| "The grit, the funk, and the Blackness it aspired to." | |
| Posted by: reed23 04:25 am EDT 03/19/22 | |
| In reply to: Billy Porter injects life into “The Life” and Ledisi stops the show - Singapore/Fling 11:24 pm EDT 03/18/22 | |
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| While I’m glad you liked it – and yours is the first and only positive reaction I’ve read in an overwhelming fusillade of reactions ranging from eye-rolling to poor to furious – I’m wondering about your comment that the original score “lacked the grit, the funk, and the Blackness it aspired to.” Since Cy Coleman co-produced the original, co-wrote the book to the original, composed the original, and co-arranged the vocals, and co-arranged the dance music, I’m curious why you thought the score “aspired” to a “grit, funk and Blackness” and missed the mark on all three. The original musical director was Gordon Harrell, the last word in pop/funk/jazz-oriented shows (including CITY OF ANGELS, DANCIN’, BIG DEAL, and THE LIFE). The original THE LIFE was co-orchestrated by Don Sebesky and Harold Wheeler. Sebesky was the go-to guy for jazz/big band shows, among a host of others, including PARADE, both KISS ME KATE revivals, both MINNELLI ON MINNELLI and LIZA’S AT THE PALACE, the revivals of BELLS ARE RINGING, BOYS FROM SYRACUSE, FLOWER DRUM SONG, PAL JOEY, the Bacharach show THE LOOK OF LOVE, and more recently COME FLY AWAY, BABY, IT’S YOU, HONEYMOON IN VEGAS, and AN AMERICAN IN PARIS. If only he were still with us – oh wait, he is. Harold Wheeler’s entire career was at the forefront of a host of pop and new styles on Broadway, beginning with PROMISES, PROMISES, AIN’T SUPPOSED TO DIE A NATURAL DEATH, TWO GENTLEMEN OF VERONA, a little skit called THE WIZ (both the original and the revival), LENA HORNE: THE LADY AND HER MUSIC, another little fly-by-night skit called DREAMGIRLS (and its revival), both revivals of LITTLE ME, THE TAP DANCE KID, CARRIE, THE LIFE, SIDESHOW (and it revival), SWING!, those insufficiently gritty, funky, black shows THE FULL MONTY and HAIRSPRAY, DIRTY ROTTEN SCOUNDRELS – and if only he were still with us. Oh wait, he is – his latest show, AIN’T TOO PROUD, having just closed in January. James Sampliner, who executed the re-arrangements of THE LIFE for what they’re still calling Encores, has been Billy Porter’s personal musical director for 17 years, so although his credits pale before those of the above, his presence on the project is not illogical. But if his work is all you say, I’m not sure it’s necessary (or true) to be quite so blithely dismissive of the formidable original team who created the actual show. |
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| Previous: | typo in above - Chazwaza 06:15 am EDT 03/19/22 |
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