Maceo Musicology Webcast #7 - Broadway
...saluting the music of theatre
Broadway
"Musical theatre is a form of theatre combining music, songs, spoken dialogue and dance. The emotional content of the piece – humor, pathos, love, anger – as well as the story itself, is communicated through the words, music, movement and technical aspects of the entertainment as an integrated whole. Since the early 20th century, musical theatre stage works have generally been called simply, "musicals".
The 20th century "book musical" has been defined as a musical play where the songs and dances are fully integrated into a well-made story, with serious dramatic goals, that is able to evoke genuine emotions other than laughter. The three main components of a book musical are the music, the lyrics, and the book. The book of a musical refers to the story – in effect, its spoken (not sung) lines; however, "book" can also refer to the dialogue and lyrics together, which are sometimes referred to (as in opera) as the libretto (Italian for “little book”). The music and lyrics together form the score of the musical. The interpretation of the musical by the creative team of each production heavily influences the way in which the musical is presented." (wiki)
...about this time, many of you are wondering if Maceo has lost his mind 
Track listing
1.There's No Business Like Show Business - Ethel Merman et al (1946)
Written by Irving Berlin for the musical
Annie Get Your Gun and sung by Ethel Merman, this song was my introduction to Broadway songs. Of course, it was because it also the theme to the Bugs Bunny Show.
2.Anything Goes - Eileen Rodgers et al (1962)
This is from the musical "
Anything Goes" with music and lyrics by Cole Porter in 1934. The idea of tap dancing in the song pre-dates 'Joint to Joint' by a good 60 years.
3. I Got Rhythm - Judy Garland (1943)
George Gershwin wrote and published this in 1934 as a jazz standard for the musical
Girl Crazy. This 1943 version features our girl Dorothy without Toto.
4. Big Spender Peggy Lee (1966)
"Big Spender" was written by Cy Coleman and Dorothy Fields for the musical Sweet Charity. It is sung, in the musical, by the dance hostess "girls"; it was choreographed by Bob Fosse for the Broadway musical. Peggy Lee had a US hit with it in 1966, a year before Shirley Bassey did the same in the UK
5. Hello, Dolly! - Louis Armstrong & His All-Stars (1964)
"
Hello, Dolly!" is the title song of the popular 1964 musical, with music and lyrics were written by Jerry Herman (who also wrote the scores for Mame and La Cage aux Folles). In December 1963, at the behest of his manager, Louis Armstrong made a demonstration recording of "Hello, Dolly!" for the song's publisher to use to promote the show. His 1964 version reached number one on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100, ending The Beatles' streak of three number-one hits in a row over 14 consecutive weeks
6. The Rain In Spain - Julie Andrews & Rex Harrison (1956)
With Harrison and Andrews in the Professor Higgins and Eliza roles, this is from
My Fair Lady and is based upon George Bernard Shaw's Pygmalion and with book and lyrics by Alan Jay Lerner and music by Frederick Loewe. The song is a key point in the plotline where Eliza Doolittle has drilled repeatedly with speech exercises, trying to break her Cockney accent speech pattern.
7. Pinball Wizard (demo) - Pete Townshend (1969)
Rock music starts coming to Broadway. Townsend's original demo of the classic ended on '
Tommy,' the first musical work to be billed overtly as a rock opera. The double album tells a loose story about a "deaf, dumb, and blind boy" who becomes the leader of a messianic movement. Pete never sounded so good as he does here.
8. What's the Buzz - Ian Gillan, Murray Head and Yvonne Elliman (1970)
I loved this record.
Jesus Christ Superstar is a rock opera by Andrew Lloyd Webber, with lyrics by Tim Rice, highlighting the political and interpersonal struggles between Judas Iscariot and Jesus. The musical was first heard as an album before being staged on Broadway and later in London's West End. On the original album, the part of Jesus was sung by Ian Gillan, the lead singer of Deep Purple who later also worked with Black Sabbath and others, and that of Judas by Murray Head. Mary Magdalene's role is sung by Yvonne Elliman, who had a hit on the Saturday Night Fever soundtrack a few years later. Due to the musicians involved with this, Webber never had a rock sound like this album again
9. Ease On Down the Road - Stephanie Mills, Hinton Battle, Mabel King (1975)
Ease on Down the Road" is from the 1975 Broadway musical
The Wiz (an adaptation of The Wizard of Oz) with music and lyrics by Charlie Smalls. Here performed by a then 16 year old Stephanie Mills and Hinton Battle. It was also released in 1978 release as a duet between Diana Ross and Michael Jackson. Too funky.
10. Seasons Of Love Original Broadway Cast (1996)
"Seasons of Love" is from the Broadway musical
Rent, written and composed by Jonathan Larson. The song provides the harmonic framework for the entire cast to sing "Five hundred twenty-five thousand six hundred minutes" (the number of minutes in a non-leap Gregorian calendar year). Jonathan Larson actually intended for Seasons of Love to be performed in the 2nd act, however Jonathon Larson passed away a few nights before the opening of the show on Broadway. Therefore the cast sing it at the beginning to commemorate and pay their respects.
Spring Awakening 2006
11. The Bitch of Living - Jonathan Groff et al
12. Mama Who Bore Me - Lea Michele
Spring Awakening is a rock musical adaptation of the controversial 1891 German play of the same title by Frank Wedekind. It features music by Duncan Sheik and a book and lyrics by Steven Sater. Set in late-19th century Germany, it concerns teenagers who are discovering the inner and outer tumult of sexuality. Spring Awakening received eleven 2007 Tony Award nominations, winning eight, including Tonys for best musical, direction, book, score and featured actor. Lea Michele debuted the role on Broadway at 20 and went on to become a star in some US show called 'Glee'
Passing Strange - Original Broadway Cast Recording - Stew And Heidi Rodewald 2008
13. Prologue (We Might Play All Night) - Stew
14. What's Inside Is Just A Lie / And Now I'm Ready To Explode - Stew et al
15. Stoned - Stew et al
16. Come Down Now
This gets 4 tracks as is one of my favorite albums. Debuting in 2006 in Berkeley CA before heading to Broadway in 2008, Passing Strange is a musical with lyrics and book by Stew and music and orchestrations by Stew and Heidi Rodewald. Stew and Heidi originally formed the LA rock group The Negro Problem. Stew wanted to combine the energy of a rock show in a theatre setting in a story about finding oneself.
I never saw the show, but felt like I lived part of the story - A Youth grows up, "passing" through place to place (LA, Amsterdam, Berlin) trying to express his true self through a number of musical styles, including gospel, punk, blues, jazz, and rock.
Ymaginatif said:
I listened all the way through!! In one go (as my bus didn't turn up)
True, a few times I thought oh-no-what-is-this (!), but most of the time I really enjoyed it. In fact, these songs suited the summery sunshine mood here in Aberystwyth quite well. I prefered the early 60s and 70s bit. The more modern stuff was sometime a bit hit and miss, but I got into too.
You sounded like you know a lot about these things - being introduced to it chronologically was definitely part of the fun too!! (the question remains: what happened in the 1980s??)
Response: Andrew Lloyd Webber and $$$$$$
Listen later
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