Friday 5: 5 Times a Jukebox Musical Number Got Creative

5 Times a Jukebox Musical Number

Got Creative

Depending on who you talk to, jukebox musicals are the scourge of Broadway. I, myself, have a love-hate thing for them. But if I am being completely honest, there are some that are actually quite good, excellent even. The recent closure of long-running Best Musical-winning Moulin Rouge! got me to thinking about the sub-genre. And while I think I'll always prefer something new and fresh, there have been several times where the music and lyrics are familiar to me, but the staging of these songs were so creative and theatrical that they were elevated and wonderful.

  

Before I get to my 5 favorite of those numbers, I would like to shout out to two jukebox dance musicals that certainly found beautiful ways to create some new art out of old material: Movin' Out a Twyla Tharp dance show using the catalog of Billy Joel songs, and the recent modern dance musical based on the album by Sufjan Stevens, Illinoise. Both were critically acclaimed and deservedly so.

American Psycho - "In the Air Tonight" Psycho is a hybrid jukebox musical, using three or four 80s pop hits to punctuate the otherwise original score by Duncan Sheik. The one that sticks out in my memory, though, is the ultra cool re-imagining of this Phil Collins classic. The tempo change, the vocal arrangements and stylized staging made the perfect complement to the bizarre world of Patrick Bateman.

American Idiot - "Extraordinary Girl" and "Wake Me Up When September Ends" In a show full of creative staging, there were two numbers that really stood out for me. The former Green Day song was exhilarating and thought-provoking. Part fantasy sequence - they fly high above the hospital ward in a dance of life, death and love - and part social commentary - you could feel the emotional shift in the audience as the video screens showed EKG blips that changed to Arabic words. The latter was staged to use the context of the 9/11 terror attacks on the World Trade Center. The stunned silence as the familiar song played to visuals of people in business suits tumbling around the stage as sheets of business stationary cascaded from above was palpable.

  

Head Over Heels - "Beautiful" and "Vacation" This Go-Gos musical remains one of my favorite musicals of any type in recent years. Endlessly creative, smart and sexy, it had a point of view and a lot to say. Both numbers I've listed here are remarkable for their way of creating an exciting new context and making a point at the same time. "Beautiful" was certainly one of the lesser known numbers so it actually had to work harder for me to appreciate it, but Bonnie Milligan's delivery and star power elevated this song about the empowerment of self-respect. plus it is as catchy as hell! "Vacation" was one of the band's greatest hits, but here it was given a sapphic context and a fun staging. It was the perfect example of what the whole show was about.

 

Jagged Little Pill - "Smiling" and "Predator" Creating a story from the songs of Alanis Morissette's seminal album was ambitious, and save for some controversy behind the scenes, was a successful look as 21st century family troubles and teen angst. I loved every single minute of it both times I saw it. Ironically (no pun intended, honest) the two numbers that I really loved were the two that she wrote for the show that aren't on the album. I was floored by the staging and story-telling of "Smiling," with its encapsulation of events in a day in the life of an addict. When they started to do a detailed rewind in front of us, my jaw flopped right open. The emotional power of "Predator" was as chilling as it was thrilling. Elizabeth Stanley and Kathryn Gallagher, respectively, gave stunning performances.

Moulin Rouge! - "Chandelier" If you knew how much I don't really care for Sia's music, you'd be really surprised (as much as I am!) that this song made the cut. But I really loved this show's take on the song, and how it was literally involving a chandelier, how it was used in the plot, and how the characters' styles informed how it played out. Plus, who doesn't love an absinthe induced Green Fairy hallucination?

Favorite Designs: The Design of American Psycho

Favorite Designs:

The Design of American Psycho

Theater truly is a collaborative art. Each element depends on and enhances the others. An excellent example of this is the design for American Psycho. It struck me when I was researching for this article, and I was going to single out the projection design, which are the current gold standard, in my opinion. Turns out, and it is so obvious to me now, that projections wouldn't be what they were without the lighting and set designs, so integrated are they.

          

Es Devlin (Sets), Justin Townsend (Lighting), Finn Ross (Projection)

So, first, let's consider the set design of Es Devlin, who created sort of magic all-white box set. White is so clean, and perfect for conveying the lead character's O.C.D. The set walls are movable, and the floor moves, just like his mind. All-white walls also allow a blank slate for Justin Townsend's brilliant lighting design. 

Not only can the lighting design be a fully austere white, but it allows for very clean (again the O.C.D.) color washes. Here, Townsend uses light washes to subliminally put us in Patrick Bateman's mind. Bateman is obsessed with film and technology, consequently, his mind, when crazed, sees things as projections. Video technology is based entirely around a three color pallet - red, green and blue. Red blood, green money, blue icy emotions. 

 

Those two elements offer the perfect medium for Finn Ross' mind-blowing video projections, which offer the audience a frightening glimpse at not only how his mind works, but what his psychosis looks like. Not only are Ross' images a perfect match for the show, but the methods by which they are conveyed are sensory banquet. Sometimes, the images move in regimented vertical then horizontal patterns. Other times, they are static, frozen in place, set like a prison. Still other times, they come in a frenzied, disjointed rush. Always they mirror the mind of an American psycho.

 

I'm of the mind that American Psycho was a show way ahead of its time, and that some day it will be back, ready to thrill and terrify audiences ready to embrace it in all of its bloody excess.

#2545 

Are There "Hit Songs" in Broadway Misfires?

We love it when we hear from you, especially when you come up with some great ideas that add to the Broadway discourse. Well, following our list of favorite flops of the past decade, and again after we posted our review of the great new book Broadway Misfires, many of you commented on how often shows that ultimately fail for whatever reason have excellent songs in them. I'm sure we could go through each show in that book, for example, and come up with at least one song that could have been a hit in spite of any show's demise. Maybe it's a great opening number that perfectly sets up the show to follow. Or perhaps it's a particularly strong, heartfelt ballad. Then again, maybe it's a great finale number. In any case, we'll happily accept your suggestion and take a look at of few of those songs. We'd love to hear from you for your own favorites! Email or text us with the song, the show, and why you love the song. We'll be sure to add it to our next article. Thanks in advance!

Are There "Hit Songs" 

in Broadway Misfires?

"Selling Out" from American Psycho

Music and lyrics by Duncan Sheik

Here's an opening number that really sets up the main character for the audience, and brings us immediately back to the wealth and status obsessed 80s which is the setting for the show. It's driving beat and catchy lyrics demand our attention. The song manages to feel very 80s and the staging fairly screams MTV. It was quite the thrill.

Favorite Lyrics:

The streets are humming
I can feel what's coming
I say uh-oh, uh-oh, uh-oh

You see me gliding
But there's something hiding
In the shadow, shadow, shadow

I may be dealing
With a nameless feeling
Uh-oh, uh-oh, uh-oh

But everyone keeps saying
That I look amazing
So I don't know, don't know, don't know

I want it all
(Uh-oh)
The next transaction
Come on sell it out
(Uh-oh)
You're my next distraction
Come on baby sell it out

"Someone Else's Story" from Chess

Music by Benny Andersson and Björn Ulvaeus, lyrics by Tim Rice and Björn Ulvaeus

Depending on which recording or staging you've heard/seen, this song may be sung by different characters in different spots in the plot. No matter where in the score it is or who sings it, this song is an emotional powerhouse. I first heard it as part of the Original Broadway Cast Recording, sung by the incomparable Judy Kuhn, whose interpretation of it remains the gold standard. Here's a song I love to sing in the shower, or when I want to wallow a little and crank up my stereo.

Favorite Lyrics:

I could be
In someone else's story
In someone else's life
And he could be in mine
I don't see
A reason to be lonely
I could take my chances
Further down the line
And if
That girl I knew should ask my advice
Oh I wouldn't hesitate she needn't ask me twice
Go now!
I'd tell her that for free
Trouble is, the girl is me
The story is, the girl is me.

"Keep Your Hands On It" from Hands on a Hardbody

Music by Trey Anastasio and Amanda Green, lyrics by Amanda Green

We loved this charming musical from start to finish, but the closing number really was the perfect finale. Not only did it wrap up the story of each character we had gotten to know, but it's anthemic build sent the audience out on a real high, in search of our personal goals out there for us to grab hold of. And I could totally hear this on a contemporary country station.

Favorite Lyrics:

I have never been the kind of guy who can put his faith in luck.
I was stubborn, I was patient, I wouldn't leave without this truck.
My daddy always told me,
"Don't wait for your lucky ship.
You can have it, go and grab it, just don't ever lose your grip."
If you want something keep your hands on it, hold it close to you,
Don't let go one bit, could be someone else may have plans on it.
So if you want something
Keep your hands on it, just keep your hands on it.

From the moment I first saw you, I knew I had to make you mine.
There were other guys with hungry eyes just waiting in a line.
I grabbed you and I held you close, the first chance I could get.
Chills went through me, held you to me, and I haven't let go yet.
If you want something, keep your hands on it.
Cling with all your soul, when you find your fit

It may break your heart, it may hurt a bit, but if you love something,
Keep your hands on it. If you love something, keep your hands on it.

#2413

When "The Best" Isn't Your "Favorite"

POSE!

Over 35 years (gulp!) of theater-going, I've developed my own tastes and set of standards when it comes to what I like, love and hate in shows. I've learned that my tastes sometimes jibe with critical and popular consensus, and many times they don't. I've learned that there are usually many things to like and appreciate in any show, love it or hate it. Most importantly, I've learned that there is enough room in my heart to truly love  shows that are a silly, feel-good time, just as much as artistic, cerebral pieces that push the art form. Yes, it is possible for me to adore Xanadu and Mamma Mia!  just as much as I adore Next to Normal and Fun Home.

