The company I work at usually gives each person in our department a gift card for the holidays, and this year was no exception. What was an exception is that instead of holding on to mine and using it for mundane things throughout the new year, I treated myself to a splurge after I’d heard about an Off-Broadway production of Once Upon a Mattress. I saw a matinee on the day after Christmas and had a thoroughly enjoyable time. First, the downer. In a 300-seat theater, not every actor needs a microphone; certainly the 12-piece orchestra does not. Unless there was some sort of sound mixing going on. There. Mini-rant over.
The above-the-title names were Jackie Hoffman, as Winnifred the Woebegone, and John “Lypsinka” Epperson, as Queen Aggravain. Both performers were superb. Ms. Hoffman created her own persona that stands apart from the hallmark performance by Carol Burnett in the original. Winnifred’s introduction to the court, where she’ll be tested to prove that she’s a real princess, informs us that she’s SHY! She was a powerhouse in her other numbers as well, and gave a really swell performance. Bringing the “Lypsinka” persona to Aggravain seemed a little odd at first, but in actuality it worked out quite well. She was very, very amusing, without steamrolling the rest of the company.
The plot is a reimagining of the Hans Christian Andersen fairy tale, The Princess and the Pea. Here, mummy (Aggravain) is desperately trying not to find a mate for her son Dauntless the Drab. She schemes with a Wizard, while King Sextimus, who is mute, is in cahoots with The Minstrel and The Jester in trying to make sure that Dauntless gets Fred (that’s what her friends call her), if that’s what he really wants. And he does, both wants her and claims her as his bride. The score, by Mary Rodgers, is a little uneven, especially in the second act, where some of the songs seem almost like vaudeville-style fillers. And some of the dance music seemed a little trite and cliché. But once again, those are minor quibbles.
In fairy-tale fashion, the sets were minimal, with line drawings featured for some of the set pieces as well as a curtain that was brought in and out by actors at various times. What was also delightful was that there were line drawings projected on to the back wall of the stage that were then altered by adding details and color—and all of this was done, live, by Ken Fallin, who created all of the illustrations. Very clever.
The score does not have a lot of recognizable song titles (to me, at least), but I especially enjoyed Many Moons Ago, sung by the Minstrel (Hunter Ryan Herdlicka) and The Minstrel, The Jester and I sung by Mr. Herdlicka, Cory Lingner (The Jester), and not sung by David Greenspan (Sextimus). That said, a little mime goes a long way, though it was effectively done. Happily Ever After was also nicely done by Ms. Hoffman, while In a Little While (a duet sung by Jessica Fontana and Zak Resnik) was pretty, if a little on the saccharine side.
I had a wonderful afternoon at a beautiful small theater, seeing a charmer of a musical. And the Prince gets the Princess! I’m really happy I splurged.
ConcertMeister
Tuesday, December 29, 2015
Tuesday, December 22, 2015
Something Old … Something New (12/19-20/15)
As Something Old, for (I think) the fourth year in a row, I went Christmas caroling in Greenwich Village on Saturday. The meeting place was Judson Memorial Church on Washington Square South and the event was under the auspices of the West Village Chorale. Our group leader (I was in Group 3—I’m not sure how many they had in all) was the new conductor of the Chorale and he was certainly very energetic. A few of his starting pitches turned out to be a little on the high side, though none was totally out of range. And some of the carols were less than familiar to some of our group—I Saw Three Ships and Good King Wenceslas were some of those. And we sang Jingle Bells once and Rudolph twice, but no Joy to the World or We Three Kings. Fortunately, the weather was nice, if slightly breezy and chilly. It made singing “Heedless of the wind and weather” quite appropriate. Fa-la-la-la-la, indeed! Depending, of course, on the weather, I’ll probably go back for more next year.
The Something New was actually pretty old. I happened to see a little notice for a reading of “A Visit from Saint Nicholas,” by Clement Clarke Moore. Sunday’s event was the 105th annual reading at the Church of the Intercession at 155th Street and Broadway. The service was at 4:00pm, with a music program (about an hour) as a prelude. Several groups took part, including the Boys and Girls Choir of Harlem Alumni Ensemble; a handbell choir from the Church of the Good Shepherd, Bronx, NY; Uptown Brass (Artists in Residence at Intercession); and the Young People’s Chorus of New York City at Washington Heights. During the service itself, all of those groups performed again, plus singers from the New York Institute for Special Education, the Trinity-St. John’s Liturgical Dancers, and William C. Rhoden (a sportswriter for The New York Times), reading the poem, accompanied by Ron Carter, bass (a Guinness World Record holder as the most recorded jazz bassist).
