(no subject)
I finally listened to the Hamilton soundtrack yesterday while I was sorting through an enormous pile of filing (which I still haven't quite finished but at least it's all now separated into general areas). Lin Manuel Miranda really is spectacularly talented. I mean it didn't make me cry and I'm afraid it's not quite going to be a new obsession but I very much enjoyed it and if it's possible without too much stress I'll probably try to go and see it when it comes to the West End. I particularly enjoyed spotting where themes re-occured in the intros or backing to songs. Also King George singing creepy creepy love songs (tbf I think that's because they're some of the more traditional songs and whilst I hugely enjoyed the show hip hop & rap aren't really my thing). And I did mostly follow it which I was a little worried about not having a clue what most of the battles or debates were about ahead of time.
(I did some American history at university I just did the early part of modern America and stopped before it got to the Revolution etc.)
Let's review some music'y things whilst I'm talking about musicals.
Songs For A New World @ St James Theatre
Songs for a New World is by Jason Robert Brown and I'm interested in the fact that I've never heard any of the songs from it outside this performance but endless songs from The Last Five Years! It's a song cycle rather than a narrative show as such and in a way would probably be better as a concept album/concert but this staging was very simple and allowed for all the different stories to shine as each song was sung.
Of course it's the songs that really mattered, those and their performers and with a cast like this how can you go wrong: Cynthia Erivo, Damian Humbley, Jenna Russell and Dean John-Wilson!
I very much enjoyed the evening as a whole, three of my favourite musical theatre performers and Dean who I'm only just coming to know but who is also amazing.
The review I'd have given 3.5 months ago might have mentioned different song but these are the ones that stuck with me (I'll admit I had to google some of the titles!)
Cynthia... I loved every second she was singing but the song that I've found myself thinking about a lot is I'm Not Afraid of Anything (and that's a song that should be known more widely!) Oh and I loved "I'd Give It All for You" which was a duet between her and Damien Humbley. Speaking of which I also loved their duet on The World Was Dancing.
And then Dean John Wilson had a couple of really big brash numbers, one about being a Basketball star and then "I'm the King of the World" but actually I remember "Flying Home" being beautiful, aprticularly after Jenna's rendition of "The Flagmaker" (although those two songs do show up the weirdness of the show because thematically there's a similarity but not in subject/time period!
And Jenna... oh Jenna <3 "Surabaya-Santa" should be sung a LOT more, it's Mrs Claus and it's completely amazing and hilarious and she sang that and Just One Step both of which are very funny and such a contrast to The Flagmaker but with "Stars and the Moon" somewhere in between.
The songs that have properly stuck with me and I want to see people doing as cabaret numbers are Surabay-Santa, The Stars and the Moon, I'm Not Afraid oh and The River Won't Flow which was a duet between Dean & Damien.
It was great fun and I do quite enjoy song cycles it turns out.
Today got away from me again, I definitely meant to do more than one review but there we go. A largish part of my lunch hour got lost to tech support for the people renting one of our rooms today so that was that.
Hoping to see The Lady in the Van tonight with Mum so that should be fun :D
(I did some American history at university I just did the early part of modern America and stopped before it got to the Revolution etc.)
Let's review some music'y things whilst I'm talking about musicals.
Songs For A New World @ St James Theatre
Songs for a New World is by Jason Robert Brown and I'm interested in the fact that I've never heard any of the songs from it outside this performance but endless songs from The Last Five Years! It's a song cycle rather than a narrative show as such and in a way would probably be better as a concept album/concert but this staging was very simple and allowed for all the different stories to shine as each song was sung.
Of course it's the songs that really mattered, those and their performers and with a cast like this how can you go wrong: Cynthia Erivo, Damian Humbley, Jenna Russell and Dean John-Wilson!
I very much enjoyed the evening as a whole, three of my favourite musical theatre performers and Dean who I'm only just coming to know but who is also amazing.
The review I'd have given 3.5 months ago might have mentioned different song but these are the ones that stuck with me (I'll admit I had to google some of the titles!)
Cynthia... I loved every second she was singing but the song that I've found myself thinking about a lot is I'm Not Afraid of Anything (and that's a song that should be known more widely!) Oh and I loved "I'd Give It All for You" which was a duet between her and Damien Humbley. Speaking of which I also loved their duet on The World Was Dancing.
And then Dean John Wilson had a couple of really big brash numbers, one about being a Basketball star and then "I'm the King of the World" but actually I remember "Flying Home" being beautiful, aprticularly after Jenna's rendition of "The Flagmaker" (although those two songs do show up the weirdness of the show because thematically there's a similarity but not in subject/time period!
And Jenna... oh Jenna <3 "Surabaya-Santa" should be sung a LOT more, it's Mrs Claus and it's completely amazing and hilarious and she sang that and Just One Step both of which are very funny and such a contrast to The Flagmaker but with "Stars and the Moon" somewhere in between.
The songs that have properly stuck with me and I want to see people doing as cabaret numbers are Surabay-Santa, The Stars and the Moon, I'm Not Afraid oh and The River Won't Flow which was a duet between Dean & Damien.
It was great fun and I do quite enjoy song cycles it turns out.
Today got away from me again, I definitely meant to do more than one review but there we go. A largish part of my lunch hour got lost to tech support for the people renting one of our rooms today so that was that.
Hoping to see The Lady in the Van tonight with Mum so that should be fun :D