"Hit Songs" From Broadway Misfires: Character Revelations

They say characters in a musical sing when plain spoken words aren't enough. Emotions come out in a number of ways in musicals, to be sure. But one of my favorite things about such songs are when they lead to a character revelation: when Tony realizes he's in love with "Maria" in West Side Story, when A Chorus Line's Diana recognizes a painful truth about herself in "Nothing," or when Javert realizes in Les Miserables that he simply cannot live in a world where everything he believes in has turned against him in "Stars." Powerful, relatable moments in classic shows.

"Hit Songs" from Broadway Misfires:

Character Revelations

Such epic feelings are not reserved just for the cream of the crop musical, though. No, even a single performance running show can contain emotional highlights. The three shows below ran a combined total of just 154 performances, with one accounting for 148 of those. Long-running or not, each of these shows and their characters are worthy of consideration.

"Backwoods Barbie" from 9 to 5: The Musical

Music and Lyrics by Dolly Parton

Sung by Doralee Rhodes (Megan Hilty)

Favorite lyrics:

Now, I grew up poor and ragged, just a simple country girl
I wanted to be pretty more than anything in the world
Like Barbie or the models in the Frederick's catalog
From rags to riches in my dreams, I could have it all

I'm just a backwoods Barbie
Too much make-up, too much hair

Don't be fooled by thinkin' that the goods are not all there
Don't let these false eyelashes lead you to believe
That I'm as shallow as I look cause I run true and deep

I'm just a backwoods Barbie
In a push-up bra and heels

I might look artificial but where it counts I'm real
Yes I can see how I could be misjudged upon first glance
But even backwoods Barbies deserve a second chance
All dolled up and hoping for a chance to prove my worth
Cause even backwoods Barbies get their feelings hurt

Why This Should Be a "Hit Song":

The awkward phrasing and loose rhyming are perfectly attuned to the character here. Eventually, Doralee can't handle the hurt feelings she has when her co-workers gossip about her and exclude her. And who hasn't felt the pain and embarrassment of being judged based on such superficiality as how they look or how they talk? You don't have to be a woman to relate to this. And it sure is cathartic to sing along with Megan!

"Open Road" from Glory Days

Music and Lyrics by Nick Blaemire

Sung by Jack (Jesse J.P. Johnson)

Favorite lyrics:

When I was driving through the East
And my windows rolled down low
There was so much air that I could hardly breathe

I taught myself the land
From the Blue Ridge to Poconos
I became an expert on how the traffic flowed
I loved my life alone on the Open Road

But then I met this kid
Who wanted to go cross country like I did
But wouldn't hitch cause he had too much pride
So I offered him a ride

We learned about each other's lives
As we talked all through the night
And when he thought the time was right
He kissed me in the car
Beneath the starless sky
And with that kiss
He opened up my mind
And we went driving
We were driving

We were driving

Just me
A beautiful boy
And the Open Road

Why This Should Be a "Hit Song":

Maybe this one hits close to home because the twist at the end of this song is that this young man is coming out to his best buddies, taking a real chance in doing so. Sure, there are lots of coming out songs in the Broadway canon, but this one has a certain authenticity - simple words, a cascade of details as he approaches the big moment - it just rings true in a musical about 23 year-olds written by 23 year-olds. With a different arrangement, this song could be on the radio!

"The Butterfly" from The Story of My Life

Music and Lyrics by Neil Bartram

Sung by Thomas Weaver (Will Chase)

Favorite lyrics:

So the butterfly, he dreamed of the ocean.
He longed to flutter high above the seas,
But there are dangers in the sky
For a tiny butterfly.

So from his branch
He asked a question of the breeze.
"What makes you chase the river
T’ward the ocean?’"

Then the breeze told him a most amazing thing.
‘I’m simply made up of the currents in the air
That start from the movement of your wing,
Your tiny wing.’

‘You’re a butterfly my friend,
Powerful and strong
And i'm grateful for the way
You’ve always hurried me along.
When you flap your wings to stretch yourself
It might seem small to you
But you change the world
With everything you do.’

So he stretched his wings
And took off from the safety of his tree

And the butterfly finally saw the sea.

Why This Should Be a "Hit Song":

It is a beautifully written metaphor/story song, probably too good for the Billboard charts. It is simultaneously thought-provoking, uplifting and heartbreaking. And how many songs from a Broadway show that ran for just 5 performances have been turned into a children's picture book? Maybe "The Butterfly" is already a "hit" song! 

