Songwriter Jill Sobule discusses new Yentl adaptation

[artwhisperer]

Posted: 2/13/12 at 1:54pm

The songwriter behind mid-90's hits "I Kissed a Girl" and "Supermodel" discusses the process of bringing Yentl back to the stage.


artwhisperer.tv: Jill Sobule Updated On: 2/13/12 at 01:54 PM

[CurtainPullDowner]

Posted: 2/13/12 at 1:55pm

Sounds perfect for Lea.

[Mister Matt]

Posted: 2/13/12 at 2:06pm

Ugh.

[Huss417]

Posted: 2/13/12 at 2:47pm

Oy Vey.

[Gaveston2]

Posted: 2/13/12 at 3:23pm

Am I the only one who never understood why this story needs to be a musical?

The minute Yentl opens her mouth, the illusion that she is successfully masquerading as a boy evaporates.

A straight play? Maybe. A musical? Why?

[michellek45]

Posted: 2/13/12 at 4:20pm

Gaveston- I think it depends on how they write Yentl's voice. If they wrote it as contralto, I think whoever sings it could successfully pull it off. I'm a contralto, and I've been told that I sound like a boy when I sing.

[Mister Matt]

Posted: 2/13/12 at 4:36pm

The minute Yentl opens her mouth, the illusion that she is successfully masquerading as a boy evaporates.

I haven't seen the movie in ages (nor wanted to), but don't the songs primarily take place in her head or out of earshot of the other characters? Unless they change the title, it will forever be compared to the film (or more specifically, to Streisand). Creating something completely new isn't a particularly bad idea, but it's pretty low on the list of interesting subjects for a new musical. Sobule will have to add "Oh, it's not that 'Yentl'" to "Oh, it's not that 'I Kissed a Girl'" on her increasing list of exasperating explanations.

[artwhisperer]

Posted: 2/13/12 at 9:07pm

I should clarify. It's not a musical. It's a play with music. The singers act like a greek chorus. (Or I guess you could say a Jewish chorus?

I've seen the production and I really enjoyed it.
artwhisperer.tv: Jill Sobule

[Gaveston2]

Posted: 2/13/12 at 9:16pm

Points taken and thanks to all. So the girl singing "Yentl" could sound like a boy-man or the songs could just represent her thoughts, but it turns out she doesn't sing in this treatment anyway.

For me, YENTL was one of those films where I could never get past the fact it was BARBRA STREISAND playing the part and the only dramatic tension came from wondering why the boys in the yeshiva didn't notice. So I'm up for an adaptation of the original play.

Updated On: 2/13/12 at 09:16 PM