Loving the musical while indifferent to the score

[bear88]

Posted: 5/9/19 at 4:36am

Perhaps I'm thinking about this more because I'm debating possible shows on my upcoming New York trip, or because it keeps coming up as a topic here, but I have been pondering what I value in a musical. 

And one of the things I realized is that all of my favorite musicals have scores I really enjoy. Everyone's taste is different, of course, so one person's wonderful score is another's dreck. And my taste is a bit all over the place, so I really like everything from classic Rodgers & Hammerstein scores to Hedwig and the Angry Inch. I loved Hello, Dolly!, Chicago, West Side Story, Hamilton and Great Comet - and while all of those shows have a lot more going for them than some good tunes, it's the scores that draw me the most.

I can appreciate a musical with a score that isn't fantastic for other reasons, but when I think about seeing something again or listening to it, those shows always take a back seat to the ones with great songs.

A really good score is difficult to write, and maybe that's why I value them so much. It spooks me a bit when I read a lot of comments trashing a score. I might disagree with their opinion (as many of you have undoubtedly disagreed with the shows I've said had good scores) but it does give me pause about shows that are supposed to have good books but pedestrian scores. If I'm going to see a musical, I guess I want good music. Otherwise, why shouldn't I see a good play instead?

What are some musicals you love without really liking the score?  And why?

[yankeefan7]

Posted: 5/9/19 at 8:17am

I liked the musicals "The Producers" and "Spamalot" because they were really funny and the score to each I really did not like or think were that good.

[broadway86]

Posted: 5/9/19 at 8:41am

The Prom is the first thing that comes to mind. Saw it just a few weeks ago, thoroughly enjoyed, but other than the chorus of "The Lady's Improving", I couldn't hum any of the melodies to you.

[Mike Barrett]

Posted: 5/9/19 at 8:59am

The Prom for sure. Saw it for the 3rd time last night lol (thanks TDF!) and I love the show, score is fun and upbeat, can't say its the most memorable thing however. Few songs I enjoy, like the orchestrations, but ya, its just fine. Perfectly suitable for this show. 

[DiscoCrows]

Posted: 5/9/19 at 9:42am

Mean Girls, perhaps?

I would argue that it’s score is probably even a bit less than something “indifferent” and more just “not good.”

But that being said, it has so much energy and color, and even if it’s not the most musically artistic piece in the world, it’s FUN to watch. I loved the show as a whole.

[helvizz]

Posted: 5/9/19 at 9:45am

Billy Elliot was one of the best pieces of theater (well, art in general, actually) I've ever seen in my life, but I never listen to the cast recording. I think the strength of the musical lies in the choreography, the direction, the actors and the lighting, but not the score. It's bland, there are no great rhymes or clever word plays, and to top it all off there's a whole lot of autotune in the Mrs. Wilkinson's songs, but that's a problem I have with the CD, not the actual score. In the very few occasions I listen to the CD, I just think how okay it is at best, and I only listen to it to remember the actual play (sometimes I still get goosebumps when listening to Once we were kings, but because of the staging, not the song at all). It's no wonder no actor performs any of its songs at cabarets. I'm very glad we have a beautiful video of it.

[SomethingPeculiar]

Posted: 5/9/19 at 10:18am

To me, this seems to be more of a complaint about the melodic nature of the score, and less about the functionality of it. For a musical to truly work, the score (and in particular the lyrics) must drive the story and convey the emotions appropriately. Like A GENTLEMAN'S GUIDE –– it didn't win Best Score, and it doesn't have the sweeping emotions of BRIDGES, but it completely works within the context of the show, and it's one of the reasons why that show was so successful. One of the criticisms of BIG FISH was that, for once, it was a musical with a strong book but people hated Lippa's score.

[Lot666]

Posted: 5/9/19 at 1:05pm

I feel bad saying this, because I really like Miss Saigon as a show, but I don't think the score as a whole is as strong as it should be. There are key scenes with great songs, but I feel like there's also a fair amount of bland music behind bland recitative (I have the same problem with the score to Les Miserables, albeit to a lesser degree). I just don't think Claude-Michel Schönberg is as good at that sort of thing as Andrew Lloyd Webber, who I feel does it very effectively in most cases. I can listen to most Webber recordings all the way through and completely enjoy them, but am frequently compelled to skip tracks in Schönberg scores.

[Jarethan]

Posted: 5/9/19 at 1:18pm

Agree re Billy Elliott, but not sure it reflects the subject correctly.  Apparently, Elton John's approach to phoning in the score was too accurate a statement in this case.  IMO the score turned a great show into an okay show.  Hell, IMO the best thing was the Swan Lake number, and the second best was Solidarity, which was about the staging.  I thought a huge portion of the first act was one filler number after the next.  Also, I agree totally re Camelot.  I didn't like it the first time, mainly because of the score, which I thought was terrible.  The second time, in a local company that sat 250 people maxi loved it, even though I still thought the score was awful.  The intimacy of the theatre contributed a lot (even though I had a good seat in the Shubert, it was not intimate.  Also agree re Mean Girls.  Re The Prom, the score is certainly the worst part of the shows (other than the tacky sets and costumes which I assume were due to budget constraints, coupled with lack of creativity by the design team) and I did NOT love it; that said, I suspect that I would have enjoyed it a LOT more if the score was decent..

Disagree re Gentleman's Guide.  The score is delightful, with great lyrics.  It is clearly an homage to Gilbert and Sullivan, but I think it is better than any of those.  If you like jazzy, this is not the one, but it is wonderful if your tastes are more diverse.  Listen to the OCR.  Also disagree re The Producers; I think the score is delightful, with rare exception.

