DR JoseSPiano...how is it to play the dance section of Music and the Mirror? It sure must help to have a drummer there. I haven't looked at the score in a long time, but I would think that music doesn't really translate well to a piano reduction, rendering it awkward to play...
It's actually not that bad to play without a drummer. The original piano/vocal reduction is actually quite well written and gratifying to play. However, there are those two sections which are so drum set and timpani dependent, that having a drummer in rehearsal helps a lot. (I think Baayork refers to one of those sections as "the Chita Rivera"
)However, I've made do by just playing chords with the appropriate rhythm and accents. However...
The "new" version of "Music and the Mirror" is written out a little differently, plus there have been some adjustments made to the arrangement - and the vocal is a half-step lower for Charlotte. I'm still getting used to it, since the original is so "in my fingers". However, it looks like come July 24th, it looks like the vocal will be put back in the original key at least twice a week, if you get my drift. We ran that "option" today, and it was nice to feel "at home" again.
*And one my fondest cast party memories was improvising a four-hand versions of "Music and the Mirror" with a friend of mine. I played most of the main stuff, and he filled in with the instrumental cues. Very cool.
