10 MUSICALS/SONG-CYCLES: The Lesser Known Gems

****WARNING**** I finished this while I was at work and didn’t realize until after how the formatting was all at of whack PLUS the video links I provided only seem to show up when you view it on a desktop or in “web version” mode. So for now, please ignore the weird formatting glitches and the obvious lack of videos. Thanks!****

________________

With the theatre scene starting to gradually open here in New York, I thought this would be a good time to take a step back from my series of posts regarding films and delve into another world that takes up a large portion of my life: musical theatre.

I think I don't talk about musicals much anymore because I am often left indifferent or cold to a lot of the musicals that have been coming out in recent years. We see a small sprinkle of originality here and there but I still think the Broadway scene is being dominated by jukebox musicals or...as the latest trend seems to suggest...the biopic jukebox musical.

Even a musical like The Band's Visit is technically part of the whole "movie-to-musical" trend but I feel like its pedigree and concept helped make it fall into a more prestigious group.

I talked about my favorite musicals on my old blog and I think I will redo my list here...but instead I am taking a detour and felt that it might be fun to do something different.

I feel certain musicals tend to fade over time and that without a revival, it may not be easy for these shows to gain new audiences or fans if they don't come across a cast recording.

My desire with this post is to come up with 10 musicals/song cycles/revues that I am fond of that don't always get the attention they deserve. This isn't necessarily to say that I would rank them on my personal top 10 list of favorite musicals but they are strong pieces of work in various ways.

I will not be ranking these either. Instead, this will just be a list in alphabetical order...and my hope is that maybe some of you will end up seeking these out. 

_________________________________

Baby (1983)

Book by Sybille Pearson/Music by David Shire/Lyrics by Richard Maltby Jr.

In a Broadway season that contained La Cage aux Folles and Sunday in the Park with George battling it out for the spotlight and the awards, it was bound that a little musical like Baby would end up fading away...especially when most of the tourists were still going to see A Chorus Line and Cats. 

Baby tells the story of three couples who discover they are now expecting a child: one is a young couple who are still in college; the second is a couple in their 30s who had been trying for a while to conceive; and the third is a couple in their 40s who are approaching their twilight years. 

The musical also does take a rather bold approach at discussing abortion and miscarriages...or at least as bold as a musical written in 1980s Reagan-ized Amercia can muster. I appreciate that the writing team didn't just focus on the joy of pregnancy but how it may not always be what someone even wants or how it could lead to tragedy.

The musical has managed to find a bit of new life if only for the legend of the original actress who first performed the role of Lizzie: the luminous Liz Callaway. Her performance of the Act One closer "The Story Goes On" is a classic and a song I have heard many young girls tackling at auditions. 

I can understand why it is a beloved song...but I wish the musical, as a whole, got more attention.

One other song I really like from the score is Todd Graff as Danny singing "I Chose Right" which is the lead-in song to Callaway's "The Story Goes On".

Liz Callaway sings "The Story Goes On" on Merv Griffin

Todd Graff sings "I Chose Right" from the OBC of Baby

____________________________

December Songs (1991)

Conceived by Maury Yeston

As quite possibly one of the more prolific theatre composers to have come out in the last 40 years, Maury Yeston burst onto the scene in 1982 having composed the score to the musical Nine and winning his first of two Tony Awards in the process.

Yeston has given us some of the most beautiful melodies in musical theatre in the last couple of decades such as "Unusual Way" from Nine, "New Words" from In the Beginning, "Love Can't Happen" from Grand Hotel, "No Moon" from Titanic, and pretty much the entire song cycle that is December Songs.

I mentioned in my intro that this list would also include song cycles which could also be referred to as a revue, but song cycle is a better term as they typically stick to a firm theme and story while also not containing any dialogue...and if so, it is kept at an extreme minimum.

December Songs is the finest work that Maury Yeston ever composed and I distinctly remember as a young boy hearing the original interpreter of the songs, Andrea Marcovicci, sing selections for a filmed concert on PBS. 

