This week in honour of Hammy Ham, we're doing a journey through pop-rock musicals. This is a particular nerdy interest of mine, so forgive the level of nerding. It's not exhaustive, and there's a lot more to the formulation of pop-rock influences on musical theatre, but that perhaps is a book not a blog....but here's a start....
Playlist is here
1. Aquarius- Hair
Hair is generally accepted as the first 'Rock Musical' in that it went away from traditional musical theatre styles (Think Sweet Charity or Rodgers and Hammerstein) and used both pop-rock style music and a different style of storytelling...in the case of Hair not much storytelling as it's a series of vignettes style moments and nonsensical moments (don't do drugs kids). But it still plays by the musical theatre 'rules' with this opening number. (If you want Gavin Creel to break your heart, listen to 'Easy to be Heard' on this album, sublime).
Those hippies get everywhere in the theatre, but dancing with them on stage is a JOY.
2. Gethsemane- Jesus Christ Superstar
I originally was only going to put ALW on his own special list. But we can't ignore the role JCS had in the rock musical genre. Or that Gethsemene is in fact a beast of a song. When he's good, the Lord is very very good. I once saw Daniel Boys sing it in my face and I've not quite recovered.
Beyond that, JCS again plays with both the storytelling (if a bit more traditional/blasphemous) and the fusing of traditional musical theatre (Hello 11 O'Clock number and singular woman's ballad) and rock-pop-y feels.
3. Day By Day- Godspell
JCS less blasphemous, and frankly more boring cousin. Honestly I have nothing much to say about this other than it's part of the timeline of rock musicals. Day by Day is a catchy bop. The thing where they call each other their real names in the show is a bit obnoxious....that's all I've got. Sometimes history is a bit boring.
4. Corner of the Sky- Pippen
This is a gorgeous score, but you can't beat this most famous one. It sounds far more contemporary than 1972, in fact it could have been written this year that's how much contemporary musicals still are infused with a bit of this. Bob Fosse was also part of this, he's a prick, but he's a genius. It's the perfect 'I want song' and one of those songs that feels like what it's singing about...if that makes any sense.
5. Downtown- Little Shop of Horrors.
Ooh here we get into a weird mash up of traditional musical theatre, weird sci-fi and pop-rock scores...with a bit of motown and RnB thrown in...around now historically we had a veering off of the more RnB infused stuff in one direction (Dreamgirl s etc) but Little Shop could never settle on a genre, so it's a bit rock and roll too, a bit musical theatre...a bit sci-fi and a bit Motown. Anyway, the plan sings. And Hunter Foster is adorkable in this version.
6. Pity the Child- Chess
Everyone knows 'I know Him So Well' and 'Anthem' so I thought I'd spotlight this one, here done ample justice by Adam Pascal's gorgeous voice. The way he delivers 'when I was 12 my father moved OUT' damn Adam that's some angst.
Chess is so divisive as a musical, but I will die on the hill of it being a work of genius. It is a messy bitch that lives for drama (especially when Idina and Kerry are having a belting competition) but my god is the music good.
I've put this one in but please please go and listen to Endgame #3 which is an example of this as a god-damn rock opera of the highest calibre and its just sublime.
Chess is the same age as me, so I predict by the time it's 40, like me it will have been perfected.
7. One Rock and Roll Too Many- Starlight Express
Look I suppose we have to include this. My favourite quote from my PhD was this review of Rent that threw some SHADE at Starlight was that 'it seems more urgent than whether a steam train can fall in love with a locomotive'
But anyway, yes Starlight is a rock musical, did wonders for the genre blah blah here's a song about trains.
9. La Vie Boheme- Rent
Rent is regarded as the 'pivot' moment in rock-musical or pop-rock musicals. It didn't invent it, as Jonathan Larson himself was very clear about. But he was clear on steering it in another direction. To my mind there's 3 moments that happens; Hair, Rent and Hamilton. But that's a longer essays.
What Rent did do was chuck out the mega-musical way of writing that was then the main way of writing, and do that thing we're much more familiar with now- the musical-pop hybrid that's also a bit smaller, a bit rougher round the edges, and more about story than spectacle.