Highlights of the prelude were Let It Snow!, and an up tempo Santa Claus Is Comin’ to Town (Alumni Ensemble); various hymns from the handbell choir; a mix of classical and seasonal (Uptown Brass); and Christmastime Is Here (Young People’s Chorus). This may be something that is done with some frequency, but when the choir sang the “loo-loo-loo, loo-loo” portion, they pointed their faces up to the sky, evoking (to me, at least) Snoopy. It was new to me, and it was utterly charming.
As I mentioned earlier, it was indeed a church service, but one that was low key—lots of applause for the various groups, most everyone wearing antlers supplied by the church, and the Priest-in-Charge donning a Rudolph-style red nose at one point. For the reading itself, all of the children were invited to come to the front of the church and sit with Mr. Rhoden and Mr. Carter. The bass added some nice aural punctuation, and Mr. Rhoden’s reading had just the right touches of drama. And of course, the kids joined in with him a couple of times. At the end of the service, there was a procession to Moore’s grave across Broadway for the laying of a wreath. I didn’t actually join in the procession, but I did follow along, saw the wreath and the gravestone, and then skedaddled. I’m glad I went early for the prelude, because the church really filled up, but at an hour it was a bit too long, especially when the service ran about an hour, followed by the procession to the grave. While the whole thing was fun, I don’t think this one will be an annual tradition for me. And that is probably the last of my holiday music fun, although there might be some singing when I volunteer at a senior center on Christmas morning. So, in the spirit of Clement Clarke Moore, “Merry Christmas to all, and to all a good night!”
ConcertMeister
The Something New was actually pretty old. I happened to see a little notice for a reading of “A Visit from Saint Nicholas,” by Clement Clarke Moore. Sunday’s event was the 105th annual reading at the Church of the Intercession at 155th Street and Broadway. The service was at 4:00pm, with a music program (about an hour) as a prelude. Several groups took part, including the Boys and Girls Choir of Harlem Alumni Ensemble; a handbell choir from the Church of the Good Shepherd, Bronx, NY; Uptown Brass (Artists in Residence at Intercession); and the Young People’s Chorus of New York City at Washington Heights. During the service itself, all of those groups performed again, plus singers from the New York Institute for Special Education, the Trinity-St. John’s Liturgical Dancers, and William C. Rhoden (a sportswriter for The New York Times), reading the poem, accompanied by Ron Carter, bass (a Guinness World Record holder as the most recorded jazz bassist).
Highlights of the prelude were Let It Snow!, and an up tempo Santa Claus Is Comin’ to Town (Alumni Ensemble); various hymns from the handbell choir; a mix of classical and seasonal (Uptown Brass); and Christmastime Is Here (Young People’s Chorus). This may be something that is done with some frequency, but when the choir sang the “loo-loo-loo, loo-loo” portion, they pointed their faces up to the sky, evoking (to me, at least) Snoopy. It was new to me, and it was utterly charming.
As I mentioned earlier, it was indeed a church service, but one that was low key—lots of applause for the various groups, most everyone wearing antlers supplied by the church, and the Priest-in-Charge donning a Rudolph-style red nose at one point. For the reading itself, all of the children were invited to come to the front of the church and sit with Mr. Rhoden and Mr. Carter. The bass added some nice aural punctuation, and Mr. Rhoden’s reading had just the right touches of drama. And of course, the kids joined in with him a couple of times. At the end of the service, there was a procession to Moore’s grave across Broadway for the laying of a wreath. I didn’t actually join in the procession, but I did follow along, saw the wreath and the gravestone, and then skedaddled. I’m glad I went early for the prelude, because the church really filled up, but at an hour it was a bit too long, especially when the service ran about an hour, followed by the procession to the grave. While the whole thing was fun, I don’t think this one will be an annual tradition for me. And that is probably the last of my holiday music fun, although there might be some singing when I volunteer at a senior center on Christmas morning. So, in the spirit of Clement Clarke Moore, “Merry Christmas to all, and to all a good night!”
