Wicked - please no more teenage attempts at this — Page 3

I thank god when I was in HS, we had a great program.

And thank god when I was in HS, there was no YouTube.

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"Any school with a performing arts program would know how to prepare and put on a good show."

Any school? Really? What world do you live in? That's like saying any musical that opens on Broadway would know how to put on a good show. As with absolutely everything in life, quality varies. It's best you learn this now.

While the Popular video is not the best performance of the song, this thread is expecting a lot from some school they know absolutely nothing about. Every Spring, our high school choir would give a concert which included solos, duets and ensemble numbers of the students' choice. The students themselves staged, choreographed and rehearsed the numbers. It was a chance for them to have fun singing something they wanted to sing and perform it how they wanted. Some of the numbers were great and some of them sucked, but nobody really cared because they just wanted to be creative.

I got the feeling this video of Popular was probably along the same lines. The girls looked like they were having a ball. So what? Whether it was thrown together at the last minute or it was actually the best they could do, it was obviously something they wanted to do and enjoyed doing it.

Costumes? I doubt there was a "budget" for this one song. Choreography? One of the girls probably thought it up because, I don't know, maybe they didn't budget a choreographer for one song in a school concert. Expectations for a one-song performance at a school concert seem to run a little high around here. I'm not sure why that is, but unless you personally know a lot about that school's budget, performing arts history, and that performance, I don't think there's much justification for anyone thumbing their nose at it.

Was it a great performance? No. Does it have to be? No. Were they performing for us? No. So why do people care so much? And who are we to determine what music is too good for school choirs to perform? Good grief, people! Why don't you break out all of your performance videos and give me a crack at them. I've no doubt they would be flawless and superior to everyone else in every way. Right?

"Why the heck don't these kids just try for real musical theatre?"

Because Show Choir exists as a category in national school choral competitions. Apples/oranges. Why do you care that they are not doing something that you want them to do? If you don't like Show Choirs, then don't watch them. Not everything that uses musical theatre songs are full productions of said musicals. Sometimes the songs are used in cabaret performances, movies, commercials, revues, marching bands, Muzak, etc. If you expect them all to resemble the Broadway show, you are in for a lifetime of disappointment.

"You DO NOT expand a solo or duet song into a choir or 100 people."

Really? You should alert every single professional choral arranger in the world, then . I don't think they were aware of your law. So, I guess you're artistically conservative and closed-minded. Good luck with that attitude when pursuing a career in theatre. If the song is not being used in the actual show, then it is not in context and it can most definitely be arranged for larger or smaller groups, especially for the purpose of school choral groups.

"Has anyone told them that this music WAS NOT ARRNAGED TO BE SUNG BY A CHOIR? EVER."

Has anyone ever told you that 90% of songs sung by choirs were NOT ORIGINALLY ARRANGED FOR HIGH SCHOOL CHOIRS? Has anyone ever told you that it really doesn't matter? I purchased some rather gorgeous choral arrangements of songs from Aspects of Love when I was in London. I'll be sure to let Lloyd Webber know you don't approve. He'll care. A lot.

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My God. The sad thing is I know girls like this.

First off.
I think you guys are taking this a littttle too out of hand.
Just because alot of choirs have bad programs, doesn't mean that any high school choir would ruin it.

We personally did that for our fall show, and hated it because wicked is so overdone everywhere.

but it sounded and looked better than all these clips I've seen.

If you really want to say that choirs shouldn't do defying gravity...

I think you should go watch Center Grove first.
It was the closer in their show last year.
The dresses were about a 1000 dollars each.
They were amazing.
and they had like a 15 foot hydrolic lift..
that looked more real than the broadway version I saw.
and I thought that they matched up better than anyone, besides the original cast.

Not all show choirs are bad, btw.
You've just not seen the right ones.
Go watch Ben Davis, Clinton, North Central, Center Grove, Burroughs, Chula Vista, Burbank, Huntington North, etc...

you'll be satisfied, I gurantee it.

First off.
I think you guys are taking this a littttle too out of hand.
Just because alot of choirs have bad programs, doesn't mean that any high school choir would ruin it.

We personally did that for our fall show, and hated it because wicked is so overdone everywhere.

but it sounded and looked better than all these clips I've seen.

If you really want to say that choirs shouldn't do defying gravity...

I think you should go watch Center Grove first.
It was the closer in their show last year.
The dresses were about a 1000 dollars each.
They were amazing.
and they had like a 15 foot hydrolic lift..
that looked more real than the broadway version I saw.
and I thought that they matched up better than anyone, besides the original cast.

Not all show choirs are bad, btw.
You've just not seen the right ones.
Go watch Ben Davis, Clinton, North Central, Center Grove, Burroughs, Chula Vista, Burbank, Huntington North, etc...

you'll be satisfied, I gurantee it.

All I have to say is...
I think you guys are taking this a littttle too out of hand.
Just because alot of choirs have bad programs, doesn't mean that any high school choir would ruin it.

We personally did that for our fall show, and hated it because wicked is so overdone everywhere.

but it sounded and looked better than all these clips I've seen.

If you really want to say that choirs shouldn't do defying gravity...

I think you should go watch Center Grove first.
It was the closer in their show last year.
The dresses were about a 1000 dollars each.
They were amazing.
and they had like a 15 foot hydrolic lift..
that looked more real than the broadway version I saw.
and I thought that they matched up better than anyone, besides the original cast.

Not all show choirs are bad, btw.
You've just not seen the right ones.
Go watch Ben Davis, Clinton, North Central, Center Grove, Burroughs, Chula Vista, Burbank, Huntington North, etc...

you'll be satisfied, I gurantee it.

wow.
sorry about that.
my computer got a little crazy.
and wouldn't stop clicking.

:-/ my apologies

"Not everything that uses musical theatre songs are full productions of said musicals. Sometimes the songs are used in cabaret performances, movies, commercials, revues, marching bands, Muzak, etc. If you expect them all to resemble the Broadway show, you are in for a lifetime of disappointment. "

I don't expect them to resemble the Broadway shows, but I expect them to respect the material. And from what I've seen, entire song context has been changed and several have had massive lyrical changes.

Broadway songs are about character and story. I do not believe in rearranging those songs to multiple people and completely distorting the original intent.

"Really? You should alert every single professional choral arranger in the world, then . I don't think they were aware of your law. "

The point remains that these songs were never designed to be sung by a chorus, and from what I've seen, the end result is usually pretty awful.

I have no problem with choral music - if it's done well.

"So, I guess you're artistically conservative and closed-minded."

If upholding the integrity and intent of a musical theater song is "artistically conservative and close-minded" then I'm Bill O'Reilly.


"Good luck with that attitude when pursuing a career in theatre."

You sure do like to make things personal - If I wasn't already a professional working actor, I might actually take offense to the insults you're flinging.


"I purchased some rather gorgeous choral arrangements of songs from Aspects of Love when I was in London. I'll be sure to let Lloyd Webber know you don't approve. He'll care. A lot."

Considering I don't approve of Andrew Llyod Webber, I honestly couldn't care less.

I can't wait for the gorgeous choral arrangement of "Starlight Express."

My goodness, these kids are so, so lucky. Despite what some may think about the arrangements, choreography, etc. To have the opportunity to do something like show choir in high school is priceless. In my school we have to fight just to be able to do one musical a year, let alone have a good arts program. They're getting the chance to learn, experiment, and most importantly, have fun! If only more schools could offer that.

**off my soapbox** hope that makes sense.

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There are many, many AMAZING competitive showchoirs out there.... this just isn't one of them.

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Luckily, I was unable to see this supposed "horrendous" high school choir performance of Wicked since it was pulled from YouTube before I read this thread. As a former high school choral director I feel I need to comment on some of the responses in this thread -- some I agree with, some that I don't. Are a lot of these show medleys poorly written? Yes. Should all high school choirs attempt costumes and choreography? No (for one, in big print on the inside cover of all of these medleys it reads that these are for choral performance only -- recreating the show with costumes and choreography is illegal). Should arrangers such as Ed Lojeski, Mac Huff, et all stop writing show medleys and should choirs stop performing them? A RESOUNDING NO!

These medleys (as cheesy or vomit inducing as they may seem) are some of the only ways students are exposed to musical theatre these days. Not everyone lives near or can afford to go see shows, or they come from families who have no interest in the arts. Singing these songs in their high school choirs is how they are exposed. When I was in high school in the early 90's, I was lucky enough to be in an elite program that had the support of the administration and the community. Through this choir I was introduced to shows for the first time like Les Miserables, Oliver, Phantom of the Opera, etc. Being familiar with the score inspired me to go see Les Mis when the national tour came to a nearby city. Seeing this production is one of the reasons I am hooked on musical theatre today.

After I graduated from college I taught high school chorus and theatre for four years. Every semester I chose several individual showtunes and one big medley for performance. I would scour my JW Pepper catalogue searching for the perfect songs. Many of these kids fell in love with these songs and are now lifelong supporters of theatre. I had one student in particular who was also the captain of the basketball team at school. While he was being recruited by several college programs, he was interviewed for a local newspaper. They asked him, "So what is your favorite type of music" to which he replied "Showtunes". You should have seen the look on their faces!

I understand that seeing a performance as awful as the one being discussed is cringe-inducing and that not all of these medleys are well-constructed. My wife teaches piano (and accompanies the choirs) at the local performing arts school and she was practicing the Wicked medley for them -- and I agree it was not one of the best. However, at the concert the kids were VERY excited to be singing songs from that show. Although we are all tired of hearing about Wicked (me included) at least there is a show that is appealing to younger generations as much as it is. For every bad choir out there, there are several that do a good job with the music. Just remember, this is not Carnegie Hall, or a professional group -- these are just kids getting their first taste of the art form that we all love above all else.

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I admit that I was wrong with how I said things in my posting. My school did not have a show choir and when we all asked for one her answer was, "No! They all turn out really cheesey and bad." But, as I continued to watch show choirs on youtube, I noticed that they all weren't bad.

When I was in choir my senior year of HS, we did Christmas songs and that year I remember we did not do any showtunes when my freshman year we sang I Dreamed a Dream. Anyway, our BIG ENCORE number was the Friend's theme song. We had SOOOO much fun learning this song and we were looking forward to singing it. We hated all of our other songs because we never got to choose what we sang. When we learned the song, it was the ONLY song we were able to sing really well.

We sang all of our songs from the line-up and our "surprise song" was coming up. The only stipulation to sing the song in front of the audience was if we get a standing ovation. So, because we loved this song and knew how much we "sucked" at the other songs, we told everyone we know who came to see the show to lead a standing ovation. People stood, people unaware of the intentions stood, clapping and cheering for us. We were smiling.

Our choir director looked at the audience and she turned to us and told us to get off the stage. She didn't let us sing the song that we thought was our best one. We liked the song because we had fun learning it. And we wanted to have fun singing it. We were disapointed and were mad at her for the rest of the semester. It was my senior year, and I was not able to have very much fun in choir.

Those girls singing 'Popular' and the guys singing "Dirty Rotten Number" looked like they were having fun. They should be allowed to have fun. HS choir and show choir was made to introduce several different musical styles to students. They may not be good singing it, but they have fun performing it. These are not trained singers. Oh well -- to have fun, they don't need to be trained to have fun. At least they had a show choir and at least they were having fun.

Does that make sense at all? HAHA.