Lin talks often about Larson's influence on him. And both Lin and Larson were mentored by Sondheim and are both definitive in his influence on them. Both also infused what they wrote with the pop music of their youth- Lin with Hip Hop, Larson with the rock-punk era he grew up in (and both of them with unapologetic pop). This is the short version of a very long essay/book on that matter.
Anyway La Vie Boheme is Larson's perfect understanding of musical theatre structure (Hello big Act 1 closer) fused with a bit of punchy rock-ness, that yes kids I'm sure sounds like super old fashioned now...but so will Hamilton in 25 years....
10. Sugar Daddy- Hedwig and the Angry Itch
You can't talk rock musicals without talking Hedwig. And honestly who can resist Neil Patrick Harris singing 'Sugar Daddy' at you? not me. This musical was iconic not just for the drag-infused-queerness of it all but also the full on rock-concert element of the staging- interacting with the audience, singing with microphones all that jazz. And it's one I don't listen to nearly enough. It's down and dirty, a lot Queer and a lot rock.
11. Bare- Best Kept Secret
This was never the mainstream success of the others, but it's still an important moment in pop-rock musicals. And I admit I don't know it as well as I should, but who doesn't love a bit of young gay love/angst?
12. Elaborate Lives- Aida
Do you know how hard it is for me to not write 'AIDS' every time?
Anyway, this one comes up surprisingly often in articles about the evolution of the rock musical...I wouldn't have put it in there, but who am I to turn down this utter banger of a musical?
Highly underrated, it is indeed a pop-rock score of the kind ALW would wet his pants to write thanks to Elton and Disney. And that cast. Belting their faces off, angsting all over the pyramids...Adam with his shirt off. The early 00s were a delight on Broadway I tell you. A delight. This is a gorgeous trio, but frankly you can't go far wrong with most of this score (Avoid 'Another Pyramid' though that's a turkey).
13. Spring Awakening
Look this musical just sounds like the angst of my 20s to me what can I say?
And actually Totally Fucked is probably the epitome of that mood. Look up the performance of the Tony award, it's glorious.
Spring Awakening pushes all my buttons- adapting an existing text, mordernising it, msuicalising it, and a banging score. Duncan Sheik is one of the best composers of the 21st century and I will fight anyone on that. It also took some epic raw talent and made their careers. For which we're grateful (in some cases). The staging also was really innovative, with the handheld mics, abstract staging, and takes clever influences from the source material in that way.
But for a better version, the Deaf West version was utter perfection.
14. Light- Next to Normal
The last musical to win a Pulitzer Prize before Hamilton. It's been over a decade, I'm still not recovered. I'm also still angry we haven't had it here.
I actually feel like Next to Normal is one you can't teach someone you just have to feel it, and if you get it you get it. It's also really hard to talk about without spoilers. But I chose Light because I was discussing it with one of my composing partners the other day, in that it doesn't or shouldn't really work as a closing number. Nothing gets resolved, we leave them all a bit of a mystery, but the emotional note (composer puns) works, because it spins them forward into a new part of life we don't get to see. But musically it's really satisfying. That final chorus resolves even if the storylines don't. Yes I get very reflective about Next to Normal, but honestly 'the price of love is loss but still we pay' or 'And you find some way to survive, and you find out you don't have to be happy at all, to be happy you're alive' It sounds trite written down but musically, as a musical it cuts to your soul.
Also Michael Grief directed it, and I feel like everything he learned on Rent he poured into this. And I feel like that would have made Jonathan Larson happy. Because I'm sentimental like that.
15. Cabinet Battle #1- Hamilton
And so to Hammy Ham...we all know this one, so I chose this one because it's the blatant and clever blending of the other musical influences (Hip Hop) with musical theatre storytelling. And that's just a lot of fun. It's really clever the amount of narrative this gets over while also giving nods to the rap influences in its form. Content and form, content, and form.
Also, I just love 'this financial plan is an outrageous demand and it's too many damn pages for any man to understand' because I used to say that about funding applications and nobody ever got the joke...
So Hair to Hamilton, the rough journey of the pop-rock musical. Of course, there are loads of smaller musicals in between that fill in the gaps and we'll get to them I promise...most of them are better than some of these, but these are the big boys.
People also include Tommy in this list, but hand on heart I've not listened to a single song from it so I couldn't recommend anything....in more recent pop-rock pieces things like Bat Boy also get cited but I'm saving things like that for a different list!
