Oh, PRETTY, PRETTY PLEASE CAN THERE BE A HARVEY MILK DAY?!

I can't wait for the Sales on Musical Theatre CDs!!!!!

[H/T to Digi for pointing out the proposed "holiday."]

Conga Drums do NOT belong in church

...particularly mine. I don't care if Ricky Ricarrrrrdo is playing them. I don't know what possessed the pastor to think a "folk Mass" should be in order for a 5:15 on a Sunday. Ever since he retired the former supply priest (of 30+ serving years) he has been trying to "remake" this Mass over. About two months ago he decided that once a month we would have the Cursillo people do a folk Mass. We normally have a cantor and an organist. Last we we had a beautiful rendition of Panis Angelicus. Sometimes we get lucky like that.

This Sunday NO ONE SANG the entrance song. [He pastor suddenly decided we "need" a folk Mass on the 1st and 3rd Sunday of the Month.] Right at the top of Mass, Father decided it would be a good idea to castigate the congregation for not singing after he'd gone through "all the trouble to arrange for a folk Mass." Then he whined that people had opened all the doors after we'd cranked up the AC. Then he said "Well, I'm off to a great start." People laughed nervously.

Afterwards, the head cantor told me that they were so busy setting up everything, she did not have a chance to change the song numbers. Duh. I sometimes think the Holy Spirit has to do His work under duress.

There wasn't one song that wasn't in a sappy, treacely setting. "Sun Dresses" do not belong in the sanctuary either.

Carrrrrumba.

(update: Dear Stephen sent me a link to this video on Facebook. Have to include it here, because I can TOTALLY see this being used for the recessional next hootenany Mass. It would be a vast improvement!]



(Stephen, you DO realize that every 1st and 3rd Sunday, I will be thinking "conga" whenever I hear the beat-beat-beat of the Tom-tom, regardless of jungle shadows falling or not.)

Kicking off the Weekend (unfortunately, not in the Country)

I'm too exhausted to bitch about zero trying to shut down the internet in time of emergency. Too bad he can't meet up with "someone brandishing a sword." The devil's companions know not whom they serve.

Whoway ancay Iway urntay otay?

Yes, it's pig latin. But a certain holding company who is not releasing things they can after a 45 year remove is for whatever reason hell on vid from the dEay ullivanSay howSay. It's very seldom in musical theatre there is a song sung directly to God. But this is one of them. The song this particular show is from is "oarRay ofway hetay reasepaintGay, hetay mellsay ofway hetay rowdCay." I own the CD, and never got to see the show live, but it's one of my favorite scores - and this performance is particularly rich.





If you want it, get it.

Conrad Birdie's First hit

If you know the answer, shout it out. [I'd known but forgotten, and now know again. Besides Stephen F., I'm trying to flush out the other musical theatre fans.] Let me know if you need a hint. (And Stephen, I'd have been caught flat footed if you'd asked me 2 weeks ago.]

Chasin' the greys away

Again with the crummy gray "Marine Layer." But IT'S FRIDAY!!!!!

Lovely to See Unbrideled passion

(It's okay, Fr. Erik, you can look too.)



I was delighted when I heard this song the first time. It's from a musical revue of Kander and Ebb songs. Andway hetay orldway oesgay oundRay.

Yes, that's pig latin. Seems too often when we post a title of the thing, it's "gone" too soon from youtube.

Feeling a little frenzied?

I was hoping someone would post this number from "She Loves Me" and they finally did!

Six things that make me happy

Esther tagged me.  State the obvious, then tag six more and let them know.

1. (I agree with her) Being Catholic.  Except for that Kleenex thing  - and by way of extension, some of the goofy things Paul said, did.   That was some fall off the horse.  ["no, you don't have to be circumcised to be Christian, except for you two dummies, who as adults need to be circumcised, because I need you to go into the temple over there and preach Christ, and God knows I can't find any Jews around here" (Paul, ya coulda done it yourself, instead of asking guys to get part of their pee-pees whacked off when they were already grown) and all that "women's heads must be covered  cultural crap" that we've been beaten over the head with for almost 2,000 years.  Paul,  take some valium, will ya?]

