Musicals with socio-political messages

[Necromancer07707]

Posted: 8/11/07 at 12:40am

More specifically than musicals in general (I'm sure we can name them all from 1776 to Zanna Don't), I'm looking for songs that would be appropriate in a revue setting. Any suggestions?

Updated On: 8/11/07 at 12:40 AM

[dancinfan]

Posted: 8/11/07 at 1:05am

Sorry, I'm a little confused by your post. Are you looking for titles of songs rather than titles of shows?
War Is a Science, Glory from Pippin
Back to Before, Make Them Hear You from Ragtime

If you know the shows, why not go listen to them and pick out the songs you are interested in using?

[ray-andallthatjazz86]

Posted: 8/11/07 at 1:22am

Both "Lot's Wife" and "I Hate the Bus" from CAROLINE OR CHANGE can be sung in revues (I've at least heard "I Hate the Bus" in concert setting) and both are numbers with heavy socio-political messages.
"Back to Before" from RAGTIME is a great example.
"Me and My Town" from ANYONE CAN WHISTLE, "Waltz for Eva and Che" from EVITA, "I Know Where I've Been" from HAIRSPRAY, "Happy to Keep His Dinner Warm" (to an extent) from HOW TO SUCCEED IN BUSINESS WITHOUT REALLY TRYING, "The Day After That" from KISS OF THE SPIDERWOMAN, "The Song of Great Capitulation" from MOTHER COURAGE, "Sodomy" from HAIR--among others, "Pirate Jenny" (to an extent) from THREEPENNY OPERA, and "Be a Lion" from THE WIZ could all find their way into that kind of review, IMO. Some obviously fit better than others but I think you could find some kind of social and/or political message in all of those songs.

Updated On: 8/11/07 at 01:22 AM

[Kringas]

Posted: 8/11/07 at 1:28am

It's revue.

Anyway, can you be a little more specific? There are a million ways something could be socio-political. "Sodomy" from Hair might be one - a good chunk of that score, in fact.

Hell, "The Ladies Who Lunch" could be considered socio-political from a certain angle.

[Necromancer07707]

Posted: 8/11/07 at 1:53am

To be a bit more specific, I'm looking for material suitable for a group of college students to perform. The topics addressed would preferably pertain to our generation, running off the question posed in Tick Tick... of "What does it take to wake up a generation?" Any voice part or dance requirement is suitable, as I'm intending to find material that suits the wide variety of students I'll be directing.

[Smaxie]

Posted: 8/11/07 at 8:05am

"The Flame" from Flora, the Red Menace
"Sing Me a Song With Social Significance" from Pins & Needles
"Don't Be the Bunny" from Urinetown
"Bring All The Boys Back Home" from Two Gentlemen of Verona
"How the Money Changes Hands" from Tenderloin
"The Cradle Will Rock" from The Cradle Will Rock
"The Spring of Next Year" from Dear World
"Why Can't the World Go and Leave Us Alone?" from Dance a Little Closer
"What Would You Do?" from Cabaret
"Are You There?" from Bare
"Another National Anthem" from Assassins

[dancinfan]

Posted: 8/11/07 at 10:26am

There are so many great coming of age musicals out there, including Rent, Hair, Spelling Bee, Spring Awakening, Pippin. There are also great songs from the Falsettos series that might be appropriate because the people in that story are dealing with the onset of a frightening new disease. And my head keeps turning back to Ragtime because of the revolutionary ideas and statements that it sings from the turn of the previous century - Make Them Hear You would be great finale or encore, even. Crime of the Century is something we are still dealing with now (the show Chicago also touches on this issue with Razzle Dazzle and They Both Reached For The Gun). You have a ton of choices!

Oh, and how about Big River? Worlds Apart is an amazing piece about understanding and acceptance, and Free At Last is gorgeous.
Updated On: 8/11/07 at 10:26 AM

[OtherDaryl]

Posted: 8/11/07 at 12:15pm

A few thoughts . . .

Please Hello! - Pacific Overtures
Tomorrow Belongs To Me - Cabaret
Far From the Home I Love - Fiddler on the Roof
There's Gotta Be Something Better Than This - Sweet Charity
Nickel Under the Foot - The Cradle Will Rock
Empty Chairs at Empty Tables - Les Mis
I Don't Know How To Love Him - JCS
You've Got To Be Carefully Taught - South Pacific
You Can Have The TV - Notes/Could I Leave You? - Follies
Easy Terms - Blood Brothers

Also take a look at The Me Nobody Knows and Runaways

[Mr Roxy]

Posted: 8/11/07 at 12:43pm

Make Them Hear You - Ragtime

[SporkGoddess]

Posted: 8/11/07 at 12:48pm

Does it have to be American politics? If not, Evita and Kiss of the Spiderwoman have some fantastic political commentary towards Argentina (yes, Kiss of the Spiderwoman is supposedly just set in a Latin American country, but I think it's pretty obvious that it's about the Dirty War.)

[Ivan the Wonderful]

Posted: 8/11/07 at 12:59pm

Rocky Horror might work too.

[Mr Roxy]

Posted: 8/11/07 at 1:13pm

I've Hear It All Before - Shenandoah

[theaterkid1015]

Posted: 8/11/07 at 1:57pm

In the show, it's a creepy little Nazi anthem, but out of context, "Tomorrow Belongs to Me" from Cabaret could work nicely.

[Mr Roxy]

Posted: 8/11/07 at 2:04pm

What A Country - All American

[MrSweetNAwful]

Posted: 8/15/07 at 1:02am

the opening and closing numbers of Reefer Madness
Class from Chicago

[neddyfrank2]

Posted: 8/15/07 at 2:35am

The Wiz at the La Jolla Playhouse

[KQuill]

Posted: 8/15/07 at 8:42am

It's not really an entire song, but everytime Horton says "A persons a person, no matter how small" in SEUSSICAL.

[Unknown User]

Posted: 8/15/07 at 9:26am

Urinetown.. like the entire show (in context, atleast) I'd try doing that one.
Are You There from Bare (someone already mentioned that, I know, but I'm seconding it) and some stuff from Spring Awakening.. would you be allowed to perform the Bitch of Living?

[Unknown User]

Posted: 8/15/07 at 9:33am

Also, would "Straight to Heaven" from Zanna, Don't! work? Has that already been listed/crossed off the list?