JRB plus other basics?

[dramadude2]

Posted: 7/17/07 at 11:58pm

Hate to sound ignorant but... This very much is. I only got SERIOUSLY into musical theatre last year and our drama class learned very little in this area.
Question I hear a lot about JRB but I'm not quite sure of what shows are his.

In addition... some basic Musical theatre facts and things I will need to know starting out in my musical theatre, well LIFE, would absolutely make my month.

Just trying to learn so I can know exactly what I'm talking about if engaged in conversation about such.
THANK YOU!!!!!!!!!
yeah

Updated On: 7/17/07 at 11:58 PM

[milliemarch]

Posted: 7/18/07 at 12:29am

Jason Robert Brown wrote Songs for a New World, Last Five Years, and Parade. His music is truly amazing.

Just research about musical theatre, using this site and broadway.com. The boards here(although pretty judgemental) are extremely informative, and have many different points of view.

Learn as much as you can just by buying as many cast recordings possible, seeing shows whether they be community theatre, regional, tours, off-broadway, broadway, etc. To learn about basic stuff, get the PBS Broadway dvds, they touch on all of the monumental musicals such as Hair, Company, Sweeney Todd, Disney shows, etc.

Hope that was a tiny bit helpful!

[Boq101]

Posted: 7/18/07 at 4:39pm

You must know at least one song from all the important Sondheim musicals, it's imperative. IT SAYS SO IN THE BIBLE!

[bingbong]

Posted: 7/22/07 at 3:15pm

try to listen to mix of stuff

rodgers and hammerstein (Carousel, Oklahoma etc)

bock and harnick (Fieorello, She Loves Me etc)

The Gershwins (Girl Crazy, crazy for you - a show built from their songs)

Lenord Bernstein (West Side Story)

Jerry Herrmann (Mame, Mack and Mabel etc)



then you have the inbetweeny bunch

Michael Bennet (A Chorus Line, Pippin etc)

Stephen Sondheim (A little Night Music, Company, Sweeny Todd, etc)



And the newer lot

Jason Robert Brown (Parade, Songs for a new world etc)

Adam Guettell (Floyd Collins, Myths and Hymns, Light in the piazza)


There is so much stuff out there
google people, wikipedia them
Maybe have a look at that huge B'Way book?

Also i agree, you need to listen to as much as poss, it's helpful AND fun


P.S, Boq101: i think it was one of the commandments wasn't it??

[dramadude2]

Posted: 7/24/07 at 7:51pm

Sorry, I just converted...

[Taryn]

Posted: 7/25/07 at 4:13pm

Um, bingbong, Michael Bennett was a director and a choreographer, not a composer. A Chorus Line was written by Marvin Hamlisch (music) and Edward Kleban (lyrics). Pippin was composed by Stephen Schwartz.

[BroadwayFuture46]

Posted: 7/28/07 at 12:32am

When listening to many of these composers you will learn whos who just by the music maybe even if you dont recognize the song itself. I play piano on top of doing musical theatre, and im telling you, i cringe if someone puts Jason Robert Brown in front of me. I need to seriously seriously study it. lol. because he writes incredibly brilliant and complex music. i can really only play A New World, Someone To Fall Back On, and Stars and the Moon and lord knows that one TEARS me apart, im still slightly under tempo when i play it. But heres the thing, 90% of his music holds the same exact rhythms. So in theory, if you can play one Jason Robert Brown song, you should be able to play them all....in theory. lol. Prime examples are A New World from SFANW, Someone Else's Clothes, Moving Too Fast, Nothing In Common. If you listen to the piano in all three of those they contain EXTREMELY similar patterns.

Soundheim music is VERY distinct and very abstract. You can tell soundheim from a mile a way, and the only way to get to know it is exposure.

You need to expose yourself to all this music. So go to your local library and just check out a ton of cast recording CD's by all composers your interested in. If i remember correctly you live in Las Vegas, as do i. I know the Summerlin library has Songs For A New World and Last 5 Years. Not sure about Parade...but they also have TONS of other cast recordings. Again, just expose yourself to it. I promise, if you think you're obsessed with musical theatre now...get about 20 cast recordings on your iPod and you'll never stop. lol.

[Lavieboheme3090]

Posted: 7/29/07 at 12:24am

This site has alot of great stuff about musical theater. http://www.musicals101.com/

[bingbong]

Posted: 7/31/07 at 4:46pm

HA! Somebody had a lapse of concerntration whilst writing her message, lol.

tho i still figure that bennet was involved in some pretty awsome stuff, so was worth being at the top of the list of who to look at.

another random person to add to list (for research):
Hal Prince - producer/director who invented the concept musical



have a gudden xx
Updated On: 7/31/07 at 04:46 PM

[Boq101]

Posted: 8/5/07 at 4:25pm

bingbong, it is a commandment, it's after "Thou shalt not perform Cats in public" and before "Julia Murney's vibrato should be heard, not attempted"

[RunningInTheDark]

Posted: 8/5/07 at 8:48pm

What really kick started my obsession for musicals was buying the Into the Woods DVD. I'm still amazed to this day about that damn musical. So my suggestion to you is buying as many Musical DVD's that you can. Sunday in the Park with George is amazing too, as is Pippin among others. Seeing a musical is much easier to get into rather than just listening to it.

and BUY The Last Five Years from Jason Robert Brown (JRB). As a youth into musical theatre, you just HAVE to know all those songs.

Also, the key to being a Musical Theatre buff is mocking EVERYONE that likes wicked, but still know all the words by heart.

[Boq101]

Posted: 8/6/07 at 3:16am

Running, mocking Wicked fans while loving the show inside is commandment number 1! It is the most important, almost as important as: Thou shalt honor La LuPone every holy day by Fawkes Day by burning an effigy of Lloyd Webber.

[thevolleyballer]

Posted: 8/6/07 at 5:30pm

Parade is amazinggg.

[ILoveMyDictionary]

Posted: 8/6/07 at 7:00pm

You people forgot Kander&Ebb.