VIII. Music Theater

Volume VIII.

Music

Theater:

KEY to voice types: C: coloratura or high soprano; S: soprano; M: mezzo-soprano;
A: alto; CT: countertenor; T: tenor; b: baritone; Bb: bass-baritone B: bass; N: narrator.
Fachs and genders may be changed as desired.

I. Music Theater for Children:

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Alice: Two Radio Plays based on the writtings of Lewis Carroll: Carroll: Selections from both plays have been performed in concertby Ben Sears, b and Brad Conner, pianist. Recorded with William Cavness as narrator; Sid Tarlowe as Alice, Shinobu Takagi, M; & Robert Towne, T, with the compose, Bb & piano Selections heard on WHRB Radio, with M, Angeliki Theoharis & the composer, piano. Photo of Lewis Carroll to the right:

Lewis Carroll: author

Alice in Wonderland

Through the Looking-Glass

1a. Alice in Wonderland; 90 minutes for C S A T b b B with seven additional spoken voices & piano; Alice enjoys Wonder-land with her cat by her side.1862 illustration of "The Mad Tea Party" by John Tenniel to the left.

1b. Through the Looking-Glass: 60 minutes: C S A T b + 5 additional spoken voices & piano. Alice goes through the Looking-Glass to be a pawn in a strange game of chess, where she eventually becomes a queen. 1972 illustration of "Queen Alice" by John Tenniel, to the left.

2. Isand Curse: 11#s 40 minutes; radio musical for S A T Bb; two narrators (film crew) & piano. Mockumentary of a strange island, where everyone sings, & strangers are forbidden to fall in love with islanders, otherwise a curse will be activated. Guess what happens when the S (Sarah) and the T (Bob) meet? Selections recorded by Shinobu Takagi, M, Robert Town, T; Angeliki Theoharris, M; and the composer, Bb and piano. "I'm in Heaven" performed by the composer, pianist, at the opening of the Chirkoff Theater Company of Cambridge, MA; & at Boston Metro Opera by M, Susan Craft Larson, to the left, below in the clip; with T, Christopher Aaron Smith, picture to the right, below; & pianist, Yelena Beriyeva on 1/27/12. Please click on the button below to hear this performance:

DavidEdgarWalther · Heaven: Craft Larson/Smith

Susan Craft Larson, messo-soprano Christopher Aaron Smith, tenor

3. Peter Crocodile: 22# radio musical based on "Peter Pan" by J. M. Barrie. for S M cT Bb; opt. choruses, N & piano. Selections recorded by Dew Swan, Bb & Angeliki Theoharis, M, the composer, Bb & piano; Heard on WMRB, Cambridge, MA.. A withheld version of "Peter Pan" (along with a musical based on
"A Christmas Carol" by Charles Dickens) was commissioned & performed by "Prime Time for Kids" at Massasoit College, Brockton, MA. 1911 Illustration of "Neverland" by D, F, Bedford.

4. Pinocchio: 60 minute: withheld ballet musical after Carlo Collodi (photo to the right): 22#s for S & Bb (or three high & three low voices); dancers, narrator, flute & guitar. Some numbers available with piano. Commissioned and premiered by The North Shore Civic Ballet and The Putnam Court Players: Mary Saunders, S, Kristin Webb, flute, ad Russell Southcott, guitar,with the composer, Bb. Choreographed by Florence Whipple, Jimmy Ray as Pinocchio; (withheld and lost) narrations by Florence Whipple and Kristin Webb. Cablecast on The Boston Neighborhood Netork (BNN-TV). Narrations, under revision. Please see IV/V/1. 1883 illustration of Pinocchio by Enrico Mazzanti.

J. M. Barrie: author

Carlo Collodi, author

5. Reigning Cats and Dogs: a radio musical: for two narrators (cats); & 8 singers SSAATTBB (dogs); 1 hour; 10#. Queen Lilly has lost her ball, Detective Lucky is asked
to help discover who has taken it. Without it, Queen Lilly's reign over the dog park
will be in jepardy. Unperformed.

Whinnie-The-Pooh

6. Whinnie-The-Pooh: A radio musical; 1 and a half hours; 7 scenes based on A. A. Milne (photo to the right) for S M T T B & N & piano. Commissioned by The North Shore Civic Ballet. Please see IV/V/3. 1928 illustration by E. H. Shepherd to the left (of the bear "Growler").

A. A. Milne, author

II. Music Theater for Adults:

1. Big Eddy: A radio musical: one hour for: 2 narrators; 12#; S T b B & piano; one song lyric is by Keats. A drug kingpin and his ex-junkie boyfriend have problems with the company lawyer and Big Eddy's ex-wife. Based on "Edward II" by Christopher Marlowe; please see VII/!/2. unperformed.

Cinderella

2. Cindyfella: A costume musical; book written with my husband, Drew Hubbard; 13#; one hour for an all male cast (trans M, F, men/women in drag.... whatever) for 7 singers and piano, with optional chorus. Based on the works of the Brothers Grimm and Charles Perrault (right).
1900 illustration:, to the left: "Cinderella in the kitchen" is by Charles Robinson.

