| DOCTOR ZHIVAGO and the Interpolation of Doom | |
| Posted by: | NeoAdamite 03:35 pm EDT 05/10/15 |
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| It will surprise no one to learn that DOCTOR ZHIVAGO includes "Somewhere My Love," whose tune was composed by Maurice Jarre for the 1965 film. Similar movie-related interpolations have appeared recently in ROCKY ("Eye of the Tiger") and GHOST ("Unchained Melody"). Does the presence of such an interpolation predict a flop? Are there any counter-examples of successful shows which prominently include such a 'borrowed' theme? Presumably such interpolations are added because it's felt that the audience will feel disappointed if the theme is omitted. That may well be true, but it always feels to me like an admission that the source was chosen because of its familiarity, rather than because the story will gain depth, intensity, and/or memorability from musical adaptation. The closest case I can think of was ADDAMS FAMILY, which included a few bars of the TV theme at the very beginning. Any others? | |
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| No one has ever attempted to interpolate "Moon River" | |
| Posted by: | garyd 10:17 pm EDT 05/10/15 |
| In reply to: | DOCTOR ZHIVAGO and the Interpolation of Doom - NeoAdamite 03:35 pm EDT 05/10/15 |
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| into "Breakfast a Tiffany's …I don't think. Perhaps they should have. To address your question. "The Producers" interpolated "Springtime for Hitler" with rather successful results. On the other hand, no one has attempted a musical theatre version of "Ryans' Daughter" . Or do I forget? Has there been a musical theatre version of "Mondo Cane"? | |
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| re: DOCTOR ZHIVAGO and the Interpolation of Doom | |
| Posted by: | Michael_Portantiere 10:07 pm EDT 05/10/15 |
| In reply to: | DOCTOR ZHIVAGO and the Interpolation of Doom - NeoAdamite 03:35 pm EDT 05/10/15 |
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| I actually think THE ADDAMS FAMILY is another example of your thesis. It may have eventually become a financial hit on the road, after extensive rewriting, but I believe the Broadway production was a financial as well as a complete artistic flop. | |
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| re: DOCTOR ZHIVAGO and the Interpolation of Doom | |
| Posted by: | NeoAdamite 01:31 am EDT 05/11/15 |
| In reply to: | re: DOCTOR ZHIVAGO and the Interpolation of Doom - Michael_Portantiere 10:07 pm EDT 05/10/15 |
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| I was giving ADDAMS FAMILY a pass because the usage was so brief. | |
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| Not exactly the same, but… | |
| Posted by: | ADFeldman 09:29 pm EDT 05/10/15 |
| In reply to: | DOCTOR ZHIVAGO and the Interpolation of Doom - NeoAdamite 03:35 pm EDT 05/10/15 |
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| … I'd argue that the interpolation of Bacharach and David's "A House Is Not a Home" into the Broadway revival of Promises, Promises—despite the fact that the song's lyrics express the opposite of what was happening in the plot—was a good symbol of what was wrong about the production as a whole. ("I Say a Little Prayer" was a more harmless addition.) | |
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| Seemingly odd as 'Lara's Theme' inclusion was, | |
| Posted by: | jimvar1 08:22 pm EDT 05/10/15 |
| In reply to: | DOCTOR ZHIVAGO and the Interpolation of Doom - NeoAdamite 03:35 pm EDT 05/10/15 |
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| how could a telling of DR. ZHIVAGO NOT include the song? Because it has so apropos lyrics by Paul Francis Webster, it is even more inextricably linked to Dr. Z (how's that for a title: DR. Z -- they might've gotten the Doctor Who fans in there, lol) than "Tara's Theme" is to GONE WITH THE WIND...or the "The Third Man Theme to...well, THE THIRD MAN. Another movie theme-included-in-stage-version example is : "I Will Wait for You" for UMBRELLAS OF CHERBOURG. Am waiting for a musical version of THE THIRD MAN so I can hear that theme there! | |
| re: DOCTOR ZHIVAGO and the Interpolation of Doom | |
| Posted by: | makemlaff 08:15 pm EDT 05/10/15 |
| In reply to: | DOCTOR ZHIVAGO and the Interpolation of Doom - NeoAdamite 03:35 pm EDT 05/10/15 |
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| I believe the musical 9 TO 5 had the title song from the film in it. I'd be curious to know if the stage adaptation of GONE WITH THE WIND includes any reference to Tara's Theme. Not quite the same thing but FOOTLOOSE, SATURDAY NIGHT FEVER and URBAN COWBOY all had that hodge podge of film score and original music. None were especially successful on Broadway. | |
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| re: DOCTOR ZHIVAGO and the Interpolation of Doom | |
| Posted by: | drama101 10:59 pm EDT 05/10/15 |
