{"id":105,"date":"2009-12-28T22:49:50","date_gmt":"2009-12-29T03:49:50","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/mattcasarino.com\/?page_id=105"},"modified":"2009-12-28T22:49:50","modified_gmt":"2009-12-29T03:49:50","slug":"music-time","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/mattcasarino.com\/?page_id=105","title":{"rendered":"MUSIC TIME!"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>A while ago, I wrote a cranky diatribe against using music as underscoring in plays. Turns out I\u00e2\u20ac\u2122m against it. Well, my mailbox was flooded with angry letters the next day. None of them were about music. I can\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t say exactly what they were about (but how cool is it that you don\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t even have to enter an international lottery to be declared a winner!), but they did give me an idea for a new entry.<\/p>\n<p>Thing is&#8230;I love music. Mmmmmmmm, music. It\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s my first passion. When I was three, I had a favorite song &#8211; \u00e2\u20ac\u0153American Pie.\u00e2\u20ac\u009d It\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s true. My second-fave was \u00e2\u20ac\u0153Raindrops Keep Falling on my Head,\u00e2\u20ac\u009d and my mom knew I\u00e2\u20ac\u2122d be a musician because I understood the need to count the silent beats (\u00e2\u20ac\u0153Raindrops keep falling on my head [2, 3, 4] That doesn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t mean my eyes&#8230;\u00e2\u20ac\u009d). It\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s in my soul, music is. All kinds, all forms, all genres.<\/p>\n<p>And when it\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s on, I\u00e2\u20ac\u2122m an active listener. Music isn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t background &#8211; when it\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s playing, \u00e2\u20ac\u0153listening to music\u00e2\u20ac\u009d is what I\u00e2\u20ac\u2122m doing. I used to sit up in our playroom as a child and play the few albums I owned (Billy Joel\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s \u00e2\u20ac\u0153The Stranger,\u00e2\u20ac\u009d The \u00e2\u20ac\u0153Grease\u00e2\u20ac\u009d soundtrack, a K-Tel collection called \u00e2\u20ac\u0153Far Out\u00e2\u20ac\u009d) and just&#8230;listen. It\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s a wonder I didn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t end up in a special school.<\/p>\n<p>That tendency of mine, to shut down and take in the tunes, is probably why I don\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t react well to the use of music in many plays. When it\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s in the background, then so am I, and the scene itself becomes secondary. And when it\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s used between scenes to \u00e2\u20ac\u0153comment\u00e2\u20ac\u009d on what we\u00e2\u20ac\u2122ve just seen&#8230;well, that just never works for me. It becomes less about the characters and more about the director &#8211; namely, how clever he or she is to have thought of a song with lyrics that sum up what just happened. And how deep his or her CD collection is.<\/p>\n<p>But here I\u00e2\u20ac\u2122m getting cranky again, and that\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s not right. I can\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t be a curmudgeon about music &#8211; it\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s just too crucial to me. So instead, I\u00e2\u20ac\u2122m gonna focus on something I love &#8211; musicals.<\/p>\n<p>I love me some musicals. I think I\u00e2\u20ac\u2122m one of those people who envies the characters, because they get to break out in song now and then and sing out all the emotions that they can\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t say. We should do that more in real life. When you\u00e2\u20ac\u2122re in the boss\u00e2\u20ac\u2122 office, and he\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s explaining that the pictures of your family on your desk are creating a hostile work environment &#8211; what better way to respond than in song? In real life, bursting into song gets you arrested. In a musical, that\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s how you win the girl.<\/p>\n<p>So, in no particular order, here are my favorite musicals, and why:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>\u00e2\u20ac\u0153Rent.\u00e2\u20ac\u009d It\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s an obvious choice, but so what &#8211; it\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s daring, it\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s romantic, it\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s snotty, it offers characters that are instantly likeable and complex, it\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s bursting with energy, and it absolutely earns its tears. And here\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s a surprise&#8230;it doesn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t feel dated at all, even though, by definition, it is. The music is a deft blend of Broadway and rock\/pop, and while there are a few second-rate songs and rhymes (what a shame that Roger\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s final ode to Mimi is so weak), the majority of the tracks just soar with abandon, melody, wit, and rhythm. Trying to pick a favorite song is like choosing a puppy at the pet store, but for a pure, slick little delight, how about \u00e2\u20ac\u0153Santa Fe,\u00e2\u20ac\u009d Collins\u00e2\u20ac\u2122 sly ode to selling out?