The sound of the musicals is coming to Cork
Younger readers will not remember a time when music did not come from headphones, mp3s or mobile phone, but from big screen musicals.
You went to the cinema and came home singing. You sang those showstopping numbers down by the seaside, travelling with friends, walking home at night, attending get-togethers and parties, humming under your breath at your school desk or at work.
MGM was the greatest producer of musical classics, from Broadway Melody, in 1929, to High Society and Gigi. Argument is never-ending over which was the best musical from the MGM stable, but everybody agrees that they were unforgettable.
“And why wouldn’t they be?” says Michael Twomey, master of ceremonies for the ‘That’s Entertainment’ show of songs and stories from the musicals. It’s at Cork’s Everyman Theatre on Sunday.
“First of all, you had the songs. These were written by the greatest and most popular songwriters of their day and so they were bound to be instant hits.
“Second was the romance. Every musical was based on a romantic story and audiences loved that. The third thing was the glamour. The elegance, the costumes, the storyline — it was a world of sheer fantasy that we could escape into on a wet Saturday afternoon.”
Linda Kenny, who not only sings in ‘That’s Entertainment’, but is busy putting the show together with director, Cathal McCabe, says that people want to get back to those simpler times. “I think theatregoers’ appetites are changing. Despite the fast-changing and complicated world we live in, or perhaps because of it, I sense a yearning for the way things were. The audiences love it when we put up the words on a screen, so they can sing along to their hearts’ content. And, maybe, they’ll sing on the way home, as well!”
The show is strikingly reminiscent of Cork’s Savoy cinema 50 years ago, when, between the short and the main feature, Fred Bridgeman would rise magically from below the stage, at the keys of a magnificent organ, and play all the popular songs, with the words projected onto the big screen.
“Exactly,” says Twomey, delightedly. “As I recall, Gladys Leach used to write the words for the songs on the screen, but everybody knew them anyway.” It’s a simple concept, says Kenny, but one that still works incredibly well.
GOLDEN OLDIES: A TOP TEN OF THE GREATEST MUSICAL NUMBERS
From the 1952 movie of the same name. Gene Kelly’s merry, splashing dance with an umbrella in a storm has passed into legend, and was frequently attempted by later performers (including The Muppets), but never equalled.
Kelly is said to have been suffering from flu, at the time, but nevertheless completed the number in one take, like the true professional he was.
From Gigi (1958). Hard to imagine anyone but Maurice Chevalier putting this over in his own, inimitable style, but everybody knows the words. ‘I Remember It Well’, from the same movie, sung by the same star, is always a winner, too.
From Showboat (1951). Paul Robeson stands sadly on the banks of the Mississippi, while the great paddle steamer pulls away into the distance.
Those rich, unbelievably deep tones are difficult to match, but it doesn’t stop basso profundos trying.
This title song ties closely with ‘Indian Love Call’, from the same movie, for popularity.
Interestingly, MGM made not just one, but three versions of Rose Marie: a silent movie in 1928, a Jeanette McDonald/Nelson Eddy, in 1936, and finally an Ann Blyth/Howard Keel pairing, in 1956, filmed in Cinemascope in the genuine Canadian Rockies, which gave it extra interest.
From The Wizard of Oz, of course (1939). And, yes, apparently it is true that the director thought of cutting the song, because it didn’t fit. Fortunately, he didn’t, and Judy Garland passed into history in the way we would most like to remember her. Tender and poignant. And who hasn’t sung it in their bath?
This is another of those movies that was remade several times, but the one most people remember is the 1953 version, with Kathryn Grayson and Gordon McCrae.
The title song is redolent of the mysterious world of the desert and its allure.
Bing Crosby and Grace Kelly, the perfect pairing for that comedy of life among the wealthy, High Society.
This glorious number should really be sung on a yacht off the coast of Maine (in calm waters, preferably), but is suitable to any romantic occasion.
The great, rousing chorus never fails to get everybody going. From Annie Get Your Gun (1950), with Howard Keel and Betty Hutton. The cheeky ‘You Caint Git A Man With A Gun’ from the same movie is almost as popular.
Another great sing-along title number, which ties for popularity with ‘Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas’ from the same movie (1944). Judy Garland proving, once again, that there is no place like home.
From Seven Brides for Seven Brothers (1954), one of the greatest dance movies of all time. Howard Keel, Jane Powell and a very young pre-West Side Story Russ Tamblyn make this one a classic.
- That’s Entertainment is on at the Everyman Theatre in Cork on Sunday. Everymancork.com