ConcertMeister
Friday, December 18, 2015
Holiday Songbook (12/12/15)
Featuring the music of mostly not-yet-known musical theater composers and lyricists, Songbook is always one of my favorite events, and Holiday Songbook ratchets that up a notch. First off, kudos to Cheryl D. Raymond from Lincoln Center Library for the Performing Arts, John Znidarsic (host), and Erica Ruff (producer), for this excellent concert.
In this case, the songs are composed specifically for this concert or, as the first song on the program showed, from an existing musical. So they were mostly stand-alone songs. Clocking in at fifteen songs, it’s not really feasible to comment on every one of the composers, lyricists, and performers. Highlights it will have to be.
As mentioned above, the first song was One More Day, from the Hanukkah musical Broadway Sings the Odd Potato (music: Gail C. Bluestone; lyrics: Eileen Bluestone Sherman). It was winningly performed, by Andrea McArdle, as a nice ballad contemplating what we would do if we knew that we had one more day (or one more chance). Overall, it had a slightly plaintive melody/theme.
Michael R. Jackson’s Black Christmas was somewhat of a gentle protest song, featuring references to Ferguson/Baltimore, and Trayvon Martin (among others). The recurring refrain of “Black Christmas / Pop! Pop! /Silent Night / Violent Night” was very effective. Not your usual holiday music, but authors and composers need to say what they need to say.
On a slightly humorous note, So Over Santa (music: Natalie Tenenbaum, lyrics: Kevin Wanzor) was about a girl quizzing her single mommy about who her daddy is. Mommy refers to a “mistletoe liaison” and the girl finds out that her daddy is Santa! She finally goes to the North Pole to meet him and learns that he’s not quite entirely who he is perceived to be.
Nick Luckenbaugh’s idea of a Holiday Fix is, according to the lyrics, “Hit every party, make the eggnog stronger, and pour the wine a little longer” over and over and over again. You might just end up with a hangover that lasts ’til October.
What Child Is THIS!, by Katie Thompson, recounts the tale of a harried mom putting her thirteen children to bed. When she gets to tucking in the thirteenth, she realizes that she can’t remember the child’s name—or birthday, even. Finally she recalls that it’s Chris, born on (of course) December 25th, her only hermaphrodite child. Funny, yet touching, stuff.
Christmas in New York (music: Joseph Trefler, lyrics: Bill Nelson) was a
classic throwback to the Tin Pan Alley era of songwriting. Here we had a dynamite
Danyel Fulton singing about taking folks to visit iconic NYC spots at Christmastime—Macy’s, Rockefeller Center, Fifth Avenue, skating in the park—backed up by a crackerjack vocal quartet. You know me, if there’s real vocal harmony it’s high on my list of favorites. This was an A+ (I literally wrote A+ in the margin of my program).
Another crowd pleaser (and ’Meister pleaser) was The Christmas Tree Blues (music: Derek Gregor, lyrics: Sam Carner), given a tour-de-force performance by an, um, imaginatively costumed Kristofer Holz. Indeed, he was as “blue as any evergreen could be.” With an appropriate tribute to an Elvis type of sound, the lyrics also included, “I think I’m on my last ring.” I didn’t take any more notes because I was laughing so much.
Not all of the new songs hit the mark exactly, but there were no real clunkers either. And musical styles ranged from contemporary country to modern classical (an
a cappella quartet version of Ave Maria). And I just realized that there was one more piece from an existing musical. When I Come Home (music: Paul D Mills; lyrics: Danielle Trczinski), from Non-Equity: The Musical, was a nicely constructed quartet that had each individual reiterating the theme that “with you beside me, I’m never alone.” It then morphed into a duet/duet/quartet structure that was quite nice to experience.
Rounding out the concert was Like It’s Christmas Time (music: Jenna Pasqua; lyrics: Jenna Pasqua and Annie Pasqua), about a fellow who has to be away from home every Christmas eve—but promises his wife that he’ll be back before sunrise. Part of its refrain was, “Ho-ho-home, meet me under the mistletoe.” It was fun, if just a bit bittersweet. And sometimes that’s what Christmas is.
ConcertMeister
In this case, the songs are composed specifically for this concert or, as the first song on the program showed, from an existing musical. So they were mostly stand-alone songs. Clocking in at fifteen songs, it’s not really feasible to comment on every one of the composers, lyricists, and performers. Highlights it will have to be.
