Remembering A TIME FOR SINGING on its 50th Anniversary

[Mr. Nowack]

Posted: 5/21/16 at 3:44am

Yet another rather unsuccessful film adaptation of the season, this musical version of the novel and film How Green Was My Valley opened at the Broadway Theatre 50 years ago today, running for 41 performances.

I have neither read the book nor seen the film but the cast album reveals quite a lovely score, though certainly very different from the splashy brassy hits of the season SWEET CHARITY and MAME (the latter opened only three days later). It's a score that fits its rolling Irish countryside setting well.

Production Photos (Freidman-Abeles):





















Did anyone see the original production or the recent well received Mufti production?

Updated On: 5/21/16 at 03:44 AM

[henrikegerman]

Posted: 5/21/16 at 5:45am

"It's a score that fits its rolling Irish countryside setting well."

Thanks, Mr. Nowack, but that would be the Welsh countryside, not Irish.

[WhizzerMarvin]

Posted: 5/21/16 at 9:11am

I saw the recent Mufti production and enjoyed it quite a bit. The film is lovely and quite the tearjerker. I don't think the musical fully captured the grand scope of the story, but the score is lush, beautiful and probably a little ahead of its time. The OBCR was revealed to be truncated as well and it was nice to hear some of the missing material that brought the story together. 

 

If you read the section of Not Since Carrie on A Time For Singing they had a rocky creation period structuring the show. It seemed like there were framing devices on top of framing devices- none of which really worked. (The story seems to be told from the point of view of the youngest son, IIRC, but when he is an old man remembering his childhood.)

 

The title song is catchy and thrilling; the act one finale is similar to Fiddler's where wedding festivities are interrupted with the news of the strike in the mines and all the brothers have to leave to protest. Juxtaposing such a bouncy, hopeful song with the bad news must have been jarring, but I like that it shows the bitter sweetness of life. Angharad gets most of the best material (Let Me Love Him and When He Looks at Me are criminally underrated songs), but I Wonder If for the brothers is excellent and And the Mountains Sing Back is a gorgeous 11 O'clock of sorts for David. There is also much choral singing, arranged in seemingly difficult harmonies, that the Mufti chorus nailed. Would love to hear this score at Encores with the full orchestra and a chorus of 20. 

[Mr Roxy]

Posted: 5/21/16 at 9:33am

I will second that.

[jayinchelsea]

Posted: 5/21/16 at 12:50pm

Yes, I saw the original production. And while it can't hold a candle to the film, it was an enjoyable show, with some lovely songs and performances (Shani Wallis, Tessie O'Shea). And after having only the scratched-up vinyl to listen to, it's great that the show album is now available online, to be discovered by a whole new audience.

[Mr. Nowack]

Posted: 5/21/16 at 1:39pm

Do forgive me! As I said though I am largely unfamiliar with the material haha.

[Scripps2]

Posted: 5/22/16 at 1:33am

Thanks for sharing the photos Mr N. I purchased the OBC a couple of years ago and so welcome the opportunity to see the visuals in more detail.

Regarding framing devices, it would have been impossible to see the complete transformation of a valley from agriculture to industry in one lifetime (and then the redundancy of that industry, as I believe happens in the series of novels) so that sits uncomfortably with me even though I enjoy the score and there is much that is authentically Welsh in the music.

 

[Junior Babcock]

Posted: 5/22/16 at 9:10am

I saw the original production in tryouts in Boston. (It was trying out at the same time "Mame" was trying out down the street.) My favorite show for many years following. I loved the music, especially Tessie O'Shea, Shanni Wallis, and the comic staging of "Why would anyone want to get married". It had the lush, authentic choral melodies and feel of Wales. Today it lives on my iPod where I listen to it regularly. I find myself waking up singing "What a good day is Saturday" many Saturday mornings.

At the time I could not afford to see both shows - "Mame" and "A Time for Singing" - so I picked "A Time..." because I couldn't picture Angela Lansbury (Elvis' mother, after all) as my favorite character of all time: Mame Dennis Burnside!