<\/li>\n<li>\u00e2\u20ac\u0153Guys and Dolls.\u00e2\u20ac\u009d I\u00e2\u20ac\u2122ve never been a fan of the older shows. I grew up on rock and roll (GOOD rock and roll &#8211; my parents fed me Chuck Berry and Jerry Lee Lewis), so I get a little impatient with your \u00e2\u20ac\u0153Carnivals\u00e2\u20ac\u009d and your \u00e2\u20ac\u0153Carousels\u00e2\u20ac\u009d and other shows that may or may not begin with \u00e2\u20ac\u0153C.\u00e2\u20ac\u009d I\u00e2\u20ac\u2122m not proud of that, friends&#8230;but that\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s the way it is. But \u00e2\u20ac\u0153Guys and Dolls\u00e2\u20ac\u009d is a beauty from start to finish &#8211; it\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s hilarious, it\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s subversive, the humor builds, it gets romantic but never schmaltzy (it\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s too smart for that), and the music is uniformly wonderful.<\/li>\n<li>\u00e2\u20ac\u0153Hedwig and the Angry Inch.\u00e2\u20ac\u009d Composers have struggled for years to offer true, driving rock music in musicals. \u00e2\u20ac\u0153Grease,\u00e2\u20ac\u009d \u00e2\u20ac\u0153Little Shop,\u00e2\u20ac\u009d \u00e2\u20ac\u0153Rocky Horror,\u00e2\u20ac\u009d even \u00e2\u20ac\u0153Superstar\u00e2\u20ac\u009d all tried, but they ended up offering rock through a Broadway filter, and no wonder&#8230;rock music is about pure emotion, but the people on stage are acting, singing, dancing&#8230;there\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s a disconnect between the primitive nature of rock and the very act of putting on a character. But not in \u00e2\u20ac\u0153Hedwig,\u00e2\u20ac\u009d because what we\u00e2\u20ac\u2122re seeing is a concert with a narrative. It\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s a brilliant, bold idea, and man oh man, does it work, both as theatre and rock and roll. The music is fabulous &#8211; a blend of glam rock, punk, and heartfelt ballads, just the kind of thing our hero might create. See the movie, sure, but definitely see the show.<\/li>\n<li>\u00e2\u20ac\u0153Bat Boy.\u00e2\u20ac\u009d I\u00e2\u20ac\u2122m incredibly biased, because I was in the show and it was one of the great theatre experiences of my life. But even so, I can step back and see that \u00e2\u20ac\u0153Bat Boy\u00e2\u20ac\u009d is something wonderful: it\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s satire with emotion, camp with anger, a genuinely hilarious and scary ride &#8211; and it gives you the Grand Guignol ending so many \u00e2\u20ac\u0153horror\u00e2\u20ac\u009d shows botch. The music is a top-notch, joyful mix of pop, gospel, bad rap, pure Broadway &#8211; and there\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s not a bad song in the bunch.<\/li>\n<li>\u00e2\u20ac\u0153Evita.\u00e2\u20ac\u009d It took \u00e2\u20ac\u0153Evita\u00e2\u20ac\u009d a long, long time to become one of my favorites. I used to object to its use of repetition, its overblown string cadences, its use of recitative. Now, however, I think it\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s one of the greatest plays of our time &#8211; a massively ambitious look at a massively ambitious woman, and an examination of the strange relationship between politics and celebrity. And there are even some subtle moments &#8211; \u00e2\u20ac\u0153Another Suitcase, Another Hall\u00e2\u20ac\u009d sounds suspiciously like the \u00e2\u20ac\u0153hit single,\u00e2\u20ac\u009d but it\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s a nice moment nonetheless. Mandy may do some serious emoting on the Broadway CD, but don\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t let that get in your way&#8230;\u00e2\u20ac\u009dEvita\u00e2\u20ac\u009d is an incredible piece of work, and \u00e2\u20ac\u0153Don\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t Cry For Me Argentina\u00e2\u20ac\u009d has about six layers of meaning, if you really want to dig that deep.<\/li>\n<li>\u00e2\u20ac\u0153Little Shop of Horrors.\u00e2\u20ac\u009d I love it when high art is inspired by low art, and vice versa, but in either school you run the danger of condescension. Not here. \u00e2\u20ac\u0153Little Shop\u00e2\u20ac\u009d treats its hero and his situation with utter seriousness, and the score is a masterpiece of melody and rhythm. The Menken\/Ashman combo hit a high here that they\u00e2\u20ac\u2122ve never surpassed &#8211; try not to bob your head during \u00e2\u20ac\u0153Feed Me\/Get it.\u00e2\u20ac\u009d I dare you.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>Some other musicals that will always have a home in my heart:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>\u00e2\u20ac\u0153Jesus Christ Superstar.\u00e2\u20ac\u009d It\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s big and bombastic and thinks very highly of itself, but it works. \u00e2\u20ac\u0153Heaven on Their Minds\u00e2\u20ac\u009d is one of the great openers of all time &#8211; it\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s a mini-musical all on its own.<\/li>\n<li>\u00e2\u20ac\u0153Grease.\u00e2\u20ac\u009d It\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s remarkably stupid and vulgar, but those are plusses to a guy like me. Besides, I was in the show once, and when the bass started playing the first few notes of \u00e2\u20ac\u0153Summer Loving,\u00e2\u20ac\u009d the exhilaration in the audience was palpable. Plus, I met my wife in that show!<\/li>\n<li>\u00e2\u20ac\u0153The Music Man.\u00e2\u20ac\u009d Again, I was in it, and it was a glorious experience, but consider how lovely and original the music is, and how cleverly Harold Hill cons the audience into wanting him to get away with it.<\/li>\n<li>\u00e2\u20ac\u0153Company.