Galt MacDermot's GODDESS WHEEL musical

[NewYorkPulse24]

Posted: 2/26/12 at 1:01pm

Today I auditioned for the theatre department at Wagner college in staten island as an incoming freshman and as part of their season of shows it says they're doing a musical called Goddess Wheel by Galt Macdermot
It says its a premier of the show but I dont know anything else about it

Has anyone heard of/seen anything about this?
I didn't know Galt was still working on anything

[musicalbluemirror]

Posted: 2/26/12 at 2:58pm

Looks like another Lysistrata musical
Maybe this one will actually be good

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Goddess_Wheel

[NewYorkPulse24]

Posted: 2/27/12 at 8:17am

Yea i think its part of the season but not part of the shows on campus
Apparently theres been an ongoing workshop with Galt involved since the beginning of the year leading up to its first industry run on Staten Island
I actually think Galt is from there, no?

[ErinDillyFan]

Posted: 2/27/12 at 9:49am

Galt MacDermot is canadian.

Let's hope he gets a good lyricist, what has Matty Selman done? MacDermot has been paired with some incredibly bad lyricists.

[NewYorkPulse24]

Posted: 3/29/12 at 11:48pm

Some more info was just released today

https://www.broadwayworld.com/article/Galt-MacDermots-GODDESS-WHEEL-to-Premiere-at-Wagner-College-418-29-20120329

[temms]

Posted: 3/30/12 at 12:01am

This show isn't exactly new, it's been kicking around for a while. It was originally done with a different book at the Prince Music Theatre in Philly, after the theatre had commissioned a musical Lysistrata from Larry Gelbart, David Zippel and Alan Menken but didn't like what they came up with. Robert Brustein, the Artistic Director of the theatre wrote his own book adaptation, Selman and MacDermot did the score, Cherry Jones starred, and it got awful reviews.

Some time after that, Selman decided to write his own book to the score and it was done at NYU both in concert and in a fully staged version. Some of the tunes sound like classic MacDermot (the opening title song and a bluesy number called "Weather" are the two strongest) but I was unimpressed with the lyrics and the book, which did not tell the story very clearly or cleverly.

[NewYorkPulse24]

Posted: 3/30/12 at 12:57am

thanks for all that! I cant wait to see it since im a big fan of Lysistrata
Did you see it at NYU?

[EricMontreal22]

Posted: 3/30/12 at 1:54am

Sounds interesting. I also assume the original intention to use Gelbert and the Zippel/Menken team was some sort of idea to combine the feel of Forum with Hercules?

[temms]

Posted: 3/30/12 at 11:37am

From what I gather, the original intention was to have Gelbart do a book with a score by William Bolcom, the opera composer but for some reason it didn't work out and Menken/Zippel were brought on board. Apparently what they did was either too "commercial" or too dirty (depending on which account you read) and it was rather unceremoniously canceled. MTC did a reading of their version which was subtitled "Sex And The City-State".

I did see the NYU versions. As I said, I didn't really find it to be very effective storytelling, at least in that incarnation. But I'm a diehard MacDermot fan regardless, and the music does have his usual odd theatrical flair. I think he and his band (The New Pulse Jazz Band) are playing the production on Staten Island, as they did the NYU concert, which always makes for a fun evening.

Having worked with MacDermot a bit, I've learned that he really doesn't focus on anything other than the music. He leaves it to his collaborators to worry about the story and the concept and so forth - he gets the lyrics, he hears the music in his head, writes it out and they put it into the show. It's a very different approach than your typical theatrical composer, who is usually very integral to the structural and storytelling development. At heart, Galt's an old school jazz guy who only focuses on the tunes. He doesn't initiate projects, but if someone's working on something and they decide they want MacDermot music, they go to him and he happily writes it. The rest he leaves to the collaborators, and so sometimes it's "Hair" and sometimes it's "Via Galactica" and it doesn't really seem to bother him much either way, so long as it sounds good.

[NewYorkPulse24]

Posted: 3/30/12 at 5:10pm

I talked to someone at the school involved with the show and apparently it has changed very much since its initial showings in 05 and at NYU and even since they received the piece in November
Galt and Matty have been actively working on the score/book in which the cast have received numerous scripts.
Temms- apparently the scores great and has MacDermots sound all over it, similar to HAIR! Also like you said- his music is written separately from the book after lyrics are given to him

From what I hear its not only Lysistrata now but also incorporated is Greek mythology of the Gods - most specifically Hades and Persephone
Also it looks like its going to be a full production which it hasn't received yet

And movement master Keri Margolis is largely involved - but isnt credited?

They sent me a link to the artwork which seems very much like some of the old HAIR tarot card artworks

[Mucho Trabajo]

Posted: 3/30/12 at 7:57pm

Guys, I sat in on a run through of this show, and, I have to tell you it is an amazing piece of theatre. The score that Galt wrote with Matty Selman is nothing like I've ever heard before. It is searing and brilliant and the story works on so many levels. First of all, it is a completely new take on the Lysistrata story. Here they have her as the Madam of Aspasia's Gynaceum (historically one of the better-known brothels in Athens) and her first concern is that the Peleponnesian War is killing off her clientele. Her subsequent love story with one of the Athenian Soldiers creates the atmosphere for her famous sex strike. But the most amazing thing is how the Goddesses come into play. It's really a very profound story and the score... well, it's probably one of Galt's best score's since Two Gentlemen of Verona.

[musicalbluemirror]

Posted: 4/25/12 at 3:18pm

Did anyone go to this?
Im thinking of going tomorrow...