As mentioned above, the first song was One More Day, from the Hanukkah musical Broadway Sings the Odd Potato (music: Gail C. Bluestone; lyrics: Eileen Bluestone Sherman). It was winningly performed, by Andrea McArdle, as a nice ballad contemplating what we would do if we knew that we had one more day (or one more chance). Overall, it had a slightly plaintive melody/theme.
Michael R. Jackson’s Black Christmas was somewhat of a gentle protest song, featuring references to Ferguson/Baltimore, and Trayvon Martin (among others). The recurring refrain of “Black Christmas / Pop! Pop! /Silent Night / Violent Night” was very effective. Not your usual holiday music, but authors and composers need to say what they need to say.
On a slightly humorous note, So Over Santa (music: Natalie Tenenbaum, lyrics: Kevin Wanzor) was about a girl quizzing her single mommy about who her daddy is. Mommy refers to a “mistletoe liaison” and the girl finds out that her daddy is Santa! She finally goes to the North Pole to meet him and learns that he’s not quite entirely who he is perceived to be.
Nick Luckenbaugh’s idea of a Holiday Fix is, according to the lyrics, “Hit every party, make the eggnog stronger, and pour the wine a little longer” over and over and over again. You might just end up with a hangover that lasts ’til October.
What Child Is THIS!, by Katie Thompson, recounts the tale of a harried mom putting her thirteen children to bed. When she gets to tucking in the thirteenth, she realizes that she can’t remember the child’s name—or birthday, even. Finally she recalls that it’s Chris, born on (of course) December 25th, her only hermaphrodite child. Funny, yet touching, stuff.
Christmas in New York (music: Joseph Trefler, lyrics: Bill Nelson) was a
classic throwback to the Tin Pan Alley era of songwriting. Here we had a dynamite
Danyel Fulton singing about taking folks to visit iconic NYC spots at Christmastime—Macy’s, Rockefeller Center, Fifth Avenue, skating in the park—backed up by a crackerjack vocal quartet. You know me, if there’s real vocal harmony it’s high on my list of favorites. This was an A+ (I literally wrote A+ in the margin of my program).
Another crowd pleaser (and ’Meister pleaser) was The Christmas Tree Blues (music: Derek Gregor, lyrics: Sam Carner), given a tour-de-force performance by an, um, imaginatively costumed Kristofer Holz. Indeed, he was as “blue as any evergreen could be.” With an appropriate tribute to an Elvis type of sound, the lyrics also included, “I think I’m on my last ring.” I didn’t take any more notes because I was laughing so much.
Not all of the new songs hit the mark exactly, but there were no real clunkers either. And musical styles ranged from contemporary country to modern classical (an
a cappella quartet version of Ave Maria). And I just realized that there was one more piece from an existing musical. When I Come Home (music: Paul D Mills; lyrics: Danielle Trczinski), from Non-Equity: The Musical, was a nicely constructed quartet that had each individual reiterating the theme that “with you beside me, I’m never alone.” It then morphed into a duet/duet/quartet structure that was quite nice to experience.
Rounding out the concert was Like It’s Christmas Time (music: Jenna Pasqua; lyrics: Jenna Pasqua and Annie Pasqua), about a fellow who has to be away from home every Christmas eve—but promises his wife that he’ll be back before sunrise. Part of its refrain was, “Ho-ho-home, meet me under the mistletoe.” It was fun, if just a bit bittersweet. And sometimes that’s what Christmas is.
ConcertMeister
Sunday, December 6, 2015
Odds ’n’ Ends (11/21/15; 12/3/15; 12/6/15)
Saturday, 11/21 (pre-Thanksgiving travels), found me at Lincoln Center Library for the Performing Arts, one of my favorite ‘go-to’ venues, for the inaugural concert of Millennium Chamber Symphony’s “Americana Sounds” with Piano & Orchestra. Just three works on the program, but they all had some good things going for them. MCS is a group devoted to developing the talents of aspiring young artists while also exposing them to working with established and international artists, a lofty goal that was pretty well met on the Saturday in question.