#2514 

Broadway Ladies: Ms. November 2013: Little Miss Sunshine's Stephanie J. Block

Ms. November 2013

Stephanie J. Block

WHY SHE'S MS. BROADWAY: OK, so she's currently starring in an Off-Broadway musical, but Stephanie J. Block is the most requested Ms. Broadway by you readers that I have yet to honor as such.  She's had a remarkable stage career all over the country in regional theatre and in New York, on and off Broadway.  She's been in plays and musicals, new and revivals.  Along the way, she's been nominated for just about every major award including the Carbonell, the Helen Hayes, the Drama Desk, and, most recently, the Tony.  She's released a solo album, appeared at Birdland, and made her dramatic television debut in Homeland.  And there is certainly no denying she has range - from Grizabella to Reno Sweeney, from Grace O'Malley to Liza Minelli, and from Edwin Drood to Judy Bernly. Her co-stars and collaborators include no less than Chita Rivera, Hugh Jackman, Dolly Parton, Jason Alexander and Joel Grey.  Now, at last, she's Ms. November.

FUN FACTS:

• She was born in California on September 19.
• She's married to Mr. Broadway December 2010, Sebastian Arcelus.
• The were in the National Tour, and later, the Broadway company of Wicked; she was Elphaba, he was Fiyero.
• She co-starred in The Mystery of Edwin Drood with her dog, Macaco.
• She was the original Belle in Disneyland's Beauty and the Beast.

IN PHOTOS:
Head Shots and Candids

Mr. and Ms. Broadway: 

Stephanie, Sebastian and Macaco

TV and Recording

Homeland

Regional Theatre

Cats and Funny Girl

Oliver!

South Pacific and They're Playing Our Song

Off-Broadway and On Broadway

Wicked

The Boy From Oz

The Pirate Queen

9 to 5

Anything Goes

By the Way, Meet Vera Stark

The Mystery of Edwin Drood

Little Miss Sunshine

IN VIDEO

"Defying Gravity" - National Tour Promo - Wicked

"The Writing on the Wall" - The Mystery of Edwin Drood

Jeff

5.052

Bits and Pieces for 03.21.10

Another week down!  This week is all about the boys... enjoy!

WHAT YOU MIGHT HAVE MISSED

• Broadway Ladies: Ms. March 2010
• Back in Time: 1993 - 1994: The Who's Tommy
• Reality Broadway
• LOGOS: Sondheim on Sondheim
• Broadway Crossword by Blog: The Divas, Part 3
• Looking Back: Buddy: The Buddy Holly Story

ANYONE CAN WHISTLE GETTING READY TO BLOW

The stars are lining up to join the limited run revival of Anyone Can Whistle.  Joining Tony-winners Donna Murphy and Sutton Foster are Tony nominees Raul Esparza (himself a reason to see this) and Jeff Blumenkrantz, plus the always enjoyable Edward Hibbert and John Ellison Conlee.  With multiple Tony-nominee Casey Nicholaw directing this pretty amazing cast, could it be that they are thinking this could be the next show to move to Broadway like Finian's Rainbow?  Since Whistle now stands as the only Sondheim show not revived on Broadway, it just may be.  Keep your fingers crossed!

HANG IT UP, MEL!

The failure of Young Frankenstein apparently wasn't enough to put Mel Brooks off from trying again.  Reports have surfaced that he is hard at work on Blazing Saddles: The New Mel Brooks Musical. Ick.  With The Producers ranking as one of Broadway's biggest over-hyped, over-praised musicals ever, I guess Brooks thinks he's still the King of Broadway.  Why else would his name have to be in the title?  I wonder how the fart scene will play to the matinee ladies?  Maybe they can borrow the fart sounds used in Shrek.

9 to 5 TOUR GETS NEW BOSS!

The forthcoming national tour of 9 to 5: The Musical is getting a new head honcho, though I doubt the old boss, Joe Mantello was an egotistcal, sexist bastard (I hear he's a decent guy).  But a new (and rumored to be equally nice) guy is coming in to spruce up the office before it hits the road: Jeff Calhoun, maybe best known for the 1994 revival of Grease!, and later staging such shows as Deaf West's Big River, and most recently, Grey Gardens.  A protege of the great Tommy Tune, he worked with the tall Texan on Grease!,  The Will Rogers Follies, The Best Little Whorehouse Goes Public, and they were both in My One and Only together back in the 80's.  And how charming that in the the announcement, Calhoun professes his awe of Dolly Parton, having danced in the film version of The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas.  Sounds like a match made in heaven to me.