| In reply to: | re: DOCTOR ZHIVAGO and the Interpolation of Doom - makemlaff 08:15 pm EDT 05/10/15 |
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| No iteration of Rome's score for GWTW includes any reference to the famous film score. He came up with his own sweeping themes (including one major one in the opening), but steered clear of the Steiner's iconic compositions entirely. | |
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| this gets my vote... | |
| Posted by: | showtunetrivia 06:11 pm EDT 05/10/15 |
| In reply to: | DOCTOR ZHIVAGO and the Interpolation of Doom - NeoAdamite 03:35 pm EDT 05/10/15 |
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| ...as my favorite subject header of the year. :) To pick a counter-example, David Merrick and Bob Merrill specifically did NOT want to use the hit song, "Hi-lili, Hi-lo" from LILI when writing CARNIVAL. Laura | |
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| re: this gets my vote... | |
| Posted by: | keikekaze 10:25 pm EDT 05/10/15 |
| In reply to: | this gets my vote... - showtunetrivia 06:11 pm EDT 05/10/15 |
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| David Merrick and Bob Merrill specifically did NOT want to use the hit song, "Hi-lili, Hi-lo" from LILI when writing CARNIVAL. And the reason for that, of course, was that the motivation for adapting a movie to the musical stage then was entirely different from now. Musical creators then looked to the movies simply to supply a suitable plot that had already been put into dramatic form (as a screenplay) that would provide the springboard for a musical theater experience that was meant to be something new and different--not (as now) as slavish an imitation of the movie as possible. As an emblem of that difference, producers in the old days almost never used the title of the original movie being adapted; today, they wouldn't dream of using anything but the original title. | |
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| re: this gets my vote... | |
| Posted by: | Chromolume 11:11 pm EDT 05/10/15 |
| In reply to: | re: this gets my vote... - keikekaze 10:25 pm EDT 05/10/15 |
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| However, they certainly came up with a comparable "theme" song in "Love Makes The World Go Round" - equally simple, folk-ish, and inviting - but yet not melodically similar to the film song at all. | |
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| re: DOCTOR ZHIVAGO and the Interpolation of Doom | |
| Posted by: | PeterJCasey 04:49 pm EDT 05/10/15 |
| In reply to: | DOCTOR ZHIVAGO and the Interpolation of Doom - NeoAdamite 03:35 pm EDT 05/10/15 |
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| It's not adapted from a movie, but I think 'Rent' shows how to do this right, in that "Musetta's Waltz" is intimately bound up in the score right from the beginning. Characters comment upon it, and one tries to transcend it in his own way - just as the show itself tries to do with its source material. | |
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| re: DOCTOR ZHIVAGO and the Interpolation of Doom | |
| Posted by: | Alcindoro 07:26 pm EDT 05/10/15 |
| In reply to: | re: DOCTOR ZHIVAGO and the Interpolation of Doom - PeterJCasey 04:49 pm EDT 05/10/15 |
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| Only the first few notes of "Quando m'en vo" are used. Just a brief reference. Not the same as wholesale interpolation. | |
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| Dance of the Vampires | |
| Posted by: | Ijest22 04:47 pm EDT 05/10/15 |
| In reply to: | DOCTOR ZHIVAGO and the Interpolation of Doom - NeoAdamite 03:35 pm EDT 05/10/15 |
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| And Total Eclipse of the Heart. Same composer for both, though. | |
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| re: Dance of the Vampires | |
| Posted by: | JAllenC3 06:00 pm EDT 05/10/15 |
| In reply to: | Dance of the Vampires - Ijest22 04:47 pm EDT 05/10/15 |
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| The song was written for the show, the show just didn't get produced until after the song became a hit. | |
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| re: DOCTOR ZHIVAGO and the Interpolation of Doom | |
| Posted by: | drama101 04:44 pm EDT 05/10/15 |
| In reply to: | DOCTOR ZHIVAGO and the Interpolation of Doom - NeoAdamite 03:35 pm EDT 05/10/15 |
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| "Springtime For Hitler" from The Producers. | |
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| Charlie and the Chocolate Factory | |
| Posted by: | UWS_JIM 04:40 pm EDT 05/10/15 |
| In reply to: | DOCTOR ZHIVAGO and the Interpolation of Doom - NeoAdamite 03:35 pm EDT 05/10/15 |
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| Has Pure Imagination from the movie and is a success in that it is still running in the west end after two years. | |
