BROADWAY WEEK (SEPTEMBER 6-12, 2011)
Music: Elton John
Lyrics: Tim Rice
No one ever said Elton John was subtle. For his first show written directly for the stage, he mines a famous opera for source material (love triangle, forbidden love, etc). Adam Pascal sings the male lead here and he's got a great voice for the material, but after hearing him in the 2003 movie School Of Rock, it's hard to hear him in any other context. As a result, I listen to this and think, "What's the dude from No Vacancy doing in a musical?" Even with the pedigree of Elton John and Tim Rice, this music/show isn't memorable and I most likely wouldn't have this CD if I hadn't seen the show and the CD hadn't been available used at CD Exchange. I probably haven't listened to this CD in 10 years. I'm sure Disney was hoping for success along the lines of The Lion King, but when the material isn't good, eventually the public figures that out. Yes, it won some Tony awards, but that doesn't mean it is good, it simply means it was better than the other few shows that came out that year. For the record, the competition that year was James Joyce's The Dead, Marie Christine, and The Wild Party. I've never heard of any of those.
Peak on the US Billboard Top 200 chart: Did not chart
Tracks: Act One opens with a good 1-2 punch of Every Story Is A Love Story followed by Fortune Favors The Brave, then the music just gets bland except for My Strongest Suit which is a high-energy Motown shuffle. The faux-reggae/gospel of Another Pyramid is offensive, as is the preachy The Gods Love Nubia. Highlights of Act Two are A Step Too Far and Like Father Like Son, but this act is mainly boring ballads. Overall, the music can best be described as ponderous and uninspired.
Personal Memory Associated with this CD: I saw the original cast at the Palace Theatre in 2001, so this CD is more of a souvenir than anything else.
No comments:
Post a Comment