Triumph of Love--OBC album

The title of this show says a lot about it, I think. Could there be a more trite and derivative title than Triumph of Love? Even the library worker when I checked out this cast album commented that this wasn't the experience he had had (poor, lonely man--well, really me in about 25 years). Much of the rest of the listening experience with this show was equal to the title.

Who knew that F. Murray Abraham could sing? Well, he can't. He does a sort of Rex Harrison, Richard Burton (pick your Lerner and Loewe sing-speak role) thing. And it wouldn't be awful, except that the role is not written to be done that way, and Mr. Abraham is often teamed up in duets with real singers.

I also took issue with the style of music and style of singing of this show. Both music and voices are very modern sounding and American to me, yet the story is historical and European, or maybe even Classically Greek--I couldn't quite tell, which should point out a problem with this show as presented on disc. In the photos, the costumes are European 18th Century, but the libretto mentions places like Sparta. If I've missed something from the liner notes, I'm sure you'll point it out.

The music by Jeffrey Stock is rather bland and all sounded the same to me after a while, some songs a little faster, some a little slower. The two exceptions to that may be "Mr. Right", which I thought was funny and could have a life outside the show, and "Henchman are Forgotten" which is a sort of "Brush up your Shakespeare"-like song.

Part of the problem for me with the music maybe that Susan Egan and Betty Buckley are very similar in styles of singing. While they sound different, both have strong chest voices and little or no head voices. Couldn't one of the women in the show be a soprano? I need to check out Susan Egan's history; in her singing voice she sounds like any number of Disney heroines (Belle, Ariel, pick your animated story).

Triumph of Love
Music by Jeffrey Stock
Lyrics by Susan Birkenhead
Book by James Magruder

Opened in 1997
Cast: Susan Egan, F Murray Abraham, Betty Buckey, Roger Bart, Kevin Chamberlin, Nancy Opel, Christopher Sieber

Disney's Beauty and the Beast Original Broadway Cast Recording

I think there is a special kind of alchemy that happens between certain composers and lyricists. When the pairing really clicks, the composer writes better music than s/he would otherwise, and the lyricist's words reach a higher level. I believe that Alan Menken and Howard Ashman were that type of songwriting team, and the Broadway incarnation of Beauty and the Beast helps me make my case.

As most know, this project started as an animated film for Disney with songs by Menken and Ashman released in 1991. In 1994, when the film was expanded to be a Broadway show, additional music was needed. But Howard Ashman had died in the intervening years, so Menken paired up with Tim Rice to add eight songs to the score. Well, no insult intended to Mr. Rice, but the songs he and Mr. Menken wrote don't hold a Lumiere to the original songs by Menken and Mr. Ashman. There is one new song from the stage version that I do love--"If I Can't Love Her". This is a beautiful ballad.

I also think there are some gay references in Mr. Ashman's lyrics. Maybe I'm reading too much into this, but 17 years ago to have a crowd with torches (in the Mob's Song) sing "We don't like what we don't understand, in fact it makes us scared" certainly could refer to reactions to the gay community. I also think that Gaston is given some gay lyrics: "Every last inch of me is covered in hair" (was Ashman a Bear?) and "I use antlers in all of my decorating" (decorating, why is Gaston decorating anything?). And the whole Lefou worship of Gaston is questionable.

I've chosen to picture Gary Beach, the original Lumiere, for today's entry. I have a beef with Mr. Beach's performance, at least as it is represented on the cast album. It feels way over the top. Actually, it feels like he's auditioning for his role in The Producers. I miss Jerry Orbach, who voiced Lumiere in the animated film. God rest the song and dance man's soul.

Disney's Beauty and the Beast
Music by Alan Menken
Lyrics by Howard Ashman and Time Rice
Book by Linda Woolverton
Original Broadway show opening in 1994 based on the 1991 animated film
Cast: Susan Egan, Terrance Mann, Tom Bosley, Kenny Raskin, Burke Moses, Heath Lamberts, Gary Beach, Beth Fowler