Yeston had been commissioned to write the piece for the centennial celebration of Carnegie Hall and he settled on doing something of a reworking of Schubert's Winterreise. Both pieces deal with a person taking a lonely walk in the snow while reminiscing over a lost love, but while the former involves a man descending into madness, Yeston has a young woman walk through snowy Central Park as she seeks to find some form of hope and recovery.

My favorite selection from the piece is I Had A Dream About You, which I actually sang for a cabaret once several years ago. I still think it might be one of the better melodies that Yeston ever wrote.

Below is a recording of the song performed by Laura Osnes for an album she made covering Yeston's work. This album, produced by my friend Tommy Krasker, is an excellent listen and I hope you will check out the album in full. PS Classics always gives us primo work on their recordings.

It won't let me embed a link, so feel free to check out the song at the hyperlink below.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ke74OqNc0ck

____________________________

I Love You Because

Music by Joshua Salzman/Lyrics by Ryan Cunningham

    I Love You Because began its life at NYU where Salzman and Cunningham met...and the basis for the musical was Pride & Prejudice but with the genders reversed.

It also must be said that this is the only musical on this list in which I actually starred in a production of it. I played the lead role of Austin Bennett, and for further proof, here is a pic below:

My character was just told that Billy Joel might go back on tour. 

So, Austin is an uptight conservative man who works as a greeting card writer...something that he considers himself to be "a master" at.

One night as he preps for a glorious date with his girlfriend Catherine, he discovers her with another man and thus falls apart.

He soon comes into the orbit of Marcy, a rather eccentric woman who is free of any pretention. The two are not a match at first glance, but that is perfect for Marcy as her friend Diana has convinced her that in order to find Mr. Right...she needs to find Mr. Wrong first to get the whole rebound concept out of the way. 

As this goes on, Diana ends up developing a friends with benefits style relationship with Austin's older brother Jeff...which leads to complicated feelings for them as well.

I Love You Because is a musical that manages to be both cutesy and rather cynical all at once. The final message of the musical shows that opposites not only attract, but they can also help you overcome things about yourself that may need fixing.

Austin, as a character, really needed to lighten up. Marcy, as a character, needed a little more structure. They fell in love because of who they were and not in spite of it.

             The titular finale of I Love You Because.

This is professionally filmed footage of the Off-Broadway Production featuring Farah Alvin, Colin Hanlon, Stephane D'Abruzzio, and David Austin

____________________________

A Man of No Importance

Book by Terrence McNally/Music by Stephen Flaherty/Lyrics by Lynn Ahrens

The writing duo of Stephen Flaherty and Lynn Ahrens have had something of a rather eclectic career. They first made a name of themselves writing the Caribbean-infused score to Once On This Island and then made a splash in Hollywood writing the score to the animated classic Anastasia. In 1998, their magnum opus Ragtime opened on Broadway only for them to hit a rather infamous roadblock with the premiere of their Seussical: The Musical in 2000. 

Coming out of that process led to them adapting a little seen 1994 Irish film called A Man of No Importance, which is some of the best work Ahrens & Flaherty ever developed.

The piece goes into the story of a closeted homosexual named Alfred, who is a bus conductor in 1963 Dublin. His main passion is putting up amateur theatre productions, particularly the works of Oscar Wilde. His amateur theatre group faces opposition from the church he wants to stage Wilde's Salome in and during this process, Alfred's closeted desires are awakened by a young man he meets a younger man named Robbie whom he desperately wants to play his leading man.

I think that as a complete work, A Man of No Importance does represent some of the finest material that not just Ahrens & Flaherty wrote but also for Book writer Terrence McNally.

Below is a link to the powerful Steven Pasquale singing what might be the best and most known song from the show: "The Streets of Dublin".

       Steven Pasquale performs "The Streets of Dublin"

                        —————-————————

A New Brain

Conceived by William Finn & James Lapine

I debated putting this one on here because I feel like a lot of theatre people are very aware of it, especially in recent years with the Encores production starring the very popular and beloved Jonathan Groff.

In the end though, this is a musical that never went to Broadway nor is William Finn a composer who is as big a name as the likes of Andrew Lloyd Webber, Stephen Sondheim, or Stephen Schwartz.

