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June 13, 2010:

I WANT

Bruce Kimmel Photograph bk's notes

Well, dear readers, it’s time for our annual haineshisway.com Tony Awards Partay, and you will not want to miss one single second of it – it is certainly the most sparkling and effervescent partay on all the Internet. But for now, it’s quite late as I just got home from a very long production of Carousel. Prior to seeing Carousel I had a very pleasant day. I got up at ten (I didn’t get to bed until after two), puttered around the house, and then did some errands and whatnot. Whilst doing some banking I ran into the owner of Varese Sarabande – I don’t think I’d seen him in four years. We had a very nice chat and I learned some very interesting things about some very interesting things and that was, of course, very interesting. After that, I shipped some packages, picked up a package and some mail, and then printed out some early orders for our new release. I did a little writing and then it was time to mosey on down to Downey to see a production of Carousel.

Last night, I moseyed on down to Downey to see a production of Carousel. I had two friends in the cast, both alums of the Chance Theater’s The Brain from Planet X, and it was fun to see them up on stage. Also I had a friend, John Massey, who was playing keyboards for the show. I’d never been to this particular theater – it’s a very nice house. Isn’t Carousel a fascinating show? Whenever I hear today’s writers, who’ve all taken Musical Theater 101 go on about opening numbers and the I Want song and all this bushwa and all the rules (rather like Screenwriting 101 as taught by the likes of Syd Field and Robert McKee), I just point out the musicals of Rodgers and Hammerstein. And all their “rules” suddenly don’t work. So, in South Pacific, for example, what is the opening number? Dites Moi. Doesn’t exactly tell you what the show is about, does it? And what is the I Want song. Certainly it’s not Cockeyed Optimist. I guess one could make the argument that Some Enchanted Evening is some sort of I Want song, but not in the way that today’s writers think of an I want song. What is the opening number of Carousel – well, it does do what an opening number sometimes should do – puts us in the world of the show. But it’s a wordless six-minute opening set to music. Then we meet Billy Bigelow and Julie Jordan and Julie’s friend, Carrie. Who gets the first song, the I Want song if you were looking for one? Not Julie. Not Billy. Carrie. In fact, what’s interesting about Carousel is that Carrie and Mr. Snow really get more stage time together than Billy and Julie. And yet, it all works. But can you imagine if these shows were presented to producers and directors today – if they were workshopped. I don’t think they’d get produced, frankly, or, if they did, there would be twenty producers and countless musical theater experts telling Rodgers and Hammerstein what they’re doing “wrong.” And yet, these shows are timeless and brilliant. What is the opening song of The King and I? I Whistle a Happy Tune. Not exactly a scene-setter, and certainly not an I Want song. The point, needless to say, is that there are no rules – there should be no rules. Each musical is a different beast, but the reason every single show today feels the same (at least the big Broadway musicals) is that every show follows these same “rules.” So, now not only does that happen in films, it happens in theater. Then they tell you, you’ve got to have a strong antagonist. And again, I ask, who is the antagonist in South Pacific? Nelly? Emile? Cable? Or, is it “the war.” The point, again – no rules. R&H didn’t sit around after taking a BMI or ASCAP workshop and think, well, what’s the I Want Song? They made their own rules. They broke the then current rules. And no one made them conform to someone’s ideas of what things should be. But, that’s what the musical theater has devolved into. Yes, there are occasional musicals that have some originality, but they are the exception and they are usually not big hits. In any case, Carousel is one of the oddest musicals ever written, and yet it works beautifully – the music and lyrics are superb, and the show is very complex. As you watch the Tony Awards this evening, you will not see anything that even approaches a classic musical or even a superb musical. And that is because people are writing to a formula rather than writing with their hearts and souls. And that’s what the legion of producers want.

Was that a rant? I’m not sure. Well, why don’t we all click on the Unseemly Button below because I must get my beauty sleep and be ready for our mighty fun partay.

Today, I shall hopefully get up after a good night’s sleep, and then I shall do a few things around the home environment, and then I’ll deliver a big box o’ CDs to a local dealer, and then I’ll eat, and then I’ll be here for our annual Tony Awards Partay – I know it’s difficult, but spoilers please for the Coast of West. But that’s never stopped us from our fun and frivolity and merriment and mirth and laughter and legs.

Tomorrow, we will need all the excellent vibes and xylophones you can send as I must have what I know will be a very unpleasant telephonic call in the morning. I’m hoping all will be okay, and then I’ll get down to some serious writing. We’ll also be announcing our new title in the morning, and so I hope to be printing out many orders.

Well, dear readers, I must take the day, I must do the things I do, I must, for example, maybe do a jog, I must deliver a big box o’ CDs, I must eat, and then I must attend our Tony Awards Partay, at which there will be no I Want song. Today’s topic of discussion: It’s free-for-all day, the day in which you dear readers get to make with the topics and we all get to post about them. So, let’s have loads of lovely postings, shall we, and let’s have the best partay on all the Internet.

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