Sondheim. He doesn't write pretty show tunes, though his music can be exquisitely beautiful, he writes the music that character NEEDS to say what they have to say.

Also, he works on pieces that most composers would shy away from. He is BOLD and UNAFRAID. In a time when most people work under the constant worry that their work wont be produced - working to the lowest common denominator - Michael John LaChiusa works purely for artistic reasons. He see's something that excites him and he creates art. That is to be applauded in these increasingly self-censoring times.

[BSoBW2]

Posted: 8/8/06 at 10:22am

http://www.usoperaweb.com/2001/july/lachiusa1.htm

There's some L&F info.

And there are pictures and an interview if you follow the link at the bottom of the page. Enjoy!

Thanks for that analysis, Veuve!

[bwaysinger]

Posted: 8/8/06 at 10:55am

I think I just cried a little because, if I'm not mistaken, the vast majority of posters on this thread are under 30.
And here they are, discussing the importance of Michael John LaChiusa.
It's not all Wicked and Bare! There's hope for the future yet.
I won't bother discussing why I like MJL...ok, I will just a touch. The Wild Party STILL resonates with me as one of the best theatrical experiences I've ever had, from book to score to direction to performances. It's one of those shows that's going to be "rediscovered" a few decades from now and recognized as the masterwork that it is.
Also, I find my taste for MJL grows with each listen to one of his albums. I'm currently going through Bernarda Alba every other day or so just to catch a bit more and Marie Christine finally "hit" me about a month ago and, for awhile there, I couldn't get enough of it.

[kissmycookie]

Posted: 8/8/06 at 11:12am

Which reminds me, I still need the See What I Wanna See cast recording...

[Mister Matt]

Posted: 8/8/06 at 11:14am

"First of all, in a community where jukebox musicals are produced by the dozens, Michael John refuses to lower his standards."

Dozens? No. There have been a few, and nearly all of them flopped. There is currently one jukebox musical and one catalogue biography musical on Broadway now. That's it.

I first fell in love with LaChiusa's work ten years ago when I played The Young Thing in Hello Again in Houston. There is a ton of material missing from the CD and in every rehearsal, we were constantly discovering something new in the book and score. It is an astonishing piece of work. Later, I saw a production of Hello Again with an entirely new number for Scene Eight (Silent Movie) with a song for the actress that replaced the silent movie scene. I preferred the original version, but the new song was also stunning.

I also saw Marie Christine and the finale remains the most chilling ending of any show I've ever seen. I still get goosebumps when I listen to the CD.

LaChiusa really knows how to capture mood and emotion without having to spell it out too simply for his audience. At times, it almost like musical Pinter. The tension he creates in his scores is palpable. Who doesn't feel uncomfortable and unnerved when listening to The Wild Party? There are some beautiful moments when he allows you to get lost in a moment of entertainment and pleasure, but you never really dive too far below the surface of something dangerous that is rapidly spinning out of control, yet each individual is too self-absorbed to be bothered with keeping things under control. It's absolute brilliance.

[BSoBW2]

Posted: 8/8/06 at 11:22am

The essence of his brilliance is in the Audra McDonlad "Seven Deadly Sins" concert in which he wrote the song for ANGER.

As Audra said, LaChiusa took the DIFFERENT approach and made the song about surpressing anger, rather than lashing out. His song was very comical, entitled "The Christian Thing to Do" - with a sort of Hawaiin breeze to it.

[sweetestsiren]

Posted: 8/8/06 at 11:31am

I've only recently started to listen to LaChiusa, but I love his Wild Party and Marie Christine. First Lady Suite sounds fascinating, though, so I'll have to check it out.

[VeuveClicquot]

Posted: 8/8/06 at 2:11pm

"There is a ton of material missing from the CD and in every rehearsal, we were constantly discovering something new in the book and score. It is an astonishing piece of work."

See, that's the thing about MJC. You find something new, and more astonishing, every time you listen to one of his works. Go. Listen.

[DayDreamer]

Posted: 8/8/06 at 2:24pm

Threads like this are what make me happy to be on bww.

Thank you all for your comments. I'm not terribly familiar with Mr. LaChiusa's work, but I am a lot more intrigued now.

