Friday, August 04, 2006

revgalblogpals Friday Five: Broadway

This week we have a treat: a guest Friday Five composed by NotShyChiRev. Enjoy!
1. Describe the last play or musical you saw. (At least provide the what, when, where, and why). What was your opinion of it? Okay, I'll play, but I am trying to remember when the last time I saw a play or musical. The last one I saw was Joseph and his Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat. It was free, a church member, who was one of the actors, paid for the tickets. It is a Andrew Lloyd Webber and Tim Rice colloboration of a lively interpretation of the biblical story of Jacob and his twelve sons. Joseph, his father's favorite, is sold into slavery by his jealous brothers, who tell Jacob that he is dead. The play follows Joseph's travels throughout Egypt, while trying to return to his beloved father. It was also neat to see one of my members who was a Col. in the army be such a good actor in this and other plays.
2. All time favorite play? Musical? Thank you, NotShyChiRev for your broadway questions. My favorite play or musical? Because I haven't seen one in a long time, I don't know. Can't remember. I did like Les Miserables, the Phantom of the Opera, Joseph and his Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat. but I guess my all time favorite is Cats.
3. “The Producers,” “The Philadelphia Story,” “Hairspray,” “The Wedding Singer”…all were movies before they were musicals (okay “The Philadelphia Story” was a play and then a movie, and they changed its name when it became a musical, but whatever). What non-musical movie do you think should next get the musical treatment? Now this is one difficult question, mmm, The Pirates of the Carribean or Harry Potter or Narnia or Shrek or Devil wears Prada I don't know.?.
4. Favorite song from a musical? Why?
Andrew Lloyd Webber's timeless hit song, "Memory."
Midnight
Not a sound from the pavement
Has the moon lost her memory
She is smiling alone
In the lamplight
The withered leaves collect at my feet
And the wind begins to moan
Memory
All alone in the moonlight
I can dream of the old days
Life was beautiful then
I remember the time I knew what happiness was
Let the memory live again
Every street lamp seems to beat
A fatalistic warning
Someone mutters and the street lamp sputters
And soon it will be morning
Daylight
I must wait for the sunrise
I must think of a new life
And I mustn't give in
When the dawn comes
Tonight will be a memory too
And a new day will begin
Burnt out ends of smoky days
The stale cold smell of morning
A street lamp dies, another night is over
Another day is dawning
Touch me,
It's so easy to leave me
All alone with the memory
Of my days in the sun
If you touch me,
You'll understand what happiness is
Look, a new day has begun...
Enough Said er Sung
5. The most recent trend in Broadway musical revues is to construct a show around the oeuvre of a particular super-group or composer, where existing songs are woven together with some kind of through story. The most successful of these (“Jersey Boys” (The Four Seasons), “Mamma Mia” (ABBA), “Movin’ Out” (Billy Joel)) have made a mint, but many (“All Shook Up” (Elvis), “Hot Feet” (Earth, Wind and Fire)) have bombed. What great pop/rock singer/composer or super-group should be the next to be featured, and what might the story-line be for such a show? I have to go with Elton John, the King of Rock and Roll. The pride of Atlanta and London, Princess Diana's friend, the best dresser of them all. Candle in the Wind comes from too many Saturday Nights with Pinball Wizard, Bennie and the jets and rock and roll madonna plus the tiny dancer doing the crocodile rock but if you must be a Rocket man on the badside of the moon but come down in time because I need some Philadelphia freedom and don't go breaking my heart because there is a madman across the waters and island girl but the bitch is back instead live the simple life so you can feel the love tonight and don't let the sun go down on me, if you can take me to the pilot where someone saved my life tonight and I need you to turn to so good by yellow brick road I'm still standing and I am tired of singing sad songs rather sing a love song but I guess that's why they call it the blues, blue eyes, but sorry seems to be the hardest word, so turn out the lights when you leave, 60 years on I don't want to go on like that and all this is the circle of life nikita, little jeannie, Daniel and levon, its your song.
Bonus question for singer/actors. Favorite part you’ve ever played/sung.
In the church I served in Columbus, Ga we would do Disney night singing songs from Disney, some solos, some sing a longs, some as a group. Listen we had fun but we also practiced and did a good job. It was one of the well attended fun things that church did. They had me do two solos that year. One from the Hunchback of Notre Dame, "God Help the Out Casts". And then the second song was "Someday my Prince will Come" from Snow White. Just as the song was coming to its end, they had my husband, Bob come out wearing a tee shirt that said something like kiss a frog, get a prince and he was carrying a stuffed animal frog. I could barely finish the song for laughing so hard. I had no idea they were going to do that to me.
As always, let us know in the comments if you play! And standing ovations (as well as more visits, no doubt) for those who link directly to their posts.

3 comments:

Sally said...

So glad we share a favourite song- I'd love to see Shrek the musical!!!

Unknown said...

Shrek would certainly make an interesting musical!

NotShyChiRev said...

What fun responses!

Thanks for playing!