THe Honeymooners by Menken & Ashman

[Johnnycantdecide]

Posted: 8/13/11 at 12:12pm

I recently came across an eight track demo of a musical version of The Honeymooners written by Alan Menken and the late Howard Ashman. It's very interesting!

Anyways, I was wondering if anyone had any details on this musical? Was it ever workshoped? Did it get very far?

I've never heard of this Menken/Ashman project am very taken by it!
Updated On: 8/14/11 at 12:12 PM

[Peter87]

Posted: 8/13/11 at 12:33pm

Ashman was not involved in this. Menken wrote both music and lyrics but the show was never produced due to rights problems (according to the introduction in Alan Menken Songbook).

I think the demo is very enjoyable. "That's All You Need to Know" is such a classic Menken ballad.

[Wilmingtom]

Posted: 8/14/11 at 11:39am

There was a workshop (or reading) of it. I remember that Ralph had a song, something akin to "Most People Aren't Like You, Alice" (the title wasn't that pedestrian) that was pretty terrific.

[Branson East]

Posted: 8/14/11 at 3:58pm

I too have come across the songs, and I am not impressed. I don't think I've heard Menken and Ashman's cartoon scores but if this is at all typical they were vastly overrated; from what little I could bear to listen this is sappy stuff. Face it, The Honeymooners doesn't need music -- as Jackie Gleason himself proved when he tried musicalizing it.

We should not forget Gleason, though unable to read or write music, was a founder of the easy-listening movement and sold millions of records. And then of course there are his two imperishable themes, "Melancholy Serenade" and "You're My Greatest Love" (i.e., the theme from The Honeymooners). Somehow I doubt these two scribes for Michael Eisner ever came remotely close.

One other thing: A commenter says this project was ditched due to rights problems. I wonder if Gleason, who died in 1987, knew about it. Given the "quality" of these songs I suspect he was the source of the rights problems.

[Pippin]

Posted: 8/14/11 at 4:05pm

"I don't think I've heard Menken and Ashman's cartoon scores"

Not patronizing at all.......

[Branson East]

Posted: 8/14/11 at 4:15pm

Why does everybody have to pick a fight? I was about to correct my entry -- I did not realize only Menken wrote these songs -- when this came along. And it's not as if I haven't tried to listen. The songs from Gleason's sixties Honeymooners revisits are no good either. Billy Joel in a bad mood could have penned this stuff. The Honeymooners has lasted fifty-five years in the public eye; this project was stillborn. Nuf said.

P. S. I stand corrected -- by myself: Long ago I had a copy of the Beauty and the Beast soundtrack I bought from Berkshire Record Outlet. It was okay, but not much better; from what little I can recall it tried summoning up Gigi -- or possibly Dear World. Maybe Menken and Ashman improved; but given how much of Michael Eisner's "legacy" Disney peremptorily erased after he was fired makes me wonder.






Updated On: 8/14/11 at 04:15 PM