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| re: Revisiting The Confidence Man | |
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rockfenris2005 04:54 am UTC 03/14/11 |
| In reply to: | re: Revisiting The Confidence Man - steven_stuart 03:14 am UTC 03/13/11 |
> > I hope I won't be shot for saying this but "The Confidence > > Man" did absolutely nothing for me. I never thought it was > > that good at all. People on here seem to like it, but to > > me it's a very average musical. Jim's music was different > > in it, but to me it wasn't superb. > > I think that maybe Ray wrote the lyrics first and then Jim > was inspired to write melodies by the lyrics. Like with > Bernie Taupin and Elton John. It is my understanding that this is how it was, although I could be wrong. It's possible that it worked both ways. Btw, Jim didn't compose all of the music for "The Confidence Man". There is one song that features the work of another composer, the musical director of the original cabaret version. I believe Jim was depressed at the time because of what was happening with "Bat out of Hell" so the musical director wrote the music for that one song. Later Jim was offered the chance to write his own tune but he liked what the musical director had composed. Although that is just a > guess. As usual, Ryan would probably know. I am just > trying to think why the songs are different as far as Jim > goes (although two of the melodies are in "Tanz" - please > see Ryan's 2004 review). I am wondering if the 1986 > production was very low budget and that's why it seems to > be only "a very average musical". I have no idea. I've never seen the video. You say that people on > here seem to like it. I wonder if they are into the album > or the musical or both. Ryan said something about a VHS of > the 1986 production being available. Maybe I can find some > clips on You Tube. It was done at Queen's College in New > York, so apparently it has never been given the full scale > production that it would need to become a really first > class musical. You don't know what the VHS might have been > like if the show had been directed by someone like Hal > Prince. Maybe Smeghead's version was better. Although Ryan > says it didn't use the entire score. Smeghead's version did use the entire score, but not the entire orchestrations. It's the 2003 CD which doesn't contain the entire score, but what's there is pretty substantial (I miss the Barber's Tarantella and Melville's Theme.) I don't know why. Its > a shame that Ryan couldn't get his Australian production > off the ground. With the huge number of "Tanz" productions > (including Japan), you would think that there would have > been more than three "The Confidence Man" productions. Its > interesting that Croftie described it as: "a lost jewel in > the history of American theatre." I agree with that. On Amazon, Smeghead > describes it as: "a great lost treasure of American > theater." > > However, another reviewer said: > > "A couple warnings may be in order, however. If because > this recording features music by Jim Steinman you are > expecting the operatic rock for which he is most notorious > (e.g. Meatloaf), you will be in for a surprise. Though > diverse genres are represented, expect to find more in > common with the musicals Ragtime or Chicago than Bat Out > of Hell. That is not a bad thing unless you purchased this > wanting a Bonnie Tyler or Meatloaf album. > > Additionally (and my primary complaint), if you are > expecting a fully realized story told through song, you > will also be disappointed. Though you will certainly pick > up elements of the characters and the story within the > songs, the plot is not apparent. This album could easily > pass for a compilation of unrelated songs instead of a > musical. > > Compounding the difficulty of grasping any narrative > structure or plot is the fact that the roles were not > cast, the songs were. In other words, vocalists were > assembled to record specific songs; no one was assigned a > particular role. So if the Confidence Man sings five > different songs, hypothetically there could be five > different artists portraying him." > > Hmm. Its an interesting debate. I'm glad that Croftie > brought it up. Don't worry. You won't be shot for saying > that it did nothing for you. Debate is healthy. > Apples and oranges, yes. He likes Diane Warren. I don't particularly like Diane Warren. He doesn't particularly like "The Confidence Man". Some people don't like Andrew Lloyd Webber. Other people don't like Stephen Sondheim. Some people love "The Phantom Of The Opera". Other people don't like "Sweeney Todd" because they think the music isn't all that memorable. I love both "Phantom" and "Sweeney" but I know more about Andrew Lloyd Webber musicals than I do about Sondheim. I've always liked "Confidence Man" and I can see why others don't. It's not like Jim's other music. It's not as epic and over the top. And it was written for a particular purpose, to convey the lives of these characters on a Mississippi Riverboat just before the American Civil War. | |
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