Sound of Musicals: 3. Seasons of Love

Beauty and the Beast (1991) (film) • 00:40:00
Carrie (drama) • 00:30:00 • On difficulties with production, including BBC Breakfast Time report. NYT "a wreck ... with faceless bubblegum music". Performance footage followed by interview with Jack Viertel (producer).
John Napier (person) • 00:20:20 • Interview with Neil Brand: "I don't do, you know, velvet sofas and French windows, and the potted plant; I hate to use the word 'scenery'. And I don't like scenery. I find it kind of has an artifice rigged to it." ... "My thing, I think, because of being a sculptor, initially, I have a very peculiar brain. And sometimes, if you do something that's abstract, you can actually tell the story better, because the way you light it, the costumes; everything's given you the domestic detail, and you can make it simple, and you can make it epic."
Rocky Horror Picture Show (drama) • 00:07:00 • excerpt from BBC Panorama interview, 1974, Richard O'Brien: "There was one or two of the actors that had no idea of the genre, and I used to say 'when you're acting it's just B-movie acting, and when you're singing it's your rock and roll dreams come true".
Hamilton: An American Musical (drama) • 00:01:00 • brief mentions open and close episode
Starlight Express (drama) • 00:19:45 • brief footage of original London production/rehearsal
Superstar (music) • 00:11:00 • On the concept album approach, linking to Evita
Oh What A Circus (music) • 00:18:00 • 'Contrafacta' use of "Oh What a Circus" melody in "Don't Cry for Me Argentina"
The Lion King: The Broadway Musical (drama) • 00:43:30 • Interview with Thomas Schumacher about the untheatricality of the film: "what is needed was a giant idea". Interview with Julie Taymor, including her showing her costume designs, photos of her sculpting, and some rehearsal photos.
Miss Saigon (drama) • 00:29:15 • Section opens with mix of OLC and 'new' production footage. References John Napier's sets again.
Chess (drama) • 00:29:51 • On short Broadway run.
Hair (drama) • 00:03:00 • as symbolic of MT "getting it" and becoming cool again
Wicked (drama) • 00:00:45 • Episode starts with Rachel Tucker / Suzie Mathers interview mentioning atmosphere, magic, set, orchestrations, costumes, lighting.
Beauty and the Beast: The Broadway Musical (drama) • 00:42:15 • Interview with Alan Menken addressing criticisms of "Disneyfication of Broadway" by positing the film is Broadway.
Evita (drama) • 00:11:30 • Unconventional aspects: through composition, Evita as subject, Che as narrator. Tim Rice interview: "rotten idea because noone knows the story"; irony in re Superstar "rotten idea as everyone knows the story".
Avenue Q (drama) • 00:42:00 • includes Robert Lopez interview; genesis out of feeling that MT had not kept pace with comedy (e.g. South Park).
Rent (drama) • 00:31:30 • includes interview with Anthony Rapp, and comparisons with La bohème.
Les Misérables (drama) • 00:22:00 • Despite segue from John Napier interview, opens with performance footage of 30th anniversary tour version, before original footage of John Napier and the barricades from the Palace transfer. Napier describes tipping and joining of the barricades "in seven seconds, because the music allows for seven seconds, and it would be really boring if it went on for longer than seven seconds ... it must enhance the motion of the play, or the narrative, or the song. So you can things that are spectacular, but they can only be there if the need at that moment is for them to be spectacular."

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Mix Tape • In [post id="19664"], Brand and Lopez position 'Mix Tape' as the 'If I Loved You' of Avenue Q.

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Sound of Musicals: 3. Seasons of Love 19664

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