Millie and re-used music

[Larcen26]

Posted: 3/15/10 at 3:54pm

Hey there,
I was just wondering if anyone had a link to an interview or something where they discussed why they re-used so much music for the score of Millie?
(ok it's only three songs and one is a dance number, but still)

I was just wondering if it was a stylistic choice? Or if they just thought it would be funny?

[Unknown User]

Posted: 3/15/10 at 4:15pm

You mean the songs they used that were in the movie Thoroughly Modern Millie that were also in the stage version? Because they were creating a stage version of a fairly well-known film musical and people would miss those songs.

[Larcen26]

Posted: 3/15/10 at 4:28pm

Not quite...I understand using "Thoroughly Modern Millie"

But I am more specifically wondering about the rest:
The Speed Test is My Eyes are Fully Open from Ruddigore;
The Nuttycracker Suite, well that should be obvious;
Sweet Mystery of Life & Falling in Love with Someone are from Naughty Marietta
Mujin is a version of the song Mammy

Just wondering what was behind teh decision to re-use SO much music.

[newintown]

Posted: 3/15/10 at 4:49pm

The concept (which was never strictly followed) was that the "old-fashioned" characters (like Trevor and Miss Dorothy) would sing old songs, and the modern characters (Millie, Jimmy, Muzzie) would sing new songs. But it doesn't really work that way. What happened was that the score was originally going to be all old songs and/or songs from the film, but as the project progressed, they found they needed new songs here and there, which became about 75% of a new score. The Nuttycracker Suite was Tesori's idea, one which, frankly, baffles me. I don't see the connection between Tschaikovsky and the Twenties or speakeasies. For me, the old songs (except for the title, "Mammy," and "Jimmy") are the weakest part of the show; I would have preferred fun new pastiche songs.

[Larcen26]

Posted: 3/15/10 at 5:04pm

Thanks...that sort of makes sense now...of course, aside from the Nuttycraker suite.

Seems like it could have been handled better throughout...Sweet Mystery of life works becasue it is fairly famous...but still...looks like it could have been handled much better

[darquegk]

Posted: 3/15/10 at 8:26pm

The use of "Ah Sweet Mystery" as a sudden-love theme seems less a period choice and more of a riff on "Young Frankenstein," where it is used to the same purpose (albeit in a MUCH raunchier way)."

[allofmylife]

Posted: 3/15/10 at 8:32pm

It's an old technique. Jerome Kern, who wrote "Show Boat" often interpolated vintage songs (including a few in the aforementioned musical) and nobody complained.

Whatever works.....

Updated On: 3/16/10 at 08:32 PM

[jpbran]

Posted: 3/15/10 at 8:57pm

Didn't Sondheim "borrow" some old American standards' melodies for Assassins?

[Kad]

Posted: 3/15/10 at 9:26pm

The only unoriginal melody I can recall being used in Assassins is a modified version of John Phillip Sousa's "El Capitan" for half of "How I Saved Roosevelt".

[D2]

Posted: 3/15/10 at 9:42pm

"Ah Sweet Mystery of Life" was used in the film.

[bwayfan7000]

Posted: 3/15/10 at 10:04pm

I saw Sutton in concert not too long ago, and in a Millie section she did, she talked about how the original film used a mix of old standards and new songs, so it was decided that the show would do the same.

[theatreguy]

Posted: 3/16/10 at 12:27am

Jeanine Tesori was originally brought in just to arrange the old songs and provide some musical continuity. Through the workshops and the try-out in La Jolla it was decided that more original songs were needed so they could be more easily tailored to the needs of the story.

[LizzieCurry]

Posted: 3/16/10 at 12:40am

I only saw Millie in La Jolla, but I still can't figure out the reasoning behind The Nuttycracker Suite.

[chewy5000]

Posted: 3/16/10 at 1:43am

The only unoriginal melody I can recall being used in Assassins is a modified version of John Phillip Sousa's "El Capitan" for half of "How I Saved Roosevelt".

I was wondering about that, because when watching an episode of 'The Partridge Family' recently (yes, I know) a college band was playing it. It was confusing.

[HeyMrMusic]

Posted: 3/16/10 at 3:23am

The only unoriginal melody I can recall being used in Assassins is a modified version of John Phillip Sousa's "El Capitan" for half of "How I Saved Roosevelt".

Sondheim also uses "Hail to the Chief" all throughout the score in different time signatures. It mostly recurs as a carousel-type waltz (as in the opening) and is even heard in the style of "America" from West Side Story.

~Steven

[dramamama611]

Posted: 3/16/10 at 5:45am

"Mammy" sung in Mandarin (or is it Cantonese?) is one of the funniest things ever. ESPECIALLY with the sight gag of the translations.

Brilliant.

[LizzieCurry]

Posted: 3/16/10 at 9:36am

The brothers sing in Mandarin but speak Cantonese.

[Jon]

Posted: 3/16/10 at 11:48am

To me, the use of the Ruddigore patter song for the typing test suggests that the writers were just to lazy to come up with an original melody.

[HeyMrMusic]

Posted: 3/16/10 at 6:00pm

The brothers sing in Mandarin but speak Cantonese.

Yeah, I've played Ching Ho before and I still don't get this decision.

~Steven

[katya42]

Posted: 3/21/10 at 12:53pm

First, here is a link to a NYTimes interview (with some of the creators of 'Millie' plus creators of 'The Last Five Years') which does address the choice of music some:
http://www.nytimes.com/2002/02/24/theater/spring-theater-can-the-same-old-song-and-dance-be-new-again.html?scp=3&sq=February%2024,%202002%20can%20the%20same&st=cse

Second, although I haven't read it from the authors' mouths, I thought singing in Mandarin and speaking in Cantonese makes perfect sense. In Hong Kong, where Ching Ho and Bun Foo are from, Mandarin, Cantonese, and English are all used. The majority of people speak Cantonese, but most can also use Mandarin (and have to in certain situations). Singing, which is a more heightened, emotional, and structured expression of thoughts and feelings in musicals, makes sense in Mandarin, an official government language and the language of a lot of Chinese media. While Cantonese is more likely what Ching Ho and Bun Foo would actually speak on a day-to-day basis.

Fun discussion!
Updated On: 3/21/10 at 12:53 PM

[jacobsnchz14]

Posted: 3/21/10 at 1:00pm

Here's Jeanine talking about why she decided to write the music:

http://www.mtishowspace.com/pg/video/543/read/30408/tesori-on-millie