Frank Wildhorn's The Civil War

[esparza 333]

Posted: 9/27/08 at 9:55pm

I was recently reading about Frank Wildhorn and realized that he only received a tony nomination for The Civil War. Though i had heard of TCV I have heard much more about Wildhorn's other works such as Dracula and Jekyll and Hyde. So my question is how is the score and how does it compare to his other scores.

Thank You

[PSLove302]

Posted: 9/27/08 at 9:58pm

They all suck.

[Paul W. Thompson]

Posted: 9/27/08 at 9:59pm

It is "artsy" and got people from a lot of different genres of music interested in the project (country, folk, gospel, pop, etc.) I always found it kind of bland though. "Jekyl and Hyde" is his best work to date, though parts of "Scarlet Pimpernel" are thrilling.
Updated On: 9/27/08 at 09:59 PM

[WickedRentEder]

Posted: 9/27/08 at 10:18pm

I didn't see The Civil War but I personally love "For The Glory". Great song!!!

[philly03]

Posted: 9/27/08 at 10:22pm

. Updated On: 2/2/15 at 10:22 PM

[Wanna Be A Foster]

Posted: 9/27/08 at 10:28pm

Wasn't his Tony Nomination for CIVIL WAR by default?

I don't believe there were any scores left out that year.

It was just a slot filler.

The Tonys generally despise Wildhorn's work, and do not like giving him any nomination recognition.

[CATSNYrevival]

Posted: 9/27/08 at 10:42pm

I actually really like The Civil War, but not the Broadway version. A lot of people don't realize that it's a song cycle so if you go in expecting a plot you'll be let down. Each song has its own story to tell and it is all strung together against the backdrop of war. I don't think it's fair for people to say that they hate it because there has never been any one "final" version of the show. My question would be which version do you hate and did you see this other one? Like most of Frank's shows it's forever changing, but I think it has a lot of potential and that the best "version" of it is yet to come.

[Yankeefan007]

Posted: 9/27/08 at 10:52pm

They love him in Germany. He's like David Hasselhoff!

[CATSNYrevival]

Posted: 9/27/08 at 11:00pm

No they love him because of David Hasselhoff.

[RentBoy86]

Posted: 9/27/08 at 11:01pm

True, but the Germans love crazy crap.

Are there any recordings of the show besides that two-disc CD with celebrities singing on it?

[CATSNYrevival]

Posted: 9/27/08 at 11:26pm

Yes, but they're demos and not commercially available.

[Mr Roxy]

Posted: 9/28/08 at 12:16am

The show was very good & despite what others say the music to this & other Wildhorn shows is quite good.

[bwaybabe2]

Posted: 9/28/08 at 1:04am

Thanks, Mr Roxy, for your comment. I never saw "Civil War", but as a big fan of this period, I think I would enjoy it.

Common, let's not start insulting the Germans now......NOT good for foreign relations...it's all about the culture...

esparza333, I'm glad you posted this, because I've been wondering about "The Count of Monte Cristo". Do you mean released in 2008?

[perfectliar]

Posted: 9/28/08 at 1:17am

philly03 - How do you know you won't like it more if you haven't seen it or even bothered to listen to the entire score?

I saw a production of the revised version (FOR THE GLORY: THE CIVIL WAR MUSICAL) in NJ a couple years ago. It was just kinda blah... not really interesting, but moving at times and entertaining overall.

[Weez]

Posted: 9/28/08 at 8:34am

I love 'The Civil War'. I only have the double CD (is it even a cast recording?) and have never seen the show, but it amuses me no end. Some of the songs are great, some of the songs are dull, and some of the songs have some of the worst lyrics I've ever heard in my life. I love it in the same way I love pigeons, seagulls, and Dan Brown. :3

[philly03]

Posted: 9/28/08 at 11:41am

"esparza333, I'm glad you posted this, because I've been wondering about "The Count of Monte Cristo". Do you mean released in 2008? "

I think that was me who said that? Anyway, this is one score of Frank's I haven't heard anything of yet, but when I talked to Brandi Burkhardt (who will be starring as Mercedes) about it, she said they're hoping for a Winter 2008 release, and I asked her if this one was coming out for real (DRACULA, the musical Concept Album anyone?; Cyrano de Bergerac the Musical!) and she said it would!

"philly03 - How do you know you won't like it more if you haven't seen it or even bothered to listen to the entire score?"
Hey I said it wouldn't work as a full-out musical without a plot. Needless to say, I wasn't the only one who said it was dull/bland either. I wouldn't mind seeing/listening to it if I was at somewhere like Gettysburg!, but from the songs (over half) which I can recall, it just wasn't my style to throw in all different types of music into something.

