Film Score Daily: B'WAY TO H'WOOD: TOO LATE?

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B'WAY TO H'WOOD: TOO LATE?

Posted By: Michael Barrett on September 26, 2009 - 10:00 PM

I'm not really such a cast-album person but neither do I eschew them. I've heard some things, he says chewing a nail. When I listen, I imagine a movie in my head, and sometimes I wish that movie had been made. Is it too late? What are shows that would film well? A few idle suggestions:

HIGH SPIRITS

This is Martin & Blane's musical version of Noel Coward's BLITHE SPIRIT, which already did make a great movie. That's what makes me think a musical would score, as it were. There has recently been a B'way revival of Coward's play with Angela Lansbury as Madame Arcati, and as long as she's still standing, that's a perfect casting opportunity if anyone wants to take advantage of this moment finally to film the musical, because she could do that one too. Madame Arcati sings a number about the joys of riding a bicycle that I imagine turning into a panoramic, cast-of-dozens spectacle like "Let's Go Fly a Kite," as she leads a contingent of motley bicyclers down a green hill, her scarf flapping behind like Isadora.

BTW, I really, really love the London cast album of this. Actually I haven't heard the B'way cast, but the London sure gets it. The prohibitively expensive OOP CD of same tosses in bonus cuts of Coward himself singing some of the songs in his beautifully dapper yet aching style. If only there were somebody (ahem, cough, ribbit), I say if only somebody out there specialized in reissuing classic show albums (achoo!), if only we could see a pretty reissue of this London show, which I only have on a tape I made from the public library's copy. Wouldn't that be sweet?

THE GRASS HARP

There was a film a few years ago of Truman Capote's novel and I think it even had a soundtrack CD, but I'm not familiar with them. I'm familiar with the cast album of Kenward Elmslie & Claibe Richardson's musical. The show is set in a tree, but it's the nature of the material to have lots of fantasies and flashbacks, expressed in song, like "Floozies" and the martial "Yellow Drum" (which has big number written all over it) and the wonderful "Brazil" (which would lend itself to a spectacular montage).

PAL JOEY

I know what you're gonna say. I was going to suggest Rodgers & Hart's CONNECTICUT YANKEE (with its marvelous "To Keep My Love Alive," a catalogue of widowhood), but why not this Rodgers & Hart show instead? After all, the movie with Frank Sinatra and Kim Novak really wasn't the show by much. Then we might as well mention Cole Porter's CAN-CAN, which not only switched out a lot of songs but, if I recall correctly, doesn't even have the song "Can-Can" in it! Or we could bring up the de-musicalized IRMA LA DOUCE.

Cole Porter wrote some odd musicals, ALADDIN (for TV) and OUT OF THIS WORLD. Maybe some committed soul (or some soul who deserves to be committed) could turn these into films.

I repeat, I'm not even a cast-album maven. I'm sure many more could be suggested.

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Comments (11):

Posted by Viscount Bark on September 27, 2009 4:00 PM

I AM a cast-album maven and I love imagining movie versions of musicals. Just off the top of my head I believe Sondheim's PACIFIC OVERTURES (using a similar design as the film MISHIMA) and MERRILY WE ROLL ALONG would translate to film splendidly. Also - APPLAUSE, MILK AND HONEY, ON THE TWENTIETH CENTURY, DRAT! THE CAT!, NO STRINGS...many others. On the other hand, some musicals such as THE GOLDEN APPLE and CELEBRATION are too tied to their theatricality to easily imagine cinematic versions of them.

Posted by quiller007 on September 27, 2009 4:37 PM

Posted by Joe Caps on September 27, 2009 4:40 PM

Posted by Michael Barrett on September 27, 2009 6:07 PM

Pal Joey - there was some talk a few years ago of a possible new film version with Hugh Jackman.

Odd you say that the song ZIP is ot in the fil. It certainly is, sung by the Rita Hayworth character (dubbed by Jo ann Greer).

I'll take that correction. The fact that it utterly passed out of my memory, in comparison with the cast album version, may not speak well for it. Were lyrics changed?

Posted by John B. Archibald on September 28, 2009 9:44 AM

Ditto as a Devotee of B'way Show Scores.

Unlike many of you here, I managed to see many classic presentations in New York, from roughly 1965 onwards. (For instance, I actually SAW Barbara Harris in THE APPLE TREE, a rarity, because she was notorious for skipping performances. And I saw the original, now legendary FOLLIES, twice, and loved it both times, not to mention all the original casts of all the Sondheim shows in that period, including the ridiculous staging, by Harold Prince no less!, of MERRILY WE ROLL ALONG, as if it were taking place in a high school gym, with all the cast wearing sweat shirts with labels, indicating which characters they played.)

I even saw a large number of flops, like ARI, the musical version of EXODUS, BILLY, a terrible musical adaptation of BILLY BUDD, KING OF HEARTS, a very good show which died, CELEBRATION, which was pretty esoteric and never managed to find an audience; it was also totally overshadowed by the opening of HAIR, which wowed everybody, even though I enjoyed CELEBRATION much more... , DANCE A LITTLE CLOSER, or "Close a LIttle Faster," as it only lasted one official performance. I managed to see it in previews; had lots of problems, but a glorious score, by Charles Strouse, of ANNIE fame, and the late great Alan Jay Lerner; luckily a CD of it is still available. I could go on and on.

