Well, dear readers, since spring is upon us it is only fitting that I have finally seen Spring Awakening. I had no desire to see the show on Broadway and have had no desire to see it anywhere, but last night I attended a local production in a small Hollywood theatre, because one of our Lost and Unsung cast members, Harrison Meloeny, who is an understudy, was on. Walking into what would be an almost sold out house one was struck by the fact the ninety percent of the people there were very young and all seemed to know each other, so I think it’s safe to assume that it was a lot of friends and family in attendance. I remember this show being touted as so fresh and new and how great it was to have a real rock score in a Broadway theatre, forgetting the many other real rock scores that have been in Broadway theatres. The fact is, I didn’t find any of Spring Awakening’s droning score to sound especially rock – more folk rock, like a Buffy Saint Marie album run amok. From the first moment I was sitting there thinking, “Yeah?” and that never changed for almost the entirety of the show. Every song sounds similar to the others and therefore there were no musical surprises in the show ever. That’s kind of deadly right there. Add to that the paint by numbers scenes – well, I had the same problem with another “rock” show called Rent – where I just didn’t care about any of the characters or what they were going through. I’m glad I saw it, but, you know, not my cuppa. As to the production, let’s just say that I think that when a director basically copies everything from the Broadway staging that the original director and choreographer should be credited and the director credit should read, Michael Mayer’s original staging recreated by. I had a friend in the audience who’d seen it on Broadway several times and said it was just about a virtual clone of the staging, minus some of the set pieces. This happens all the time in small and large theaters in LA – they’ll do a show, totally use the original direction and choreography, and then the brainiacs who nominate and give out the Ovation Awards give them to people who basically just restage and offer nothing new. That’s just wrong, if you ask me. The cast was game and there were six musicians. It’s a fairly big cast, so I’m wondering just where these small companies get the dough to do this kind of thing – moving lights, every person in a head mic, a sound mixer, smoke, the whole shebang.
Which leads me to the music, not just for this show, but for a lot of musicals of the last six or seven years. And what point did the rideout bite the dust? Because every song I hear from a show these days ends abruptly with a sung note and then a chord. Once, okay. But it’s every song and it’s ridiculous. Rideouts are key to a song’s finish – can you imagine the end of Hello, Dolly! without the rideout as they hold that glorious final note? Today, they’d sing, “Dolly will never go away again!” hold the note for two counts and it would be followed be a final chord. No. Bad. When I saw Catch Me If You Can I couldn’t believe how many songs ended with the abrupt button. Songs that were crying out for a proper rideout didn’t get them, hence the end of the song didn’t land as it should. It’s a passing fad, I know, and the minute the now old fashioned rideout makes a return everyone will be doing it again and saying, “How fresh!” End of rideout rant. If you’re unsure what a rideout is and can do, listen to any of my concept or solo singer albums, because I was always very hands-on about all the rideouts.
Prior to seeing Spring Awakening, I got up after a good night’s sleep, did some work on the computer, then moseyed on over to the Eclectic Café to lunch with a singer. We had quite a good lunch and a very nice chat. After that, I went and picked up no packages. Then I came home and finally buckled down Winsocki and wrote the contextual commentary for our upcoming Kritzerland show. I had fun writing it – it took about two hours and that was finally out of the way. By that time, other than having a telephonic conversation or three, it was time to go to the theatre. The rest you know, other than that after the show I went to Gelson’s for a snack but everything was already put away – so I ended up buying some celery and a small jar on nutty peanut butter, finally succumbing to the craving I got just reading about peanut butter on this here site. So, I had a couple of stalks of celery slathered with peanut butter and it was very yummilicious.
Well, why don’t we all click on the Unseemly Button below because I must get another good night’s beauty sleep.
Today, I shall write my opening remarks for tomorrow’s memorial, I shall hopefully pick up packages and an important envelope, I shall have a brief visit with singer David Burnham, and then I shall go to Pepperdine College to see Liz and Ann Hampton Callaway in concert. I’m very excited.
Tomorrow, she of the Evil Eye will be here, so I’ll leave and do stuff, then return and get ready for the memorial. Cindy Williams will be coming here and we’ll drive together. That will last from two to five, and then I’ll come home and relax. Sunday is the paperback book fair and I’ll be signing there from eleven to twelve, should any of our LA denizens care to come and say hello.
Well, dear readers, I must take the day, I must do the things I do, I must, for example, write remarks, hopefully pick up packages and an important envelope, have a brief visit, sup, and then see Those Callaways. Today’s topic of discussion: It’s Friday – what is currently in your CD player and your DVD/video player? I’ll start – CD, various Kritzerland projects. Blu and Ray, Carnage and Tinker, Tailor, Soldier Spy. Your turn. Let’s have loads of lovely postings shall we – and here’s the rideout – whilst I hit the road to dreamland where my dreams will be filled with wonderful rideouts.