choosing a "rock" musical for analysis
May 17, 2019 2:19 PM Subscribe
I need to watch/analyze a rock musical tonight, and I'm trying to pick one. The range of shows under this category includes Hair, Jesus Christ Superstar, Little Shop of Horrors, Bright Star, and Rocky Horror Picture Show -- I think it's mainly musicals primarily featuring contemporary music. Help me choose?
I'm interested in finding one that's especially compelling for audiences, either now or then, for reasons that go beyond "Broadway PLUS Rock = cool".
I'm also interested in musical numbers where the genre or trope of the song or scene says interesting things about the substance of the scene (specific scenes of interest are also welcome)! For example, the "You'll Be a Dentist" song from Little Shop, which is reminiscent of a teen rebel song, but takes that to an extreme in celebrating sadism.
I'm interested in avoiding Andrew Lloyd Webber if possible. I also need to be able to download and watch the majority of the show, so maybe Bright Star isn't an option.
I'm interested in finding one that's especially compelling for audiences, either now or then, for reasons that go beyond "Broadway PLUS Rock = cool".
I'm also interested in musical numbers where the genre or trope of the song or scene says interesting things about the substance of the scene (specific scenes of interest are also welcome)! For example, the "You'll Be a Dentist" song from Little Shop, which is reminiscent of a teen rebel song, but takes that to an extreme in celebrating sadism.
I'm interested in avoiding Andrew Lloyd Webber if possible. I also need to be able to download and watch the majority of the show, so maybe Bright Star isn't an option.
You can't go wrong with Hedwig & The Angry Inch.
posted by sacrifix at 2:25 PM on May 17, 2019 [15 favorites]
posted by sacrifix at 2:25 PM on May 17, 2019 [15 favorites]
If you can find Repo! The Genetic Opera, I think it fits this bill.
posted by Night_owl at 2:28 PM on May 17, 2019 [3 favorites]
posted by Night_owl at 2:28 PM on May 17, 2019 [3 favorites]
Response by poster: Thanks for the answers so far! I'd love to hear the reasons for recommending particular shows, if possible.
posted by amtho at 2:31 PM on May 17, 2019
posted by amtho at 2:31 PM on May 17, 2019
If you want to avoid Webber, you want to avoid JC Superstar. Although that reminds me of Godspell, which could be good. (Haven't seen the movie. Just stage productions.)
Little Shop is fun and moves at a nice pace.
posted by a non mouse, a cow herd at 2:38 PM on May 17, 2019
Little Shop is fun and moves at a nice pace.
posted by a non mouse, a cow herd at 2:38 PM on May 17, 2019
This is full of references you may miss because of the cultural barrier, but it's really good:
https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/hipsters
It's a sort of rock opera film about the suppression of individuality in the Stalin era. I don't think it was ever a standaline stage musical. People compare it to The Wall (especially the song below).
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=og80U3R5n8E
posted by twoplussix at 2:41 PM on May 17, 2019
https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/hipsters
It's a sort of rock opera film about the suppression of individuality in the Stalin era. I don't think it was ever a standaline stage musical. People compare it to The Wall (especially the song below).
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=og80U3R5n8E
posted by twoplussix at 2:41 PM on May 17, 2019
Hair is so. Good. The tunes are touching, hilarious, heartbreaking, silly...stellar performance by Treat Williams as a central protagonist - and really, the whole ensemble did something amazing. Williams (2011, on filming Hair)
Bonus: There's a tune about masturbating.
posted by j_curiouser at 2:42 PM on May 17, 2019 [2 favorites]
Probably the greatest film experience of my life. You know, throw on a pair of jeans and a vest and walk out of my apartment, walk into Central Park, and start shooting. It was so cool. I mean, a lot of prep, a lot of hard work on the singing and the dancing and all, but once we had that down, we started working in the park, and it was just really, really fun. I loved John Savage and Beverly D'Angelo, and Milos Forman is one of the great filmmakers of all time. That was really an honor to be a part of.Today's massive political divide has significant roots in the Vietnam war, the draft, and the widening conciousness of the dirty hippies. IMHO.