A New Brain was based around an event that actually occurred to composer William Finn as he suffered from an Arteriovenous malformation and despite facing death, he ended up recovering and began writing songs that would become focal to A New Brain while still in the hospital.

His stage alter-ego, Gordon Schwinn, is out to lunch with a friend when he clutches his head in pain and collapses into his food. While in the hospital, he desperately wants to find a way to live as he hopes to complete the score he seeks to compose.

A New Brain is about the healing power of music and how much it can affect us on a deep level. 

One of the most simplistically beautiful songs I have heard from a musical has to be "I'd Rather Be Sailing" which is sung by Gordon's partner Roger. 

Here is Norm Lewis singing the song on the Original Off-Broadway Cast Recording, featuring snippets of Malcolm Gets as Gordon.

____________________________

Miss Gulch Returns

Conceived by Fred Barton

If there was ever a cabaret act I would dream of taking on, it is Miss Gulch Returns...and believe me, I have tried contacting Fred Barton to do it but I guess it wasn't meant to be.

The concept of this act is that Miss Gulch, the character from The Wizard of Oz that tries to take Toto the dog, is explaining her backstory and why she is the way she is...while also expressing her sexual frustrations until she may have finally found the right man.

As played by Barton in drag, the existing audio recording was done live at a 1984 performance (I want to say it was at Don't Tell Mamas but don't quote me on that) and it is an absolute campy delight.

As someone who loves the legend of Judy Garland, I love how Barton incorporates that legend into the piece and how it affects Miss Gulch...and I think the remarkable thing about the songs he composed are that they have that catchy Tin Pan Alley/Cabaret style but the lyrical play is wicked smart (pardon the pun). 

I would go as far as to say one of my favorite rhymes I've ever heard comes from Miss Gulch Returns, which occurs in the reprise of what may be the most well known song: "Pour Me a Man".

What good is vodka?

I've been drinking eight bottles a week.

Can Vodka beat

a bod complete

with God-like physique.

Talk about a line that just hits so perfectly!

The piece is often riotously funny but it isn't without pathos. I would say the song "Everyone Worth Taking" is rather melancholy even if it does have its own share of humorous lines.

Here is actual video from one of the performances Barton did at Don't Tell Mama back in May 1984. The song, "I'm a Bitch", is supposed to be Miss Gulch's cut song from The Wizard of Oz.

       Fred Barton as Miss Gulch sings "I'm a Bitch"

_______________________________

See What I Wanna See

Conceived by Michael John LaChiusa

Writer/Composer Michael John LaChiusa is one of those theatre artists that I feel can be very dark and relentless and abstract with his work...and yet, he always seems to manage to be right on the fringe of the mainstream Broadway scene. In 2000, he managed to get his works Marie Christine and The Wild Party onto Broadway though both were relatively short-lived.

 I feel like a lot of his musicals could be featured on a list such as this. In fact, I almost chose his musical Hello Again but considering the fact it recently got an indie film adaptation, I went for an offering that hasn't had such a luxury...and I doubt ever will.

See What I Wanna See is a musical based on three short stories by Japanese writer Ryunosuke Akutagawa but modernized and condensed into two acts. Act 1 centers around characters involved in a 1951 Central Park murder while Act 2 centers on a priest who tries to fight his wavering faith by creating a miracle hoax.

    The first official production was done off-Broadway at The Public Theatre and it actually contains a performance by Idina Menzel that might be her best in terms of acting and vocals. 

Still though, it is the themes and the rather intricate and abstract music that only LaChiusa can provide that make this one of those musicals that will probably divide a lot of people in the end. 

Below is the title number performed by Ms. Menzel.

_______________________________

Starting Here, Starting Now

Conceived by David Shire & Richard Maltby Jr.

I feel like Starting Here, Starting Now is one of those shows where I cannot remember where I was when I first listened to it. If anything, I feel like it has just always been there.

As another song-cycle/revue entry on this list, this two-act piece features a cast of three (two women and a man) and an orchestra of three. 

