A great day for musical theater
Tomorrow night, Emily’s school will be doing The Music Man. I assume they’ll just be doing selections from it, since I doubt they have a pint-sized Robert Preston ready to sing “The Sadder but Wiser Girl.” They will, however, be doing Iowa Stubborn, 76 Trombones, the Wells Fargo Wagon, and Pick a Little Talk a Little.
Apparently they’ve got the stage dressed as River City, complete with a Wells Fargo wagon and horse, “a big orange ball” for some reason, and hats for the kids.
Emily will have two solos – well, duets, since they pair the kids up for the solos. In Wells Fargo Wagon, she’ll be singing, “And once I got some grapefruit from Tampa” and also “Oho the Wells Fargo Wagon keeps a-coming!”
I spoke with her music teacher, who says that in rehearsal, the kids are really more shouting than singing. For those not lucky enough to enjoy this gem in person, I point you to two things:
First, this list of terms used in the Music Man with which you may be unfamiliar.
Second, this audio rendition of David Sedaris reading “Front Row Center with Thaddeus Bristol” in which he takes on the persona of a drama critic skewering a local elementary school production of A Christmas Carol. Heh.
As for me, I’ll be running the video camera. First karaoke, now Broadway musicals, tomorrow, Hollywood!