I'm not really familiar with his musicals, but I'm absolutely thrilled to hear he wrote them! His score for To Kill a Mockingbird is one of my favorite film scores of all time. I'll definitely try to find those two now.
Yeah, he's definitely one of my favorite film composers - I've been listening to the recent "essential collection" by the City Of Prague orchestra and loving it - so many classics. Hence my curiosity about his ventures into Broadway musicals. I don't expect them to necessarily be in the same league as his film scores, but they surely have some merit.
Beyoncé is not an ally. Actions speak louder than words, Mrs. Carter. #Dubai #$$$
I saw MERLIN. There was a song that I still kind of remember -- "He Who Know the Way" -- sung multiple times by Edmund Lyndeck, who played a wizard. Apparently no one, though, knew the way, because the show kept extending its preview period. (Lyndeck, BTW, a few months earlier, had played Nora's lover in A DOLL'S LIFE, the Hellinger's previous tenant.) Chita Rivera played an evil queen and Nathan Lane played her cowardly son. Chita had a big song "Satan Rules," which, IIRC, ended with her -- spoiler alert -- turning into stone. Doug Henning as Merlin performed various magic acts.
I think the opening number is somewhere on youtube, as is "Step to the Rear," the big song from DOW JONES.
I saw both shows. HNDJ had two good songs, Step to the Rear and He's Here, a comic ditty sung by Brenda Vaccaro. 'He's here, he's here, he's here...I can't find my brassiere, brassiere, brassiere'. if Merlin had any decent songs, I don't remember them.
I guess he was more effective at movie scores. Magnificent Seven is one of the greats.
You have reduced He's Here to doggerel. How Now Dow Jones is a fairly textbook flop 60s score, but one thing it has is a superb set of lyrics by Carolyn Leigh.
Here's the lyric for He's Here.
He’s here! He’s here! My long-awaited Lancelot is here, my God, he’s here.
Gadzooks! God-what? I’m trembling in my pants a lot. That far he’s not, but near.
And I complained of playing Sleeping Beauty.
And how I nagged you Lord to make it stop.
And how I hated waiting for the other shoe to drop.
So now it dropped. And oh, with dishes in the sink is it of joy I think or fear.
I dreamed someday my prince would come.
The reason’s not quite clear.
How weird. How odd.
I can’t think of a thing to say but oh my God he’s here.
Penelope am I and he’s Ulysses.
The man for whom I’ve waited and repined
Penelope am I ...
But frankly nothing comes to mind.
Except oh hell, my hose are hanging in the john
Should I go pale and wan, or cheer?
And on this magic day of days I’ve worn a torn brassiere.
Oh drat! Oh damn!
He could have sent a telegram and how was he so sure the coast was clear?
That cluck! That clod!
He’s absolutely beautiful but oh, my God...
He’s here.
Begin at the beginning and go on till you come to the end: then stop.
I did say that was one of two good songs. I actually thought that lyric was funny...I remember the audience laughing a lot during that number. The show was totally stupid.
Elmer's last film score was to FAR FROM HEAVEN, which is one of my all-time favorite movies. I know that Frankel/Korie tried to capture its feel with their stage adaptation. I'm curious as to how similar they sound when played consecutively.
I was visiting Martin Short in his dressing room after LITTLE ME and Nathan Lane walked in. I mentioned that I had enjoyed his performance in MERLIN and Lane responded, " Well, I didn't".