| re: Prediction: Jerry Herman's Musicals will be Relegated to Encores Productions | |
| Last Edit: Chromolume 12:09 pm EST 12/17/17 | |
| Posted by: Chromolume 12:02 pm EST 12/17/17 | |
| In reply to: Prediction: Jerry Herman's Musicals will be Relegated to Encores Productions - Zelgo 03:27 pm EST 12/16/17 | |
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| New composers are mimicking Sondheim Mostly, I disagree. I think more composers are "mimicking" JRB. Or, to be more accurate, that more pop-infused style that we tend to generically call "contemporary Broadway." It's really a very different kind of sound than Sondheim. Also, though yes, Sondheim is certainly known for his use of intricate patter lyrics (but hey, so was W.S. Gilbert lol), the kind of over-crammed fast lyric writing we tend to get more and more of today, often in a very narrative style (again, JRB, but others too), also has more of a pop influence than anything that really relates to Sondheim. (I think not only of rap influences, but of pop hits like "One Week.") Also, in terms of Herman's shows having any longevity - it's interesting to look at other classic Broadway composers' outputs as well. How many Berlin shows (meaning the ones he actually wrote - not retreads like White Christmas) get produced with any sense of regularity? Only Annie Get Your Gun. Porter? Two shows. (Kiss Me, Kate, and the heavily reworked versions of Anything Goes). Loesser? Two. (Guys And Dolls and How To Succeed.) Harnick and Bock? Two. (Fiddler and She Loves Me.) Gershwin? One. (Porgy And Bess. Again, I'm not counting the shows the original writers didn't conceive in some way.) Kern? One. (Show Boat.) Youmans? One (No, No, Nanette, but in a rewrite of the score he wouldn't much recognize as his own.) Kander and Ebb? Really only two. (Cabaret and Chicago). Lerner and Loewe get 3. Rodgers and Hammerstein, of course, get at least 5, and 6 if you count all the heavily rewritten Cinderellas - but in terms of Rodgers and Hart, probably only Pal Joey and The Boys From Syracuse get done with any sense of regularity - maybe Babes In Arms also. Styne? Gypsy primarily, with Funny Girl and perhaps Bells Are Ringing in the background, though are either of these, especially the latter, really going to ever have a healthy revival rate? There's also Peter Pan of course - but he didn't write the whole score. Jones and Schmidt? Just The Fantasticks. We could go on and on. But look at all these hallowed composers and teams who may have scores full of memorable and respected songs, but who only have a few truly "name" shows that get done with any regularity. And many of the neglected ones are actually very fine shows - we all have our "dark horse" favorites of course. Which to me says that Herman is in solid company. |
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