2. Being born a US citizen.  How lucky is that in the lottery of life?  Millions trying to get in and I had this just handed to me on the platter.  I didn't even have to come across with the pilgrims, but enough of my ancestors crossed - and some of them did within a hundred years after the pilgrims.   And the nice thing is when people take up citizenship here, they ARE "one of us."  I've known more than one person who was born in "country X" but still considers himself to be of "nationality Y" because they don't feel entirely part of where they were born.

3. Education.  I had all the formal education I wanted, and if I want more I can get it.

4. Theatre.  I'd rather sit in a dark theatre and watch people on stage, especially at "Musical comedy, the most glorious words in the English language ♪," I'd  even rather see bad stuff than sit at home and watch a sitcom or almost anything on TV.  To me there's always something to love or hate about it.  I do not love it enough, however, to want to be "properties manager" again.  Oh, I'll help MAKE properties. But not drive all around the fricken town finding the damn things.  I hate shopping too.  The most thankless task on earth next to ironing purificators.

5.  Rain.   The older I get the more I get like good queen Bess II in her love of it.  We so seldom get it here when it comes, it is a TREAT.  I love how everything is crystal clear after it, and if it's late afternoon, and the sun comes out, everything is infused with a golden tinged clarity that is unearthly.  It does after a rain here anyway.

6.  Family and friends.  Because.  They "knew you when" and loved you even before you got your cool.  They even love you when you're being a jerk.  Usually.

7. [I hate the number six.  Always have.  Even before the Exorcist.  And I like odd numbers more than evens.] DOGS.  DOGS RULE.  ENGLISH SPRINGER SPANIELS ESPECIALLY RULE.

And now, the lucky six.

1. Tara (now that Stella is well.)

2. Phillip (so this time around he can tag Mac.  And Mac will probably tag Bara.  I hope.)

3. Swiss Miss (anyone who has a cabin with "bear issues" is interesting)

4. Angela. (Because her podcasts are so cool.)

5. Ukok  (because she's so creative)

6. Therese (She was neat enough to invite me down to Australia.  Some day I may take her up on it.  My folks had a blast down there, and it was the one place they were where I didn't get to go due to a work commitment, and I've been jealous ever since.)

I'd tag one of the polo team, but they are so "radio silence" on memes, though Mac (are ya listening?)  can sometimes twist the arm of his hermeneuticalness  enough to get him to come across with one.

A Warning to young Ladies

In the comments on the last post, Phillip referred to a classic Flanders and Swann song. I first heard it when I was twenty. "Have some Madeira, m'dear."

It was a while since I looked for it on youtube, but it has finally appeared - so now everyone can enjoy it

I was delighted to see a full church

this morning at Mass. The ideal way to start Thanks-
giving.

Sunday, someone (who should have known better!) asked me if it was a Holy Day of Obligation. Somewhere along the way they'd received faulty catechesis for not knowing this. OTOH, the silver lining is that the person at least was concerned about meeting the obligation for Holy Days.

BTW, we had a good bit of rain the last 48 hours. It pours, then the sun comes out. Drizzles, sun comes out. It's spectacularly clear. A real blessing. Unless you are in a mudslide area.

On a fun note - I've always liked "der Bingle's" "I've got plenty to be thankful for" from "Holiday Inn." [one of my favorite movies.]*



A Happy and Blessed Thanksgiving to you all.

[* - on a historical note, the business of the turkey jumping back and forth between the two different Thursdays, was no joke! FDR, in his stupidity bowed to political pressure from largely democratic party voting states to move the holiday forward by one week to help "get the holiday out of the way" so Christmas shopping could begin in earnest. (the Fri. after Thanksgiving has traditionally been the busiest shopping day of the year) Republican states held out and said "NO WAY, we are staying with tradition." So for a few years some states held the holiday in the next to last week of November, and other states hung tough for the tradition to be the Fourth Thursday of November. Sanity eventually prevailed.]

Nobama gives 1st press conference

Press eats it up. Pretty soon they will be reduced to taking "press releases" from the White House. Just like Pravda. And digi - how does it go - there is no Pravda ["Truth"] in Izvestia ["The News"] and no Izvestia in Pravda.

Halloween Munchies

Different strokes. I'll skip the reefer, but the gang of gin sounds about right. Especially if this election cycle goes on any longer. Can we turn the pigfoot into a rabbit foot?

Enjoy - 1776

....this clip is from the Ed Sullivan show of the OBC. It includes the powerful Molasses 2 Rum [which I referred to previously in the Music quiz last month.]

Music quiz

See if you can name the song the lyrics below come from and the title of the musical theatre show the song came from. My dear friend Stephen F. will get all these in a heartbeat, so he's not allowed to play in the combox on this one -- except to answer (if he sees it) the "Expert" question. :-D He's allowed to kibbitz though.

Put the # and song title and/or show to any you know in the combox. It should be a collaborative effort. Let me know if they were too easy or too hard.

Easy:
1. Christ you know I love you. Did you see I waved? I believe in you and God, so tell me that I'm saved.

2. At three I started Hebrew School, at ten I learned a trade.

3. And underneath her wimple she has curlers in her hair.

4. to see Thee more clearly, love Thee more dearly, follow Thee more nearly

Intermediate
5 Then it's off with the rum and the bibles. Take on the slaves, clink, clink.

6 Went to church, praying Santa Maria, send me guidance, send me guidance, pretty please .

7 Friends! The idle brain is the devil's playground.

8 When you go to get a word of advice from the fat little pastor he will tell you to love ever more .

Advanced:

9 ...but she was granted one more start, the convent of the Sacred Heart ...

10. - goodbye go and cry at another person's wake, if you're quick, for a kick, you can pick up a christening...

11. The devil's companions know not whom they serve - it might be instructive to observe

12. May I take this occasion to say: that the whole human race should go down on its knees, surely be grateful for mornings like these

Expert: (not a lyric, but a line from the libretto)
Where'd you play? The Vatican?

Liza - before she started doing imitations of herself

A little fun for the weekend. It strikes me how everyone in this video is now over 60.






This is from estBay ootFay OrwardFay - yes, use your pig latin. - the off-B'way show done in 63 -
She is joined by dancers Gene Castle, Don Slaton, and Paul Charles.

I'm sure you TLM folks will enjoy the precision! ;-D

She Loves Me

Valentine's Day is coming up, and it occurs to me that many of my blog readers are unaware of a delightful musical called "She Loves Me."

The plot was based on a Hungarian novel called "The Parfumerie" and it has been reconstituted as everything from a straight play to movies. In 1963 the team of Harnick and Bock fashioned a jewel box of a musical. The two main characters, unbeknownst to each other, had found each other through a lonely hearts column and have been corresponding some time before the woman comes to be employed by the same shop as the man. Predictable enough, in real life they don't like each other!

It is a musical comedy which reveals itself with warmth, charm, comedy and romance. The score is superb, but much less well known because it's "big production competition" that Tony Year was "Hello Dolly." If you want a different sort of treat for this week, check and see if it's playing locally. This is one of those shows if someone was putting it on in his garage I'd go see it. It is suitable for all ages. Check your local theatre listings, you may be in luck.

Here is a sampling:

Three Letters ♫

Tonight at Eight ♫

I Don't Know His Name ♫

Will He Like Me ♫

There's a full synopsis here.
.

Shuffle! (Meme)

Mark, over at Rise and Pray, was tagged with a random play list meme. Grab your iPod or your Windows/Mac player -- select all songs and hit shuffle -- what are the 1st 10 songs that come up -- no cheating! Even if it's silly stuff. -- My silly one was the 1st selection. (Okay, I list 11, but it's because I prefer odd numbers!)

Click the little musical note next to the song title to hear 30 second sample from Barnes and Noble. You don't have to add this feature, but it's fun. I've added notes too for overkill. :-D The first cut is a sample from the UK Amazon site - B&N didn't have it and the US site's interface is braindead. (You people in the UK spend the EARTH for CDs, BTW )

1. [I Love You] Elizabeth [Taylor] ♫ - Keith Cromwell - Whoop-Dee-Doo!

