You may have noticed that a lot of my post titles come from songs [see: every post I wrote about summer 2016 (posted in January 2017)]. You can thank band for that. I’m beginning to reach the point in my musical career1 where I have a song for most occasions2. In that line of thought, I’ve been watching a number of musicals. The branch of the Ann Arbor public library system I go to sorts their DVD selection by genre (action, comedy, etc.) and musicals have their own section, so I’ve been working my way through some of the more well-known musicals, including the following:
A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum (1966 movie with Zero Mostel reprising his stage role) – Forum is one of those works where everyone spends their entire time running around trying to trick everyone else. Several identities get stolen, there are numerous love polygons, and it’s absurd overall. It’s a fun watch.
Notable songs3: “Comedy Tonight”
Hairspray (2007 movie) – A movie adapted from a Broadway show (2002) adapted from a movie (1988). Based on three minutes of research on Wikipedia, it looks like the 2007 movie and the Broadway show are pretty similar while the original movie has the same plot but a lot of details were changed for the later musical and movie. Hairspray follows Tracy Turnblad’s journey to stardom as an overweight dancer on The Corny Collins Show and her efforts to desegregate the show. The score contains a number of upbeat 60s dance tunes with a bit of a Broadway ballad feel at times. Some of the songs could have been more varied in style and dragged on a little, but overall I liked the movie. And in keeping with tradition, John Travolta plays Edna Turnblad, Tracy’s mother.
Notable songs: “Good Morning Baltimore,” “You Can’t Stop the Beat”
Company (2011 staged reading with the New York Philharmonic) – Company is a series of scenes about the perpetually single Robert and his married friends as they have dinner, fight, get married, and live their lives. This filming used minimal props/set/costumes and the orchestra was actually seated at the back of the stage rather than in a hole in the ground. It worked, and keeping the set simple focused attention on the lines instead of flashing lights or smoke machines.
Notable songs: “Another Hundred People,” “Being Alive”
How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying (1967 movie) – In the “see how many people you can scam” style of Forum, J. Pierpont Finch scams his way into jobs at the Worldwide Wicket Corporation. If you know that guy in group projects who does nothing but answers all questions after the presentation with “we,” that’s Finch. Worth a watch for its (satirical) take on climbing the corporate ladder.
Notable songs: Nothing very memorable, but “Grand Old Ivy” is amusing
Grease Live! (2016 live TV production) – This was an interesting production. The opening and closing numbers were purposely done on the soundstage set, with clearly visible supports and the cast riding around in backstage vehicles. The rest of the musical was contained in single scenes that looked like elaborate stages. It was all fine except for the race, which looked like two grown men pretending to drive stationary cars like kids ride carousel horses. I wish they’d found a way to make it look more convincing, but they tried. They also added a song for Frenchy (Carly Rae Jepsen) so she could show off her singing ability, but the style wasn’t quite right. In addition, the actor playing Danny Zuko, Aaron Tveit (who went to Ithaca College), looked too old. My personal policy is that actors playing high school characters can look like they’re in college, but not any older than that. And finally, Grease commits the offense of two characters singing a duet in perfect harmony . . . from two completely different locations (I’m looking at you, “Summer Nights”). Other than that, Grease is a classic. I’ll be looking for the 1978 movie starring John Travolta as Danny Zuko; fun fact: Aaron Tveit was in Hairspray on Broadway. However, he was not Edna Turnblad. He was cast as Link Larkin.
Notable songs: A bunch – “Summer Nights,” “Greased Lightnin’,” “Beauty School Dropout,” “Born to Hand Jive,” “You’re the One That I Want,” “We Go Together”
I’d say all of the above musicals are worth watching. Grease Live! was a little unconventional and if you don’t like watching musicals filmed on stage, skip Company, but otherwise there are a lot of good lyrics and songs and some fun acting. The next set of musicals is still to come.
1Not actually a career
2Road trip? “On the Road Again.” Long walk? “I’m Gonna Be (500 Miles).” Just set your pet budgerigar loose? “Free Bird.” Missing hairbrush? “The Hairbrush Song.”
3Notable to me, in that I remember them or they’re known in pop culture.
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