Bonus: There's a tune about masturbating.
posted by j_curiouser at 2:42 PM on May 17, 2019 [2 favorites]
Stilyagi/Hipsters- Full film with subtitles:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cmHO-Whzv4E
posted by twoplussix at 2:44 PM on May 17, 2019 [1 favorite]
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cmHO-Whzv4E
posted by twoplussix at 2:44 PM on May 17, 2019 [1 favorite]
There's also Rent and Grease, both available for download. Some reasons why I'd recommend Grease are in here (warning, it's long, and probably does the whole analysis for you). Rent was considered very compelling and groundbreaking when it first came out.
posted by still_wears_a_hat at 2:48 PM on May 17, 2019 [1 favorite]
posted by still_wears_a_hat at 2:48 PM on May 17, 2019 [1 favorite]
I'm not sure why you're doing this, which would make a difference in the answers, but it looks like you're in Chicago. If you wanted to see something live, Six is at the Chicago Shakespeare theater tonight, is a rock musical, and is getting very good press. And tickets are pretty cheap.
If you happen to want to read or skim any more analyses, here's Scott Miller on Rent and Rocky Horror.
posted by still_wears_a_hat at 3:01 PM on May 17, 2019 [3 favorites]
If you happen to want to read or skim any more analyses, here's Scott Miller on Rent and Rocky Horror.
posted by still_wears_a_hat at 3:01 PM on May 17, 2019 [3 favorites]
I love Hair, but if it matters for your project, except for the music, the film is very, very unrelated to the original. The writers of the original said, "Any resemblance between the 1979 film and the original Biltmore version, other than some of the songs, the names of the characters, and a common title, eludes us."
posted by FencingGal at 3:05 PM on May 17, 2019 [2 favorites]
posted by FencingGal at 3:05 PM on May 17, 2019 [2 favorites]
I'm also interested in musical numbers where the genre or trope of the song or scene says interesting things about the substance of the scene (specific scenes of interest are also welcome)!
Perhaps "The Bitch of Living" from Spring Awakening:
It is based on the 1891 German play Spring Awakening by Frank Wedekind. Set in late 19th-century Germany, the musical tells the story of teenagers discovering the inner and outer tumult of teenage sexuality. In the musical, alternative rock is employed as part of the folk-infused rock score.
posted by mandolin conspiracy at 3:22 PM on May 17, 2019 [1 favorite]
Perhaps "The Bitch of Living" from Spring Awakening:
It is based on the 1891 German play Spring Awakening by Frank Wedekind. Set in late 19th-century Germany, the musical tells the story of teenagers discovering the inner and outer tumult of teenage sexuality. In the musical, alternative rock is employed as part of the folk-infused rock score.
posted by mandolin conspiracy at 3:22 PM on May 17, 2019 [1 favorite]
What about The Wiz?
Some things that make it interesting include the stars of the movie - Michael Jackson, Diana Ross, Lena Horne, Richard Pryor, Nipsy Russell - an unusually star studded cast. The way it plays on the NYC as urban hellscape that was so predominant in the 70s. Disco inflected score.
The Crow Anthem does some interesting stuff with a very old racist stereotype (see Dumbo - or don't)
posted by brookeb at 3:24 PM on May 17, 2019 [1 favorite]
Some things that make it interesting include the stars of the movie - Michael Jackson, Diana Ross, Lena Horne, Richard Pryor, Nipsy Russell - an unusually star studded cast. The way it plays on the NYC as urban hellscape that was so predominant in the 70s. Disco inflected score.
The Crow Anthem does some interesting stuff with a very old racist stereotype (see Dumbo - or don't)
posted by brookeb at 3:24 PM on May 17, 2019 [1 favorite]
Is Hamilton too obvious? It for sure uses popular music tropes/styles as storytelling devices and the story is fully contained in the soundtrack. There's also been a ton written about exactly how the show tells its story through the musical choices.
posted by bleep at 3:29 PM on May 17, 2019
posted by bleep at 3:29 PM on May 17, 2019
Response by poster: still_wears_a_hat's link to the essay on Grease makes me want to see the right Sandra Dee film, to get a stronger sense of the thing rock musicals were reacting to. If anybody knows what that film would be, please let me know!
posted by amtho at 3:34 PM on May 17, 2019 [1 favorite]
posted by amtho at 3:34 PM on May 17, 2019 [1 favorite]
A couple of odd ones I'd mention -
The Phantom of the Paradise (trailer)
Brian de Palma's satire on the 1970s music scene. Wonderful Paul Williams songs, and an odd performance by Williams himself. Every Thursday I wake up and hear his voice telling me it's Thursday.