[rockfenris2005]

Posted: 9/28/08 at 11:54am

Frank has many projects in development. "Carmen", a modern adaptation of the Prosper Mérimée novel, opens in October in Prague. The previews started this week. "The Count Of Monte Cristo" opens in St. Gallen, Switzerland, next March. I didn't know about a recording. "Cyrano De Bergerac" is still happening, although apparently not with Bill Kenwright. It opens in Tokyo, next June, with Takeshi Kaga in the lead. "Wonderland, Alice's New Musical Adventures" is expected to happen in Florida, Christmas 2009. There has been talk of a Broadway production of "Havana", a project in development for 10 years, for 2010. That'll be from the same producers of the English production of "Rebecca". There's also supposed to be a reading of "Bonnie & Clyde", Frank's next collaboration with Don Black.

Frank and Jack (who's doing the lyrics for "Carmen", "The Count Of Monte Cristo", "Wonderland" and "Havana") are also still working on "Waiting For The Moon" which is now apparently titled "Zelda".

Updated On: 9/28/08 at 11:54 AM

[PSLove302]

Posted: 9/28/08 at 11:56am

Wow. A Wildhorn Groupie.

[perfectliar]

Posted: 9/28/08 at 12:00pm

I've never listened to the original recording or anything, so I didn't know there wasn't actually a book. The new version fixed that somewhat... there were a few characters that had a legitimate story, although the show itself still didn't have a "plot," per se.

[laura is broadway]

Posted: 9/28/08 at 12:20pm

"Unfortunately, it was specifically written for Linda Eder, and we all know about that now "

???? Can someone explain?

[Weez]

Posted: 9/28/08 at 12:32pm

I would assume it's something to do with Wildhorn liking to write for the lady in his life, only the lady in his life is now a different lady.

[philly03]

Posted: 9/28/08 at 1:26pm

""Unfortunately, it was specifically written for Linda Eder, and we all know about that now "

???? Can someone explain? "

Yupp, pretty much what Weez said. Linda Eder, you may recall had brown/black hair, and whether or not a coincidence, most of the roles he wrote for her had somewhat looked like her! Obviously Lucy was made up, but Marguerite St. Just, Camille Claudel, Roxanne in Cyrano.... the list goes on. I'm going to assume that it's not just a big twist that they were all "in her likeness." ALso, for those who have heard anything from Cyrano (Frank's team from J&H), you'll quickly realize that similarly to Camille, it was pretty much safe to say it's written for someone with Linda's pipes. I'm also going to assume, that despite what "the press" (AKA Playbill said), the divorce was not pretty, espcially with this quote from the A Tale of Two Cities Opening on Playbill:

"The object of Burkhardt's real-life affection, composer Frank Wildhorn, was very much in her corner on opening night, replete with the Pulitzer Prize winner he's currently collaborating with: Anna in the Tropics' Nilo Cruz. The show is called Havana, and it might just star Brandi Burkhardt. "I hope so," her fiancé confessed, "but it is too early to say right now. It would be a dream, though." And is this the show the ex-Mrs. Wildhorn worked on? "Linda [Eder] did the song," he clarified."

To be honest, I really haven't heard anything that I can specifically remember from Havana (including the song), but it looks like Brandi Burkhardt, who can both sing & act (LOL), will be Wildhorn's new "muse." It's a shame though about Cyrano...""Cyrano De Bergerac" is still happening, although apparently not with Bill Kenwright. It opens in Tokyo, next June, with Takeshi Kaga in the lead." Sills & Eder were an awesome team and would have loved to see Wildhorn's two biggest stars, or originators anyway, in a show together!

Unfortunately, Frank gets so beaten up by the critics (& this board), who knows if we will ever see another show of his on Broadway in a while. He's debuting them (and releasing the recordings in their given languages usually) in foreign countries, where not only Germany (wheer they do love him!), but Austria, Hungry, Spain, and in Asia as said with Japan.

[My_Candle]

Posted: 9/28/08 at 3:32pm

At a Ford's Theatre event in DC last spring Clay Aiken sang Sarah from TCW. Apparently it was quite moving.

[Weez]

Posted: 9/28/08 at 4:15pm

Little does Philly know, s/he actually answered two questions there. And now I understand why Frank Wildhorn was hanging out at the opening of 'A Tale of Two Cities'.

Individual songs sit quite well out of the context of the show; John Barrowman recorded 'Tell My Father' for his 'Reflections From Broadway' album, and it's very nicely done. :3

[Mattbrain]

Posted: 9/28/08 at 4:19pm

Not gonna lie. I'm a total Frank Wildhorn junkie. I'm listening to the Broadway cast recording of Jekyll & Hyde as I write this.

That said, I like the music of The Civil War and I agree with Philly that the songs work better in concert form.