Also, there is overlap on this list...there will be overlap again....my musical theatre history brain does not do exclusivity....
Playlist here
Playlist is here
1. Aquarius- Hair
Hair is generally accepted as the first 'Rock Musical' in that it went away from traditional musical theatre styles (Think Sweet Charity or Rodgers and Hammerstein) and used both pop-rock style music and a different style of storytelling...in the case of Hair not much storytelling as it's a series of vignettes style moments and nonsensical moments (don't do drugs kids). But it still plays by the musical theatre 'rules' with this opening number. (If you want Gavin Creel to break your heart, listen to 'Easy to be Heard' on this album, sublime).
Those hippies get everywhere in the theatre, but dancing with them on stage is a JOY.
2. Gethsemane- Jesus Christ Superstar
I originally was only going to put ALW on his own special list. But we can't ignore the role JCS had in the rock musical genre. Or that Gethsemene is in fact a beast of a song. When he's good, the Lord is very very good. I once saw Daniel Boys sing it in my face and I've not quite recovered.
Beyond that, JCS again plays with both the storytelling (if a bit more traditional/blasphemous) and the fusing of traditional musical theatre (Hello 11 O'Clock number and singular woman's ballad) and rock-pop-y feels.
3. Day By Day- Godspell
JCS less blasphemous, and frankly more boring cousin. Honestly I have nothing much to say about this other than it's part of the timeline of rock musicals. Day by Day is a catchy bop. The thing where they call each other their real names in the show is a bit obnoxious....that's all I've got. Sometimes history is a bit boring.
4. Corner of the Sky- Pippen
This is a gorgeous score, but you can't beat this most famous one. It sounds far more contemporary than 1972, in fact it could have been written this year that's how much contemporary musicals still are infused with a bit of this. Bob Fosse was also part of this, he's a prick, but he's a genius. It's the perfect 'I want song' and one of those songs that feels like what it's singing about...if that makes any sense.
5. Downtown- Little Shop of Horrors.
Ooh here we get into a weird mash up of traditional musical theatre, weird sci-fi and pop-rock scores...with a bit of motown and RnB thrown in...around now historically we had a veering off of the more RnB infused stuff in one direction (Dreamgirl s etc) but Little Shop could never settle on a genre, so it's a bit rock and roll too, a bit musical theatre...a bit sci-fi and a bit Motown. Anyway, the plan sings. And Hunter Foster is adorkable in this version.
6. Pity the Child- Chess
Everyone knows 'I know Him So Well' and 'Anthem' so I thought I'd spotlight this one, here done ample justice by Adam Pascal's gorgeous voice. The way he delivers 'when I was 12 my father moved OUT' damn Adam that's some angst.
Chess is so divisive as a musical, but I will die on the hill of it being a work of genius. It is a messy bitch that lives for drama (especially when Idina and Kerry are having a belting competition) but my god is the music good.
I've put this one in but please please go and listen to Endgame #3 which is an example of this as a god-damn rock opera of the highest calibre and its just sublime.
Chess is the same age as me, so I predict by the time it's 40, like me it will have been perfected.
7. One Rock and Roll Too Many- Starlight Express
Look I suppose we have to include this. My favourite quote from my PhD was this review of Rent that threw some SHADE at Starlight was that 'it seems more urgent than whether a steam train can fall in love with a locomotive'
But anyway, yes Starlight is a rock musical, did wonders for the genre blah blah here's a song about trains.
9. La Vie Boheme- Rent
Rent is regarded as the 'pivot' moment in rock-musical or pop-rock musicals. It didn't invent it, as Jonathan Larson himself was very clear about. But he was clear on steering it in another direction. To my mind there's 3 moments that happens; Hair, Rent and Hamilton. But that's a longer essays.
What Rent did do was chuck out the mega-musical way of writing that was then the main way of writing, and do that thing we're much more familiar with now- the musical-pop hybrid that's also a bit smaller, a bit rougher round the edges, and more about story than spectacle.
Lin talks often about Larson's influence on him. And both Lin and Larson were mentored by Sondheim and are both definitive in his influence on them. Both also infused what they wrote with the pop music of their youth- Lin with Hip Hop, Larson with the rock-punk era he grew up in (and both of them with unapologetic pop). This is the short version of a very long essay/book on that matter.