Adagio for Strings, Opus 11 (1939) – Samuel Barber (1910–1981);
Daniela Candillari, conductor
Theme and Variations on “Red River Valley” for Flute and Strings (1996) –
David Amram (b. 1930); David Amram, conductor; Marco Granados, flute
Rhapsody in Blue for Piano and Orchestra (1924), Score by Ferde Grofé (Theater Orchestra Version) – George Gershwin (1898–1937); Daniela Candillari, conductor; Alexander Wu, piano
The Adagio is a very transparent work and, while beautiful, suffered a little bit at the hands of the young string players. The playing was just a bit tentative, though that could have been nerves, seeing that this was indeed the inaugural concert.
Mr. Amram conducted his piece, and while hearing the distinction between individual variations was slightly lost, the piece (and his conducting) had a lot of energy, and the players responded accordingly. Mr. Granados also acquitted himself quite well. I liked the piece, and it’s a real joy to hear pieces by living composers, in this case with the composer at the helm of the orchestra. Mr. Amram also spoke from the stage, and it was obvious that he had a real affection for these young artists. I hope I’m as active as he is when I’m 85!
One of the main draws for me is hearing pieces like the Gershwin live, with no sound mixing, the way you would hear them on recordings or even via (I think, though I might be making this part up) live broadcasts, i.e., a radio or TV broadcast of an open air concert. Here, Mr. Wu was at the back of the stage, with the strings and woodwinds stage right and the brass stage left. For the most part, balances were pretty good, though once the brass players got going, their exuberance sometimes overpowered. I think the young musicians learned a bit during the afternoon, and maybe the established musicians did, and definitely the audience did. Win, win, win!
Wednesday, 12/3, found me outdoors after work in northernmost Central Park for a tree lighting. For those of you who know me ‘in person,’ you know that I’m not much of a sweets person. But when in Rome, er, Central Park for a holiday event, go for a small cup of hot chocolate and a sugar cookie—so I did. Santa Claus was on hand, with Mrs. Claus, and the kids seemed to be having a good time. An a cappella quartet, the Mistletones, provided a mix of traditional, doo-wop, and close harmony holiday songs, and there was the requisite politician on hand, as well. But the real star was the BIG wall switch—when flipped, trees out on an island in the Harlem Meer were lit up to applause and oohs, and ahhs. God bless us, every one!
Sunday, 12/6, found me at tree lighting number two—Carl Schurz Park, with the requisite politicians (four! one of whom arrived late and was NOT the mayor), plus I Cantori (singers) and Orbital Brass (duh! brass).
Three or four a cappella songs were followed by a countdown to lighting the tree, sans big light switch, and then a carol/holiday sing-a-long. Lots of fun. This was my third or fourth time attending, and as the weather was really great, I decided to forgo hot chocolate and a cookie. Walking home, the wind picked up a bit, but this was much warmer than in years past.
A couple more community caroling events are in my future, I hope. I'll fill you in.
ConcertMeister
Adagio for Strings, Opus 11 (1939) – Samuel Barber (1910–1981);
Daniela Candillari, conductor
Theme and Variations on “Red River Valley” for Flute and Strings (1996) –
David Amram (b. 1930); David Amram, conductor; Marco Granados, flute
Rhapsody in Blue for Piano and Orchestra (1924), Score by Ferde Grofé (Theater Orchestra Version) – George Gershwin (1898–1937); Daniela Candillari, conductor; Alexander Wu, piano
The Adagio is a very transparent work and, while beautiful, suffered a little bit at the hands of the young string players. The playing was just a bit tentative, though that could have been nerves, seeing that this was indeed the inaugural concert.
Mr. Amram conducted his piece, and while hearing the distinction between individual variations was slightly lost, the piece (and his conducting) had a lot of energy, and the players responded accordingly. Mr. Granados also acquitted himself quite well. I liked the piece, and it’s a real joy to hear pieces by living composers, in this case with the composer at the helm of the orchestra. Mr. Amram also spoke from the stage, and it was obvious that he had a real affection for these young artists. I hope I’m as active as he is when I’m 85!
One of the main draws for me is hearing pieces like the Gershwin live, with no sound mixing, the way you would hear them on recordings or even via (I think, though I might be making this part up) live broadcasts, i.e., a radio or TV broadcast of an open air concert. Here, Mr. Wu was at the back of the stage, with the strings and woodwinds stage right and the brass stage left. For the most part, balances were pretty good, though once the brass players got going, their exuberance sometimes overpowered. I think the young musicians learned a bit during the afternoon, and maybe the established musicians did, and definitely the audience did. Win, win, win!
