Tag Archives: musical

Feb 7 2022

The Sound of Music Companion by Laurence Maslon— a brief review

Since I was quite young, I have loved this musical, as have many other people. I’ve owned the sound track in various forms, as well has having first a VHS then a DVD of the film. However, recently I read a short but glowing recommendation for this volume, so off to eBay I go, and low and behold, I got the book in a box with yet another DVD and sound track CD. Sweet!

This is what I’d call a “coffee table” book in size, but the content is a bit more than some such books. The forward is by Andrew Lloyd Webber, who was engaged in putting on a revival of The Sound of Music for the stage in London around the same time as this book (2006) but the book itself begins with the story of Maria von Trapp, the subject of a couple of books prior to her story being turned into the now famous musical.

For those of us who discovered the story via the 1966 movie, the musical actually begins a bit earlier, as a Broadway vehicle for Mary Martin. The music was done by Rogers and Hammerstein, of course, and the book takes the reader through much of the creative process, with photos of notes and typewritten song lists, as well as pictures from the Broadway and traveling productions. There is quite a bit of detail regarding the modifications done as the play was transformed into the movie. Fans of the film will know much of the content, no doubt, but there are nuggets of information which should prove interesting for even well-read aficionados, and there are quite a number of pictures taken during the lengthy location filming in and around Saltzburg.

There’s a bit of information regarding the careers of the “children” in the film, and a couple of pictures showing them all grown up. However, the book doesn’t end there. As this play is still being performed in various venues, there is some detail regarding its continued success. The last section is a fairly detailed recount of the revival done by Lloyd Webber’s production company.

When it comes to these photo centric books, sometimes one thumbs through, reading the captions, and that’s that. With this book, I read it, all in a couple of days. While it was not suspenseful, it was interesting and kept my attention from the forward to the credits. That’s rare for me. So, for fans of the film, it a top pick. For those interested in how a feature film is developed, it is also of more than passing interest. And, as it is no longer new, it is quite affordable, too. Win-win!

Dec 19 2019

Jersey Boys on Netflix

Jersey BoysLike many of you, we use services such as Netflix rather than having a traditional cable subscription. At times, we miss the old TV Guide magazine, which would guide the viewing experience. Instead, with Netflix, there is some algorithm that knows my husband likes shoot ’em up flix, so I am not always happy with the suggestions. However, a couple of days ago, I noticed “Jersey Boys”as an option in our feed. I’m embarrassed to say that hubby actually, “What’s that?” I simply said, “Click on it and you’ll see.”

Anyway, fortunately for me, hubby likes music, especially vintage pop, so he was eager to take a look at the movie version of this musical, which had a great run on Broadway, and is still touring around the country. Jersey Boys tells the story the Four Seasons, featuring the fabulous Frankie Valli. Surprisingly, the film version is directed by Clint Eastwood. The cast is really great, with Christopher Walken in a small but pivotal role, and it also has the original Valli from Broadway, John Lloyd Young as well as Erich Bergen, who has a supporting role in another show we’ve watched on Netflix, Madame Secretary.

There is much to like about this film, which is actually a 2014 release, but I was most impressed with the sound track. And, as is possible when watching a film in the comfort of home, I paused it and did some research, finding that the cast sang, rather than having it dubbed by either the original band or by hired musicians. Many of the hits from the Four Seasons are present, including “Sherry”, “December 63 (Oh What a Night)”, “Walk Like a Man”, and “Big Girls Don’t Cry.” Valli’s solo, “My Eyes Adored You” is also in the film, as are other familiar tunes.

Although not entirely happy, for this film follows the rise and the ultimate fall of The Four Seasons, we enjoyed this film quite a lot. If you are a Netflix subscriber, the movie version of Jersey Boys is a great way to spend an evening. Toe tapping is optional, but recommended!

Apr 21 2018

The Sound of Music (on tour)

MusicMy sister, my daughter, and I saw a musical in our local theatre venue— The Sound of Music. I remember seeing the 1965 film version as a child (and I am telling how old I am by that admission) and absolutely loving it. The performance was part of what they term their “Broadway Entertainment” series. The auditorium there seats 2000, so it is actually larger than most theatres on Broadway. The seating is a bit more comfortable, however.

I told my daughter that I was wary of not liking the stage version, but it was really good. The sets worked well, and the actress playing the Reverend Mother has one heck of a set of pipes on her! The actor portraying the captain was a very good singer, too. I do not believe anyone could do a better job of singing the part of Maria than Julie Andrews did, but the actress who performed for us did a good job.

While many of the songs from the movie were used, this touring version is actually closer to the original stage play that the film was based upon. Although my daughter was upset that they left out one of her favorites, “Confidence” the Baroness and Max sing in the stage play!

Our girls night out was great fun, from our happy hour beverages, to our meal at a hip restaurant, and the heart warming musical, with nary a naughty word, finished the evening.

Oct 6 2017

What’s it about? A non-review of La La Land.

La La LandThe other evening, I told hubby that I wanted to see La La Land on HBO Go. Like many men, he is a direct, compartmental thinker, and he wanted a succinct description, like a phrase. Complex sentences and paragraphs are too much after a hard day at the office, so I said, “It’s a musical.” And he said, “What kind?” Based on the tone as well as the question, I was getting the drift that he didn’t want to try this one, so I said something like, “We’ll talk about it later.”

Today, weary of grading essays, I turned our sorta smart TV to HBOGo and found La La Land. Before the end of the opening number, a sort of modern fantasy about singing and dancing in traffic, I was already glad that I decided to forgo explaining the film to my husband. He is just not gonna go for this sort of film.

That’s not to say it is bad, for it certainly isn’t. But, this clever film is not going to be pigeon holed into a category, although HBO places it under “romance.” The film pays homage to Hollywood in particular and the entertainment industry more generally, and the characters certainly are passionate about their craft, but they struggle to pave a path to personal success. Work gets in the way of their relationship, but there are some seriously romantic scenes in this film. Ryan Gosling and Emma Stone have both moved up a few notches in my estimation, based solely on the way they conveyed emotion through song and dance and just looking at the camera.

As I was searching for an answer to “What sort of movie (or musical) is it?” I read several reviews. The one at RogerEbert.com comes the closest to explaining it, and I don’t want to spoil it or plagiarize, so I will merely provide the link. However, should hubby ask again, which I rather doubt, I have my answer: “It’s a different sort of musical.” Yep, it isn’t peculiar, nor avant gardé, nor off-beat. It is just different.