Charles Perrault, author

3. Egg or Gd., The Musical: a philosophic radio play with songs; 10#; about an hour in duration; for 7 singing actors & piano. A star ship encounters an enormous object in its monitors. The crew try to figure out what it is. (It is a veiled simily for 7 view points on the nature of Gd. and the conclusion that everyone agrees that Gd. exists and what is the nature of that existence

4. Gaynocchio: 40 minute parody ballet of "Pinocchio" VIII/I/4, in which Gaypetto creates a gay puppet, narrated by a very queer cricket. The video uses a shortened version of the original video, with voice overs by the composer. Please see IV/V/2: Click on one of the donkeys to watch "Gaynocchio"

5. George Scrobe: 5# pocket musical for: 2 or 3 singers: cT, T or b, & a low gravelly voiced rock singer, N (stand-up dvil.), synthesizer & piano. A gay man tries to kill himself & finds love in the process. Genders and fachs may be changed. Unperformed.

6. Hansel and Gretel: 13# jazz radio opera for S S b B N: M & piano. Two juvenile delinquents torment a kindly witch. Selections recorded by Mary Saunders, S; Brett Johnson, b; Drew Hubbard, Bb & the composer, Bb & piano. Otherwise unperformed. Based on the fairy tale by the Brothers Jacob & Wilhelm Grimm (right); Illustration by Alexander Zick (left).

Jacob & Wilhem Grimm

7. Sex Mystery or Off-nights at The Sometimes Café:
17# cabaret in 10 scenes; just over an hour (52 minutes
& 25 seconds of music); for S M T b; 2 dancers, & N/pianist; Selections heard on WMBR Radio with M, Angeliki Theoharis
& the composer, piano. A mystery of "who likes whom?"
A shorter 20 minute version was shown on BNN-TV with Amelia Broome, S as Sara Spangle; Philip Jenkins, T; Ben Sears, b; the composer, Bb; & Brad Conner, piano; dancers: Dana Danzel & James Spellman (choreographer); TJ Norris,actor; Chris Gentes & Candy Hologram, cinematographers. Please see IV/V/4. There are two versions of the book: one is GP the other for more mature audience. Below please hear some of the songs:

1. Always Sometimes

DavidEdgarWalther · Sometimes Café 1. Always Sometimes: Broome/Jensen/Conner

2. Alone

DavidEdgarWalther · Sometimes Café 2. Alone: Walther

3. Touch

DavidEdgarWalther · 3. Touch

4. Loneliness

DavidEdgarWalther · 4. Loneliness

5. Honey Lambkin

DavidEdgarWalther · Sometimes Café 5. Honey Lambkin: Broome/Conner

6. Always Again

DavidEdgarWalther · 6. Always Again!

7. Forever Sometimes

DavidEdgarWalther · 7. Forever Sometimes

III. Jazz Cantatas & Song Cycles:

1. Canon Law: for 1-7 voices & piano; 30 minute song cycle: 9#s; texts by Mother Goose. A Catholic Priest relates the stories of paritioners who challenged his faith.
Sections recorded by Drew Hubbard, and the composer. Otherwise unperformed.

2. The Inquisition: 11 minutes: 5#s for cT, T, b, B & piano. From a dream, in response to censorship of "The Mystery Caller" (see #4 below); chronicles a trial, with charges similar to "offenses" found in "The Mystery Caller." The dialogue parodies the movie "The Wizard of Oz." Cablecast as a one man show by the composer. May be done with a cast of four. Please watch THE INQUISITION by taping the defendant to the right or listen to the entire score, below:

1. The Judge:

2. The Prosecutor:

3. The Defendant

4. The Fairy Defense Attorney:

5. The Verdict

3. Mask of The Witches: 13# Pagan Cantata for S M Bb B, & SATB chorus & piano or orchestra 2/2/2/2 2/2/2/1 perc. hrp. strings. 45 minutes. Good witches try to save the villagers from The Inquisition. Uses anonymous poets; Giordano Bruno. Selections recorded by Shinobu Takagi, M & the composer, Bb & piano. Otherwise unperformed. Included in "Music Theater" because it uses the vii, half diminished chord & Major/Major 7th and minor/minor 7th jazz chords leaning toward the tritone in simulation of European village melodies and harmonies. Also included under choral music: VI/II/7. This work is still in progress. See shorter version: V/IVa/4 "When the Heart is full of Love" for soprano with piano.

4. The Mystery Caller: 16-19 minutes radio musical;
4-5#s N, Bb, & piano. Originally called "Phone Sex." A gay man (the composer, mime) receives erotic musical phone calls from a mystery caller (Leonard Diggins, mime). The video is narrated by Fuzzy's lover (John Kristensen). Cablecast on BNN-TV under the name "Phone Sex" & censured (moved from 6 p.m. to 1.30 a.m.) and, as a result, it was shown at Mobius in
a show of censured works. Below please listen to
the narrations. with the four original songs as
recorded by the composer, Bb, synthesizer & piano.

1. Urban Serenade:

2. High Noon:

3. Endless Twilight:

4. Goodnight, my mystery love!

5a. The Search for Mr. Big: 10#s; a 20 minute jazz song cycle for Bb & piano. A gay man falls for 2 large men. Contains 1 more song than the video below; omits 2 instrumentals.
5b. The Search for Mr. Big: 10#s: a 20 minute video for Bb & synthesizer with 3 actors. The work chronicles two of the large men loved by a gay man, played by Brian Mark. Both of his boyfriends, Harold & Paul are played by Tony Stegal. Jimmie York plays Harold's mother & Paul's land-lady. Cablecast on BNN-TV & shown informally at The Boston Ramrod under the original name: "Confessions of a Fat Slut". Please see the video, or listen to the music below:

To the right (top) please click on Harold's mother to watch the story of Tommy & Harold;

To the right (bottom) please click on Paul
or Tommy to see the story of their love: