VIII. Music Theater

DAVID EDGAR WALTHER DEEP PASSIONATE NIGHT MUSIC

Volume VIII.

Music

Theater:

KEY: S = Soprano; M = Mezzo-soprano; A = Alto; cT = Countertenor; T = Tenor; b = Baritone; Bb = Bass-baritone; B = Bass; N = narrator. Genders and voice types may be changed at will. Transposition is also freely permitted. Pocket musical, or pocket ballet, means that it is very short.

I. Music Theater for Children:

1a. Alice in Wonderland; 1b. Through the Looking-Glass: two plays with music: 10#s each; Alice is 90 minutes; Through the Looking-Glass is 60 minutes: C S A T b b B; actors, dancers, and piano or orchestra: 2/2/2/2 2/0/0 harp, perc. & str.. Based on Lewis Carroll's story. 1a. Alice enjoys Wonderland with her cat by her side; 1b. Alice is a pon in a game of chess. She becomes a queen when she makes it to the other side of the board. Selections from both plays have been performed in concert by Ben Sears, b and Brad Conner, pianist. The plays have been recorded with William Cavness as narrator; Sid Tarlowe as Alice. Selections recorded by Shinobu Takagi, M; and Robert Towne, T, with the composer (Bb and piano). Selections heard on WHRB Radio. Selections presented on WMRB Radio, with M, Angeliki Theoharis & the composer, piano.

2. Isand Curse: 11#s for S A T Bb; 2 narrators (film crew) & piano. Mockumentary of a strange island, where everyone sings, and 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; and pianist, Yelena Beriyeva on 1/27/12. Please click on the button below to hear this performance:

DavidEdgarWalther · Heaven: Craft Larson/Smith

3. Peter Crocodile: 22# musical for S M S or cT T or b Bb; optional choruses, N piano or orchestra (TBA). Selections recorded by Andrew Swan, Bb and Angeliki Theoharis, M, with the composer, Bb and piano and 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.

4. Pinocchio: 60 minute ballet musical after Carlo Collodi: 22#s for soprano and bass-baritone (or three high and three low voices); dancers, narrator, flute and guitar. Commissioned and premiered by The North Shore Civic Ballet and The Putnam Court Players: Mary Saunders, soprano, Kristin Webb, flute, and Russell Southcott, guitar, with the composer, bass-baritone. 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, currently, perhaps permanently, under revision. See VIII/II/3.

5. Red Riding Hoods: 6# pocket musical in 3 scenes; A bB 2N & piano; dancers: two lesbians go to "The Hall of Justice" to be married. On the way they confront a (MAGA Republican) werewolf.

6. Reigning Cats and Dogs: 10# musical for 8 Dogs SSMMTbBB (singers); 2 Cats (actors) & piano. Queen Lily's ball has been stolen. Detective Luckie is brought in to solve the case. Selections recorded by Nancy King, S; Catherine Radmer, M, & the composer, piano.

7. Winnie-the-Pooh: 23# musical in 1 and a half hours; 7 scenes based on A. A. Miles for S M T b B N dancers and piano or flute and guitar. Commissioned by North Shore Civic Ballet. Sections recorded by Drew Hubbard, Bb with the composer, Bb & pianist. Otherwise unperformed.

II. Music Theater for Adults:

1. Big Eddy: 15# jazz opera in one hour; for S T bt Bb 2 narrators; & piano or jazz ensemble. An up-dated version of the story of Edward II. The story of a drug king pin & his junkie boyfriend. Selections recorded by Shinobu Takagi, M & the composer, piano. Otherwise unperformed.

2. Cinderella Underwear: 12# all male cast musical: 4 singers and N (also sings), & piano; Cinderella's Fairy Gd.mother (N & T or cT) helps Cinderella (T, b or cT) meet The Prince of Leather (b or Bb). But she is told to leave the Leather Ball by midnight. She doesn't leave on time. All that is left of her is her super-sized under garments. The Prince
of Leather searches through out his kingdom to find the one who fits the garment. Other roles: partiers, and The Two Ugly Sisters (t, b, or cT). With slight revision of the book, could be appropriate for children.

3. Gaynocchio: 40 minute parody ballet of 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. See VIII/I/4: Click on one of the donkies to watch "Gaynocchio"

4. 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. Unperformed.

5. Hansel and Gretel: 13# jazz opera for S S b B N: M & piano. Selections were recorded by Mary Saunders, S; Brett Johnson, b; and others. Two juvenile delinquents torment a kindly witch. Selections recorded by Drew Hubbard, Bb with the composer, Bb & piano. Otherwise unperformed.

6. Mask of The Witches: 9# Pagan Cantata for S S b, optional dramatic solo or chorus & piano or orchestra 2/2/2/2 2/2/2/1 perc. hrp. strings. 23 minutes. Good witches try to save the villagers from The Inquisition. (May be staged). Uses anonymous poets. Selections recorded by Shinobu Takagi, M & the composer, Bb & piano. Otherwise unperformed. Included on this page for it's use of 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/6. See shorter version: V/IVa/4 "When the Heart is full of Love" for soprano with piano.

7. Peter Pansy: 8# pocket musical for S A T B, dancers, & synthesizer. Hook meets an awful end after tries to have his way with (lipstick lesbian) Pinker Bell. Unperformed.

8. Sex Mystery or Off-nights at The Sometimes Café: 17# cabaret in 10 scenes; just over one 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 confusing 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 click on one of the performers to watch "Off-Nights at The Sometimes Café"

Below please hear an audio only version
of much of the piece with Amelia Broome, S; Philip Jenkins, T; Ben Sears, b; the composer, Bb & Brad Conner piano.

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

9. School of The Night: 4#s a pocket musical; for Bb B; 2 actors & piano. Tells of the mysterious events surrounding the supposed death of Christopher Marlowe, & the assassination of Giordono Bruno, including a very difficult setting of his "Ode." The first and last number start "Edward II" and were recorded by the composer, Bb with The Acting Singers Project, VII/I/2. The other 2 numbers, not recorded.

III. Song Cycle Cabarets:

1. The Inquisition: 11 minutes: 5#s for cT, T, b, B & piano. From a dream, in response to censorship of "The Mystery Caller" (see next entry); chronicles a trial, with charges similar to "offenses" found in "The Mystery Caller." Some dialogue parodies dialogue from the movie "The Wizard of Oz." Cablecast as a one man show by the composer. May be done with a cast of four. To watch the video, please click on the light bulb to the right; or please listen to the entire audio version, below:

1. The Judge:

2. The Prosecutor:

3. The Defendant

4. The Fairy Defense Attorney:

5. The Verdict

2. The Mystery Caller: 19 minutes; 5#s N & mimes, Bb, synthesizer & 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 & 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!

3a. The Search for Mr. Big: 10#s; a 20 minute jazz song cycle for Bb & piano. A gay man falls for a large man. Contains 1 more song than the video below; omits 2 instrumentals.
3b. 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 are played by Tony Stegal. Jimmie York plays the mother of one of these men & the land-lady of the other. Shown informally at The Boston Ramrod. Please watch 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: