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alan menken talks about howard ashman, 'the little mermaid' score

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#1

alan menken talks about howard ashman, 'the little mermaid' score

Posted: 6/17/07 at 12:34pm

in this interview, Alan Menken says the opening number, for now, is "Fathoms Below," followed by "The World Above," "Daughters of Triton" and "Human Stuff." The story includes an audio link where you can listen to an excerpt of Menken talking about the music in his own words.


denver post article

Updated On: 6/18/07 at 12:34 PM

#4

re: alan menken talks about howard ashman, 'the little mermaid' score

Posted: 6/17/07 at 1:42pm

That song list doesn't appear to be right.

I thought "Poor Unfortunate Soul" was closing out the first act? "Under The Sea" kind of seems random in regards to the plot structure to be placed at that point in the story.
Tonya Pinkins: Then we had a "Lot's Wife" last June that was my personal favorite. I'm still trying to get them to let me sing it at some performance where we get to sing an excerpt that's gone.
Tony Kushner: You can sing it at my funeral.
#5

re: alan menken talks about howard ashman, 'the little mermaid' score

Posted: 6/17/07 at 2:20pm

It does say it's a guess for now as to what the order could be. "Poor Unfortunate Souls" is a perfect Act One closer, so we'll see. What's really weird is seeing "Part of Your World" that late into the act... they sure are adding a lot to the beginning.
::bust a move::
#6

re: alan menken talks about howard ashman, 'the little mermaid' score

Posted: 6/17/07 at 2:22pm

Act one should close on chaos, actual or impending. (Cookies to anyone who knows where I got that from; I think it's near enough a verbatim quote.) 'Under The Sea' should be a big-ass show-stopper, but it is not an act one closer. 'Poor Unfortunate Souls' is certainly closer to what's needed. Luckily it's an unofficial speculative list and they haven't even started out-of-town tryouts yet, so there's plenty of time to make it work, or realise they need to follow musical theatre convention a little more closely.
Notes from the Earlham Street Gutter
#7

re: alan menken talks about howard ashman, 'the little mermaid' score

Posted: 6/17/07 at 3:14pm

Ariel sings Fathoms Below..?

Part of Your World is pretty late into Act 1, much later than it was in the workshop. I have a feeling this is very rough though
The morning star always gets wonderful bright the minute before it has to go --doesn't it?
#9

re: alan menken talks about howard ashman, 'the little mermaid' score

Posted: 6/18/07 at 4:45am

It sounds random to me too--it would make such perfect perfect sense to divide the acts with Soul and Ariel losing her voice but gaining her feet that it's inane to have it happen a few songs (so at least 20 minutes) into act II.

The article is full of (admittedly) minor misinformation--the movie wasn't 62 minutes but 83 or so (I think--at least over 80), Jungle Book wasn't the last prior big animated hit--Spielberg's Amblimation with Don Bluth (an ex Disney artist0 had a record breaking (till Mermaid) hit in '86 with American Tail and then 88 the same team with Land Before Time the same year Disney had a sizable hit with Olvier and Co. Yeah Mermaid and the later films eclipsed that but...

E
#10

re: alan menken talks about howard ashman, 'the little mermaid' score

Posted: 6/18/07 at 8:40am

"Part of Your World" is one of the definitive "I want" songs -- I know of a playwriting workshop that uses it as a textbook example of a protagonist stating his/her goal -- and its movement to later in the act seems strange from a craft point. (Craft-wise in the musical theater, it's up there with everything from "I'm the Greatest Star" and "Some People" to "The Wizards and I.") I think the new version is being constructed to accentuate extravaganza, production values. We'll have to see.
"I'm a comedian, but in my spare time, things bother me." Garry Shandling
#11

re: alan menken talks about howard ashman, 'the little mermaid' score

Posted: 6/18/07 at 8:53am

"'Under The Sea' should be a big-ass show-stopper, but it is not an act one closer. 'Poor Unfortunate Souls' is certainly closer to what's needed."

I agree. I have a feeling this will be changed.
"We like to snark around here. Sometimes we actually talk about theater...but we try not to let that get in our way." - dramamama611
#12

re: alan menken talks about howard ashman, 'the little mermaid' score

Posted: 6/18/07 at 9:22am

I have doubts too that Part of Your World will be that late (and then to have the reprise so soon after?)

SPeaking of "I Want" songs as much as I adore both songs, as many have pointed out Your World is VERY similar to Somewhere That's green--you could almost set the animation to the earlier song... (ok the lyrics wouldn't make sense but :P ) I remember when I was younger and obssessed with Mermaid I used to often get the two melodies mixed up in my head (of course we all knwo they basically reused the tune of the minor Les Poissons for Be our Guest but because the numbers are so different in terms of scope you don't really notice)

E
#13

re: alan menken talks about howard ashman, 'the little mermaid' score

Posted: 6/18/07 at 9:27am

Yep, like "Candy Man" (WILLY WONKA) and Sondheim's "No One Is Alone," (Who can make the sun rise? Sometimes people leave you...) or "Come to Me, Bend to Me," and "Music of the Night." (Come to me, bend to me ... slowly, gently etc..) Or the DYNASTY theme bridge and the bridge to "Kiss Me" in SWEENEY. {Da da da-da da da.. DA da). Ain't it a bitch when you cannot drop the parallels between songs?
"I'm a comedian, but in my spare time, things bother me." Garry Shandling
#15

re: alan menken talks about howard ashman, 'the little mermaid' score

Posted: 6/18/07 at 12:24pm

[i]Yep, like "Candy Man" (WILLY WONKA) and Sondheim's "No One Is Alone," (Who can make the sun rise? Sometimes people leave you...) or "Come to Me, Bend to Me," and "Music of the Night." (Come to me, bend to me ... slowly, gently etc..) Or the DYNASTY theme bridge and the bridge to "Kiss Me" in SWEENEY. {Da da da-da da da.. DA da). Ain't it a bitch when you cannot drop the parallels between songs?[/i]

Or as I mentioned recently, the Winnie the Pooh song "I'm just a little black raincloud..." and "I want to be a producer..."
#17

re: alan menken talks about howard ashman, 'the little mermaid' score

Posted: 6/18/07 at 1:21pm

"Or as I mentioned recently, the Winnie the Pooh song "I'm just a little black raincloud..." and "I want to be a producer...""

Ha ha ha! I never noticed that! Mel Brooks ripped off the Shermans.

I have unusually high hopes for this show. Doug Wright is writing the book. He did a superb job with Grey Gardens. I Am My Own Wife was excellent. Hopefully he'll bring Menken back to his glory days with Ashman, who I think was the last great bookwriter.
#19

re: alan menken talks about howard ashman, 'the little mermaid' score

Posted: 6/19/07 at 2:09am

I'm seeing the previews in Denver---though I'm sure others are too.

August 16th!! I could not be more excited!!

Honestly, The Little Mermaid is my favorite...anything...of all time :)
and p.s. "her voice" is one of the greatest songs EVER. so haunting...I'm so excited to hear it live (and if they changed anything).
and all that I could do because of you was talk of love...

Updated On: 6/19/07 at 02:09 AM

#21

re: alan menken talks about howard ashman, 'the little mermaid' score

Posted: 6/19/07 at 7:54am

In the film, the reprise is after the ship is on fire and Ariel rescues Eric and they are on the beach and he's laying there (eyes shut) and she sings to him. He then begins to wake up and she goes back into the water as he leaves and finishes the song on the rock and the water splashes behind her.
#22

re: alan menken talks about howard ashman, 'the little mermaid' score

Posted: 6/19/07 at 9:25am

"we all know they basically reused the tune of the minor Les Poissons for Be our Guest..."

Never noticed that. Now that I think of it, if you take away the vocals, they kind of sound similar in some contexts.
"We like to snark around here. Sometimes we actually talk about theater...but we try not to let that get in our way." - dramamama611
#24

re: alan menken talks about howard ashman, 'the little mermaid' score

Posted: 6/19/07 at 2:23pm

"Not much for Sherie to do."

Three songs and a reprise is a hell of a lot more than the film had. Though unless there were some MAJOR rewrites, "Wasting Away" is not a number to be particularly proud of.
"What can you expect from a bunch of seitan worshippers?" - Reginald Tresilian
#25

re: alan menken talks about howard ashman, 'the little mermaid' score

Posted: 6/19/07 at 2:45pm

TWSFan4Ever - Too lazy to pop in the film for 83 minutes and check but you're probably right. A reprise in the spot I mentioned sounds pretty "musical" too.

Does anyone think it might work if they put "Poor Unfortunate Souls" at the end of act I with her losing her voice and then at the top of Act II is "Under The Sea?" It would change the context a bit from the film's placement, but...j/w.
-Benjamin
--http://www.benjaminadgate.com/

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