| re: Brigadoon song The Love of My Life -- Question | |
| Posted by: | Michael_Portantiere 11:57 pm EDT 08/13/14 |
| In reply to: | re: Brigadoon song The Love of My Life -- Question - BroadwayTonyJ 05:50 pm EDT 08/13/14 |
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| "It's really disappointing that the current Goodman production has cut it." Well, that sure doesn't bode well for the overall quality of the production. Is it worth saving less than one minute of time if you're going to ruin the structure and mar the humor of one of the best songs in the score? | |
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| re: Brigadoon song The Love of My Life -- Question | |
| Posted by: | BroadwayTonyJ 10:29 am EDT 08/14/14 |
| In reply to: | re: Brigadoon song The Love of My Life -- Question - Michael_Portantiere 11:57 pm EDT 08/13/14 |
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| The intent of this thread has drifted a bit. Brigadoon is a show that is not frequently done in today's theatre. I've never seen a production outside of Chicago and I was curious if this somewhat suggestive verse is usually cut in other major productions. It's not a particularly long song and it really makes no sense to abbreviate it. A less well known venue like Theatre at the Centre wouldn't think twice about performing the number complete. However, some of the more prestigious Chicago theaters are becoming some of the most prudish when it comes to sexual innuendo. I've noticed in recent years sexually charged dialogue being censored at theaters even as respected as Steppenwolf. The quality of Goodman's production of Brigadoon is very high. I think it is a respectable attempt to make the show more appealing to today's audiences. I just happen to disagree somewhat with the changes they have made to the tone of the piece. | |
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| re: Brigadoon song The Love of My Life -- Question | |
| Posted by: | allineedisthegirl 11:10 am EDT 08/14/14 |
| In reply to: | re: Brigadoon song The Love of My Life -- Question - BroadwayTonyJ 10:29 am EDT 08/14/14 |
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| In the past dozen years I've been involved with two unrelated productions of Brigadoon, both in New York. In neither was the verse about the poet cut. One of the productions cut some of the Sword Dance music and some of the Bonnie Jean ballet. The other production performed the score uncut. "The Real Love of My Life" is not "usually" cut (I've seen other productions than those I was involved with). Even though you think it makes no sense, my guess is that Goodman trimmed the song to shorten a quite-long show (and not everyone thinks that this is one of the score's best songs, anyway.). db | |
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| re: Brigadoon song The Love of My Life -- Question | |
| Posted by: | MikeR 11:32 am EDT 08/14/14 |
| In reply to: | re: Brigadoon song The Love of My Life -- Question - allineedisthegirl 11:10 am EDT 08/14/14 |
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| I was in a decidedly non-major production several years ago that made many cuts (seriously, Tams probably should have shut us down), yet our Meg sang every word of "The Real Love Of My Life." | |
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| re: Brigadoon song The Love of My Life -- Question | |
| Posted by: | Michael_Portantiere 11:31 am EDT 08/14/14 |
| In reply to: | re: Brigadoon song The Love of My Life -- Question - allineedisthegirl 11:10 am EDT 08/14/14 |
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| Well, it may not be one of the score's VERY best songs, but I think the lyrics are excellent and very funny -- when the whole song is performed. And as I said, I don't think it's worth it to ruin the construction and mar the humor of the song in order to save about a minute of time. I think it would be better to make judicious cuts elsewhere. | |
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| re: Brigadoon song The Love of My Life -- Question | |
| Posted by: | allineedisthegirl 11:32 am EDT 08/14/14 |
| In reply to: | re: Brigadoon song The Love of My Life -- Question - Michael_Portantiere 11:31 am EDT 08/14/14 |
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| I agree with you. I was guessing at the intention for making the cut, not endorsing it. db | |
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| re: Brigadoon song The Love of My Life -- Question | |
| Posted by: | Michael_Portantiere 10:50 am EDT 08/14/14 |
| In reply to: | re: Brigadoon song The Love of My Life -- Question - BroadwayTonyJ 10:29 am EDT 08/14/14 |
