Today I'm obsessed with Golden Age musicals. Actually, I'm ALWAYS obsessed with them, but this week I downloaded the new South Pacific cast recording and yeah- it just reminded me how there is NOTHING like good, classic musical theatre. I ADORE it.
I'm not saying that we don't have good stuff nowadays, but honestly, I just don't get the same feelings as I do with the classics. THAT is the stuff that inspires me. I'm getting really annoyed with the latest Broadway trend of "let's make this movie into a musical!"- I mean really, do we REALLY need SHREK THE MUSICAL? Bah. It was a good movie. Leave it that way.
On the other hand, I WANTED to hate Legally Blonde, but I just couldn't do it... I loved the dang thing...
On that note: I am SUPER excited for this coming Broadway season of revivals: Guys and Dolls, West Side Story, and Brigadoon. NYC here I come.
Thank heaven for the Golden Era of American musical theatre!!! Let's just name a few that I love to get my point across: (For no reason- I'm just relaxing on a Saturday night... and in no particular order...)
Oklahoma!
Carousel
Guys and Dolls
She Loves Me
South Pacific
The King and I
My Fair Lady
Camelot
Brigadoon
Damn Yankees
The Music Man
Gypsy
Hello Dolly
Seven Brides for Seven Brothers (actually was originally a film...)
West Side Story
Oliver!
The list goes on and on. Sigh. I love it.
Saturday, August 16, 2008
The Blessed Golden Age
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6 comments:
Having recently been IN one of those classic musicals, Brigadoon, let me opine here for a moment.
Brigadoon is stupid.
The music (for the most part) is wonderful. But the story is profoundly ridiculous. And I don't mean the premise, which is fine, it's the execution. For example, the town only appears once every hundred years, in order to protect the town from the evils of the outside world. This is, in the words of Mr. Lundie, a "highly organized miracle". Hello? In less than a month, Brigadoon-time, the earth will passed THREE THOUSAND YEARS! Even one day every ten years would make it so two hundred years passes in less than a month. There is not only no chance the outside world will influence Brigadoon, it's likely no one will speak 18th century English, and it's just as likely that the Island will be gone as well.
So, yeah, it was sweet of Forsyth to wait until Charlie Dalrymple got back from Edinburgh before creating the miracle, to not make anything go wrong with the wedding. Yet, Charlie will, if he's lucky, be married for a month or so before the end of the earth.
That's not the worst thing. The worst thing is treating Harry Beaton like he's the villain. I mean, Mr. Forsyth is supposedly the kindest man in Scotland, but he makes a bargain with God that no one can ever leave Brigadoon or everyone will die, but he doesn't bother to tell anyone IN Brigadoon that he's made this bargain, and bound them without their consent. So Harry Beaton wakes up on Thursday and finds out that he's trapped in Brigadoon forever. And THEN, he has to sit and listen to lectures from Andrew McClaren, his true love's self-important father, about how it's all in his mind, and he could be happy if he really wanted to.
So, yeah, the music, great. But I kind of wish someone would write a brand new story and book for it, (which you could, since you'll notice that none of the songs are exposition).
I love those shows too! :) You should take me with you to New York! Actually we might be going there for choir tour, I'm way excited!
I am SO with you on this one! Last week I purchased a DVD that has Oklahoma!, Carousel, and State Fair for only 7 bucks, I think! Wahoo!! So, needless to say, I've been watching fun little musicals before I go to sleep for the past few days. It's the first time I've seen State Fair and I identify with one of the songs so much right now. I've loved Carousel since LHS did it my Sophmore year, and one of my best friends just moved to Oklahoma! I love it!!!
I haven't seen "She Loves Me"- is that the song with "Kiss Me Kate" in it? Also, how is it that you never had me watch that show? Haven't I been around for like 14 years?
I normally would agree that it is retarded to make any movie into a musical BUT Sutton Foster is in Shrek and I love her, so I'd be interested to see it!
My stomach seriously flipped with joy when I read that "Guys & Dolls" is being revived!
I WANT TO GO!
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