Wednesday, October 27, 2004
Cast Members talk about "Hooray For What!"
Remember Michael from 'Can-Can'? Well, he's also in "Hooray For What!"
I asked the cast what they thought about the show, and its theme...and got this response from Michael:
"As my day job is with the website www.antiwar.com, I was very excited to be a part of the cast of the resurrection of the "lost" 1937 anti-war musical "Hooray for What!" Under its light and bubbly surface brew themes of international conflict, misguided, jingoistic patriotism, and the struggle of greed against morals and the relative ineffectiveness of treaties and words. "Hooray for What!" is a satire that remains painfully (but hilariously) current. The play somehow balances a sharp social commentary with a script which is about as silly and fun as musicals can get. The characters at times border on lunatic, but they're just close enough to the real maniacal business and world leaders we've seen to ring true.
In addition to the story, the music has really exceeded my expectations. Yip Harburg's lyrics are clever enough to draw comparisons to Cole Porter's. Harold Arlen combines very interesting jazz, blues, march, waltz and other traditional sounds for a pastiche of songs which are not only catchy enough to stick in my head long after rehearsals are over, but provide a great and enjoyable challenge.
Luckily, this cast and crew are really up to it. Dave Dubrosky's detailed all-new arrangements are simply genius (with lots of 5-part harmony!), musical director Brandon's sharp ear and passion for perfection are inspiring, and once again Greg has gathered a wonderful blend of voices, which makes the many chorus numbers sound just incredible. I will be very sorry to see "Can-Can" end, but I can't wait for "Hooray for What!" to begin!"
I asked the cast what they thought about the show, and its theme...and got this response from Michael:
"As my day job is with the website www.antiwar.com, I was very excited to be a part of the cast of the resurrection of the "lost" 1937 anti-war musical "Hooray for What!" Under its light and bubbly surface brew themes of international conflict, misguided, jingoistic patriotism, and the struggle of greed against morals and the relative ineffectiveness of treaties and words. "Hooray for What!" is a satire that remains painfully (but hilariously) current. The play somehow balances a sharp social commentary with a script which is about as silly and fun as musicals can get. The characters at times border on lunatic, but they're just close enough to the real maniacal business and world leaders we've seen to ring true.
In addition to the story, the music has really exceeded my expectations. Yip Harburg's lyrics are clever enough to draw comparisons to Cole Porter's. Harold Arlen combines very interesting jazz, blues, march, waltz and other traditional sounds for a pastiche of songs which are not only catchy enough to stick in my head long after rehearsals are over, but provide a great and enjoyable challenge.
Luckily, this cast and crew are really up to it. Dave Dubrosky's detailed all-new arrangements are simply genius (with lots of 5-part harmony!), musical director Brandon's sharp ear and passion for perfection are inspiring, and once again Greg has gathered a wonderful blend of voices, which makes the many chorus numbers sound just incredible. I will be very sorry to see "Can-Can" end, but I can't wait for "Hooray for What!" to begin!"
// posted by ElisaC @ 10:24 AM 