Wow... just realized he was also involved in the musical o "Chronicle of a Death Foretold."

[VeuveClicquot]

Posted: 8/8/06 at 2:36pm

"Something I couldn't put my finger on and then I listen more and more and then I'll get it or it'll reach out and speak to me and it's incredible when that happens. I know taht that seems crazy but it's really fascinating to me."

Yes,
gusvat66, that's exactly it. MJC makes you think. And that's what theatre should be about, isn't it?

[Buddy Kiss]

Posted: 8/8/06 at 3:14pm

I'd love to hear or see a recording of Audra's Seven Deadly Sins concert.

Is there a cd or dvd out?

[BSoBW2]

Posted: 8/8/06 at 3:18pm

SEVEN DEADLY SINS:
http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=4489925
Hour 1 has LaChiusa's song (and Audra singing SWIWS)

I also found:

LaChiusa, Testa, Kudish, Sperling, and others discussing SWIWS:
http://tinyurl.com/mfqzc

(Shortened the link) Updated On: 8/8/06 at 03:18 PM

[Buddy Kiss]

Posted: 8/8/06 at 3:44pm

Wonderful

Thanks BSoBW2!

[GClef2]

Posted: 8/8/06 at 3:53pm

listen to Marie Christine. Most of the score is absolutely breathtaking. He works exceptionally well with his inspiration.

Marie Christine is full of creole, typical of louisianna. As soon as the pair moves north, the music is mainly period, especially "Cincinnati"

Its also pretty obvious in Kesa of See What I Want To See, how it is all very japanese...which is actually very hard to write.

The most inspired, in my opinion, is the wild party. I like Lippa's, but LaChuisa's seems to be a record from the twenties.

Sometimes his lyrics seem a bit like he is writing them as he goes, but the phrases of his music are very new, organic and exceptionally beautiful.

[WalkOn]

Posted: 8/8/06 at 5:07pm

I'm beyond impressed with the responses to my question. I'd like to know what MargoChanning thinks of LaCuisa.

[Jon]

Posted: 8/8/06 at 6:05pm

If you go to the Sh-K-Boom Records website and click on the BERNARDA ALBA CD, you can watch a 7-minute video on the making of the recording, with interviews with LaChiusa and all the cast members.

[Buddy Kiss]

Posted: 8/8/06 at 7:38pm

Ok next question...

If you were to introduce LaChiusa to someone who's never heard his music, which musical would you show them first? (assume that the person IS a musical theatre fan)

In other words, list his musicals in order of the most accessible

My list would be:

Wild Party
See What I Wanna See
Marie Christine
Bernarda Alba
First Lady Suite
Hello, Again

Anyone disagree?

[BSoBW2]

Posted: 8/8/06 at 7:44pm

Little Fish, first.

Hmmm...It's hard. People say MARIE CHRISTINE is too difficult yet many people, including myself, found it very easy to get through the first time.

My favorite of his, TWP, was my first. It took me a while to get through.

HELLO AGAIN is better with script in hand. It cuts so much. But I think certain sections of it (the Nurse and Young Thing) would be a lot of fun for a "newbie."

See What I Wanna See, of the shows recorded, is probably the most accessible.

Bernarda Alba, which is one of my favorites for its delicate beauty, would come after MC. FLS, which I have been growing into, would probably come last. Some people, including Brantley, think it is the moost emotional score he's written. Some die-hard LaChiusa fans like it least.

So...

See What I Wanna See
Wild Party/Marie Christine (depending on the reaction to SWIWS)
Hello Again
Bernarda Alba/First Lady Suite

It sort of depends on how they react. I think SWIWS has a lot of the various musical styles he uses, as does Little Fish.

If someone likes the jazziness of SWIWS, I'd say go to TWP next..then to MC. If someone likes the artsy dramatic moments of SWIWS, I'd say MC next.

[GClef2]

Posted: 8/9/06 at 3:47am

BsoBw2...that was so well thought out.

Looking at all of his musicals and knowing all the stories, i just realized what difficult subject matter MJL works with. His stuff is truly unique, and very original.

What a talent.