Musical Comedy

Been listening to some Broadway cast albums lately, in particular three fairly recent shows that are about making the audience laugh and little else--The Producers, Monty Python's Spamalot and The Book Of Mormon.  All three are major hits, but I find their scores lacking.

Past Broadway shows that meant to be funny above all else, such as How To Succeed In Business Without Really Trying, A Funny Thing Happened On The Way To The Forum and Little Me, still had what I'd call "real" scores (by major composers like Frank Loesser and Stephen Sondheim, from whom you'd expect nothing less). Whether the numbers work or not, they're original, with well-crafted lyrics.  The songs, even for Forum, where Sondheim was taking a break from the integrated style created by his mentor Oscar Hammerstein, strongly fit the characters and the situation, and generally move the plot forward.  Some of the numbers are also strong enough that they've found life outside their shows--"Brotherhood Of Man," "I Believe In You," "Comedy Tonight," "I've Got Your Number," "Real Live Girl."

The scores to these newer shows, as amusing as they are, don't compare.  Part of this may be the composers are mostly writers taking a bash at music, but I think it's also that lower standards have invaded Broadway.

Look at The Producers.  Based on a funny movie (that I prefer), the songs, by Mel Brooks, get their laughs, but are still second-rate.  They mostly sound like songs trying to sound like Broadway tunes rather than original works.  A few of the numbers are taken from the movie, where they worked quite well as Broadway parodies within a straight comedy, but a whole show of parodies doesn't make for a score that stands on its own.



Something similar is true with Spamalot.  Once again, I prefer the film, but then, I prefer my Python undiluted.  The numbers in the movie work not only because they're funny, but because they come out of nowhere and add to the general absurdity.  The score of a Broadway musical can't have numbers that don't seem to fit, they have to hold up the show.  I'm not saying the numbers are no fun, but, written by Eric Idle and John Du Prez (and adding Neil Innes' fine contributions from the movie), they're pastiche and little more.  Self-consciousness has always been part of Monty Python, but in a big Broadway show, numbers like "The Song That Goes Like This," "You Won't Succeed On Broadway" and "Whatever Happened To My Part?" get laughs but don't add much to the proceedings.  The show is still fun, but I don't think I'd ever consider buying the sheet music.



The closest of these three to a great score is The Book Of Mormon.  I think Trey Parker and Matt Stone of South Park are talented, but maybe their secret weapon is co-writer Robert Lopez, who also worked on Avenue Q. Even when they parody older styles, the songs are imaginative and stand on their own.  They're also very funny.  The biggest problem is the show uses a rock standard when it comes to lyrics, so there are lots of bad rhymes and poorly stressed lines, which can be jarring.  I guess they figure their fans won't care.  If these young men applied themselves, and adopted standards they don't believe in and think are pointless, who knows how far they'd go?