Best Scores of the Last 20 Years
Best Scores of the Last 20 Years
#1Best Scores of the Last 20 Years
Posted: 7/20/12 at 12:29pm
I was having a heated discussion with a friend about scores of the last 20 years. They were arguing that there hasn't been a single truly great score in the past 20 years. Help me prove them wrong!
In my opinion, the truly great ones from 1992-2012 are:
Falsettos
Passion
Ragtime
Caroline, Or Change
The Light in the Piazza
In the Heights
What else, y'all?
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Updated On: 7/20/12 at 12:29 PM
#2Best Scores of the Last 20 Years
Posted: 7/20/12 at 12:33pm
Ragtime
Side Show
''With the number of people I ignore, I'm lucky I work at all in this town'' - Helena Bonham Carter
#2Best Scores of the Last 20 Years
Posted: 7/20/12 at 12:37pm
Ragtime
Parade
Side Show
Avenue Q
Next to Normal
"Whenever I get gloomy with the state of the world, I think about the arrivals gate at Heathrow Airport. General opinion's starting to make out that we live in a world of hatred and greed, but I don't see that. It seems to me that love is everywhere. Often it's not particularly dignified or newsworthy, but it's always there - fathers and sons, mothers and daughters, husbands and wives, boyfriends, girlfriends, old friends. When the planes hit the Twin Towers, as far as I know none of the phone calls from the people on board were messages of hate or revenge - they were all messages of love. If you look for it, I've got a sneaky feeling you'll find that love actually is all around."
#3Best Scores of the Last 20 Years
Posted: 7/20/12 at 12:51pm
There are different kinds of "great scores" - I would say it's a good score if it's an intrinsic (rather than merely decorative) part of the piece, if it helps tell the story, and you want to listen to it more after seeing the show. With that in mind, I like these:
Kiss of the Spiderwoman
Titanic
Ragtime
The Producers
Urinetown
Hairspray
Avenue Q
The Light in the Piazza
The Drowsy Chaperone
Grey Gardens
A Catered Affair
The Scottsboro Boys
#4Best Scores of the Last 20 Years
Posted: 7/20/12 at 12:56pm
Ragtime
The Light In the Piazza
Grey Gardens
Hairspray
"Jaws is the Citizen Kane of movies."
blocked: logan2, Diamonds3, Hamilton22
blocked: logan2, Diamonds3, Hamilton22
dramamama611
Broadway Legend Joined: 12/4/07
#5Best Scores of the Last 20 Years
Posted: 7/20/12 at 12:58pm
If your friend doesn't think there are any, a list from us is unlikely to change his mind. To him, he's right.
I would venture a guess there are many more scores OLDER than 20 years that I would consider great then less than 20 years old.
If we're not having fun, then why are we doing it?
These are DISCUSSION boards, not mutual admiration boards. Discussion only occurs when we are willing to hear what others are thinking, regardless of whether it is alignment to our own thoughts.
#6Best Scores of the Last 20 Years
Posted: 7/20/12 at 1:06pm
newintown, bestie, no love for CAROLINE?
In addition to several of the worthy mentions here, I'd add the woefully underappreciated JANE EYRE, LaChiusa's THE WILD PARTY, and might cautiously suggest that THE FULL MONTY teeters toward greatness (i can haz longur ovurchor plz?).
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Updated On: 7/20/12 at 01:06 PM
#7Best Scores of the Last 20 Years
Posted: 7/20/12 at 1:11pmSweet growl, despite having seen it several times, I've always been mixed about Caroline. It has a lot to offer, but the score has a bit of an air of desperate striving to be "art" (to me) - working a bit too hard; and I'm not sympathetic with the essentially negative/static nature of the eponymous character.
#8Best Scores of the Last 20 Years
Posted: 7/20/12 at 1:14pm
I also forgot about IMHO
Song for a New World
The Last Five Years
"Whenever I get gloomy with the state of the world, I think about the arrivals gate at Heathrow Airport. General opinion's starting to make out that we live in a world of hatred and greed, but I don't see that. It seems to me that love is everywhere. Often it's not particularly dignified or newsworthy, but it's always there - fathers and sons, mothers and daughters, husbands and wives, boyfriends, girlfriends, old friends. When the planes hit the Twin Towers, as far as I know none of the phone calls from the people on board were messages of hate or revenge - they were all messages of love. If you look for it, I've got a sneaky feeling you'll find that love actually is all around."
#9Best Scores of the Last 20 Years
Posted: 7/20/12 at 1:21pm
Very curious!
I have the musical talent and know-how of an ant, so I have to rely on my ears and instincts only, but I've never thought of -- or even considered the possibility of, to be honest -- CoC's score as... would pretentious be a fair rephrasing of your description?
Though I certainly take your second point.
CHURCH DOOR TOUCAN GAY MARKETING PUPPIES MUSICAL THEATER STAPLES PERIOD OIL BITCHY SNARK HOLES
#10Best Scores of the Last 20 Years
Posted: 7/20/12 at 1:22pmI have to throw it in here: Taboo. One of them, for sure.
#11Best Scores of the Last 20 Years
Posted: 7/20/12 at 1:23pm
Caroline is hit-and-miss with me, growl.
IMO, not as solid overall as the others I mentioned. But still a good score.
