Look homeward angel musical

[Gmerchant123]

Posted: 9/9/12 at 3:07pm

Ive always been intreasted on why this musical was such a huge flop, i own the sheet music to the song "fatty" and sing it quite often and it brings down the house with laugther! did anyone see the show??

[someone.else's.story2]

Posted: 9/9/12 at 3:10pm

I didn't see it, but remember that there is a fair bit of information in Ken Mandelbaum's book,"Not Since Carrie". If you're interested in flops at all, it's a great read.

[goldenboy]

Posted: 9/9/12 at 7:15pm

Actually saw it and don't remember much about it. It was kind of dull if memory serves and didn't improve on Look Homeward Angel.

Many flops have one or two great songs so I'm no surprised you found one that
brings down your house

I remember it taking place in a house, Frances Sternhagen was the lead and I never miss a Francis Sternhagen musical. Think this was her only one but correct me if I'm wrong.

[CurtainPullDowner]

Posted: 9/9/12 at 8:00pm

It flopped because Adam Guettel didn't write it,
would have been right up his alley.

[newintown]

Posted: 9/10/12 at 11:05am

It was a lazy adaptation, taking the prize-winning play and just chopping parts out to make room for songs, some of which are very nice, but none of which are top notch.

The huge set dwarfed the actors, and the intimacy of the story was lost completely in the Minskoff.

[frontrowcentre2]

Posted: 9/10/12 at 3:26pm

A cast album was privately made and sold though the producer's office. I recently obtained a CD transfer of the Lp. I wasn't terribly impressed by what I heard - but to be honest I never warmed to any of the Geld-Udell scores (PURLIE, SHENANDOAH.) I will give the song you listed anther listen.

Ken Mandelbaum suggests that the Minskoff theatre was far too large a theatre for such an intimate show, which was probably true. It's also a strange choice as a source play for a musical.

[Scripps2]

Posted: 9/10/12 at 3:30pm

I love this score. More so than Purlie or Shenandoah infact.

I'd love to know more about the show and/or the play as I do struggle to work out the plot line and characters from that totally anonymous recording that gives no details away on the packaging.

[tazber]

Posted: 9/10/12 at 3:39pm

I have a rare copy of the vocal selections and they are a blast to play on the piano.

But I know nothing else about the show (other than it's source material). The score certainly sounds fun (again, only based on the sheet music) with its ragtime flavor, but how many shows have great scores and still end up being dreadful?

[newintown]

Posted: 9/10/12 at 3:47pm

It's a musical of "Look Homeward, Angel," a synopsis of that should be easy to find; the play is a summary of the novel, and the musical follows the play like a religion. Character driven - lower-middle class family in early 20th-century North Carolina; Mom's a penny pincher who runs the family boarding house, Dad's a drunk tombstone carver. Two "artistic" sons, both having affairs with women boarders, both of whom want to escape the stultifying home and become great. Heartache eventually for almost everyone.

Updated On: 9/10/12 at 03:47 PM

[Fred Casely]

Posted: 9/11/12 at 7:25am

I saw a community theater production. What I felt was that the score (pretty ragtime and waltzes) did not match the intense tone of the story. The original play is great, but they chopped out some thematic elements to put in musical numbers.

[themysteriousgrowl]

Posted: 9/11/12 at 7:53am

Who's Fred Casely?

[Smaxie]

Posted: 9/11/12 at 8:12am

My ex boyfriend

[D2]

Posted: 9/11/12 at 8:28am

Why'd ya shoot him?

[Smaxie]

Posted: 9/11/12 at 9:12am

I was leavin'.

[newintown]

Posted: 9/11/12 at 9:14am

Was he angry?

[Smaxie]

Posted: 9/11/12 at 9:21am

Like a madman! Still I said, 'Fred, move along...'

[themysteriousgrowl]

Posted: 9/11/12 at 9:45am

(^ He knew that he was doin' wrong.)

[Wynbish]

Posted: 9/11/12 at 9:48am

Then describe it

[Smaxie]

Posted: 9/11/12 at 9:50am

He came toward me.

[themysteriousgrowl]

Posted: 9/11/12 at 9:59am

With a pistol?!

[Smaxie]

Posted: 9/11/12 at 10:29am

From my bureau!

[Wynbish]

Posted: 9/11/12 at 10:30am

Did you fight him?!?

[Smaxie]

Posted: 9/11/12 at 10:38am

Like a