We'll Sail the Ocean Blue...

[aknisely]

An' our saucy ships a' beauty.

Any other G&S fans here?

[CiberTHuG]

You know, in America we get more exposure to R&H and L&L. I've never heard (or seen) a G&S production in its entirety.

[aknisely]

Pity. 1982 will forever be remembered as the death of good music: MTV was created.

[CiberTHuG]

MTV's not bad. But yes, you won't hear Les Mis on MTV.

Or this...

A way out here they got a name
for wind and rain and fire.
The rain is Tess, the fire's Jo,
and they call the wind Maria.
Maria blows the starts around,
and sends the clouds a-flyin',
Maria makes the mountains sound
like folks up there were dyin'.

[aknisely]

What a horrible, horrible crime that'd be. I can't stand Sir Andrew anymore, I don't know why....

A British tar is a soaring soul,
As free as a mountain bird,
His energetic fist should be ready to resist
A dictatorial word.
His nose should pant and his lip should curl,
His cheeks should flame and his brow should furl,
His bosom should heave and his heart should glow,
And his fist be ever ready for a knock-down blow.

[barrk]

Originally posted by CiberTHuG
You know, in America we get more exposure to R&H and L&L. I've never heard (or seen) a G&S production in its entirety.

I go to LA to see plays all the time! I love Gilbert and Sullivan musicals! My boys did Pirates of Penzance last season but HMS Pinafore is good too!

My kids do musical theatre all the time. Erin and Travis are in rehearsal for Singing in the Rain right now.

[aknisely]

Excellent! If only there were more people like you and your kids who care about the classic art....

I am the very model of a modern major-general....

[CiberTHuG]

Originally posted by aknisely
What a horrible, horrible crime that'd be. I can't stand Sir Andrew anymore, I don't know why....

That wasn't Webber. I actually don't mind his older stuff, Phatom, Cats, but they aren't "all that".

Maybe it is just here in The South. I've been in Mame, Once Apon a whatever, Paint Your Wagon (which was the song quote). The Off Broadway shows that come through here are Miss Siagon, Les Mis.

In addition to that, I've heard all of Chess, Hyde (is that what it's called, saw that with David Hasslehoff, eh), South Pacific, whatever with Eliza Dolittle, and others. But I not only have never heard any G&S, I don't think I know anyone who has. I've heard of several G&S titles. There is even a character in The Simpsons (voiced by Kelsey Grammar) who has sung parts of Pinafore I think.

[aknisely]

Wasn't it Webber? I always thought it was.. Oh well.

I saw Miss Saigon when it was showing by someone a few years ago. All I remember is the helicopter.

[CiberTHuG]

Paint Your Wagon is R&H I think.

I'm sure you could look it up online if you care. If I'm wrong then it is L&L.

PS: I had to look it up, and I was wrong. It is L&L.

[barrk]

Lerner and Lowe did Paint your Wagon.........the best things in life are dirty is my favorite song from that movie.....I talk to the trees I could have done without. Clint Eastwood should stick to acting and playing the piano...a singer, he is not!

[paulw]

Adam,

You probably can't stand Sir Andrew because he is now Lord Lloyd Webber of Shaftesbury Avenue (or something)

Les Mis was Cameron Mackintosh, I think.

G&S can be good fun. Stephen Sondheim's not bad though.

Cheers,

P.

[CiberTHuG]

I thankfully dodged watching the Paint Your Wagon with Eastwood.

I'm not a big fan of Sondheim, but like I said, I kind like Saigon.

Les Mis is really in a class by itself. Not only is it an operetta instead of a musical (and I'm not sure why it is not a full opera, I never bother to look into it), but the music is... well... there is not a musical that can come close.

I keep missing the Off Broadway production though.

[aknisely]

Are you sure about Les Miserables? I'm going to look it up....

[CiberTHuG]

Sure about what? I don't consider it a musical no. I would imagine that most sources will since they don't draw a distingtion for operetta.

It's like Star Wars. Star Wars is not sci-fi, it is space opera. But I don't know of an organization that has a space opera category.

[CiberTHuG]

So I just found operetta.org. They don't give a definition of operetta.

[CiberTHuG]

What did you find, Adam? I found a site the gives the history of the term, mentioning that it started a romantic comedies (the MW definition) but listing G&S's musicals as operettas (operetti?).

http://okok.essortment.com/historyoperetta_rfpn.htm

Let me see what else I can find.

[aknisely]

LOL, no, about the composer.

[CiberTHuG]

*laughs* Oh, yes, it was Macintosh. I'm not sure if it is with a K or not.

Well, as to operetta, I haven't heard any G&S in its entirety. So if they are happy romantic comedies, then fine. It still puzzles me. And operetta may not be the best class for Les Mis, but it shouldn't be considered a musical.

In a musical, you have a story and a plot in the dialogue, and characters break into song. In Les Mis, the entire story is the songs. You can listen to the CD and you have heard the story.

[aknisely]

You've never heard Gilbert and Sullivan? If you've got ICQ I'll give you a few of my MP3's, it's a real treat!

As for Les Miserables, I only read the book by Hugo, and I have no idea how anyone could turn that into something musical. I have yet to see it, and I refuse to listen to a recording of something I haven't heard live yet.