My first semester at university

I realise I never finished my Soundtracker Project on here. I did listen to lots of recordings but never got round to writing about them. Oh well, I got over half way.

I thought I would update everyone on some of the the things I got involved in in my first semester. Now, overall I really enjoyed what is, believe it or not, one-sixth of my entire degree. For those who don't know, I'm studying BA Music with Musical Theatre at the University of Chichester :) The music department at the university is fantastic and although it is a big department considering the small size of the university, everyone seems to know everyone and you feel like a part of one big family if you just care to get a little involved in the activities of the department.

The compulsory part of the degree: 

• Introduction to Musical Theatre: We learned some background of the main disciplines of musical theatre as well as learning to analyse and write about the different components of the genre.
• Performance Development: Practical module with one group session (where certain people would be nominated to sing each week and everyone else would give feedback) and two half-an-hour individual singing lessons weekly. 
• Musical Grammar: Music theory.
• Introduction to the Music Industry: I chose to swap for this module because it sounded interesting and I am glad I did. We learned about the different job roles within the music industry. 

If one chose to only do the bare minimum, that would have been it. I, however, filled up my timetable with practical activities. Some of those:  

My new trombone and I.

• Dance classes: Every weekday morning 8.30-10.00. Jazz, zumba, contemporary, ballet and tap.
• Musical theatre ensemble: We rehearsed chorus numbers from musicals by Rodgers and Hammerstein and performed them with selected soloists in a small end-of-semester concert.
• First year choir: Smallish choir focusing on singing technique and sight-reading. We got to sing at Chichester Cathedral at one of their carol services with two other university choirs. 
• Pops Orchestra: The biggest orchestra at the university as anyone can take part without auditioning. The music is straight-forward so even with my lacking violin skills, I managed to keep up. This semester we played music by ABBA. 
• Training brass band: Aimed at instrumentalists who haven't played a brass instrument before but are keen to learn. For a few years now I have wanted to try out the trombone and this has been my opportunity.

There are also societies you can join which are student-lead and the meetings usually take place in the evenings or during the weekends, outside of timetabled hours. I did attend the classes organised by the dance society occasionally but I got most involved in the activities of the musical theatre society. This semester gone, the first years performed in a freshers' showcase while the rest of the students were working on a full-length production of an original musical, Dennis!. I opted to play violin in the band for the showcase instead of singing as there was a massive shortage of violins. Next semester, all society members will come together to work on Seussical the Musical which will be performed at the university in April. I am very excited to be assistant-directing the show and hopefully I will also get the opportunity to be in the ensemble. 

(Source)

MT Soundtracker: Day 23

Kismet (1953)

Original Broadway Cast Recording

Music: Alexander Borodin 
Musical adaptation and Lyrics: Robert Wright and George Forrest


Synopsis: Set in Baghdad in the times of The Arabian Nights, and based on a 1911 play by Edward Knoblock, the musical tells the story of Hajj the poet who starts off as a poor beggar but rapidly gains money and status while his daughter, Marsinah, catches the eye of the Caliph who wants to marry a foreign princess. 

Music
It seems astonishing that Kismet and Gypsy, the show I dealt with in my previous post, should be from the same decade. Having listened to both recordings, it seems like the two shows could not be much more contrasting. Where big belters are required for Gypsy, I could imagine Julie Andrews being cast in Kismet. The musical has an operatic quality to it as the music has been adapted from the work of Romantic Russian composer Alexander Borodin. Particularly the song Stranger in Paradise draws strongly upon his work featuring some of the show's most well-known musical themes. Borodin's music is described as evocative and rich in its harmonies. Though the setting of the show might suggest so, the score is not reminiscent of traditional Middle-Eastern music. Listening to the soundtrack it does come across American. 
There are many big, operatic ensemble numbers and in order to comprehend everything that is sung, you almost wish for surtitles. However, the song Gesticulate for example features a more speechy quality. It was the score that made the Kismet successful with Stranger in Paradise and Baubles, Bangles and Beads even playing on the radio. 

Productions
The original Broadway production enjoyed a successful run and won the Tony for Best Musical. Kismet did even better in London when it opened in the West End in 1955. That same year, a film version of the musical was released. 

MT Soundtracker: Day 22

Gypsy: A Musical Fable (1959)

Original Broadway Cast Recording

Music: Jule Styne
Lyrics: Stephen Sondheim


Synopsis: Based loosely on the memoirs of the striptease artist, Gypsy Rose Lee, the musical focuses on her mother, Rose, who is trying to raise her two daughters into show business; one of them a talented extrovert and the other shy, always secondary to her sister.

Music
Gypsy is one of only three musicals Stephen Sondheim has written lyrics but not the music for (the most famous one being West Side Story). I realised this was the third musical of my project composed by Jule Styne also (after Bells Are Ringing and Gentlemen Prefer Blondes). 
Two songs from Gypsy, Let Me Entertain You (which is a reoccurring musical theme in the show and is effectively used to enhance the sense of character development) and Together Wherever We Go were familiar to me from the pantomime I took part in in January. They are catchy tunes as well as Some People. Rose's Turn is also a famous track. Because of the show business centered plot line, many of the songs are "big" and one can imagine them as stereotypical stagey numbers. The main part of Rose in particular is highly demanding due to the heavily belt-orientated songs. Like the two other Jule Styne musicals I have already explored, this one also contains some great female solos. 

Productions
Since the original Broadway production, there have been four revivals of Gypsy on Broadway alone. The part of Rose has been played by several notable actresses; this particular recording features Ethel Merman in the role. In the original West End production in 1973, Rose was played by Angela Lansbury and she won a Tony for her portrayal. 
A successful film version of Gypsy was made in 1962 and another one, for television, was released in 1993.

MT Soundtracker: Day 21

Guys and Dolls (1950)

New Broadway Cast recording (1992)

Music & Lyrics: Frank Loesser

Synopsis: The musical is set among the world of the New York gangsters. Nathan Detroit, desperate for money, bets Sky Masterson that he can't get a Salvation Army girl, Sarah Brown, to go with him to Cuba while Nathan himself struggles in his long-term relationship to Adelaide who wants to get married. 

Music

I found most of the soundtrack fairly unforgettable which I was surprised over knowing how well-known Guys and Dolls is. The score is true to its time in terms of style and reminded me of Kiss Me, Kate. 

My favourite song of the soundtrack by far was the love duet, I've Never Been in Love Before. I knew I had heard this song before but I had been unaware of its musical of origin. In fact, there were a few songs I recognised such as Luck Be a Lady and Sit Down, You're Rocking the Boat. Adelaide's Lament is the infamous one which apparently you should never sing in an audition as trying to sound like you have a cold is rarely useful. 

Productions

The original Broadway production which opened in 1950, did brilliantly well and won five Tony Awards including Best Musical. The first West End production opened in 1953. Guys and Dolls has since been revived several times in various formats, particularly in New York. Presumably due to the variety of characters and the many ensemble opportunities, the musical has become popular among schools and amateur groups.

A UK revival is being planned for the 2014 season at the Chichester Festival Theatre, which I will fairly certainly go and see. I get the impression from the number of professionals productions that have taken place that Guys and Dolls is one of those classic shows every musical theatre enthusiast should have seen at least once. 

MT Soundtracker: Day 20

Whistle Down the Wind (1996)

Original Cast Recording (1998)

Music: Andrew Lloyd Webber
Lyrics: Jim Steinman

Synopsis: Based on the 1961 film of the same name, the musical is set in Louisiana in 1959. Swallow finds an unknown man hiding in the barn and believing him as he says he is Jesus Christ, she and the other children promise to keep his existence secret while the adults search for a murderer on the run.  

Music
Like most Andrew Lloyd Webber scores, Whistle Down the Wind has one very distinct motif which keeps returning for continuity and coherence. Even though the musical was unfamiliar to me, I still knew that 'Whistle Down the Wind' tune. However, even for Lloyd Webber, this tune was recycled a lot and I was tired of it before I was even halfway through the soundtrack. 
Many of the songs are very melodic and are reminiscent of older musical theatre shows by the likes of Rodgers and Hammerstein. Like in Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat, children are an integral part of the show. A few of the songs are rock-influenced such as Cold and Tire Tracks and Broken Hearts. 
Interesting fact: No Matter What, sung by Boyzone on the concept album and later released by them as a single, was voted UK's single of the year in 1998 and it became the most successful single produced from a musical ever. 
Also A Kiss Is a Terrible Thing to Waste and When Children Rule the World became well-known tracks outside of the context of the show. 

