alright.. i got a copy of the cd sent to me the other day... it has barbara cook... i haven't listened to it yet, but i read the synopsis and it sounds like a total hippie musical. i've never even heard of it, or the composer..
can anyone offer any help? thanks! andrew Updated On: 8/28/05 at 04:47 PM
It's hard to say. I think Grass Harp stands alone, and does some things musically that were never repeated. Fantasticks is too fanciful of a piece to compare to Grass Harp, at least in my opinion.
I think songs like:
"The Babylove Miracle Show" "Dropsy Cure Weather" "Chain of Love"
are unique songs that stand out as some of the best written for a musical.
When I'm in a bad mood, "Dropsy Cure Weather" cheers me right up! And the underused Karen Morrow is in great form on the recording.
Before the age of CD's, the original cast album on vinyl was one of those rare ones that were sought after by collectors like it was the holy grail. It often sold for as much as $100.
The singing of Barbara Cook and Karen Morrow on this recording is heavenly.
Hippie Musical? That is FUNNY. Not quite my friend. It's not HAIR. Based on a Truman Capote Novella. It is a lovey piece of work. Dropsey Cure Weather as sung by Cook is ravishing. Marry with Me is funny in a sweet way. I love listening to it, can really brighten up your day.
hold on,I saw a movie a looong time ago callrd The Grass Harp. It was about someone who went to live in a treehouse or something.Is this the same thing?
"While some feel it is a film related question, I seem to think it may be a 'I am thinking of losing my winkie' sort of question." -cheezedoodle
I wonder if the best approach to concerts of shows with good scores but poor books is to perform the numbers with minimal dialogue and some sort of linking naration.
Walk on, walk on, with hope in your heart; and you'll never walk alone.
It's been a while since I read the script, but I wouldn't say it was abysmal.
It's one of those stories that one person would say that nothing happens in it (All they do is go and sit in a tree) and another person would say everything happen in it (Dolly steps out of her sister's shadow and the sister realizes how important Dolly is to her and the nephew becomes a man...)
Though "Grass Harp" falls closer to the "nothing happens in it" category.
Interestingly enough, the "straight" play written by Truman Capote himself flopped in that same theater twenty years earlier.
You should, of course, consult Ken Mandelbaum's "Not Since Carrie" and Ethan Mordden's "One More Kiss" to read up on the show.
"A coherent existance after so many years of muddle" - Desiree' Armfelt, A Little Night Music
"Life keeps happening everyday, Say Yes" - 70, Girls, 70
"Life is what you do while you're waiting to die" - Zorba
One of the great original cast albums of all time. It was recorded in an odd way...after the show flopped, the music tracks were recorded by musicians in Germany and then those master tapes were brought back to the U.S. to have the vocals overdubbed by the Broadway cast. Not the way cast albums usually are (allowed to be) done.
The recording was financed by the creators of the show, not by a major record label as is usually the case.
Ben Bagley released the LP on his Painted Smiles label, and it has since be licensed to other labels for reissue with added tracks.
Attempts to revive the musical itself have been attempted but it has never really worked very well - except on the album, where it is brilliant.