I recieved several questions and comments about the song "Come Down from the Tree" and where it figured into the original plan for Once on this Island. In an effort to get to the bottom of this, I emailed composer Stephen Flaherty and he generously shared this response.
The bookwriter of a musical is probably the greatest unsung hero of Broadway. He or she gets very little recognition when a show works, but when a show fails, the book writer is often the first to be blamed. It is perhaps a thankless task, but their work is essential to designing the framework of the story for the composer and lyricist to hang their score on. Indeed, some of the book writer's best writing is often transformed into musical moments, stealing the best of their thunder. Many books of a Broadway musical are amazingly strong and today's top-ten list is an examination of some of the best. I made my choices by the criteria of originality, intelligently designed character voice, and the book needs to follow strong storytelling structure. I know I will be maligned for leaving certain titles out and I'm glad to justify why I left them off the list. Start the debate and maybe I'll agree. Or...maybe not.
Before I go into my "Guilty Pleasure" for the week, I first wanted to take a moment to thank you for reading. Additionally, I very much enjoy reading your comments, feedback, and suggestions and would love to receive more. Please let me know what you like, don't like, agree with, disagree with, and most of all share your perceptions on the songs I've chosen to analyze. I do not want to write in a vacuum. We all have a common interest: the Broadway musical and why not have the intellectual and passionate discussions about this unique art form we share? Also...if you like what you are reading (or at least find it informative), please share "The Music That Makes Me Dance" blog with friends and fellow enthusiasts. Again, I thank you for your readership and your help.
Brigadoon. It is a musical that is considered one of the "greats" from the golden age of musical theatre. When I was growing up, it seemed like every high school and community theatre produced this show (with varying degree of success). Nowadays, it seems as though Brigadoon isn't done quite as often as it used to be. It would be interesting to speculate as to why. Perhaps audiences aren't as enchanted with this show as they used be? Maybe it was a musical for a simpler time? Maybe the stodgy, static film version turns people off to the piece? The story is essentially a romantic fairy tale and its straightforward, falling in love at first sight premise may be too simplistic for those of us living in more romantically complicated world. It's certainly not dated by its content or language. I'm not sure that I agree with those who feel the script needs to be "reworked" for Brigadoon to be revived on Broadway, but maybe I am wrong? So where is our revival of the show about two hunters that happen upon a Scottish town that appears every one-hundred years and who have their lives forever changed by interacting with the town's denizens?
