Packing the Trunk
Happy Birthday, fatherbingo! (though I'm not on his friendslist anymore, so he probably won't even see this).
Was making MIDI files of the Impediments songs for jayspec this morning, and stumbled across my Internet file of trunk songs from the show. I'd forgotten that Josh had a whole song about running around in one's underwear.
Found several versions of Dominic's song "I don't want to go", which was about not going to the wedding if he couldn't sit with Rico (the song was in 7/8 time at one point, for some reason). That was eventually scrapped entirely.
There was a more Gilbert & Sullivan song for Rico about how awesome Dominic is (largely based on my "Lavendar Splendor" song from SongFight!) which was eventually replaced by "A Lot of Guys", though that song still doesn't really work as well as I would like there.
But then it's hard- until Dominic shows up and Josh proposes, there's really nothing happening in the play except groovy people having fun and that's difficult to dramatize in song; it's mainly setup and character study.
I also attempted, at one point, to wedge my SongFight! "Dinga da Donga" into the show (with different lyrics), but it just didn't work. Glad of that- it would have been a bitch to learn.
There was also a barbershop-harmonized "Hymn to the Penis" in Act II, sung by all 4 guys, largely inspired by a remark by Henry Rollins in one of his standup spoken word routines that Gay guys and Straight guys should get along, since we're all devoted to penises (he was much funnier when he said it). That song never got much beyond the planning stages, and was far too silly for Act II.
Douglas Adams once said of his characters (in trying to get them to act through a plot he'd recycled from a Dr. Who episode he wrote that never got used and eventually became Life, the Universe, and Everything) that most of his characters just don't care, and given the choice between saving the world and going for a drink they'd more likely be at the pub (which is why Slartibartfast rather strangely got dragged into the third book). And I think that's somewhat true of Admit Impediments (and frankly, much of my own work).
Though Rico/Ritchie really grows in that respect, by the end of the play. It's fun playing him; he has a nice emotional arc.
It's interesting to me that Glory said that one of the things she really appreciates about my work is the politics. When in real life I've always considered myself more of a Sally Bowles "Ugh, politics is so boring" type (and indeed, characters who say variations of that line appear in many of my plays). And frankly, I DO find politics tedious, though obviously important.
Wallace Shawn said something similar, that he's very unconfrontational in his personal life, but in his plays he spews vitriol.
Was making MIDI files of the Impediments songs for jayspec this morning, and stumbled across my Internet file of trunk songs from the show. I'd forgotten that Josh had a whole song about running around in one's underwear.
Found several versions of Dominic's song "I don't want to go", which was about not going to the wedding if he couldn't sit with Rico (the song was in 7/8 time at one point, for some reason). That was eventually scrapped entirely.
There was a more Gilbert & Sullivan song for Rico about how awesome Dominic is (largely based on my "Lavendar Splendor" song from SongFight!) which was eventually replaced by "A Lot of Guys", though that song still doesn't really work as well as I would like there.
But then it's hard- until Dominic shows up and Josh proposes, there's really nothing happening in the play except groovy people having fun and that's difficult to dramatize in song; it's mainly setup and character study.
I also attempted, at one point, to wedge my SongFight! "Dinga da Donga" into the show (with different lyrics), but it just didn't work. Glad of that- it would have been a bitch to learn.
There was also a barbershop-harmonized "Hymn to the Penis" in Act II, sung by all 4 guys, largely inspired by a remark by Henry Rollins in one of his standup spoken word routines that Gay guys and Straight guys should get along, since we're all devoted to penises (he was much funnier when he said it). That song never got much beyond the planning stages, and was far too silly for Act II.
Douglas Adams once said of his characters (in trying to get them to act through a plot he'd recycled from a Dr. Who episode he wrote that never got used and eventually became Life, the Universe, and Everything) that most of his characters just don't care, and given the choice between saving the world and going for a drink they'd more likely be at the pub (which is why Slartibartfast rather strangely got dragged into the third book). And I think that's somewhat true of Admit Impediments (and frankly, much of my own work).
Though Rico/Ritchie really grows in that respect, by the end of the play. It's fun playing him; he has a nice emotional arc.
It's interesting to me that Glory said that one of the things she really appreciates about my work is the politics. When in real life I've always considered myself more of a Sally Bowles "Ugh, politics is so boring" type (and indeed, characters who say variations of that line appear in many of my plays). And frankly, I DO find politics tedious, though obviously important.
Wallace Shawn said something similar, that he's very unconfrontational in his personal life, but in his plays he spews vitriol.