I've always appreciated shows that dared to offer their points of access very gently. In craft discussions, the "I Want" song is generally placed in the 2nd position. But shows that put it first, and gracefully scaled, often win my heart. I can go back to "Hallelujah, Baby!" for an early example*. "My Own Morning," a very small song indeed, but in some ways a perfect one, starts that (admittedly dated, flawed) show. It wasn't daring, but the show could've been a more traditional entertainment, and resisted. Many better known examples can be cited, but it's intriguing when the lesser works took that path.
*On B'way, as indicated in the Sony CD liner notes, Uggams appeared in a non-musical prologue to explain the conceit, i.e. she'll stay the same age. When the show toured, that was gone. At any rate, it was interesting that the show wasn't framed with a musical number that might've set up more than the non-aging convention. |
