December 2007
"Twelve Songs For A
Broadway Christmas"
In the spirit of the
Holidays, I decided to take a cue from the old carol “The Twelve Days of
Christmas” and find Broadway songs that tied in to each of the numbers, one
through twelve. So grab a cup of holiday cheer and hum along… Here we go…
Diedre Goodwin, Jason Tam & Charlotte D'Amboise in A
CHORUS LINE (current Broadway revival)
Photo: Amy Arbus
Source:
New York Magazine.com |
1. “One” from A CHORUS
LINE - What song better fits this designation? In writing this showstopper,
Marvin Hamlisch and Edward Kleban sought to lovingly spoof all those “great
lady” numbers of the past while playing up on the ultimate anonymity of these
characters we've grown to love throughout the course of the show. A brilliant
finale to a groundbreaking piece of theater. And besides, what other song
features the lyric “jauntily sauntering ambling shambler” ?
2. “I Want To Be The
Mayor” from MAYOR - In writing this musical about New York's Ed Koch, composer
Charles Strouse took on lyricist duties as well. In this number Harrison Goldin,
the City Comptroller laments about being the second in command. His opening
lyric is “ this is the second song of the second act and we're on the second
floor, this song is in 2/4, I can't take anymore…” the number goes on to include
every possible reference to being number 2 that Mr. Strouse could imagine. Great
fun and two-nfull too!
3. “By Threes” from I
LOVE MY WIFE - In this lively song by Cy Coleman & Michael Stewart, “Wally” and
“Alvin”, backed by the on stage band, joyfully extol the virtues of having a
threesome. With a lyric like “brand new positions to meet the demands of four
pretty titties and six busy hands” you certainly know that this musical is set
in the swinging seventies!
Jonathan Kaplan & Michael Rupert in FALSETTOS, the
Broadway version of William Finn's two mini-musicals "March of the
Falsettos" & "Falsettoland"
Source:
Theatremania.com |
4. “Four Jews In A Room
Bitching” from MARCH OF THE FALSETTOS - Few opening numbers are as much fun or
as incisive as this William Finn mini-masterpiece, perfectly setting up the
roller coaster ride to follow. Matched with the original cast and their frenetic
staging, this was one of my all time favorite moments of 1980's musical theater.
“Bitch, bitch, bitch, bitch…funny, funny, funny, funny.”
5. “Five Zeroes” from ON
THE 20th CENTURY - This is another favorite of mine, from the brilliant minds
of Cy Coleman, Betty Comden and Adolph Green. On a moving train, producer Oscar
Jaffee, his two henchmen, and loony millionairess Mrs. Primrose try to convince
actress Lily Garland to sign on to play Mary Magdalene, while boy-toy boyfriend
Bruce Granit tries to convince her otherwise. With Mrs. Primrose's promise of
the five zero check needed to fund the show, all seems a-okay… although savvy
theater-goers know better.
6. “Six Lilies Of The
Valley” from THE GIRL WHO CAME TO SUPPER - In a mini show within the show,
Florence Henderson explains her role in the musical THE COCONUT GIRL, playing
all the parts and explaining all the facets of the show in rapid fire delivery,
including the six part harmony of “Six Lilies Of The Valley”. This tour de
force number, couple with Tessie O'Shea's London medley, are definitely the
highlights of this seldom done Noel Coward score from 1963.
Roddy McDowell as Mordred in the original Broadway cast
of CAMELOT
Source:
roddymcdowell.info |
7. “The Seven Deadly
Virtues” from CAMELOT - This number is filled with classic cleverness from Alan
Jay Lerner, perfectly set to Frederick Loewe's music. In a moment of pure evil,
King Arthur's bastard son Mordred extols the virtues of vice as he plots the
downfall of Camelot. Erudite and funny, Lerner was a master at this kind of
specialty number.
8. “Tonight At Eight”
from SHE LOVES ME - Another fast paced ditty, in which perfume shop employee
Georg worries about his impending blind date with his lonely hearts club
sweetheart. Jerry Bock's music perfectly accompanies Sheldon Harnick's nervous
lyric, creating a great moment in a perfectly charming musical.
9. “Nine O'Clock” from
TAKE ME ALONG - Young Robert Morse played the son “Richard” in this 1959 musical
adaptation of AH, WILDERNESS! and in this number he is eagerly awaiting his date
with his sweetheart at 9pm. Bob Merrill's score is tuneful and fun, allowing for
great comedy and lovely romantic interludes as well.
10. “Ten Percent” from
CHICAGO - Cut from the show, this Kander & Ebb ditty was sung by the excised
character of the Agent, who always manages to get his ten percent share, no
matter what. Bouncy and funny, the song could work in any show about show biz,
and has been recorded a few times, owing to the cleverness of the lyric and fun
of the melody.
11. “An Eleven O'Clock
Song” from ANKLES AWEIGH - The Kean Sisters couldn't make a hit of this
1955 flop musical, but they did have an eleven o'clock number about eleven
o'clock numbers! With music by Sammy Fain and lyrics by Dan Shapiro, the show
has plenty of tunefulness, but the rice paper thin plot seemed out of place in
the milieu of the post OKLAHOMA! Broadway and has never been revived, to my
knowledge.
12. “A 12 o'clock Girl In
a 9 o'clock Town” from THE BLUE KITTEN - I don't know much about this song or
show, but I think the title is priceless! It's from a 1922 show with music by
Rudolf Friml and lyrics by Otto Harbach and William Cary Duncan. With musical
direction by Herbert Stothart, who later worked as composer and musical director
at MGM Studios, the show ran 140 performances.
And in case we need a
baker's dozen…
13. “Thirteen Daughters”
from THIRTEEN DAUGHTERS - This 1961 import from Hawaii featured Don Ameche as
the harried Hawaiian father of 13 girls, all of whom he wants to marry off well.
But even that bit of odd casting wasn't enough to get more than 28 performances
on Broadway. With book, music and lyrics by Eaton Magoon Jr, the show also
featured John Battles, Sylvia Sims and Ed Kenney, with a tuneful but forgettable
score.
So there ya have it, 13
numbers to help you count off the Twelve Days of Christmas… Of course we could
just sing “Twelve Days To Christmas” from SHE LOVES ME, or “The Twelve Days
After Christmas” from UPSTAIRS AT THE DOWNSTAIRS, or even “Be A Santa” or… you
know the rest…
Happy Holidays! See you
in 2008.