Accepting that self-truth is very freeing - it virtually wipes away any predispositions I have, and it definitely lets me attend each show with as open a mind as I can.  But it also opens up a bigger chance for disappointment come awards season.  I mean that often the "fun" and marginally acclaimed shows are wholly dismissed, ignoring the fact that even a complete flop can have award-worthy elements. (There are exceptions, of course, particularly in a weak season, but my generalization is largely still true.)

POSE!

Case in point: The 2015-2016 Season: The Year of Hamilton.

Now, don't misunderstand. I respect Hamilton for everything it is and how it has become a permanent part of popular culture.  It earned and deserved all 16 of its Tony-nominations, and maybe a few more.  It is groundbreaking in several ways, not just its casting, and the sheer detail in its staging is impressive.  It speaks to our past, certainly, and it is exceptionally timely for today. It clearly strikes a nerve for most people.  I enjoyed it very much.

But I was also frustrated by it. Much of the sound of the score is a too-close rehash of In The Heights, a show I enjoyed more than Hamilton, and it feels repetitive even when you know it probably isn't.  Maybe that's because, as thoroughly staged as it is, the choreography consists of about a dozen or so moves played out in endless variations. (Cats did that decades before.)  And again, because it is so relentlessly staged, I began to realize that every song in this through-composed piece was treated like a "big number," where every single movement, inflection and lighting change is calculated only to get us to the next "button": the cast goes into a defiant stance, with a jutted chin and smug, self-congratulatory smirks, add a light pulse....and POSE! Applause. Sing. Repeat. In short, it is an impressive, but ultimately cold machine. (Though there is, I'll admit, a comfort and pleasure in a show that does all of the work for you.)

... and...POSE!

GREED

Even as Hamilton continues to pop up daily in conversation (heck, when my dad knows it exists, you know it is big) and elsewhere - sitcom references, Jeopardy categories, Wheel of Fortune puzzles, etc. - all these years later, that is not the show that I think of frequently. My absolutely favorite show of that season wasn't even nominated for Best Musical. It didn't compete in any of the "major" categories, either.  I'm talking about the amazing American Psycho.

If Hamilton proves you can make a bygone era a relevant, sexy and stylishly fashionable celebration of what is good, American Psycho proved a bygone era could be a relevant, stylishly terrifying reminder of all that was bad with our society may still be bad. Like Hamilton, American Psycho also fully committed to its concept, in this case, a sterile world that shocked as it jerked the audience between an excessive reality and a demented alt-reality, part drug induced haze, part psychotic break.  Sometimes the shifts were humorous, others were jarring and disorienting, still others were downright scary.  But all served the story and the point of view of the main character.  It left you wondering what, if anything you just witnessed "really" happened.  It is that uncertainty that was the thrill for me.  Leaving a show feeling that exhilaration that you've just gone somewhere you've never gone before is what I hope for every time I take my seat and the house lights dim. (There is, for me, an even greater comfort in a show that asks the audience to be fully present and thinking.)

PRIVILEGE

With Hamilton, distance lends enchantment and perspective.  Applying modern conventions - hip hop, rap, rock and theater music, and rather poignant (and pointed) non-traditional casting - heightens the need to recall our country's founding, to celebrate the diversity that makes our country truly great, and to recognize how much further we have to go.  American Psycho was also a cautionary tale, that, sadly, prophesied that the future was about to repeat itself.  Looking back on it, the cast was decidedly "traditional," and in a setting not that far in the past, it was a scathing commentary on white male privilege, greed and excess.

EXCESS

By the time it was over, we saw nearly naked, perfectly toned bodies bathed in blood which seemed crazy and a little hard to witness.  Uncomfortable laughs greeted these scenes - you laughed so you didn't scream, and/or so you could put off the nagging thought that maybe upper class had/has it coming.

Timing, they say, is everything.  Had the show opened in the fall of 2016 or later, maybe American Psycho would have fared better.  Never meant to be easy on the audience, the show would not likely be a long runner in any event, but he onus of not having to fight the PR for Hamilton might have helped this unique production from getting lost in the shuffle.

More importantly, when the show was on the boards, we were in the throes of the ugly presidential campaign, and we naively thought there was just no way the very symbol of 80's excess and white privilege could actually win the election, let alone unleash conservative hell upon us.  The Trump jokes elicited hearty laughs. We got the joke. Had the show opened 6 months later, it would have been truly terrifying because then we'd know we were living it all over again. For real.

It's all about perspective...

SIDE NOTE: Had I been reviewing shows when I saw them: Hamilton (A) and American Psycho (A+)