So I have completed my study of Cole Porter for now as I have listened to all the cast recordings of his shows that are available to me and have additionaly taken in a biographical film about his life:

Previously written up:
Anything Goes
Can-can
Fifty-Million Frenchmen

and

Silk Stockings- Another of his somewhat lesser known shows, but I did ( Read more... )

Boy From Oz
Kiss Me, Kate
Parade
See-Saw
Silk Stockings
Zanna, Don't!

movie: De-Lovely

...from an online discussion with another student...

btw, its Rodgers* and Hammerstein

preface: none of the following is an attack, just prods for discussion

and hmm, upon rereading, why do you suppose Andrew Lloyd Webber has such weak representation in the collection? The two shows that I know we do have are Jesus Christ Superstar and Evita. ( Read more... )

Anything Goes- Porter, 1930s
Can-Can- Porter, world cultures, dance
Dreamgirls- R&B
Fantasticks- metadrama
Fifty- Million Frenchmen- Porter, world cultures
La Boheme- Puccini
Seussical- farce
Sunday in the Park with George- Sondheim, Lupone
Taboo- cross dressing, ho mo se xuality, London

My Broadway journey has taken me back to the hay-day of musical composer and lyricist, Cole Porter, whose three shows I have listened to up to this point have all been a delight.

Anything Goes possibly his most famous work, second only to Kiss Me Kate, was fantastic and highly representative of the 1930s theatre culture. The spectacle of the sets ( Read more... )

I have just experienced for the first time, the Dreamgirlz original Broadway cast highlights CD. The show focuses on the relationship between an artist and his music. The question is posed concerning artists “selling out.” When someone changes their sound to meet popular demand, are they butchering their art? Are they sacrificing what they feel ( Read more... )

My most recent musical acquisition has been the boy George written and composed musical, Taboo. Having listened through the entirety of the cast album, I have come to thoroughly enjoy the show in both concept and music, which examines the London club scene of the 1980's, focusing in specifically on the lives of two of the biggest icons of that ( Read more... )

So I just listened to Sweet Charity, which was alot better than expected. My opinion of Cy Coleman's music is generally split down the middle which is probably about how I fealt about it in this context as well, but the story was nice. Its aparently based on a foreign film. Ill want to see it now. Memorable numbers include "Hey Big Spender," which ( Read more... )

Shows listened to:

1776- history, play with music
A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum- Sondheim, comedy, to movie
A Little Night Music- Sondheim, concept musical, Prince, from movie, world cultures
Aida- Disney, world cultures, history, opera, tragedy
Applause- metadrama, from movie
Avenue Q- comedy, Off-Broadway, ity, New ( Read more... )

I have discovered that there is a term for lyrics spoken to notes, which I have called lyric dialogue, in early opera. "Recitative" has been used to define that concept which I cite so frequently showing up in Sondheim and Larson's works, and the comparison will be helpful for my Sondheim paper.