The Rise of Marc Shaiman

[esparza 333]

Posted: 6/10/09 at 7:52pm

While he has been on the rise for almost two decades now, I am just so stunned by his work recently from the hilarious Prop 8 the musical, to his Oscar music and opening number, to the Tony closing number and now his score with Wittman for CMIYC (which from the recent clips sound great). He can do anything. His work with Billy Crystal and his film scores also take the cake . I think he is going to a songwriting legend by the end of his career. His work is smart, witty, interesting, comical and stunning all together.

Updated On: 6/10/09 at 07:52 PM

[defyingravity07]

Posted: 6/10/09 at 7:53pm

Marc

[esparza 333]

Posted: 6/10/09 at 7:55pm

Wow silly mistake sorry.

[nomdeplume]

Posted: 6/10/09 at 8:02pm

Haha.

Hope it's not like the Holy Roman Empire.

[B3TA07]

Posted: 6/10/09 at 8:05pm

cool?

[Scarywarhol]

Posted: 6/10/09 at 8:32pm

Somebody wants Marc to come in and give them some attention.

[nomdeplume]

Posted: 6/10/09 at 8:35pm

What again?

Would he come in again?

Isn't that a bit much?

[allofmylife]

Posted: 6/10/09 at 8:40pm

I think the fact that he visits here is an indication of the type of guy he is. Nuff said.

[esparza 333]

Posted: 6/10/09 at 9:50pm

Goodness I wasn't even aware he posted here til reading the post.

[FindingNamo]

Posted: 6/10/09 at 9:56pm

wow

[darquegk]

Posted: 6/10/09 at 10:23pm

Shaiman is, in my opinion, teh last great, and even the last, vaudeville composer. Most songwriters today either write cabaret pieces (Joe Iconis and Kerrigan/Lowdermilk) come to mind, or write whole musicals. Shaiman's musicals are wonderful, but he has relatively little to his credit. Rather, his grand achievements are his "event songs," written as one-offs for movies (the hilarious "Mamushka" in "The Addams Family, not to mention his South Park score) and "special theatrical events" (Oscar and Tony numbers and "Martin Short: Fame Becomes Me").

What Shaiman needs is a musical revue. A few things from his musicals, and a very heavy dose of his "limited edition beauties."

Possible titles: "Come So Far: The Rise of Marc Shaiman," or "Glass Half Full: An Evening Of Marc Shaiman."

[FindingNamo]

Posted: 6/10/09 at 11:43pm

Or "Shut Your Pie Hole, Honey, Mine's Making Money."

[nomdeplume]

Posted: 6/11/09 at 2:24am

Ahhhh! You hit the nail on the head, darquegk!

I don't think Shaiman is a satirist, though he may view his work as such. I see him as a comedy writer, and yes, vaudeville, even burlesque. But that is not satire, though burlesque may have a satirical element. Hairspray was a very earnest bit with some over-the-top acting, but not satire by its definition "trenchant wit, irony, or sarcasm used to expose and discredit vice or folly." Just don't see it.

Chris Durang is about the only known satire writer we have right now in theatre, and he is hilarious because he can't help but write satire--it just comes out that way. Durang's work is a much darker jab at society--talk about trenchant, he's entrenched!

I think Caryl Churchill may also be landing a different kind of satire in plays like Far Away, more subtle and tangential than Durang's style, possibly absurdist.

Durang is also an absurdist but it's clear he sees society as absurd in his satire.
Updated On: 6/11/09 at 02:24 AM

[darquegk]

Posted: 6/11/09 at 3:37pm

The only trouble with Shaiman's "event pieces" is that the sheet music would have to be completely reconstructed. I happen to own copies of all the existing score pieces of Shaiman's "Mamushka" from The Addams Family, but it's only a piano lead sheet, a violin chart, and some scribbled indications of where lyrics go. According to Michael Lavine, not even Shaiman has anything of the song but those fragments by now.

Posted: 6/11/09 at 4:57pm

So I guess they are still casting "Catch me..."

[CurtainPullDowner]

Posted: 6/11/09 at 5:55pm

Not being rude, but three decades is more like it.
I remember him Off Off Off Broadway.