Monthly Archives: December 2005
musical theatre heaven….
12/11/05It’s what you always hope for but so rarely get: pure, unmediated theatrical ecstasy. One of the ironies of live performance — which is, of necessity, in the moment — is that it’s all too often a recycling of past moments; the spontaneity is drained by repetition and rehearsal. But last night, at the New Players Theatre, a cabaret performance came into its own when Jason Robert Brown — the New York composer and performer — sprung a brilliant surprise on his 24-strong onstage backing choir from the Royal Academy of Music, and asked if any of them performed hisRead More »
Ten Songs
12/1/05The following is from a programme note, written by JRB for his 2005 Christmas engagement at the New Players’ Theatre in London. 1. "Scenes From An Italian Restaurant" (1978), Billy Joel, The Stranger This song alone could explain how I ended up doing what I do. It’s seven minutes long, it’s a wonderfully told story, it’s got a great piano solo in the middle of it, the melodies and the grooves are great, it’s basically a model for the type of work I ultimately came to create. Also: consider how so much of the pop music being created at thatRead More »