Well, what can I say about Whoop-Dee-Doo! -- it was the revue creation of the late Howard Crabtree - wickedly funny. A guilty pleasure. I didn't get to see it, but the pictures of the costumes I can find were something else. Had Liberace still been around, he'd have said "Wow. These are over the top!"

The lyrics are irresistible: [My mother would have laughed herself silly.] See the combox for lyrics.

2. Being for the Benefit of Mr. Kite - Beatles - Sgt. Pepper Album

Of all the Beatles songs I have loaded, I was delighted this one came (other than, oh, say "Why don't we do it in the Road" from the White Album.) I remember being enchanted with the sound effects of Mr. Kite as a youngster when the Album first came out. Years later, I was watching some documentary type program, and one of the recording engineers said that they wanted that caliope effect. The fellow found an old tape used from a Merry Go Round -- he randomly cut the tape and spliced it back together - voila. Magic. Pure Magic. I can also remember one of the Beatles saying that the inspiration for the show came almost verbatim from an old circus poster he had seen in a curio shop. The Beatles don't seem to have allowed for music samples of their CDs.

3. (I've Got) Beginner's Luck - Fred Astaire - Starring Fred Astaire

This song was written by George and Ira Gershwin for the film Shall We Dance. Fred sings it to -- who else? but Ginger, while he was wooing her aboard ship. George died later that same year when Damsel in Distress (another movie musical with George Burns and Gracie Allen -- and a horribly miscast young Joan Fontaine) was in production. This double CD is out of print, but well worth it if you can find it.

4. A Fine Romance ♫ - Ella Fitzgerald - American Songbook Series: Jerome Kern

Ella does a great job with this oft recorded "standard."

5. Battle Hymn of the Republic ♫ - Armed Forces Chorus; US Marine Chamber Orchestra - Mourning in America

This was beautifully sung at the Reagan funeral, which was held at the National Cathedral [Episcopal] in Washington. I've always had a love of this song, and it always pains me when the few times we get to sing it in church (usually at 4th of July and times like that,) the cantor junks it up by calling it "Mine eyes have seen the glory." I always want to scream "NOOOO!!!!! Stop being so damned PC!!!" But what can I do? I don't want to make a scene as I'm processing out. The CD also contains a very beautifully sung "Jerusalem" not the song most Americans are familiar with - but the English tune Jerusalem - but the words are not the Blake ones re: "dark Satanic Mills" but start out "Oh, love of God, how strong and true." Frankly, I wish this song were sung in Catholic churches - but I've yet to hear it in one. If your church does it - count yourself lucky. [And luckier still if you have a red-blooded cantor.] (No sound samples, but the link is to the Reagan Library which has exclusive CD/DVDs available. I really enjoy mine.

6. Everybody loves to take a bow ♫ - Benay Venuta - [OBC]‡ Hazel Flagg

I had heard of this musical from reading Carol Burnett's autobiography, One More Time, about her youth and early career. She'd cut short her time at UCLA to try and break onto the boards on Broadway - her and 3 zillion other kids bitten by the bug. You couldn't get an agent, until you'd done a show, and you couldn't get a show unless you had an agent. She and her friends LITERALLY "put on a show" just like Mickey and Judy - and one of the songs she sang that got her noticed was the comic Laura de Maupassant from this musical. This woman has never forgotten her working class roots, and the book is a great read. I was delighted when I got ahold of the CD, because I hadn't heard any of the numbers before - I got a real charge out of "Everybody loves to take a bow." I used a bit of it when I put together a little Windows "Moviemaker" film for the first time back in spring. Teresa (our church's former 5:15 server) and her friends had done some Shakespeare in the Park last year, and she was delighted when I used a snipped of this song for the "credits."

7. Everything's Coming up Roses ♫ - Ethel Merman - [OBC] Gypsy

Nobody sings this song like Ethel. She OWNS it. Oddly enough the "Curtain up! Light the Lights! You've got nothing to hit but the heights!" bit from this song I first heard when I was five or so -- as one of the tags for the Bugs Bunny Cartoon show. Gypsy is my all time favorite musical. Perfect Book by Arthur Laurents. Perfect Score by Jule Styne. Perfect lyrics by Stephen Sondheim. What on earth is there not to like?

