A Time for Singing

[Junior Babcock]

Posted: 10/25/14 at 8:54am

So glad to see that York Theatre is reviving A Time for Singing, even if it's only in mufti. One of my favorite scores, even though it is now nearly forgotten. Saw it in tryouts in Boston in about 1966. I still find myself singing "What a goof day is Saturday" every Saturday morning.

[PalJoey]

Posted: 10/25/14 at 10:26am

I'm very emotional about seeing this tonight. I hope they do the beautiful score justice.

[inception]

Posted: 10/25/14 at 11:17am

Probably old news, but the Kritzerland label put out a remastered CD of the original Broadway cast recording last year.

[Dollypop]

Posted: 10/25/14 at 11:47am

I saw the original production but hardly remember it.

[Mr Roxy]

Posted: 10/25/14 at 11:49am

At your age, it is hard to remember anything.

Glad to have you back big boy.

[Dollypop]

Posted: 10/25/14 at 11:53am

I was never gone. (And remember Roxy, you're that much older than I am!)

[tazber]

Posted: 10/25/14 at 11:59am

I just heard this score when Bruce remastered recently.

It's fantastic.

Can't wait to hear the show is.

[Mr Roxy]

Posted: 10/25/14 at 12:34pm

I haven't seen you in awhile

I miss the give and take we used to have. By the way, exactly how old are you - not in dog years. I am 68

Alex Cohen thought this was going to be a big one for him. Played same theater as Baker Street and had the same fate although Baker had a longer run. Enjoyed the score though

[PalJoey]

Posted: 10/25/14 at 5:03pm

The music is by John Morris, Mel Brooks's composer for "Springtime for Hitler" and other music. The words are by Morris and Gerald Freedman, the original director of Hair at the Public Theater.

[Fantod]

Posted: 10/25/14 at 5:29pm

Hi Dollypop, it's so nice to meet the person that I am not. As for this show, I am kind of saving up to buy the Kritzerland release of this album (they did wonderful work with Promises, Promises and Sugar), can anybody describe the style of music for this show? I hope everyone going to see it has a great time!

[PalJoey]

Posted: 10/25/14 at 6:26pm

It's nothing like Morris's "Springtime for Hitler." It's almost an opera, rooted in Welsh folk music. In many ways, it was ahead of its time.

[Fantod]

Posted: 10/25/14 at 7:30pm

Certainly sounds ahead of its time. Sounds super interesting, and I'm excited to give it a try. I hope this production does the score justice for you, PalJoey!

[PalJoey]

Posted: 10/26/14 at 12:01am

The choral music is done beautifully, and several of the actors are very good. If you are in New York and have even heard of the musical, you should catch it this weekend or next.

[goldenboy]

Posted: 10/26/14 at 10:29am

Caught it last night. The voices are superb and they really sing the heck out of the score. Choral work is so glorious, I got chills. For a Mufti Production, it is really well done and well sung.

Analisa Leaming shines in the "Shani Wallis" role. Glorious voice and great acting chops. Julie Andrews came to my mind while watching her. Hope to see much more of her.
They cast it for the glorious voices and they do not disappoint.

There are some really wonderful songs. Unfortunately, there are also too many not so wonderful songs and the show more than anything needs an editor. It's as if every song for the show ever written remained in the show and none were ever thrown out. Without dancing, it ran 2 and one half hours.

An article said the problem with the show was that Gerald Freedman wrote and directed it therefore he was afraid to cut any of his work. So as I said before, the show needs (needed) an editor.

Plot wise, it is similar to The Last Ship, only the music is much better. Basically a mining town has trouble with the boss and forms a union while there is unrequited love and a love triangle. For a show called "A Time For Singing" is has a surprisingly tragic ending.

Fascinating to see this musical even if its flawed and long winded and discover the marvelous score buried in it.

Updated On: 10/26/14 at 10:29 AM

[mikey2573]

Posted: 10/26/14 at 11:21am

The problem with A TIME FOR SINGING was that the creators took a well-known book and movie title and changed it to a title no one had ever heard of and that had little to do with the story. I have always thought that had they actually called the musical "How Green Was My valley" the fans of the book and movie might have turned it into a hit or at least those going to see the musical would have had a point of reference.
Let's make a musical of DOCTOR ZHIVAGO and call it "Upon the Snowy Tundra".

[PalJoey]

Posted: 10/26/14 at 11:30am

There are actually two songs in the show that feel like "title songs": the first is called "How Green Was My Valley" and it opens the show. The other is called "A Time for Singing" and it closes the first act.

[newintown]

Posted: 10/26/14 at 12:05pm

"I have always thought that had they actually called the musical "How Green Was My valley" the fans of the book and movie might have turned it into a hit..."

Of course, if you've been raised on the past two or three decades' craze of selling [Source Material], the Musical, you would think that.

But what you may not realize is that there was a time when creative artists were proud of actually adapting a source material into something significantly different, and more a work of their own, with integrity.

And so Oklahoma is not Green Grow The Lilacs, the Musical, Carousel is not Liliom, the Musical, The King & I is not Anna and the King of Siam, the Musical, My Fair Lady is not Pygmalion, the Musical, Hello, Dolly is not The Matchmaker, the Musical, and Fiddler On the Roof is not Sholom Aleichem's Tevye and his Daughters, the Musical.

And some still carry on the tradition - A Gentleman's Guide to Love and Murder is thankfully not either Kind Hearts and Coronets, the Musical nor Israel Rank, the Musical (although few Americans know either piece).

[Mr Roxy]

Posted: 10/26/14 at 12:27pm

Great post. Maybe How Green Was My Valley did not seem to them like it would pull people in whereas A Time For Singing does sound very Broadway

How about a song from Zhivago "There's No Business Like Snow Business"?

[Dollypop]

Posted: 10/26/14 at 1:46pm

Roxy, I turned 67 on August 15th.

[Mr Roxy]

Posted: 10/26/14 at 1:47pm

Holy ****!!!!!

We share the same birthday

[Dollypop]

Posted: 10/26/14 at 1:50pm

I've known that for a while. I guess your memory starts to fade when a person is as old as you!

[Mr Roxy]

Posted: 10/26/14 at 1:51pm

You will find out next year when you are 68

[Dollypop]

Posted: 10/26/14 at 2:01pm

But then you'll be 69 and completely frazzled.

Updated On: 10/26/14 at 02:01 PM

[Mr Roxy]

Posted: 10/26/14 at 2:05pm

At least I know you will always be 1 year behind me.

[Dollypop]

Posted: 10/26/14 at 2:07pm

Oh, there are comments I could make about that one, Roxy! This is the Sabbath so I'm going to refrain from doing so!