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| re: Charlie and the Chocolate Factory | |
| Posted by: | NeoAdamite 04:41 pm EDT 05/10/15 |
| In reply to: | Charlie and the Chocolate Factory - UWS_JIM 04:40 pm EDT 05/10/15 |
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| Has Pure Imagination from the movie and is a success in that it is still running in the west end after two years. Okay, that's one! | |
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| re: DOCTOR ZHIVAGO and the Interpolation of Doom | |
| Posted by: | simbo 04:05 pm EDT 05/10/15 |
| In reply to: | DOCTOR ZHIVAGO and the Interpolation of Doom - NeoAdamite 03:35 pm EDT 05/10/15 |
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| "Shrek" started including "I'm a Believer" as a curtain-call song about a year into the run (it also showed up in the Thanksgiving parade that year - it didn't help as the show closed just after new years) | |
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| re: DOCTOR ZHIVAGO and the Interpolation of Doom | |
| Posted by: | MarjorieMae 04:18 pm EDT 05/10/15 |
| In reply to: | re: DOCTOR ZHIVAGO and the Interpolation of Doom - simbo 04:05 pm EDT 05/10/15 |
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| According to IBDB "Never on Sunday" was included in the musical Illya Darling. But the song was written years before for the film Never on Sunday and won the Oscar for best original song in 1960. | |
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| re: DOCTOR ZHIVAGO and the Interpolation of Doom | |
| Posted by: | NeoAdamite 04:38 pm EDT 05/10/15 |
| In reply to: | re: DOCTOR ZHIVAGO and the Interpolation of Doom - MarjorieMae 04:18 pm EDT 05/10/15 |
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| According to IBDB "Never on Sunday" was included in the musical Illya Darling I assume this was considered a success (320 performances in 1968), but even so this may not be a good example--"Sunday" composer Hadjidakis did the rest of the show, too. | |
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| re: DOCTOR ZHIVAGO and the Interpolation of Doom | |
| Posted by: | AlanScott 08:09 pm EDT 05/10/15 |
| In reply to: | re: DOCTOR ZHIVAGO and the Interpolation of Doom - NeoAdamite 04:38 pm EDT 05/10/15 |
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| No, not considered a success. Great reviews for Melina, but mostly negative reviews for the show. An ad in the Times the first Sunday after the opening was headed (not too surprisingly) "MELINA" and featured barely a single quote about anything but the star (although Walter Kerr's quoted mention of "Melina locked in the muscular embrace of a handsome dock worker without a shirt" may have brought some gay men to the box office). Audiences probably liked it a bit more than critics did as even with a big advance, a 10-month run suggests some audience appeal after the advance sale ran out. But it closed at a loss (probably a big one), and there was no tour, although Cyd Charisse did a stock tour. It may have been given a shot in the arm when Clive Barnes, not yet the Times theatre critic when it opened, reviewed it in November 1967 and said that the show had improved a bit since the opening thanks to a few changes, though he also said more changes still would be helpful. He basically said that it was better than the reviews might have made people think ("at least a notch or so above average," still not something you'd want to quote in an ad) and that "audiences seemed to love it." | |
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| re: DOCTOR ZHIVAGO and the Interpolation of Doom | |
| Posted by: | AlanScott 04:34 pm EDT 05/10/15 |
| In reply to: | re: DOCTOR ZHIVAGO and the Interpolation of Doom - MarjorieMae 04:18 pm EDT 05/10/15 |
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| One difference in the Illya Darling/Never on Sunday case is that the composer of the film score, including the song, composed the score for the musical. | |
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| re: DOCTOR ZHIVAGO and the Interpolation of Doom | |
| Posted by: | BruceinIthaca 04:33 pm EDT 05/10/15 |
| In reply to: | re: DOCTOR ZHIVAGO and the Interpolation of Doom - MarjorieMae 04:18 pm EDT 05/10/15 |
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| I never saw the play, but I assume "Footloose" probably had the Kenny Loggins song somewhere in it. Anyone know for certain? | |
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| re: DOCTOR ZHIVAGO and the Interpolation of Doom | |
| Posted by: | NeoAdamite 04:41 pm EDT 05/10/15 |
| In reply to: | re: DOCTOR ZHIVAGO and the Interpolation of Doom - BruceinIthaca 04:33 pm EDT 05/10/15 |
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| The songstack shows five pop songs, so I assume it was meant to function like a jukebox show. | |
| Link | Footloose |
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