Musical - Top Songs

Just put on Elaine Paige on Sunday and I do love that she starts her show with a rousing number that normally gets me going and I am always excited to see what it is.  Today was an excellent, the Trolley song from Meet Me in St Louis - I recognised it from the first dong!  So I am putting that on the list!  

The Trolley Song - Meet Me in St Louis.

Musical - Anything Goes

This is definitely one that is up there in my top 10 musicals (not furthered that post in a while!).  This was my 4th viewing of it, which puts it up there in most seen list too.  First 3 times were the National Theatre production and I saw it between about 2001-2005, first at the National with Mum, Lizzie and some theatre friends, and then by myself on my Gap Year at Theatre Royal Drury Lane, then by myself (I think) when it was touring through Malvern.  This was an amateur youth musical group performance at the Oxford Playhouse.  I went fairly spur of the momently with Lizzie after a dinner date at Fire and Stone for Lizzie to try out the new swordfish pizza!

It continued the improved reputation of amateur theatre that has been building up for me.  And although for a few of the characters, it was a little odd seeing young people playing them, most of them did an excellent job!  My favourite had been the guy playing Moonface Martin (sadly no photos).  They somehow had his hair greyed a bit - am guessing it wasn't natural!  He played a great gangster accent (loads of convincing accents) and then at points he (deliberately) went into an Irish accent which was equally impressive and wowed me!  When he came on for his curtain call, I started to woop, but then he slipped and fell and Lizzie tells me my woop changed from 'wooo-hahahaha'!  I was really sad that he missed his moment of applause!!

 Lots of good songs in the show, with Anything Goes being my favourite and liking Blow Gabriel Blow.  Other catchy ones I quite like are: Friendship, De-Lovely, You're the Top, I Get A Kick.  I once heard a story about Easy to Love and All Through the Night.  Cole Porter had written one for the show, but the male lead actor asked him to write another because it was too tricky to sing.  So Cole wrote the other which was just as/even harder to sing!  I think when we first saw Anything Goes at the National, Jon Barrowman was playing Billy Crocker - though can't be sure he was playing that night as I didn't know who he was then!  I went to hear Jon Barrowman talk at the Union some years later and people were calling out songs to sing, and someone called out one of these and he said no way, too hard!!  I like that story!

Think am going to start my best musicals songs post now as am listening to Elaine Paige on iplayer and a favourite just popped up!

Swim the channel time!!

J

Musical - 42nd Street

This year between Christmas and new year we went to see 42nd Street at the Leicester Curve, after last year seeing the King and I.  I was very lucky to be taken and enjoyed the theatre outing again.  It was not a musical I knew at all though thought I maybe knew one of the songs from a compilation show I had been too, but turned out not!!!  (am not sure how I am ever going to find out what the song was that I was thinking of... something about 15th floor, or street or avenue???  just going to google songs from avenue q just in case...  hmmm not happening).  I hoped I would like it as it was a big dance number, large cast and good choreography.  But I am sad to say I just didn't feel it so much.  It was set in the early 30s, and the music had quite a jazz slant to it which I am deciding I am not the biggest fan of.  The dancing was was often tap dancing which reminded me of Anything Goes, but most of the time I spent thinking that I preferred Anything Goes.  I did quite like Lullaby of New York song.  The storyline was a little odd and didn't particularly do the show any favours.  I was also confused about the order of bowing - my opinion of the name person didn't get the final bow...hmmm!