Pop goes musical theater!

[Gavin Rehfeldt]

Posted: 12/17/09 at 2:03pm

What pop artists/bands/singer-songwriters would we love to see write a musical (or two or three?) I'm researching the 1970s merging of "popular" music with theater music and it just got me thinking... well, mainly it got me thinking about how musicals provided the popular music at one point but that all changed in the 40s and 50s pretty much.

Anyways, I'd like to see these people write a musical score:

1. Portishead - This Bristol, UK band have an intensely dramatic and filmic sound. All of their lyrics have a sense of character. I would love to hear them working their sensibilities around a massive orchestra, and find what noir inspired characters they might create.

2. Belle & Sebastian - This Scottish band has already put out a concept musical album of sorts, "God Help The Girl," but I would love to see them continue in this vein and eventually create something for the stage. They have such a unique, well-articulated, point of view. Their lyric writing calls William Finn to mind sometimes in its odd, nuanced specificity. Their albums often sound like the best rock musicals of the 1970s anyways with their continued use of lush string arrangements.

3. Super Furry Animals - Welsh's best have stories to tell and immaculate songwriting skills. Plus, they have a delightful atheist-equality-based agenda that I'd love to see them feed into a whimsical narrative.

4. Rufus Wainright - DUH. He wrote an opera, he loves Judy, and have you listened to his music?

5. Cryptacize - An obscure American band with its roots in show-tunes and Italian film scores (plus the "broken pop" band Deerhoof). Lead singer Nedelle (above) was a musical theater performer so her breadth of knowledge is fed into her songwriting. Great stuff! Hope she and band mate (and boyfriend) Chris Cohen (above left, cutie) can work towards creating a musical together. They both helped out a friend who wrote half-hour prison musical in Canada called "In the Yard, Havin' Fun" for which there is a lovely cast recording. Write me a musical, C-cize!



In the Yard, Havin' Fun (there are two songs to be sampled)

Updated On: 12/17/09 at 02:03 PM