I'm so shocked no one has posted about this. It's bare bones of course but I thought the content and singing were better than average for off broadway. Not an abomination at all. I got hints of les mis and a Christmas Carol the musical. Pleasant surprise
Glad to hear it's decent. I actually think the story of Anne Frank sounds like it could make a really beautiful musical, if treated with the proper care and respect. But the title of this one turned me off of it. "Anne Frank The Musical" sounds like tacky, like the producers/writers were trying to use her name as a brand, like "Shrek the Musical" or "Spongebob Squarepants the musical." But based on your description it sounds like the show is more tasteful than that.
Yes, it's a terrible title, and a pretty terrible piece, but it's not a terrible idea. Why is a chamber opera any more legit than a chamber musical? Trust me. It's been done well.
A musical already exists of this that played off broadway (at Playhouse 91 I think) in the 80s called Yours, Anne written by Enid Futterman & Michael Cohen. They subsequently turned it into a concert work/oratorio-like thing and I believe Andrea Marcovicci recorded that as "I Am Anne Frank".
I did not see it as it was before my time, but the score is quite lovely. It's a very tasteful, plaintive telling of the events, nowhere near as garish as calling it Anne Frank The Musical. I don't know what this new piece is, I'm just here to say another one exists, and the score is lovely.
You can definitely find the original recording on itunes if you're curious. It's on Jay Records.
True. You can also find the 1996 recording of I am Anne Frank with Andrea Marcovicci and Stephen Bogardus with members of the American Symphony Orchestra on Amazon. Also, the original cast album of Yours, Anne. And various recordings of I Remember, a chamber piece for mezzo-soprano, flute, harp and cello, based on the same score.
I vividly recall a not so great must musical for school groups that toured around in the early 90s that we had to attend about Anne Frank. I remember a rousing song about being alive.... a few moments before they were captured. Ouch. But I have never been able to find info on it. Anyone?
i guess this isn't giving too much away, but be warned.
what played this week in a museum incorporated the 'you're in a museum' into the storytelling, which i liked, similarly to city center having their own building in this year's WORKING.
hudson4 said: "Yes, it's a terrible title, and a pretty terrible piece, but it's not a terrible idea. Why is a chamber opera any more legit than a chamber musical? Trust me. It's been done well.
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Opera is not more "legit" than musical theater, it's just a more suitable medium given the subject matter. Could it then be performed on Broadway? Sure, why not?
ETA it's not just that the leading lady dies; American musical dramas have dealt with the deaths of major characters. But in the case we're discussing the lead who dies is a child and stands in for the deaths of 6 million Jews and 10+ million total people who died in concentration camps. Frank's story is too big for a rousing number about how "It's great to be alive!"
ETA2 Thanks to those who recommended YOURS, ANNE. I hadn't heard of it.
I find that the word 'musical' in this instance brings 'springtime for hitler' to mind. It's probably best to use music-theatre, which connotes something inbetween musical theatre and opera.
Incidentally, part of the score of Yours, Anne is also a classical chamber piece sung by a mezzo or soprano called I Remember. The melodies and lyrics are the same, but the key and orchestration are different and it sounds both the same and different.
To the general public, the terms "musical theatre" and "musical" probably do evoke a bouncy, song-and-dance happy vibe that would be inappropriate for this story. But people like us on this board should know better than to perpetuate that myth. Plenty of musicals are serious, and deal with heavy, emotional subject matter. In fact, IMO the best ones do. There is no reason this story cannot be a "musical" or a piece of "musical theatre."
The problem here isn't the medium, or how to classify the medium. It's the use of the phrase "The Musical" in the title. Producers only do that when they are trying to capitalize on a recognizable name. And trying to turn "Anne Frank" into a brand is offensive.
I completely agree, on both counts, but I've found that people you would think would be more sophisticated and knowledgeable would understand that musical theater doesn't always mean musical comedy, and yes, in my view, the best musical theatre is serious, if not dark. But as you've seen, many people on this board object to the mere idea of using this material for musical theater, not just the way the word is used, offensively, I agree, in the title.
joined:5/6/16
joined:
5/6/16
Posted: 9/24/19 at 8:00am