8. Opening Doors ♫ - cast - [OBC] Merrily We Roll Along

I love this Sondheim creation. Apparently never worked well on stage (dudes, your cast was too young for the audience to "get it") -- this Musical works its way backward in time and so does the music. The score is like peeling an onion.

9. If I knew you were coming I'd have baked a cake ♫ - Ethel Merman (w/Ray Bolger) - There's no business like Show Business: The collection

Ah, Miss Merman favored twice. I'd first heard of this song quite some years back when I read, Richard Nixon's autobiography RN. He mentioned that it was a popular song of the day when he was first campaigning against Helen Gahagan for his first term in the US Senate. I thought the title intriguing, and was never able to find a recording of it. Once some years back I asked the Sainted Father S. if he knew the song. He DID and was able to sing a little bit of it for me that he remembered, he was a very young man when it came out, he was still in seminary. Early this year I finally scored it when I noticed this CD had come out. Father was delighted when I played it for him - and it's quite a fun song.

10. It's a Most Unusual Day ♫ - Michael Feinstein - The M.G.M. Album

Mikey can sing the phone book and I'd buy a copy. If I get around to putting together a playlist of "feel good" songs, this one's going to be on it. I've never been disappointed in any of Mikey's recordings. Once by pure serendipity I happened to be over at the local Borders Bookstore in Mission Valley - and I saw a sign out -- who should be appearing THERE that very day - not an hour later -- at that very store -- but Mikey. He had a new CD come out, and he played about six requested songs on a grand piano right there. Wow. I always HEAR about stuff like this happening after the fact. My theatre partner in crime, Christine, from Michigan and I always joke about this. I'm in love with Mikey's work and Chrstine is in love with Mandy Patinkin's work. We each think the other is crazy. Sorta.

11. Put on Your Sunday Clothes ♫ - Carol Channing, et al - [OBC] Hello Dolly

I can't listen to this song and NOT feel good. From an era when musicals were musicals and not about falling chandeliers, helicopters, or people having to spend 5 hours in a makeup chair trying to look like a freakin' cat. The inimitable Carol Channing and cast. FORGET THE MOVIE. IT'S C*R*A*P. I want to burn every copy of it. If I am ever Empress I will see to it that every copy gets thrown straight into the next California Wildfire or cast from the surface of the earth like the palm tree in Mister Roberts. If your local high school or college is playing it, take a look. And if you're lucky you can find professional productions too. I was delighted to finally see it on stage, rather than the crummy movie.

For a treat, here's a youtube video of Put on Your Sunday Clothes. A Catholic High School, St. Francis de Sales in Toledo, Ohio had done it in '98. The kids hit a few clunker notes here and there, but they're all heart and have the right spirit -- well worth a look, the choreography is pretty good for high school too, the costumes and sets are nice and God bless the big cast and especially all the boys -- whomever the drama teacher is there - they've got a swell program - or did when the put on that show. It's a little longish, at just under 6 minutes, so if you have dialup - use http://keepvid.com to download, and use with a flash player.





If you play, drop me a note in the combox I'd love to see your picks.

‡ OBC stands for "Original Broadway Cast." A stage show's recording is a CAST recording, and not a "soundtrack." [Listen up you illiterates out there!] It may seem persnickety to the uninitiated, but if you order the "Soundtrack" to Chicago, West Side Story, Sound of Music and a whole host of other musicals you'll end up with something that may be quite different than the "Cast Recording."

Blue Vestments. Evil Wimmin Porters. Chaucer! Rabelais! Balzac!

Fr. Z. of What does the Prayer Really Say has an interesting "annual rant" (his words) about the use of the color blue for Advent in some Latin Rite churches. Not to focus so much on the blue vestment angle here, but Father Z. made this remark in the body of his "rant:"

"However, if blue is ever approved I will probably resent the fact that widespread abuse led to that approval! That how the liberals got Communion in the hand and altar girls and the domination of the vernacular over Latin, etc., etc., etc."

Ahem.