Anyway La Vie Boheme is Larson's perfect understanding of musical theatre structure (Hello big Act 1 closer) fused with a bit of punchy rock-ness, that yes kids I'm sure sounds like super old fashioned now...but so will Hamilton in 25 years....
10. Sugar Daddy- Hedwig and the Angry Itch
You can't talk rock musicals without talking Hedwig. And honestly who can resist Neil Patrick Harris singing 'Sugar Daddy' at you? not me. This musical was iconic not just for the drag-infused-queerness of it all but also the full on rock-concert element of the staging- interacting with the audience, singing with microphones all that jazz. And it's one I don't listen to nearly enough. It's down and dirty, a lot Queer and a lot rock.
11. Bare- Best Kept Secret
This was never the mainstream success of the others, but it's still an important moment in pop-rock musicals. And I admit I don't know it as well as I should, but who doesn't love a bit of young gay love/angst?
12. Elaborate Lives- Aida
Do you know how hard it is for me to not write 'AIDS' every time?
Anyway, this one comes up surprisingly often in articles about the evolution of the rock musical...I wouldn't have put it in there, but who am I to turn down this utter banger of a musical?
Highly underrated, it is indeed a pop-rock score of the kind ALW would wet his pants to write thanks to Elton and Disney. And that cast. Belting their faces off, angsting all over the pyramids...Adam with his shirt off. The early 00s were a delight on Broadway I tell you. A delight. This is a gorgeous trio, but frankly you can't go far wrong with most of this score (Avoid 'Another Pyramid' though that's a turkey).
13. Spring Awakening
Look this musical just sounds like the angst of my 20s to me what can I say?
And actually Totally Fucked is probably the epitome of that mood. Look up the performance of the Tony award, it's glorious.
Spring Awakening pushes all my buttons- adapting an existing text, mordernising it, msuicalising it, and a banging score. Duncan Sheik is one of the best composers of the 21st century and I will fight anyone on that. It also took some epic raw talent and made their careers. For which we're grateful (in some cases). The staging also was really innovative, with the handheld mics, abstract staging, and takes clever influences from the source material in that way.
But for a better version, the Deaf West version was utter perfection.
14. Light- Next to Normal
The last musical to win a Pulitzer Prize before Hamilton. It's been over a decade, I'm still not recovered. I'm also still angry we haven't had it here.
I actually feel like Next to Normal is one you can't teach someone you just have to feel it, and if you get it you get it. It's also really hard to talk about without spoilers. But I chose Light because I was discussing it with one of my composing partners the other day, in that it doesn't or shouldn't really work as a closing number. Nothing gets resolved, we leave them all a bit of a mystery, but the emotional note (composer puns) works, because it spins them forward into a new part of life we don't get to see. But musically it's really satisfying. That final chorus resolves even if the storylines don't. Yes I get very reflective about Next to Normal, but honestly 'the price of love is loss but still we pay' or 'And you find some way to survive, and you find out you don't have to be happy at all, to be happy you're alive' It sounds trite written down but musically, as a musical it cuts to your soul.
Also Michael Grief directed it, and I feel like everything he learned on Rent he poured into this. And I feel like that would have made Jonathan Larson happy. Because I'm sentimental like that.
15. Cabinet Battle #1- Hamilton
And so to Hammy Ham...we all know this one, so I chose this one because it's the blatant and clever blending of the other musical influences (Hip Hop) with musical theatre storytelling. And that's just a lot of fun. It's really clever the amount of narrative this gets over while also giving nods to the rap influences in its form. Content and form, content, and form.
Also, I just love 'this financial plan is an outrageous demand and it's too many damn pages for any man to understand' because I used to say that about funding applications and nobody ever got the joke...
So Hair to Hamilton, the rough journey of the pop-rock musical. Of course, there are loads of smaller musicals in between that fill in the gaps and we'll get to them I promise...most of them are better than some of these, but these are the big boys.
People also include Tommy in this list, but hand on heart I've not listened to a single song from it so I couldn't recommend anything....in more recent pop-rock pieces things like Bat Boy also get cited but I'm saving things like that for a different list!
Also, there is overlap on this list...there will be overlap again....my musical theatre history brain does not do exclusivity....
Playlist here
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