"Jaws is the Citizen Kane of movies."
blocked: logan2, Diamonds3, Hamilton22
blocked: logan2, Diamonds3, Hamilton22
#12Best Scores of the Last 20 Years
Posted: 7/20/12 at 1:27pm
"Pretentious" doesn't feel quite right. It's the fact that Tesori throws in every sound in existence (except maybe rap) - gospel, klezmer, art song, be-bop, vocalise, r&b, recitative, Motown, etc., without actually settling on a sound of her own (or the show's own).
I imagine that it's a difficult task to create a coherent and focused score when setting the text of a logorrheic like Kushner.
Updated On: 7/20/12 at 01:27 PM
#13Best Scores of the Last 20 Years
Posted: 7/20/12 at 1:46pm
It's always seemed to me that "her" sound in CoC comes from the way she distills (to me, very cohesively) those disparate styles in the context of the piece. There's been a trend in the last 15 years or so of composers doing sort of style mash-up pieces (URINETOWN, THE FIX, et cetera) where the styles are chosen willy-nilly, arbitrarily, for the fun of it. But the style usages in CoC all seem appropriate and justified to the show's specific themes, period, cultures. And I don't know what she does musically to make the score so self-contained and cohesive to my ear, but there's something.
But I also find the score compulsively listenable, and almost 10 years on, I still discover new things in it, very often.
And I've also often wondered what the collaboration process was like with Kushner, specifically. I'd love to hear both of them talk about it in detail sometime.
GREY GARDENS is one that I've always thought maybe I should return to. But the production so put me off that I've never had the compulsion to revisit the score. It just sits there in my iTunes.
CHURCH DOOR TOUCAN GAY MARKETING PUPPIES MUSICAL THEATER STAPLES PERIOD OIL BITCHY SNARK HOLES
#14Best Scores of the Last 20 Years
Posted: 7/20/12 at 1:50pm
Caroline or Change's score has ADD, imo. The show as a whole was terrific, but for Tesori's contributions. I would nominate it for best book of a musical from the last 20 years.
I would put Taboo and Floyd Collins on my list.
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"In Oz, the verb is douchifizzation." PRS
"In Oz, the verb is douchifizzation." PRS
#15Best Scores of the Last 20 Years
Posted: 7/20/12 at 1:51pm
Taboo and Hairspray, for me, are pretty great.
#16Best Scores of the Last 20 Years
Posted: 7/20/12 at 1:58pm
Ooh, FLOYD COLLINS. D'accord.
CHURCH DOOR TOUCAN GAY MARKETING PUPPIES MUSICAL THEATER STAPLES PERIOD OIL BITCHY SNARK HOLES
#17Best Scores of the Last 20 Years
Posted: 7/20/12 at 2:25pm
I'd include City of Angels, but it was in the 1989-1990 season. I mean, it's not like I'd count Phantom of the Opera as a current score.
Kiss of the Spider Woman
Passion
Hello Again
Sunset Boulevard
Rent
Titanic
The Scarlet Pimpernel
Violet
Ragtime
A New Brain
Honk!
The Witches of Eastwick
Parade
Marie Christine
The Wild Party
The Full Monty
Jane Eyre
Urinetown
Hairspray
Avenue Q
Wicked
Caroline, or Change
The Light in the Piazza
The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee
See What I Wanna See
Legally Blonde
In the Heights
Billy Elliot
Next to Normal
The Scottsboro Boys
Women on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown
Soho Cinders
Matilda
"What can you expect from a bunch of seitan worshippers?" - Reginald Tresilian
Updated On: 7/21/12 at 02:25 PM
philly03
Broadway Legend Joined: 9/20/07
#18Best Scores of the Last 20 Years
Posted: 7/20/12 at 4:41pmLengthy for sure, but I think "The Woman in White" is one of the better scores that seems to usually get overlooked (but glad to see all the "Jane Eyre" love on here too).
#19Best Scores of the Last 20 Years
Posted: 7/20/12 at 5:08pm
Ragtime
In The Heights (for being pretty ground breaking)
Matilda
Producers
Beauty and the Beast (can that count?)
Sister Act
Wicked
Mary Poppins (new material)
The Hunchback of NotreDame
Assassins
Menken's A Christmas Carol
City of Angels
Legally Blonde
Fame Becomes Me
Nick Hutson
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wealllovechicken
Swing Joined: 10/5/11
#20Best Scores of the Last 20 Years
Posted: 7/20/12 at 5:44pmI think Parade is an outstanding score.
hairspraydude1962
Leading Actor Joined: 7/20/09
#21Best Scores of the Last 20 Years
Posted: 7/20/12 at 6:03pm
The Book of Mormon
Hairspray
Next to Normal
The Producers
Rent
#22Best Scores of the Last 20 Years
Posted: 7/20/12 at 6:10pm
Ragtime
The Light In the Piazza
Grey Gardens
A New Brain
City of Angels
Hedwig and the Angry Itch
King David
And a personal favorite that was an utter flop:
The Goodbye Girl
....but the world goes 'round
#23Best Scores of the Last 20 Years
Posted: 7/20/12 at 6:22pm
Women on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown - Possibly my favorite musical score ever written.
The Book of Mormon
Billy Elliot
Sunset Boulevard
The Scarlet Pimpernel
Titanic
Side Show
oh and I almost forgot Ragtime
"There’s nothing quite like the power and the passion of Broadway music. "
Updated On: 7/20/12 at 06:22 PM
#24Best Scores of the Last 20 Years
Posted: 7/20/12 at 6:48pm
PARADE definitely gets my vote for best score of the last 20 years.
I would even say that THE OLD RED HILLS OF HOME is the greatest song written for the theatre in 20 years
"I shall stay until the wind changes."
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