Updated — Feb. 14, 2002
Way back in the early 1970s, I had an idea for what I thought
would be a hit Broadway musical, something along the lines of a
rock opera.
It wasn’t a serious idea. It was supposed to be funny, a
lark, a preposterous idea that would never, ever in a million
years have a chance of happening in real life.
Fast forward 30 years.
What’s one of the hottest musicals on Broadway right now?
Something called “Mamma Mia!”, a musical based on the
songs of a rock band called Abba. Most of the productions we used
to consider rock operas were more opera than rock, if you ask me.
The Who’s “Tommy” certainly was rock music, but
“Jesus Christ: Superstar” and others had a mix of rock
and other, less well-defined, music styles. I think what made
them “opera” was that there were only songs, no spoken
lines.
I want to be clear. I am not a fan of Broadway musicals or opera.
I don’t like the singing styles usually associated with
either form or entertainment.
I seem to recall hearing that laid-back parrothead rocker Jimmy
Buffet was working on a musical a few years ago, but, to be
honest, I don’t know if his project has ever seen the lights
of Broadway. But the incredible popularity of “Mamma Mia!”
seems to open a lot of new possibilities. Monday morning, I heard
about some new Broadway musicals that are on the way.
Dancer Twyla Tharp has teamed up with songster-turned-classical
composer Billy Joel to put together a show called “Movin’
Out,” which is scheduled to hit Broadway in October after an
out-of-town opening run in Chicago. Tharp will direct the show
she dreamed up and choreographed. It will include something like
26 Billy Joel songs. There is, I think, some kind of storyline
involved.
Other potential blockbusters are in the planning stages. There’s
something called “Can’t Help Falling in Love,”
based on Elvis Presley songs and “Drive All Night” is a
Bruce Springsteen musical. If this trend continues, I can
envision Broadway being inundated with what they’re calling
“songbook musicals.”
Willie Nelson’s classic theme album “Red-Headed
Stranger” was born to be a musical. I can see musicals by
Merle Haggard, Jerry Jeff Walker, Dolly Parton and Kenny Rogers.
There would probably be audience aplenty for Broadway shows
featuring the music of The Beatles, the Rolling Stones and maybe
even the BeeGees. How about some “bluesicals” with
R&B music from Otis Redding, James Brown, Smokey Robinson and
Marvin Gaye? Maybe you’d go see a “jazzical” with
compositions from Dave Brubeck, Miles Davis, John Coltrane and
Wynton Marsalis.
I have decided to dust off my old idea. No, I wasn’t
thinking about taking a bunch of songs I wrote during my country
music days and creating a musical called “Them Thar Hills
Are Alive with the Sound of Music.”
I think it might have been classical composer/folk musician David
Amram who used to call songs written in the ubiquitous C-Am-F-G
chord progression “urban folk.” A very large percentage
of early rock-and-roll songs in the 1950s and 1960s, as well as
many folk tunes, were written using some variation of the same
chord progression. You changed the feel, the tempo, whatever, and
you had different songs. For a real change, you transposed the
music and played the same chords in a different key. It was and
still is amazing.
So what was my big idea? A Broadway musical, perhaps featuring
all new music, written in the beloved C-Am-F-G chord progression.
It could feature rock, country, folk, blues and jazz music
styles, all with the same music foundation.
Storyline? Yeah, sure, there would have to be a storyline I
guess.
Otherwise, it would be a concert, not a musical. OK, don’t
worry, I’ll think of something.
Jim Six is a feature columnist and senior writer for the Gloucester County Times in Woodbury, NJ.
Jim started his writing career in 1964 at the Philadelphia Evening Bulletin. He has moved in and out of the communications business over the years since.
In his varied career, Jim has been a print and broadcast newsman and has won numerous journalism awards, including honors for his feature column, music reviews, news features and deadline reporting on hard news stories.
He was news director of a small, suburban Pennsylvania radio station for a couple of years, ran three county-wide political campaigns, served as a stringer for the Philadelphia Bulletin and WCAU Radio news, was communications specialist for a consulting firm, was president of a corporation that innovated video communications in the field of court depositions in the early 1970s, was director of a community outreach program in Southwest Philadelphia, wrote a music column for an entertainment newspaper and designed advertising campaigns for entertainers.
He has slugged 25-year-old Scotch with Willie Nelson; ridden an 1800-pound bull at the rodeo; performed at the American Bicentennial Rodeo; had drinks with Buffalo Bill’s grandson, a troop of cavalry soldiers and champion American Indian hoop dancers; played at music clubs in Berlin; learned to rappel from the county SWAT team; received death threats from a drug lord in Camden; flown solo in a paraplane; hung through the open door of a small helicopter to take pictures; covered the Soldier of Fortune Convention in Las Vegas; covered Congressional Hearings in Washington, D.C.; traveled to hurricane-ravaged Dade County, Fla. with a group of Gloucester County firefighters who took building supplies to their Florida counterparts; interviewed a porno movie queen, a double Nobel Prize winner, and country and pop music stars; and in 1988 founded a holiday known as National Columnists’ Day (which falls on the fourth Tuesday of June.)Jim’s column has been distributed to discerning readers in four countries and 13 states.
Check out the
“Jim Six — Just Like The Number”
Forum athttp://server3.ezboard.com/bjimsixjustlikethenumber
Interested in self-defense? Here’s a special offer!