What I'd like to know from Fr. Z. (and others so like-minded) is when he's going to go on a tear re: those evil wimmen acting as porters? When exactly did the pope sign off on this with the right jot and tittle? They're helping to collect and count the money and sometimes lock up the church -- clearly they're getting ideas above their stations.

If altar girls are going to be railed against, to be consistent, why not attack the moms who serve as "stealth porters?" Who do these wimmen think they are? Oh, sure, TODAY they say they only want to help count the money -- just you watch, before anyone can blink they'll be taking a cut from the collection and absconding with Father's car off to some Protestant church basement jumble, Haddassah Bridge Tournament, or Indian casino.

Father can't be seen taking the bus to his Wednesday afternoon game with his golf bag in tow. What will his confreres say when he finally shows up at the links? "Hah---there ya go, Charlie -- I see your wimmin porters made off with the Ford Explorer again... yer hen-pecked over there in St. Elijah's." Imagine the humiliation! They'll stick him with buying a round at the 19th hole for sure. "Dude, it's not like you're DRIVING or something...."

The wimmen will be appropriating the key to the Knights of Columbus liquor cabinet, and drinking up all Rum and Coke. And we all know how Old Man Pruet gets when the sauce runs out. He'll have a stroke if he finds out those wimmin got into it. They oughtta stick to those female drinks like mai-tais anyway.

Look out for their sons too....I bet they rebuckle their knickerbockers BELOW the knee. Rebels! Everyone of them!



CHAUCER! RABELAIS! BALZAC!
.

But Mr. Adams

leave me alone! Saw 1776 twice on Thurs-
day. It's quite a fine performance lead by the riveting James Brennan, wonderful as ever as the "obnoxious and disliked" John Adams. John Schuck is endearing as Ben Franklin. Matthew Ashford plays a full-blooded, in every sense of the word, Jefferson. John Scherer is a self-possessed and ever confident Richard Henry Lee, and Mark Zimmerman does a masterful turn as John Dickenson.

James Barbour renders Molasses to Rum to Slaves in as fine a fashion as you'd ever want to hear. Just wish his acting in the role had a more aristocratic bent to it than it has. Somehow he's managed to imbue the stately Mr. Rutledge with a cross between Wiley Coyote and a sleazy imitation of Clark Gable playing Rhett Butler. Oh well, his singing was superb.

Teri Bibb presents a most authentic Abigail Adams and comes across as a high spirited and supportive wife, and is a feisty complement to John's fiery temperment. Bets Malone is the best Martha Jefferson I've seen. Too often the role is played by someone who seems air-headed. This Martha was elegant, graceful and witty with just the right amount of flirtatiousness which made you understand Thomas Jefferson's slightly melancholic attitude. It's only after Adams sends for Martha that Jefferson can complete writing the Declaration of Independence.

The Sacramento audiences are some of the best audiences you'll find. It's fun to listen to the preshow and intermission chatter. Both men and women will say to one and other things like "Isn't that so and so we saw in...?" and they will be right! Music Circus has been around for over 50 years and the audiences really know their theatre. In contrast to some places, the men seem to enjoy it as much as their wives.

This show resonates because it depicts events that directly affect all Americans to this day. It manages to convey the seriousness of purpose which our founding fathers had, and yet maintains a sense of balance by its vivid characterizations. The score is excellent and the dialogue engagingly witty.

Dr. Benjamin Franklin: Please Mr. Dickinson, but must you start banging? How is a man to sleep?
[laughter from Congress]
John Dickinson: Forgive me, Dr. Franklin, but must YOU start speaking? How is a man to stay awake?
[More laughter]
John Dickinson: We'll promise to be quiet - I'm sure everyone prefers that you remained asleep.
Dr. Benjamin Franklin: If I'm to hear myself called an Englishman, sir, I assure you I prefer I'd remained asleep.
John Dickinson: What's so terrible about being called an Englishman? The English don't seem to mind.
Dr. Benjamin Franklin: Nor would I, were I given the full rights of an Englishman. But to call me one without those rights is like calling an ox a bull. He's thankful for the honor, but he'd much rather have restored what's rightfully his.
[laughter]
John Dickinson: When did you first notice they were missing, sir?
[laughter]

(Click here for more photos and photo credits.)