Aside from a genuinely charming Tony hostessing job, and a fabulously earthy, beautifully sung performance in JESUS CHRIST SUPERSTAR, LIVE, can we say that Sara Bareilles belongs on Broadway?
For so many writers who have success in pop radio and then write a musical -- say, Paul Simon, Sting, Burt Bacharach, Frank Wildhorn, Boy George -- I remain fully convinced that they should slink their way back to the pop music industry.
(With apologies for the occasionally fantastic songs in each of their respective scores... but I'd rather hear them on the radio.)
But I don't feel that way about Ms. Bareilles. The more I listen to WAITRESS the more impressed I am, and I think she's still got beautiful room for growth as a songwriter. She collaborated with Josh Groban and Shaina Taub on the opening / closing number, but you can hear her heart and her rhythms in that writing. She's such an empathetic creator of sound, and she knows how to hear the emotional subtext of a dramatic moment. To me, that's one of the most crucial things that elevates a mere songwriter into someone who should be writing musicals. She can communicate the FEELINGS of a scene with mere music.
That's a talent. And you either have it or you don't.
I've heard from very good friends that she's collaborating on future projects, and i just want to say that I hope she'll keep writing for Broadway.
- GMB |
