But if the musical were closer to the source material, there might have been other songs. There are plenty of places for songs in The Matchmaker where there aren't songs in the musical, including in the entire last act at Miss Van Huysen's. For that matter, even in the musical, there is no reason why Dolly's monologue in the last scene could not have been a song. And in Detroit Hello, Dolly! even had an act-two duet for Dolly and Vandergelder that was cut with no replacement song.
Desiree has only one song in Act Two of A Little Night Music, and that show does OK. It's never been the blockbuster that Hello, Dolly, was, but in 1973, Hello, Dolly! would not have been the blockbuster it was in 1964. In many of the great musicals, including some of the biggest hits, the leading characters don't sing much in Act Two.
Anyway, I just don't like that title song very much. I never really have, and even the great staging doesn't thrill me, but I realize I'm in a small minority on this. I like most everything else in the score more. |
