As I read The New York Times article "The Broadway Musical Is Changing Its Key", I was pleased to see that what I meant to say or how I said it was pretty much there. Thank you, Bruce Weber (hey, I gotta kiss butt, ya' never know when he may be reviewing me next!).Still, I was in agony. It's a lesson I seem to have to learn every time I speak to the press and instead of just gashrying about it in my lonely brain, I decided to share my thoughts with the Online Theatre Community. Hopefully it will both clear my head and be a valuable lesson in how to read between the lines the next time you pick up any article, be it in T.V. Guide or The New York Times!Mr. Weber wrote "Marc Shaiman's score for "Hairspray" borrows an idiom from the early 1960's, when the show is set."Now, I've seen this line being interpreted online as a dig towards me, but I don't feel that way. It's true! Of course, I hope I used that idiom to create a theatrical score. I do wish Mr. Weber had included my quip that "there are many theatre goers who still wouldn't know Phil Spector if he shot them in the face!"
Which brings up another HUGE point. I have learned to beg interviewers to use phrases like "he laughed" at the end of certain quotes (they still never do). What sounds very funny in a conversation can seem outrageously humor free if the writer (or editor) chops a joke in half and/or doesn't make clear the 'tone' of the interviewee (is that a word?)"Perhaps too many people became disciples of Sondheim without having his gifts," said Mr. Shaiman, the Tony-winning composer of "Hairspray." "It became too important for young writers to prove they had serious, theatrical chops. In `Hairspray' we were intent on entertaining an audience, and for a lot of younger composers the idea of entertaining has taken a back seat. You're thought less of if one of your intentions is to entertain."Ok, this is a great example of why I was still semi-miserable after reading the article. Of course I meant every word he did quote there, but I didn't mean for there to be a comma between "serious" and "theatrical" chops. I certainly don't suggest anyone think about writing for Broadway without theatrical chops! I also went on to say that simply entertaining is not enough, but that it is a huge part of the appeal of a Broadway Musical. If you are an online chatter who believes I am ONLY interested in entertaining with NO other creative intention, hear me now! It ain't true!
Secondly, that quote could be read as a dig at the talented men and women who do find themselves writing with a "Sondheimish" slant. I didn't mean for it to seem I disregard their obvious talents, but simply to nudge them to get to experience the exhilaration of making an audience feel (and LOOK!) like they do as they leave The Neil Simon Theatre. I swear, there are few feelings as wonderful (I won't name the others!). Also to remember that Sondheim even made the somber story of a tortured murderous barber wildly entertaining!And another thing! Remember folks, Mr. Weber spoke to many people and yet only a fraction of what we each say gets quoted. And the way he places those quotes can sometimes make aversions that aren't the intent of the "quotee" (Is that a word?).Musically a Broadway idiom does exist, Mr. Shaiman said, but it's almost untranslatable into today's musical language. "Classic musicals have a timeless sound that you can pinpoint in the shows of the 40's and 50's and the American standards that came from them," he said. "It's romantic and innocent, and it isn't necessarily of the time the show takes place in. But it's harder to write this way in contemporary music because the more contemporary the sound, the less romantic and innocent the feelings behind it are, and those are the things that help put a musical over. Pop music today speaks to a generation where the kids are all having sex; there's no `I'll Take Manhattan.'
This I really meant as written. But…I also went on and on about how I adore pop music and actually watch MTV, MTV2 and VH-1 24 hours a day (much to the dismay of my sleeping partner). Which brings us to this next quote:Mr. Shaiman's partner in life and song, the lyricist Scott Wittman, added: "It's hard to avoid the rap thing in a contemporary story. We just don't have the vocabulary to write in a contemporary voice."If Scott (my CO-lyricist) said "the rap THING" like a reborn Sammy Davis Jr. he will gladly kill himself. What we both said was that we understand, appreciate and listen to hip-hop, but it would be best to leave THAT musical to be written by people who grew up with it in their heart and soul. Not we two old farts with I-Pods full of Ann-Margaret records.
Moving on…Mr. Shaiman and Mr. Wittman are among many theater composers content to plumb the past for both story and song. Their next project is an adaptation of the recent Steven Spielberg film "Catch Me if You Can," which takes place in the late 1960's, "the Henry Mancini, Burt Bacharach world," Mr. Shaiman said. "I'll also be making use of the Beatles' `Revolver' and `Hard Day's Night.' "The end of that paragraph almost killed me. I sincerely PRAY that it is understood I hope I'll be creatively adding the style of those Beatle records into 'the mix', not actually "making use" of specific songs! Good Lord, imagine THAT litigation![Updated 12/28/03]
And finally… So, you may (or may not) be wondering "Hey, where's the last paragraph
about Fred Ebb?" Well folks, after it being up for a full day, I felt that
enough was enough. I just saw a film "HOUSE OF SAND AND FOG" which is quite
devastating as it shows the consequences of pride and prejudice, and it made me
think it's best to keep THIS particular 'essay' true to it's main theme, which
is (hopefully) a light-hearted look at how we should all learn to see the gray
between all that black and white.
Posting something online is a funny
thing. One can have a fight with your wife, lover, father or sister, but then
make up. But since something can live online forever, it might become quite a
roadblock to that natural tide. An Ebb tide, if you would! (he smiled)I
can hear the shouting on the message boards now "A ha, hypocrite! Got his cake
and ate it too"! Perhaps, that's true. In either case, I just hope you won't
shoot arrows at Rob for giving me this forum and for now understanding my
wanting to abridge myself.Perhaps someday, I'll try to write down my own
thoughts of that "kiss" and how it was perceived, and how completely spontaneous
our remarks were. But for now, how 'bout we all have a Happy New Year, full of
wonderful music, lyrics and growth, both on Broadway and in real
life!
-Marc Shaiman
[Updated 1/1/04]
Hey all, Happy New Year! So
listen, it's ironic (are you listening, Alanis Morrisette?) that in an article
meant to clarify, my words have been mistaken by a few as a
"rebuttal" or a "correction" of Bruce Weber's quotes.
That is not the case.
He never misquoted me and I was truly happy with how much he DID quote
me (my ego=HUGE). My main point in writing my adorable little Jewish
self-misery fueled 'essay' was to encourage all readers of any
article to realize that "quotes" are often only a fraction of what
the interviewed said, and to never take these quotes as their
"absolute" and/or "final" thought on whatever the subject.
And, of course, I did enjoy getting to let you hear my full thoughts on those
specific matters of The "Broadway" sound, for, like so many of us, I
DO love the sound of my own voice!
OK? Get it? Got it? GOOD!
Well, thank you all for making me feel like that 'talk of the town'! I shall
now retreat to my studio and bang out another (hopefully) "CATCH"y
melody! Scott, get in here with the rhyming dictionary, we've got lyrics to
carve!!!Marc Shaiman
To read the article, click http://www.nytimes.com/2003/12/26/arts/theater/26WEBE.html
Marc Shaiman has received the Tony, Grammy and Drama Desk Awards for Hairspray. In addition, he has more than 50 films to his credit including South Park, Patch Adams, The First Wives Club, The American President, Sleepless in Seattle, Broadcast News, When Harry Met Sally, Beaches, City Slickers, The Addams Family, A Few Good Men, Sister Act, In & Out and George of the Jungle.