Act One is goes into all of the emotions that one might face when trying to find love while in the city and then Act Two takes on the approach of people who recently got their heartbroken and might be finding love again.

Starting Here, Starting Now is a production I have always wanted to do and yet I have never seen any theatre company put up an audition notice for it....and with my burning desire to get back into performing again, I sort of want to will it into the universe that somewhere in the NY Metro area will do it.

I also pushed a lot of the score in my college Musical Theatre Voice classes as I felt the songs for the women were great from a character standpoint while also showing off eclectic vocal ranges and having the added benefit of not being as well known which comes in handy for auditions.

In terms of songs, "I Think I May Want to Remember Today", a duet between the two ladies, might be my favorite selection from the piece.

Much like the December Songs link, I wasn't able to embed it onto this page so I will post the direct link below.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=juq5gmmKhF0

_________________________________

Tell Me On A Sunday (Song & Dance)

Music by Andrew Lloyd Webber/Lyrics by Don Black

It is easy to bash Andrew Lloyd Webber...and I am guilty of doing it often. The quality of his work in the last 30 years has been mostly laughable and banal...but I can acknowledge when he writes music that I enjoy listening to.

While I tend to love a lot of what he composed for Evita and certain songs from Jesus Christ Superstar and Aspects of Love, I actually really quite love his late 70s/easy listening-imbued score from Tell Me On A Sunday...or as it was known when it premiered on Broadway: Song & Dance.

The original version was performed at both ALW's Sydmonton Festival and as filmed BBC production with actress Marti Webb performing the role of "The Girl" who would become known as Emma in the American version...I will call her Emma as well.

Emma is a young British woman who migrates to NYC in search of love while also working as a hat designer. A lot of the material is about her quest for love, the frustrations of dating, and often writing letters to her family back in England.

The simplicity of the material sort of keeps ALW at bay and also allows the performer portraying Emma to run the gamut of emotions.

Aside from the titular song, the score gave us the classic "Unexpected Song" along with one of my personal favorites: "Come Back with the Same Look in Your Eyes".

The musical is notable for finally winning Bernadette Peters her first Tony Award after she got royally robbed for Sunday in the Park with George. I am not sure the role works best for her, but she at least provides it with a vulnerable gusto that only Ms. Peters can provide.

Bernadette Peters, in concert, sings "Unexpected Song" from Tell Me On a Sunday/Song & Dance

________________________________

{title of show}

Book by Hunter Bell/Music & Lyrics by Jeff Bowen

When it comes to musicals that represent a certain level of fanaticism for the art form, I don't think you can really look further that [title of show], which was dubbed by its creators and stars (Jeff Bowen & Hunter Bell) as being "a musical about two guys writing a musical about two guys writing a musical".

This is a musical that didn't cater to your aunt who lives in Duluth, but rather those of us who might've been listening to the cast recording of Hallelujah Baby when we were 12 because we loved the voice of Leslie Uggams. 

Instead of going into a lot of the details with the plot, I am instead going to link up a video that the team of the show made and posted to YouTube back when it was still a relatively new site.

Filmed in the style of those cheesy informational videos that I often had to sit through back in the 90s, I still think this is one of my favorite videos I have seen on there.

It will tell you everything you need to know about this "original musical".

What is [title of show]?

_________________________________

IN CONCLUSION:

So, what ones have you heard of or perhaps actually have listened to or seen performed? Maybe you have even performed one of the songs or played one of the roles yourself.

I feel like I have neglected the theatre side of me for far too long. A lot of it had to do with sort of a perverse coping mechanism as I had to rely a lot on finding a survival job and then build up my time at that job so that I can make a good salary. 

The downside is that I felt a little trapped in terms of being able to not audition or even see shows as much as I would've liked. Then, in 2020, I had hoped to finally make some changes and restart that aspect of my life...and then we got treated to a pandemic...

My hope is that 2022 will become the year that I can start resuming auditioning again...and I also hope to discuss more theatre on my blog as well. I know that, perhaps, the audience will be more limited as opposed to when I discuss movies and television but hey...it's my blog!