To the list  I would add Me and My Girl.  I loved the show enough to see it four times in its original run and couldn't get through the album once; even the Lambeth Walkis boring the album because it is so repetitious.  I thoroughly enjoyed Grand Hotel, but liked about three songs.  I purchased the album and could not get through it once either.  And, sacrilege, I loved How to Succeed the first time I saw it, but really didn't kill the score.  Other than The Brotherhood of Man, and I Believe in You, IMO the score was  uninteresting.

And finally, A Funny Thing.  Still the funniest show I think I have ever seen, but the score was a bore other than Comedy Tonight and Everyone Ought to Have a Maid.  I am sure the lyrics were terrific, but the screws a bore.

[rattleNwoolypenguin]

Posted: 5/9/19 at 2:45pm

A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum.

Keep Comedy Tonight and toss the rest and it might be an even funnier show.

The comedy in the show so outweighs the score

[shrekster224]

Posted: 5/9/19 at 3:00pm

Tootsie comes to mind. Not that I absolutely loved it, but the score is so forgettable but I had a good night out at the theatre and enjoyed the sum of the whole show more than its parts. I seriously could not name you a single song from Tootsie. I did not think the music was bad during the show-it aided the show and showed us character development and plot points, just nothing I'm going to listen to on the train or whatever.

[henrikegerman]

Posted: 5/9/19 at 3:29pm

COME FROM AWAY is the first to come to mind.  But "indifferent to" would be very generous.

 

[Shh_413]

Posted: 5/9/19 at 3:41pm

I hate to say it 'cause I really like the idea of the show and it might be a tad controversial but "Something Rotten!" fits this description for me to a tee.

The book for me is much, much stronger than the score. Apart from the opening number and "A Musical" and maybe some of the troupe's shorter numbers like "Black Death", I tend to skip most of the songs when I'm listening to the cast album.

[BritCrit]

Posted: 5/9/19 at 4:01pm

Am I the only one who has noticed that the overwhelming majority of the musicals listed here (with the exception of Miss Saigon or Billy Elliot) are comedies? I think it is easier for comedies to entertain people despite a weak score, because it is easier to suspend disbelief and accept flaws and contrivances is the dialogue is funny and the leads are charismatic...

[raddersons]

Posted: 5/9/19 at 4:29pm

BritCrit said: "Am I the only one who has noticed that the overwhelming majority of the musicals listed here (with the exception of Miss Saigon or Billy Elliot) are comedies?"

A funny book with a so-so score is at least funny.

A dramatic book with a so-so score ends up looking melodramatic -- or even worse, boring.

[poisonivy2]

Posted: 5/9/19 at 5:45pm

Come From Away - really enjoyed the show but I'd never listen to the soundtrack

The Prom - same. Show is funny and smart. Score is solidly mediocre.

 

[BroadwayMan5]

Posted: 5/9/19 at 6:32pm

I loved Groundhog Day and Come From Away when I saw them, but I never listen to those shows aside from 1 or 2 songs. Didn't hate either score but "indifferent" is a good word.

[victoriafr]

Posted: 5/9/19 at 6:46pm

Agreed about Come From Away! There are only about 3 songs that I regularly listen to from CFA. It's not so much that the music is bad on its own, it's just that the show is such an experience, without anything else, the music lacks something. Personally, when I saw the show, it was hard to discern where one song ended and another began (a good thing imo!), and I think there's an above average amount of speaking in the middle of songs, which probably contributes to this.

[poisonivy2]

Posted: 5/9/19 at 6:59pm

It also works the other way. There are musicals where I loved the score but not so much the actual musical. For instance I loved the score to Bandstand. But as a musical I found the drama lacking. Also loved the score to An American in Paris but that musical's book was too big of a mess for me to enjoy the overall experience.

[AADA81]

Posted: 5/9/19 at 9:08pm

Goes back a ways, but how about "1776".  I heard the score on CD and thought 'nope'.  I saw it later and thought 'YES'.  Fascinating show with a great libretto.  The score serves the show well but on it's own is rather forgettable.

[AADA81]

Posted: 5/9/19 at 9:08pm

Goes back a ways, but how about "1776".  I heard the score on CD and thought 'nope'.  I saw it later and thought 'YES'.  Fascinating show with a great libretto.  The score serves the show well but on it's own is rather forgettable.

[Lot666]

Posted: 5/10/19 at 11:11am

BroadwayMan5 said: "I loved Groundhog Day and Come From Away when I saw them, but I never listen to those shows aside from 1 or 2 songs. Didn't hate either score but "indifferent" is a good word."

I loved Groundhog Day and I still listen to (and enjoy) virtually every track on the cast recording. Andy Karl is just so freaking hilarious, and when it's touching, it really is touching.

I thought Come From Away should've won Best Musical over Dear Evan Hansen because I think it's more successful as a complete work. While I loved the score, I think the challenge with listening to a recording of it is you just don't get the full experience. It's a score best appreciated in the show.

[IdinaBellFoster]

Posted: 5/10/19 at 2:21pm

I had the most fabulous time at TOOTSIE this week, but I thought the score was fine. Suited the characters and the moment but nothing memorable outside or Stiles’ big number. But it oddly didn’t affect how much I loved the show.

[Bell0708]

Posted: 5/10/19 at 6:35pm

Light in the Piazza for me, loved the story, songs were pretty weak.

[MadViolist]

Posted: 5/10/19 at 7:07pm

Bell0708 said: "Light in the Piazza for me, loved the story, songs were pretty weak."

?!

The Light in the Piazza is anything but weak! I get it might not be your cup of tea but I'd definitely avoid this term ...