As for Mr.Jackman, it seems every other week a new movie musical project is announced for him. Frankly, if he's so intent on remakes, I wish he'd star in a remake of BRIGADOON, which is a pretty stodgy movie, and aches for some real location photography, instead of all those painted backdrops. Not to menion the American accents of all those supposed "Scotsmen!"

Jackman would also be perfect as the lead in a film version of the musical TIME AND AGAIN, which I saw performed here in San Diego, at the Old Globe Theatre, back in 1996. The score is beautiful, with some wonderful songs just perfect for him, as well as a role he could really sink his proverbial teeth into. And, as a movie, they could do all the special effects which really didn't come off in the stage version. A perfect vehicle for him.

Time, I'm afraid, has passed musicals by. Even when I was growing up, during the 50's, they were being overtaken by rock 'n roll in popular music. Time was when Broadway ruled popular music, and what caught on there caught on everywhere. But, it's literally been decades since a song from a Broadway show became popular. (I might even go so far as to say the last one I'm aware of was "The Impossible Dream" from MAN OF LA MANCHA. Or, maybe "Send in the Clowns," from Sondheim's A LITTLE NIGHT MUSIC, the only really popular song Sondheim has composed, in fact. But, to show how little Broadway affects popular taste, even that was 26 years ago! Other songs, like "One Night in Bangkok," immensely popular in its day, were from concept albums, released before they became staged shows on Broadway.)

I attended the recent revival of SOUTH PACIFIC, which has so enthralled New York audiences, and I was struck by the fact that practically every single song is now a standard; everyone is familiar with that score. The next night, I saw the first public preview of the musical version of SHREK, which has a completely unmemorable score. From what I've seen of contemporary attempts, the music of today's shows just doesn't measure up to what past writers poured into their work. Even BILLY ELLIOTT, as beautifully staged and performed as it is, just does not have even one really memorable tune, and that score was written by Elton John, no less!

So, not only has Broadway lost the hold it once had, it no longer even seems to have the quality it once had. Which is a sad state of affairs.

Because, for those of you who haven't experienced it, there's nothing like a brilliant Broadway show, whose staging dazzles the eye, and whose music and performances send tingles up and down your spine. It happens. (The most recently this happened to me was watching Christine Ebersole sing the penultimate number in the musical, GRAY GARDENS, "Another Winter in a Summer Town," easily as good a song as any I've ever heard, on any recording.)

So, as usual, there are moments of greatness. And it is for these that I keep going to shows and collecting their scores...

Posted by GMP on September 28, 2009 10:22 AM

you should look up the Talkin' Broadway web site chat line .. Film score members usually don't discuss cast /show music.

http://www.talkinbroadway.com/allthatchat/

Posted by Howard L on September 28, 2009 11:45 AM

Mack & Mabel with the old or a new book and every shred of music intact.

Posted by Viscount Bark on September 28, 2009 1:28 PM

I'm envious, John! :) I'm an "armchair" musicals devotee stuck in Seattle who has only seen a handful of shows on the stages here. I have found Ethan Mordden's books on musical theatre to be highly insightful.

Posted by CH-CD on September 30, 2009 7:53 PM

Hugh Jackman would be perfect for the (long overdue!) big screen version of "SHE LOVES ME".
Hugh + A Good Book + A Great Score = A BIG HIT!

But.....who would you cast as Amalia ????

Posted by Eric Paddon on September 30, 2009 8:08 PM

I love Broadway cast albums, too. Always have since I was a wee tot.
I always thought it would have been great if Hollywood would have
translated every Broadway musical to screen with all the original cast
members and not changed any of the songs or orchestrations.

I echo these sentiments. To me, as one who was born too late to experience the golden age of Broadway but who caught perhaps just its very last vestiges when I saw the original production of "Annie" twice and the 1977 Yul Brynner revival of "The King And I" as a small child, I at least was able to latch into its rich history. I treasure all the highlights of then-current Broadway productions on "The Ed Sullivan Show" that survive on video and offer a tantalizing glimpse of what they were like and thankfully one of my favorite shows "1776" was preserved almost intact according to the specifications above.

If I were to pick first five classic shows that I think were mucked up in their movie versions that i would like to see redone in their pure Broadway cast versions if it were humanly possible:

1-Camelot (Burton-Andrews-Goulet. Enough said)
2-Man Of La Mancha
3-A Funny Thing Happened On The Way To The Forum (the film isn't bad but it jettisons half the score including the most important song "Free")
4-Damn Yankees (get rid of Tab Hunter and restore "A Man Doesn't Know". The replacement song "There's Something About An Empty Chair" is not good)
5-Gypsy (Merman please. And also don't cut "Together")

I know a lot of others would put "My Fair Lady" on a list like this, but to me the film version came out just fine compared to the other shows.

Now for the five shows that did not give us a film version or any recorded video version at all that I would have loved to have seen:

1-Promises, Promises
2-Fiorello!
3-Baker Street
4-How Now Dow Jones (weak story but the cast is strong and the Bernstein score I think is underrated)
5-Do-Re-Mi (the first half hour of the show was performed on the Sullivan Show in 1961, and after seeing it, naturally I wish I could have seen the rest of it!)

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