DISCOVER A GREAT CLASSIC MUSICAL!
Since my first post was about vocal technique, I’d like to vary your experience of this blog and now recommend a wonderful classic musical, just right for the Celtic vibe of St. Patrick’s Day, which is coming up in less than one week! Chock full of beautiful songs, a fun plot, and glorious dance numbers, Brigadoon is one of the loveliest productions in musical theater, with a fantastic score by Frederick Loewe and terrific lyrics by Alan Jay Lerner, the magnificent Broadway team who also brought us My Fair Lady, Camelot, Gigi, and Paint Your Wagon, to name a few!
I’m a huge fan of movie musicals, and luckily, Brigadoon made the jump from Broadway to the big screen in 1954, starring in and choreographed by the incredible Gene Kelly, who, along with Fred Astaire, was arguably one of the greatest dancers and choreographers on film in the 20th Century.
So— why I am telling you about this? First, because I find that so many of my students, and even their parents, don’t know anything about American musical theater repertoire. They’ve never seen a Broadway show, or even know that these incredible gems exist! Especially when it comes to musicals that will forever stand the test of time and become classics, this is a must for anyone who loves singing, music, the theater, and luckily, movies– because many classic American musicals have been adapted for the big screen, and in most cases, very successfully! Whether you’re a singer, dancer, actor or simply someone who loves a good movie, you’ll be smiling through so much of this film! Take a look at this movie trailer, below:
[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wnfbQcOEBc4?rel=0&w=560&h=315]
A few minutes of just the Brigadoon trailer beats out a lot of what’s available today in music and movies!
Second, if you’re looking for some new songs to work on for auditions, vocal development, or just for fun, several of the songs from Brigadoon have become veritable standards:
“Almost Like Being in Love”
“The Heather on the Hill”
“Waitin’ for my Dearie”
“I’ll Go Home with Bonnie Jean”
There are plenty more songs from the Broadway show that didn’t make it into the movie, so don’t stop there! You can go to YouTube and iTunes and have a grand time discovering even more. I remember when there was no Internet, (yes, I’m old enough to have experienced that!), and these films and recordings were not so readily available. And, there was no Amazon— aaaah! Do you remember life before Amazon?
Speaking of which, if you’d like your own copy of Brigadoon, head on over to Amazon and order the DVD or Blue-Ray, or stream it on your favorite service. If you fall in love with the music, you can also buy a recording of the soundtrack, and pick up sheet music for you to sing/play yourself, either for your favorite single song from the show, or a songbook with selected titles included. Beyond Amazon and Walmart online (yes, Walmart!), there are so many places to get sheet music on the internet now, it’s fantastic! Google what you’re looking for, and the words “sheet music”, and you’ll find a whole host of choices…
I SO hope you take my advice and discover, or perhaps re-discover, this wonderful classic musical, and particularly this truly beautiful movie version. Brigadoon will become part of your movie library, and you’ll want to see it, hear it, and sing it again and again, especially around St. Patrick’s Day!