JK's THEATRESCENE HITS TWO MILESTONES THIS WEEK!

Has this little blog finally arrived?  My review of Yank! has an official link on the Yank! Website... pretty cool!  That show is so far extended through April 4.  Don't miss it!

And the second milestone is revealed below!

BROADWAY BY NUMBERS
6: Divas in Red at The Stephen Sondheim Philharmonic Birthday Celebration.  Plus several other divas, not in red!
200: The number of blogs written for JK's TheatreScene (as of 03/17/2010)!  Thank you for your support!

Happy Birthday Last Week to:

 

• 3/14: Tamara Tunie
• 3/15: Judd Hirsch
• 3/16: Victor Garber
• 3/17: Gary Sinise
• 3/18: Vanessa Williams
• 3/19: Glenn Close
• 3/20: Chip Zien (right)

Comments?  Leave one here or email me at jkstheatrescene@yahoo.com
Jeff

Last Minute Christmas Gifts

Well, the weather outside is frightful - OK, here in Vermont, we had wind and a few flurries, but it is DAMNED cold (18 degrees as I write). And so it seems that most of my East Coast friends are digging out of several inches of snow. Welcome to my world! Ah, well...

Anyway, I intended to write a column of some last minute gift ideas for theatre lovers in your family, but now, I don't see that many of you will have the option to shop, but must rely on Internet shopping and shipping that may or may not get through... oh well, here goes anyway. Good luck, good shopping, and Happy Holidays!

1. Get tickets to a Broadway show - January and February are slow months for every show. You might even score Jersey Boys or Wicked. But I'd recommend a new show that you can boast to everyone about seeing BEFORE it becomes a mega-hit. I am talking, of course, about Memphis currently crowd-pleasing the masses at the Shubert Theatre. There are discounts available (see my blog from September 15, 2009) and this show is really something special. Plus, you cannot beat the performances of Chad Kimball and Montego Glover!

2. Cast Recording Recommendations:

• next to normal - You can't go wrong with the Tony winner for Best Score. And it is pretty complete, so you can either relive the show in your head (as I often do) or you can imagine the entire story. Plus there is the heavenly Alice Ripley and the great "Superboy and the Invisible Girl."
  
  
  
• West Side Story - This recording is important because it marks the first Broadway cast recording of the classic musical since the original. (The 1980 revival, a fast flop, was not recorded.) Plus, like it or not, it preserves the Spanish lyrics of a few songs, something you'll probably never hear again. And the recording quality is superb.



• Rock of Ages - I didn't LOVE the show, I appreciated it. But I do LOVE the CD, chock full of great 80's tunes amazingly sung and orchestrated. Listen for two things: the lyric gaffe by James Carpinello, when he refers to Amy Spanger's character as Amy, not Sherie, and the very end... keep the CD playing even after the last song is over. FUNNY!





• For real collectors, I recommend the great CDs of 9 to 5: The Musical and The Story of My Life. Both are superbly produced, sung and packaged, and both will probably leave you scratching your head as to why they flopped, especially the latter of the two. They also contain four of the best individual songs of the past season - "Around Here" and "Get Out and Stay Out" from 9 to 5, and "The Butterfly" and "Mrs. Remington," from The Story of My Life.

3. Speaking of The Story of My Life, it is one of three book recommendations I am giving people who ask:

• "The Butterfly" from The Story of My Life has been turned into a children's book. It is available in several formats.



• How Does the Show Go On? - See my A+ review from December 14,2009.




• And finally, for true lovers of Broadway, you can't go wrong with The Playbill Broadway Yearbook. Now up to Volume 5 (the 2008-2009 Season), it covers every single show that played on Broadway from June 2009 - May 2009. Here is a link to information on this: http://www.playbillstore.com/plbrye2020se1.html. And it is on sale. Better yet, it is easy to catch up on the whole collection: Volume I is $8.00, II is $9.00, III is $10.00, and last year's is $16.95!

Finally, I recommend two sites for theatre lover shopping:

• The Playbill Store - http://www.playbillstore.com/ - Search the clearance section and look through everything for sale items. Also, their Playbill Binders are available in a variety of prices, but all are of great quality, and are a must if you collect them.