Shock Treatment (trailer)
Not really a sequel to Rocky Horror, but what Richard O'Brien and co did next. Some great songs, and weirdly prescient given it was made in 1981. Yes, that's Rik Mayall. Sinitta is also in it, though if you weren't under 25 in the UK in the 1980s you're totally at liberty to not know what that means.
Both marginal oddities, both highly satirical, both have wonderful scores. Both films star Jessica Harper, who has the most criminally under-utilised voice ever.
posted by Grangousier at 4:10 PM on May 17, 2019 [4 favorites]
The Phantom of the Paradise (trailer)
Brian de Palma's satire on the 1970s music scene. Wonderful Paul Williams songs, and an odd performance by Williams himself. Every Thursday I wake up and hear his voice telling me it's Thursday.
Shock Treatment (trailer)
Not really a sequel to Rocky Horror, but what Richard O'Brien and co did next. Some great songs, and weirdly prescient given it was made in 1981. Yes, that's Rik Mayall. Sinitta is also in it, though if you weren't under 25 in the UK in the 1980s you're totally at liberty to not know what that means.
Both marginal oddities, both highly satirical, both have wonderful scores. Both films star Jessica Harper, who has the most criminally under-utilised voice ever.
posted by Grangousier at 4:10 PM on May 17, 2019 [4 favorites]
(It seems all of Shock Treatment is on YouTube, if that helps)
posted by Grangousier at 4:22 PM on May 17, 2019
posted by Grangousier at 4:22 PM on May 17, 2019
If you decide on Tommy, you may be interested in seeing some info on the Seattle Opera production from 1971 which featured Bette Midler in the role of the Acid Queen.
posted by acidnova at 5:36 PM on May 17, 2019
posted by acidnova at 5:36 PM on May 17, 2019
Evil Dead: The Musical. If this is for a class, maybe fewer people will choose it, and there's something to be said for standing out a little to an instructor that has to grade dozens of papers at ~10 minutes each. Its connection to Evil Dead, zombie, and Lovecraft fandom maybe gives you something unusual to write about. And as an example of a song where the genre says something about the substance of the scene, I guess there's "Do the Necronomicon," which explicitly parodies the Time Warp and also the "Thriller" video, acknowledging the pop culture context of the musical in several ways at a stereotypical moment in a zombie story where the dead rise up together.
posted by Wobbuffet at 5:57 PM on May 17, 2019 [2 favorites]
posted by Wobbuffet at 5:57 PM on May 17, 2019 [2 favorites]
I'm not a fan of Andrew L Webber, but I would recommend to give 'Jesus Christ Superstar' a view. It's a bit different from his other works, and more interesting. The songs are really quite good.
posted by ovvl at 6:33 PM on May 17, 2019 [1 favorite]
posted by ovvl at 6:33 PM on May 17, 2019 [1 favorite]
Acidnova, I had no idea this production existed. So wishing video was a thing back then.
I’d go with Rocky Horror. It plays with music and movie tropes from its era and earlier, and there is no Frankenfurter better than Tim Curry.
posted by lhauser at 7:19 PM on May 17, 2019
I’d go with Rocky Horror. It plays with music and movie tropes from its era and earlier, and there is no Frankenfurter better than Tim Curry.
posted by lhauser at 7:19 PM on May 17, 2019
Sandra Dee's best known movies are Gidget and A Summer Place. In the 1st she tries to get The Big Kahuna (played by Cliff Robertson) to deflower her, in the 2nd she's the daughter of a jealous, prudish mother who forces a virginity test on her. She later gets pregnant by the son of the innkeepers...his mother had fallen in love with SD's father 20 years earlier.
posted by brujita at 9:03 PM on May 17, 2019 [2 favorites]
posted by brujita at 9:03 PM on May 17, 2019 [2 favorites]
School of Rock was made into a musical, but AFAIK just the cast album is available.
posted by brujita at 3:09 AM on May 18, 2019
posted by brujita at 3:09 AM on May 18, 2019
I'm glad someone else already brought up Phantom of the Paradise. It's my favorite movie.
posted by Faint of Butt at 6:39 AM on May 18, 2019
posted by Faint of Butt at 6:39 AM on May 18, 2019
Jesus Christ Superstar is awesome and there are a few versions on youtube if you want to compare scenes. The title song is pretty interesting with regards to your comment re genre versus meaning.
posted by low_horrible_immoral at 2:20 AM on May 20, 2019 [1 favorite]
posted by low_horrible_immoral at 2:20 AM on May 20, 2019 [1 favorite]
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