I am trying to focus on writing today’s post, but I am too busy listening to Hamilton. Maybe it’s just foolish to be dropping a new video from your humble little show that premiered in your hometown on a day when most Broadway aficionados are abuzz with the release of the Original Broadway Cast Recording of Hamilton, Lin-Manuel Miranda’s super-popular, super-ground-breaking, super-phat-beatz-n-rhymz-bustin’ new musical. Maybe I’m just pretending people will notice me.
But here’s trying.
Orin and I are happy to release this video of one of our favorite numbers from our not-so-much-phat-beatz-as-what-we-hope-is-smart-sophisticated-tuneful-and-soul-filling show, Just Pretend. It premiered June 27, 2015 at Youth Sing Praise. This scene sets up the song “Faith Enough.” Esther has just heard a decree that she is to be part of a contest to find a new Queen of Persia; her uncle, Mordechai, urges her forward despite her misgivings.
We will be sharing some other freshly-mastered excerpts from the show in the coming weeks. Look for a full soundtrack to be available by Christmas. Thanks to all for your support of this new work thus far. Interested in learning more? Head over to our official website here.
For those who are fans of the musical Nine, I would be willing to wager that your exposure to the work goes in reverse chronological order. There’s the 2009 movie musical version by Rob Marshall featuring a glittering constellation of stars from Kate Hudson to Marion Cotillard to Sophia Loren all swirling around Daniel Day Lewis. There’s the 2003 Broadway revival at Roundabout starring Antonio Banderas. Then there’s the original musical by Maury Yeston and Arthur Kopit and stylishly directed by Tommy Tune. It was a sleeper hit of 1982. But they all derive from Federico Fellini’s 1963 film masterpiece 8 1/2.
Fergie as Saraghina in the 2009 movie musical of Nine directed by Rob Marshall
Antonio Banderas surrounded by his harem in the 2003 Roundabout production of Nine.
Kathi Moss as Saraghina in the original 1982 Broadway production of Nine.
Eddra Gale as the original Saraghina in Fellini’s 1963 film, 8 1/2.
The scene we will focus on today is what musical theatre nerds will know as “Be Italian.” Our hero, Guido, recalls a time when he and his friends run off to the beach and–for a few coins–persuade the sensuous, provocative Saraghina to dance for them. In the original source material, Saraghina dances “La Rumba.” The musical transforms this memory into a number wherein Saraghina gives them a lesson in manhood, telling them that what they really need to do to successfully woo a woman is to simply “Be Italian.”
Following is a sequence that shows three versions of this scene. We start with the original Broadway production. Notice Tommy Tune’s use of black and white to create a film noir aesthetic. Then we look at the same opening moment in the 1963 source material with a strangely alluring Eddra Gale. After Saraghina starts her dance, we hop over to Rob Marshall’s interpretation for the 2009 film. It is a brilliant amalgamation of the two. As the musical number progresses, enjoy the vocal stylings of both Kathi Moss (1982) and Fergie (2009); they are equally sexy in their own way.
To discuss imagery in brief, observe that our scene takes place on the beach. The sands of time keep slipping through our fingers. There are also the coins that the boys use to pay Saraghina. Musically, they become the coins on the tambourines as the song turns to a tarantella. All three versions involve a sexuality lesson for these young boys with Saraghina as teacher. Furthermore, the 2009 pays particular homage to the source material with a flirtatious use of conceal and reveal.
What is your favorite scene from Nine? Comment below.
Over the course of this past year, our class studied dozens of composers. Some fell into specific categories: we studied virtuosos like Gershwin and Hamlisch; we studied musicologists like Yeston and Tesori; and we studied tunesmiths like Berlin and Arlen. The tunesmiths were a remarkable breed in that they were able to dip into a seemingly bottomless pool of melodies and continually draw forth something fresh. King among them was Jule Styne. Right now, my two-year-old roommate Rebekah is watching Peter Pan; did you know that Jule Styne wrote a great deal of that music? And how about Gypsy, the pinnacle of the Golden Age book musical? Yep, he wrote that too.
Serving as your host and guide through the life and music of Jule Styne: yours truly, Bradley J.
Well, folks, that’s a wrap on this season of Musical Theatre Nerd Alert. Does your inner nerd feel fortified? We would love some feedback. Comment below or on our YouTube page about what you thought of this series. If we did a season two, what would you like to see?
7 1/2 Cents: Musings on Musical Theatre 