• Triton Gallery - http://www.broadwayposters.com/ - This theatre icon of a store is less convenient to get to now that it isn't across from the Al Hirschfeld Theatre, but their online catalogue is complete (DIG AROUND, TRUST ME!!!!).

Both sites have shipping and handling charges that are a bit steep, but they do deliver nicely done packages that a hand grenade couldn't break. As always, of course, shop around. But enjoy!

Comments? Leave one here or email me at jkstheatrescene@yahoo.com.

Jeff

Musical Show Album Grammy Nominees

Not to knock any of this year's Grammy nominees, but I think they left an important cast recording off the list. Having all of the nominees, save one, and having those same shows, save one, I can see why the nominators chose these recordings. Aside from eligibility cut off dates, I'll admit I don't know much about how these things are chosen, whether or not there are any background politics involved in who gets chosen or any other contributing factors. But if the selection of nominees is anything like that of the Tony Awards or the Oscars, I bet there is some politicking.

9 to 5: The Musical may be a surprise to some, but come on, Dolly Parton is a music icon and is beloved across all genres. Just because the snoberazzi of Broadway couldn't open their hearts, why not the rest of the music world. The fact is, just as the show was underrated by most, so too, is this highly enjoyable, excellently produced cast recording. It sounds terrific, the packaging is smart and the performances top notch. With the catchy title tune, "Around Here," "Backwoods Barbie," "Shine Like the Sun," and "Get Out and Stay Out," all of the musical and musical theatre bases are more than adequately covered. Joy to the girls! They deserve it.

The other "original" musical (as in not a revival) that made the Grammy cut is Shrek: The Musical, which is gorgeously produced, with a lush, full sound, great character performances and very nice packaging. Its sense of humor will play well for voters who did not see the show that goes with it (knowing the movie will help them understand anyway). And who doesn't love a funny fart song, especially when the sound engineers make them go from ear to ear?

Hair should be a surprise to no one. The album, like the show is slickly produced, and rides a wave of nostalgia and timeliness that even the best 5th Avenue advertisers couldn't generate. It does not negate that there are some excellent performances, particularly from Sasha Allen, Gavin Creel and Will Swensen. But is also doesn't erase the iconic original or even the more iconic Fifth Dimension covers. And most of all, it doesn't even come close to approximating the joyous energy the pervades every live performance at the Al Hirschfeld. Still, depending on who votes, the revival has gotten national press and may be the only show of the five everyone who votes has heard of. I bet it wins.


And just as it lost the Best Revival Tony, so too will the recording of the new West Side Story, more than likely lose the Grammy. Despite the fact that the recording closely replicates the original in such stunning quality, and in spite of equally stunning performances across the board, the recording, like the show may suffer from what has divided audiences since it opened (and until more changes were made) and that is the inclusion of Spanish lyrics for the Sharks, most notably in "I Feel Pretty" and "A Boy Like That/I Have a Love." It probably won't matter that this recording is superb in every way.


Finally, I have not heard (or seen) the cast recording of the 30th Anniversary of Ain't Misbehavin', the Fats Waller revue that won the 1978 Tony for Best Musical. I can only guess at why it was included on the list. This version features two American Idol folk, Reuben Studdard and Frenchie Davis. One can imagine that that has something to do with its inclusion on an otherwise Broadway-centric roster of nominees. And I can surmise that the nod has something to do with the "committee" wanting the country to know that theatre exists outside of New York City. Most years there is at least one non-main stem or non-off-Broadway recording on the list. Fair is fair, I guess.

And while I am certain that album is of high quality, I am equally certain that there is more at play than quality here, otherwise why would this year's Best Score winner, next to normal, not even be nominated. That recording, of high quality and production value, also presents the songs as they are performed on stage with little or no enhancement. It features performances pretty much as you will get them at the Booth Theatre. It is a complex score, deceptively simple in its lyrics, and equal parts interesting, fun and challenging. Perhaps its subject matter is the turn off. Perhaps its lack of easy listening, Idol histrionic belting is to its detriment. But to leave it off the list is, well, laughable and insulting to the category.

Of course, it took these same awards a few years to catch up to the likes of Stephen Sondheim back in the day. Oh, wait. That's right. His latest (and maybe last) Road Show got the big snub, too.

Leave comments here or write to jkstheatrescene@yahoo.com

Jeff