Wednesday, 12/3, found me outdoors after work in northernmost Central Park for a tree lighting. For those of you who know me ‘in person,’ you know that I’m not much of a sweets person. But when in Rome, er, Central Park for a holiday event, go for a small cup of hot chocolate and a sugar cookie—so I did. Santa Claus was on hand, with Mrs. Claus, and the kids seemed to be having a good time. An a cappella quartet, the Mistletones, provided a mix of traditional, doo-wop, and close harmony holiday songs, and there was the requisite politician on hand, as well. But the real star was the BIG wall switch—when flipped, trees out on an island in the Harlem Meer were lit up to applause and oohs, and ahhs. God bless us, every one!
Sunday, 12/6, found me at tree lighting number two—Carl Schurz Park, with the requisite politicians (four! one of whom arrived late and was NOT the mayor), plus I Cantori (singers) and Orbital Brass (duh! brass).
Three or four a cappella songs were followed by a countdown to lighting the tree, sans big light switch, and then a carol/holiday sing-a-long. Lots of fun. This was my third or fourth time attending, and as the weather was really great, I decided to forgo hot chocolate and a cookie. Walking home, the wind picked up a bit, but this was much warmer than in years past.
A couple more community caroling events are in my future, I hope. I'll fill you in.
ConcertMeister
Thursday, December 3, 2015
November Songbook (11/30/15)
Recorded reminder : Songbook is a showcase for up and coming theater composers.
In this iteration, Matthew Lee Robinson provided book, music and lyrics. Six songs from Happy People and eight from Atlantis were performed on Monday evening. What I really enjoyed this time around was getting a feel for the shows as a whole—some other times, songs by new writers are presented, but sort of scattered throughout the program.
So, Happy People follows the cast of a children’s TV show, both on and off the air, including some backstage intrigue. The opening number on Monday evening was indeed the opening number of Happy People, titled (appropriately enough) Happy People. Each of the four TV characters had a bit of an individual intro and then all four sang together. It was a nice compositional device used to good effect. Sally’s List was an “I Want” number, all about what she’s looking for in the perfect partner, in her case, a man.
We got a touch of drama with See Me, a song sung by the actor who plays a costumed character on the TV show. He wants people to look past the Edison [edited] the Elephant costume and see the man as he really is. Easy for You was an angry duet that worked well enough but probably works a little better in the context of the show. Young was a nice “story” song that I liked but that I wanted to like better than I did.
And then there was Boyband. It’s a song by and about a guy who really, really, really wants to be in a boyband (surprise! this was also taken from the real-life desire of the composer). With clever lyrics that included (and I’m paraphrasing here) “I’m a boy with a hair brush / praying to MTV,” this was a tour de force song and performance. Along the way, we got snippets of story line provided by
Mr. Robinson, who also accompanied all of the pieces on piano, ably assisted by a percussionist, Philip Coiro.
I bring up snippets of story line because that ties in directly with some of the music and tone of Atlantis. In the workshop process for Atlantis, Mr. Robinson has been mentored by Stephen Schwarz and has had some input from representatives of Disney Theatrical Group, among others. In fact, one of the Disney guys said something along the lines of “don’t try to write a Disney musical, write a musical.” Where Happy People has a great deal of upbeat, cute musical styles, owing to the subject matter of a children’s TV show, Atlantis is far more moody.
Prologue was sung by four female performers singing nice harmonies, with a more organic, tribal musical language. Will Run is sung by the heir apparent to the mythical land of Atlantis, and while it’s a nice song, it maybe needs to fight against the Disney style alluded to earlier by the composer.
You Don’t Know Her was a trio by our young hero and his parents, relating to the outsider who has captured the boy’s heart (and certainly his imagination). The song had a nice rhythmic setup that then went into a Stephen Sondheim/Andrew Lloyd Webber groove, in a good way. All of Mr. Robinson’s songs were well crafted, as in you’re not aware of how well crafted they are until after the fact, and they're pretty much all singable and interesting. And while Mr. Robinson is credited with the book, his partner (and recent fiancé) has been contributing greatly to the story line as the creative process continues.
What Are We Waiting For? was an “I/We Want” power duet that was just a bit formulaic, while Let’s Start a War was the real power ballad, dealing with unrequited love, with a slightly dark edge to it. Are You There? was a bit of an emotionally one note existential crisis song that reminded me somewhat of Gethsemane (see ALW, above). No One Will Bruise was also quite powerful (maybe too much of a good thing?) that didn’t quite send me though it was an audience favorite.
