4+4+4+4: showtunes you should hear

Before anything else, I would like to announce that starting tomorrow, I will be blogging every other day instead of daily. I do have an explanation and if you'd like to hear it, email/PM me. I think my blog will be morphing into twitter. Moving on...

It's been a while since I last had a showtunes playlist. I did my best not to repeat soundtracks I had mentioned in previous playlists but made an exception for one because it was truly, er, exceptional.

Laugh trip (short version)
"Be A Man" from Zanna, Don't! made me laugh out loud when I first heard it. The Village People vibe!




"The Speed Test" from Thoroughly Modern Millie and "Show Off" from The Drowsy Chaperone are both Sutton Foster-powered pseudo-1920s musicals. Look up the videos for total effect.



"Practically Perfect" from Mary Poppins has the endearing kind of boastfulness only a nanny like her can get away with.



Laugh journey (long version)
Two musicals adapted from comedy films: Dirty Rotten Scoundrels and Spamalot that stretched the funny through the music.




Tell Me On A Sunday (2003 London Revival Cast) has an updated story fitting Denise Van Outen's tabloid-friendly life. It must be interesting to know how different it was for Marti Webb to take on the role in 1979 at age 34 and in 2004 at age 59.


Talk about differences, the 1997 Jekyll & Hyde Original Broadway Cast album is not the same as the concept albums in 1994 and 1990. It's not supposed to be funny, but I found myself going, "WHAAAA...?" listening to the lyrics. How could you have written this, Leslie Bricusse?


Seriously good
"Some Things Are Not Meant To Be" from Little Women is one of the rare songs that made me cry the first time I heard it. If you decide to explore the cast recording, you'll find my personal anthem there.



I'm torn between ensemble songs "I Believe" and "The Song of Purple Summer" from Spring Awakening.




"Wonder" from The Lord of the Rings. It's one of those odd songs you should probably split into two. Love the drama.




"The Old Red Hills of Home" from Parade gives me the chills sometimes. The Broadway cast recording wins over London.




Worth a Second Listen
The Aida I watched made me so angry because the title role performance was sub-par. Fortunately, the 2000 Original Broadway Cast recording with Heather Headley and Adam Pascal won't leave you shortchanged.



This Titanic had the bad luck of opening in 1997, around the time the movie came out. But it still has great songs and the best opening I have ever heard--six run-on songs in a stunning continuum.



There is a haunting quality to The Secret Garden (1991 OBC) that is rare in musicals other than Sondheim's.




After all these years, Once On This Island (1990 OBC) is still my all-time favorite musical.