\u00e2\u20ac\u009d My fave Sondheim show &#8211; so accessible that you don\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t realize how revolutionary it is. Has there ever been another musical that took place in the course of one second?<\/li>\n<li>\u00e2\u20ac\u0153The Rocky Horror Show.\u00e2\u20ac\u009d I have yet to outgrow it. I know the arguments against &#8211; it\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s slipshod, some of the music was clearly written before the show was conceived, it basically falls apart halfway through Act Two. But it\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s also genuinely funny and satiric, and Act One is pure adrenaline.<\/li>\n<li>\u00e2\u20ac\u0153Oklahoma.\u00e2\u20ac\u009d What can I say? It\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s a hell of a show, a cornucopia of activity, plots, characters, and energy. Besides, it\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s subversive &#8211; ever notice how Curly, our hero, is kind of a dick?<\/li>\n<li>\u00e2\u20ac\u0153Avenue Q\u00e2\u20ac\u009d and \u00e2\u20ac\u0153Urinetown.\u00e2\u20ac\u009d We can all agree that we don\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t need any more hip, self-aware musicals, right? So how come these two are so fresh and hilarious? Beats me, but these two very different shows are the best musicals I\u00e2\u20ac\u2122ve seen on Broadway in recent years.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>Now I wouldn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t be me if I didn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t whine, so here are a few big &amp; famous musicals that do little to nothing for me, and why. I\u00e2\u20ac\u2122m wrong about them, of course&#8230;dead wrong, and what the hell gives me the right? Not a damn thing, that\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s what. Anyway, here we go.<\/p>\n<ul type=\"disc\">\n<li>\u00e2\u20ac\u0153Les Miserables.\u00e2\u20ac\u009d It\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s not so much a tear-jerker as it is a mace-in-eyes-sprayer. Still, I\u00e2\u20ac\u2122d forgive its shameless suckerpunches &#8211; like trotting out lovestruck ing\u00c3\u00a9nues and sprightly 10-year-old boys just to kill them off for effect &#8211; if it weren\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t so damn BORING. But then, millions love it, so who the heck am I to judge?<\/li>\n<li>\u00e2\u20ac\u0153Bye Bye Birdie.\u00e2\u20ac\u009d I can deal wih sanitized pop, but \u00e2\u20ac\u0153Sincere\u00e2\u20ac\u009d as a rock n\u00e2\u20ac\u2122 roll song? Sorry.<\/li>\n<li>\u00e2\u20ac\u0153Jekyll &amp; Hyde.\u00e2\u20ac\u009d It\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s hard to write a musical. It\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s really, really hard.<\/li>\n<li>\u00e2\u20ac\u0153Brooklyn the Musical.\u00e2\u20ac\u009d It\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s what would happen if Disney created \u00e2\u20ac\u0153Rent.\u00e2\u20ac\u009d The show is one false, labored note after another. But the kids are good.<\/li>\n<li>\u00e2\u20ac\u0153Chess.\u00e2\u20ac\u009d Haven\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t seen the show, but then I haven\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t been able to sit through the first 20 minutes of the original album, so there\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s not much chance I\u00e2\u20ac\u2122ll be buying a ticket. I dig the trashy rap song, though!<\/li>\n<li>\u00e2\u20ac\u0153Phantom of the Opera.\u00e2\u20ac\u009d Ah, the spectacle! Ah, the effects! Ah, the music! Ah, the zzzzzzzzzzzzzzz&#8230;<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>That ends another chapter. Stay tuned next week (?) when we\u00e2\u20ac\u2122ll discuss the non-musical music that makes my heart sing and my soul happy. Until then&#8230;sing, sing a song. Make it simple, to last the whole night long&#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>A while ago, I wrote a cranky diatribe against using music as underscoring in plays. Turns out I\u00e2\u20ac\u2122m against it. Well, my mailbox was flooded with angry letters the next day. None of them were about music. I can\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t say exactly what they were about (but how cool is it that you don\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t even have [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"parent":64,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","template":"","meta":{"footnotes":""},"class_list":["post-105","page","type-page","status-publish","hentry"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/mattcasarino.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/pages\/105","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/mattcasarino.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/mattcasarino.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mattcasarino.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mattcasarino.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=105"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/mattcasarino.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/pages\/105\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":107,"href":"https:\/\/mattcasarino.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/pages\/105\/revisions\/107"}],"up":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mattcasarino.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/pages\/64"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/mattcasarino.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=105"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}