#63 Musings Beyond the Bunker (Saturday June 19)
Good morning!
TIME FOR THEATRE
It’s been too long a break, so let’s change it up…
I’ve been exchanging emails with Cantor Emma Lutz, a fellow musical theatre aficionado. We’ve been listing some of our favorite songs from musicals. What I’ve divined from this excursion into musicals is that these songs and stories are not so much about “happy and fun, with lots of dancing.” In fact, the best of these explore flawed people struggling to deal with life.
In any event, here are some of our favorites, divided into three categories:
Most chilling
Tomorrow Belongs to Me, Cabaret (written by Kander & Ebb, though it sounds like a real Nazi anthem)
My Friends, Sweeney Todd
Make Them Hear You, Ragtime
You Don’t Know This Man, Parade
Cleverest
Another Hundred People, Company (one of the most underrated musicals)
Getting Married Today, Company (one of the greatest tongue-twisters—difficult for any actress)
A Little Priest, Sweeney Todd (an ode to the various people baked into meat pies by the demon barber)
Wonderful, Wicked
Life is Happiness and Best of All Possible Worlds, Candide
What You Can Do With a BA In English, Avenue Q
Moving
Being Alive, Company (one of the greatest ever—Dean Jones nails it on the cast album)
Nothing’s Gonna Harm You, Sweeney Todd (a song sung to me by Brad when I was installed as Temple President—He knew I loved it and I will never forget the moment and the enormous sense of pride and thanks)
Send in the Clowns, A Little Night Music (I love the Judy Collins version:
)
You’ll Never Walk Alone, Carousel
This is a Man, The King and I (stirring version of this song, upon the death of the flawed King, who struggled to make sense of the world and its rapid changes, sung by DeAnna Choi:
I’d Give it All for You,Songs for a New World
Sailing, A New Brain
POETRY IN LYRICS
“Being Alive”, a paean to the need to have someone to love (and to be loved by them), from Company
Someone to hold you too close
Someone to hurt you too deep
Someone to sit in your chair
And ruin your sleep
Someone to need you too much
Someone to know you too well
Someone to pull you up short
To put you through hell
Someone you have to let in
Someone whose feelings you spare
Someone who, like it or not
Will want you to share
A little a lot
Someone to crowd you with love
Someone to force you to care
Someone to make you come through
Who'll always be there
As frightened as you
Of being alive
Being alive
Being alive
Being alive
NEIL PATRICK HARRIS IS THE BOMB
Here is Neil Patrick Harris singing “Being Alive” in an all-star production of Company. There is a brief lead-in from the play (you’ll see Jon Cryer and Patti Lupone), followed by the great NPH (he’s not just Doogie Howser!). This is a great six-minute clip from the play:
Happy weekend,
Glenn
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