Best/Worst Alan Menken Musical?

[BwayDreamer00]

Hey so I feel like Alan  Menken is a really forgotten composer and I wanted to hear your guys's opinions on his shows.....I know he only does the music but he's worked with both Howard Ashman and Glenn Slater as well as others for lyrics but like I said I feel like he's often forgotten speaking that he's only won one tony award for all of his best score nominations....now only opinions on shows of his that have been on broadway his movies (Hunchback Of Notre Dame, Pocahontas, Home On The Range, Hercules and a few more I've mentions don't count) what do you think is his best show? Worst show?? 

Alan Menken Musicals 

Little Shop Of Horrors (1982/2003)

Beauty and The Beast (1994)

The Little Mermaid (200

Sister Act (2011)

Leap Of Faith (2012)


Newsies (2012)

Aladdin (2014)

A Bronx Tale (2016) 

IMO:Best-Little Shop Of Horrors Worst-Leap Of Faith

[wonkit]

Leap of Faith? I guess he really is "forgotten" 

[Cfried]

I know you said no Hunchback, but I think that's his strongest score. It was incredible at Paper Mill and should've transferred. 

[Mr. Nowack]

I don't know in what universe Alan Menken is a forgotten composer. Little shop alone is still supremely popular and well known, not to mention his ton of Disney scores.

[10086Sundays]

Whispers:  I liked Leap of Faith.

I mean, Newsies forever!

[Cesare2]

You've forgotten that he also did KURT VONNEGUT'S GOD BLESS  YOU MR ROSEWATER and WEIRD ROMANCE.

[wonkit]

10086Sundays:  I loved Leap of Faith. The Los Angeles version more than the NY version (where they took out my two favorite songs).

[Scarywarhol]

If Alan Menken is a forgotten composer, I'd hate to think where that puts virtually all other theater composers. 

 

Best: Little Shop

Worst: A Bronx Tale

 

Most of his work on the Disney films has been excellent, even if it hasn't always translated so gracefully to the stage. 

 

[trpguyy]

What about his work on Sausage Party?

[gypsy101]

lol in what world is Alan Menken a forgotten composer? the dude has 8 oscars for crying out loud

[Mister Matt]

It's sort of hard to consider his best/worst when listing only his scores that appeared on Broadway.  I prefer a more complete list:

God Bless You Mr. Rosewater
Little Shop of Horrors
The Little Mermaid
Weird Romance
Beauty and the Beast
Newsies
Aladdin
A Christmas Carol
Pocahontas
The Hunchback of Notre Dame
King David
Hercules
Home on the Range
Sister Act
Enchanted
Tangled
Leap of Faith
The Apprenticeship of Duddy Kravitz
Sausage Party
A Bronx Tale

Best: Little Shop of Horrors
Worst: The Apprenticeship of Duddy Kravitz

I almost feel Sausage Party is the worst, but it's really due to the lyrics.  Menken's melodies really aren't bad.  I'm just surprised he signed on for such an ill-conceived horrific project.

[hork]

His best stage musical is Little Shop, but his best musical overall (stage or screen) is Hunchback (the movie).

[JudyDenmark]

Little Shop is arguably my favorite musical, period. So that's a no-brainer for me.

But Hercules and Hunchback are truly works of art. I still hold out hope for a Hercules musical... the music is glorious. 

[LYLS3637]

I enjoyed the LEAP OF FAITH score lol. "Are You On the Bus?" is a pretty fantastic song. 

Favorite would be tough between LITTLE SHOP, BEAUTY (movie), and MERMAID (movie).

Least favorite is easy: SISTER ACT

[ErikJ972]

For the record, Sausage Party is hilarious. https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/sausage_party

But my favorite Menken score is Little Shop.

[JennH]

JudyDenmark said: "Little Shop is arguably my favorite musical, period. So that's a no-brainer for me.

But Hercules and Hunchback are truly works of art. I still hold out hope for a Hercules musical... the music is glorious. 

 

"

There's still hope, he himself has said it's another of his own work that he would like to see on stage in it's full glory. That cruise one was tragic...and I dammit I wanna be Meg so damn badly. 

Moving on, to say he's forgotten seems very silly. Not known outside of the world of Disney/show bis would be more correct. He, among a few other composers, are the ones who's music you absolutely would know, but you don't know who HE is. Kinda like how no one seems to know who Robin Wright Penn is but the moment you say "JJjjjeennnaaayyy" everyone knows who she is. It's their work you know, not the actual person. A friend of mine who's a musician (more hobby than anything but still) but not necessarily a show tune nut, didn't even know his name, but whenI listed all his work his response was "Wow....to have written all that work that the whole planet know and has affected so many in great ways and yet only be known to Disneyphiles...". Very apropos. Unless you're a musical theater nerd/Disneyphile, you won't know his name. Being a millennial, his work is the soundtrack to my childhood and I STILL have to constantly remind my parents of his name/who he is.

 

Oh god...for me to name a favorite is practically impossible because I adore him way more than any words can express, so I better stop gushing now, BUT I just gonna name favorites, regardless of stage or not. Beauty and the Beast for it's sheer Menken-ness, it's what I would put as classic Menken, but Hunchback, Hercules, and Pocahontas for showing his amazing set of versatility he has. None of those three sound like the other, he's 100% tops in creating a musical universe for his shows, a world of what he thinks the music would sound like in that world, real or not, and how they might change with each character or situation but still make completes sense in the puzzle of the whole piece. 

Now my favorite lesser known works of his are Weird Romance, thank you to who mentioned that one it NEEDS it day in the sun (no pun intended), and King David. I'm surprised no one mentioned that one yet, it's another classic Menken that I'm shocked no one seems to remember. I want that piece done as a fully staged musical VERY badly...The man has hardly any bad work to his name, and is also a master of deceptive simplicity. He's writes such hummable tunes that aren't cheaply catchy but still accessible to the masses. He's a genius for sure. 

[Robbie2]

Best Little Shop

Worst Leap of Faith

[philly03]

Best: Sister Act or Beauty and the Beast

Worst: Leap of Faith, although his music was the best part and not an issue. It was those lyrics and book!

[Mister Matt]

For the record, Sausage Party is hilarious.

I found it the opposite.  The tedium of cartoon food making sex jokes and toilet humor wore off for me halfway through the opening song.  The strain and effort to FORCE juvenile "humor" at every other line were painful.  I gave up on the film after about 10 minutes.  

"THE GUY IS A WIENER AND SHE'S A BUN!  THE WIENER WANTS TO GET IN THE BUN!!  HAR HAR HAR!!!"

Repeat, vomit, repeat, vomit, repeat, vomit, repeat, vomit...