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| BroadwayTony1, at first it occurred to me that the verse in question might have been cut because it's somewhat suggestive, as you say. But then I rejected that idea, because I would say the following verse -- which apparently was retained -- is even more suggestive. Here's the cut verse: "Oh he was a poet, a rhymer was he He read me some verse he had written for me He said they would move me, these poems from his pen, An' how right he was, because they moved me right into the glen. We stayed till the dawn came an' lighted the sky, Then I shook his hand an' I bid him good-bye. I never went back, for what I had heard was true: That a poet only writes about the things he cannot do." And here's the even more suggestive verse (because of the "sword" line) that was apparently retained: "Oh, he was a soldier, a fine Highland son. He told me about all the battle he'd won. He wasted his time tellin' me about his might, For one look at him decided me to not put up a fight. We skirmished for hours that night in the glen, an' I found the sword has more might than the pen, But when I was drowsin' I snored to my dismay, An' he thought it was a bugle an' got up an' marched away." | |
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| re: Brigadoon song The Love of My Life -- Question | |
| Posted by: | BroadwayTonyJ 11:43 am EDT 08/14/14 |
| In reply to: | re: Brigadoon song The Love of My Life -- Question - Michael_Portantiere 10:50 am EDT 08/14/14 |
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| The entire song is suggestive but very funny and witty. According to the liner notes of the '47 OBC recording, censors forbade RCA Victor from recording it and even insisted they change the final risque lyric in My Mother's Wedding Day. The song was not included in either the MGM film or the Goulet TV version. The "poet" verse suggests that the guy may have been gay or just a nice, sensitive lad who could not respond to Meg's voracious sexual appetite. The "soldier" verse implies sexual fulfillment but the guy preferred not to stay the night. Knowing the prudish mentality of certain Chicago theaters, I can see why (although I think it's stupid) they cut the former but retain the latter. Have the productions in New York that you have seen ever dropped the "poet" verse? | |
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| re: Brigadoon song The Love of My Life -- Question | |
| Posted by: | Michael_Portantiere 11:52 am EDT 08/14/14 |
| In reply to: | re: Brigadoon song The Love of My Life -- Question - BroadwayTonyJ 11:43 am EDT 08/14/14 |
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| "The 'poet' verse suggests that the guy may have been gay or just a nice, sensitive lad who could not respond to Meg's voracious sexual appetite. The 'soldier' verse implies sexual fulfillment but the guy preferred not to stay the night. Knowing the prudish mentality of certain Chicago theaters, I can see why (although I think it's stupid) they cut the former but retain the latter." Well, that's interesting! So a reference to one guy's "sword" is no problem for the prudes, but a vague implication that another guy might be gay (or impotent) is? The two New York productions of BRIGADOON that I saw were the Broadway revival with Martin Vidnovic et al., and the New York City Opera production with Judy Kaye et al. I don't specifically remember if the poet verse was dropped from either, but I highly doubt it. I'm loving this discussion, BroadwayTonyJ! | |
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| re: Brigadoon song The Love of My Life -- Question | |
| Posted by: | AlanScott 09:29 pm EDT 08/14/14 |
| In reply to: | re: Brigadoon song The Love of My Life -- Question - Michael_Portantiere 11:52 am EDT 08/14/14 |
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| "The Love of My Life" was performed complete in the NYCO production in the first season and in the last season it was done (with Judy Kaye as Meg) and probably when they did it in between those times. Although, as mentioned above, they did adjust the orchestration for the soldier verse. It was also done complete in the 1980 Broadway revival. That production, however, cut "My Mother's Wedding Day," although they did use some of the music for a dance sequence in the same spot. | |
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| re: Brigadoon song The Love of My Life -- Question | |
| Posted by: | BroadwayTonyJ 01:20 pm EDT 08/14/14 |
| In reply to: | re: Brigadoon song The Love of My Life -- Question - Michael_Portantiere 11:52 am EDT 08/14/14 |
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| I really love this song. I listened to the '91 recording yesterday and laughed out loud several times during Judy Kaye's rendition. I particularly enjoy the innuendo when she sings (in reference to her coupling with Chris MacGill) "an' a few other things". I'm going to check out Johnson's version again when I get home after work tonight. | |
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| re: Brigadoon song The Love of My Life -- Question | |
| Posted by: | Michael_Portantiere 02:09 pm EDT 08/14/14 |
| In reply to: | re: Brigadoon song The Love of My Life -- Question - BroadwayTonyJ 01:20 pm EDT 08/14/14 |
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| The Johnson and Kaye recordings are both great. | |
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