Sun brought back our four female singers as the solstice festival approached, and finished with a nice mix of tribal/rock/pop/contemporary soul feeling—plus, once again, some good old-fashioned harmony.
Mr. Robinson is a gifted composer/lyricist who assembled a great, talented cast that presented his music in a great light. He’s got his own website (who doesn’t, except you, ’Meister?), www.matthewleerobinson.com, so you can probably hear some of his stuff for yourselves. Maybe give it a try? I liked an awful lot of what I heard, and I liked it an awful lot.
ConcertMeister
In this iteration, Matthew Lee Robinson provided book, music and lyrics. Six songs from Happy People and eight from Atlantis were performed on Monday evening. What I really enjoyed this time around was getting a feel for the shows as a whole—some other times, songs by new writers are presented, but sort of scattered throughout the program.
So, Happy People follows the cast of a children’s TV show, both on and off the air, including some backstage intrigue. The opening number on Monday evening was indeed the opening number of Happy People, titled (appropriately enough) Happy People. Each of the four TV characters had a bit of an individual intro and then all four sang together. It was a nice compositional device used to good effect. Sally’s List was an “I Want” number, all about what she’s looking for in the perfect partner, in her case, a man.
We got a touch of drama with See Me, a song sung by the actor who plays a costumed character on the TV show. He wants people to look past the Edison [edited] the Elephant costume and see the man as he really is. Easy for You was an angry duet that worked well enough but probably works a little better in the context of the show. Young was a nice “story” song that I liked but that I wanted to like better than I did.
And then there was Boyband. It’s a song by and about a guy who really, really, really wants to be in a boyband (surprise! this was also taken from the real-life desire of the composer). With clever lyrics that included (and I’m paraphrasing here) “I’m a boy with a hair brush / praying to MTV,” this was a tour de force song and performance. Along the way, we got snippets of story line provided by
Mr. Robinson, who also accompanied all of the pieces on piano, ably assisted by a percussionist, Philip Coiro.
I bring up snippets of story line because that ties in directly with some of the music and tone of Atlantis. In the workshop process for Atlantis, Mr. Robinson has been mentored by Stephen Schwarz and has had some input from representatives of Disney Theatrical Group, among others. In fact, one of the Disney guys said something along the lines of “don’t try to write a Disney musical, write a musical.” Where Happy People has a great deal of upbeat, cute musical styles, owing to the subject matter of a children’s TV show, Atlantis is far more moody.
Prologue was sung by four female performers singing nice harmonies, with a more organic, tribal musical language. Will Run is sung by the heir apparent to the mythical land of Atlantis, and while it’s a nice song, it maybe needs to fight against the Disney style alluded to earlier by the composer.
You Don’t Know Her was a trio by our young hero and his parents, relating to the outsider who has captured the boy’s heart (and certainly his imagination). The song had a nice rhythmic setup that then went into a Stephen Sondheim/Andrew Lloyd Webber groove, in a good way. All of Mr. Robinson’s songs were well crafted, as in you’re not aware of how well crafted they are until after the fact, and they're pretty much all singable and interesting. And while Mr. Robinson is credited with the book, his partner (and recent fiancé) has been contributing greatly to the story line as the creative process continues.
What Are We Waiting For? was an “I/We Want” power duet that was just a bit formulaic, while Let’s Start a War was the real power ballad, dealing with unrequited love, with a slightly dark edge to it. Are You There? was a bit of an emotionally one note existential crisis song that reminded me somewhat of Gethsemane (see ALW, above). No One Will Bruise was also quite powerful (maybe too much of a good thing?) that didn’t quite send me though it was an audience favorite.
Sun brought back our four female singers as the solstice festival approached, and finished with a nice mix of tribal/rock/pop/contemporary soul feeling—plus, once again, some good old-fashioned harmony.
Mr. Robinson is a gifted composer/lyricist who assembled a great, talented cast that presented his music in a great light. He’s got his own website (who doesn’t, except you, ’Meister?), www.matthewleerobinson.com, so you can probably hear some of his stuff for yourselves. Maybe give it a try? I liked an awful lot of what I heard, and I liked it an awful lot.
ConcertMeister
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