Productions
Due to the negative reviews following its Washington D. C. premiere in 1996, the date set for a Broadway opening of Whistle Down the Wind was cancelled. A reworked version of the musical opened in the West End in 1998 and this production ran for over 1000 performances. It has since been revived in the West End and it has successfully toured both in the UK and the USA. 

MT Soundtracker: Day 19

The Wiz (1974)

Original Cast Recording (1975)

Music & Lyrics: Charlie Smalls (others also contributed with additional music and lyrics)









Synopsis: The Wiz is a musical adaptation of Frank L. Baum's novel, The Wonderful Wizard of Oz: Dorothy ends up in the land of Oz after a tornado and embarks on a journey to see the Wizard in order to get back home. On the way she picks up the Scarecrow, the Tin Man and the Lion all of whom also want something from the Wizard. 

Music
Whenever The Wizard of Oz is mentioned, most people think of the 1939 film starring Judy Garland. I think the association of the title to that film is even stronger than the association with the original novel. Therefore, it is easy to forget that the musical film is only one take on the classic children's book. The Wiz (full title: The Wiz: The Super Soul Musical "Wonderful Wizard of Oz") puts the story into an African American context and the score is, as the title suggests, based on soul music. Some of the songs can be directly paired up with numbers from the 1939 film version as there are no alterations in terms of the plot. For example Ease On Down the Road serves the same purpose as We're Off to See the Wizard as reprises take place throughout the journey to enhance continuity. Out of all the songs in the show, this song became the most well-known. The Scarecrow, the Tin Man and the Cowardly Lion each have their own song too (I Was Born on the Day Before Yesterday, Slide Some Oil to Me and I'm a Mean Ole Lion respectively) which are located in the same place in the story as in the above-mentioned film version . 

Productions
The Wiz, when performed professionally, is usually performed with an all-black or mostly black cast. The original Broadway production in 1975 was significant for the African American culture as it was a big-budget production and allowed later the emerging of of other musicals in similar style such as Dreamgirls. The Broadway production ran for four years and received several Tony Awards. However, there has not been a production nearly as successful since.
A film version of the musical was released in 1978 starring singer Diana Ross as Dorothy. Michael Jackson played the Scarecrow. 

MT Soundtracker: Day 18

Bonnie and Clyde (2009)

Original Broadway Cast Recording (2012)

Music: Frank Wildhorn
Lyrics: Don Black



Synopsis: The musical is based on the lives of outlaws and lovers Bonnie Parker and Clyde Barrow who, in 1930's America, robbed stores and killed people while travelling around to avoid being caught.

Music
This is the most recent musical of my project so far. I have much love for the completeness of musical theatre soundtracks nowadays due to the technological advances allowing more tracks to fit onto discs and this makes it possible to often piece together the story just by listening to the songs. 
It is a shame that the stage show of Bonnie and Clyde flopped as I enjoyed the soundtrack. It is not a box-standard Broadway musical score even though Wildhorn being the composer does not come as a surprise to someone who is familiar with his other work (e.g. Jekyll & Hyde, The Scarlet Pimpernel) . Broadway pop is variably mixed in with western (particularly You're Going Back to Jail), blues and gospel music (e.g. God's Arms Are Always Open). Despite the many different styles featured, the soundtrack comes together well as a whole. 
I spotted a great female duet, You Love Who You Love. How 'bout a Dance was a song I had heard out of context before and that is a lovely track for a female singer with a jazzy voice. There are also some great male solos. 

Productions
After two smaller productions in the USA, Bonnie and Clyde went to Broadway but closed after only a month and a half after a generally negative reception from the critics and tickets sales being worse than expected even though the audiences seemed to like the show. This might end up being one of those shows that will get rediscovered in 10 or 20 years time and successfully revived.