User:MusicMaker5376/sandboxarchive1
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[edit] Synopsis
The Overture sets the scene: the sound of a harmonica quickly joined with a guitar transports us to pre-Civil War Missourah. The rhythms convey the turbulance of the water ahead, and it comes to a conclusion on an uplifting note — forshadowing the nature of our story.
[edit] Act One
"Sometimes it seemed like the whole blame town of St. Petersburg was telling me who I should be." Huck was right. Between the "Widder" Douglas and Miss Watson, Judge Thatcher, and even his best friend Tom Sawyer, everyone has their opinion about how Huck should comport himself. Do You Wanna Go to Heaven? they inquire. "You better learn your readin' and you better read your Bible or you'll never get to Heaven 'cause you won't know how."
Exasperated with the constraints on his daily life, Huck escapes his bedtime and steals to the hideout of his best friend, Tom. In the cave, The Boys sing of all the escapades they'll perpetrate on their way to "the bad place."
Huck returns home in the darkness and tells us that he is Waiting for the Light to Shine. He finds his Pap waiting for him, who drags him off to his cabin in the woods. In his drunkenness, Pap swings from tomfoolery to extreme violence as he rails against a Guv'ment that would take his son from him. He attempts to take Huck's life, and passes out in an inebriated mess.
Huck, realizing his chance to escape, kills a pig and scatters the blood and gore around the cabin in an effort to make it appear as if he's been murdered. Huck is being quickly forced to grow up, while Tom sings Hand For the Hog — a typical Roger Miller tune — in every attempt to remain a kid.
Alone on Jackson's Island, Huck asserts his self-assurance: "I, Huckleberry, Me, do hereby declare myself to be nothin' ever other than exactly what I am."
But, perhaps Huck isn't alone. Miss Watson's slave, Jim, is there as well. He has run away to avoid being "sold down the River" to New Orleans. Growing up faster by the second, Huck offers to help Jim reach freedom in the North. A posse is after Jim: with only moments to spare, they find a raft and get it afloat in the Muddy Water of the Mighty Mississip.
Jim and Huck travel only at night and don't get far from Jackson's Island before they are reminded of the seriousness of their actions: a boat carrying runaway slaves back to their masters passes them in the night. The fugitives don't move a muscle as they hear the slaves sing of The Crossing, of moving away from — not toward — freedom.
The days are long as they forge their way down the river. They narrowly escape capture and a collision with a steamboat, and, in a fog, sail past the mouth of the Ohio — their path to freedom. Oblivious, they sing of the beauty of the River In the Rain — one of the most memorable moments of the show.
As they finish their paean to the beauty of the River, they are set upon by the King and the Duke — two con artists who commandeer the small raft as they escape the latest mob on their tail. For many of the same reasons Huck is drawn to Tom, he is intrigued by the delinquents in his midst. The "royals" sing of what happens When the Sun Goes Down in the South, while Jim pines away for his Muddy Water as the curtain falls.
[edit] Act Two
Huck, the Duke, and the King have embarked upon their first sham. They have washed ashore in Bricktown, Arkansas, and attempt to fleece the rubes they find. The Duke regales them of the evening's entertainment: The Royal Nonesuch, a human oddity. By the end of the evening, Huck can appreciate a new way of life — the three are now several hundred dollars richer.
When he returns to the raft, he plays a horrible trick on Jim by assuming the guise of a slave hunter. Unamused, Jim rebukes Huck for the first time. After some thought, Huck realizes that Jim, though a slave, is still a human being and deserving of an apology. They realize that for all of their friendship, they are still Worlds Apart.
The King and Duke never allow Huck to fully re-enter his humanistic world, and they reappear to dragoon Huck into their next escapade. While Jim is, again, left alone with the raft, the three encounter a Young Fool on a dock, singing of his love of Arkansas. Through no fault of his own, he tells the con men everything they need to know about a fortune to be inherited in the Wilkes family, and as Arkansas segues into How Blest We Are, the criminals enter the funeral and go about securing their riches.
Huck — through it all a pure soul — sees that the beautiful and innocent Mary Jane Wilkes is being robbed of her rightful inheritance by these "rapscallions", and steals her money from the King and the Duke. He quickly stuffs the gold into her father's coffin and hides behind it to avoid notice. She tells her dead father, "If you think it's lonesome where you are tonight, You Oughta Be Here with Me."
When Mary Jane realizes what Huck has done, she asks that her remain with her and become her friend. For the first time in his life, he is moved by the actions of another, yet he realizes that he has made a promise to Jim: one that transcends mere friendship. Center stage, caught halfway between Mary Jane and Jim, the three come to understand that Leavin's Not the Only Way to Go.
Huck returns again to the raft and finds the Duke tarred and feathered: he has sold Jim back into slavery for a mere forty dollars. Feeling guilty about what he has done, Huck pens a letter to Miss Watson, telling her where she can find the runaway Jim. After a momentary reprieve, Huck ends up feeling worse than ever. He tears up the letter and delivers one of the classic lines of American Literature: "All right, then, I'll go to hell!" He resolves to free Jim, again, expressing himself in an uptempo reprise of Waitin' for the Light to Shine.
After a series of plot turns, Tom shows up and decides to help Huck free Jim from his captors. They find him imprisoned in a tiny cell, and work quickly to free him. Huck and Tom get him out of the cell, and Jim declares that he is Free at Last, though conveying the knowledge that he understands that this may never truly be the case.
At the end of the play, Jim has decided to continue his trek to the North that he may buy his family out of slavery and Huck decides to move out West to escape any attempts to "civilize" him, they sit for a moment at the banks of the River. They recall their adventures together, and reflect, again, on the River in the Rain. Jim leaves Huck alone for the last time, and Huck decides, "It was like the fortune Jim predicted long ago: considerable trouble and considerable joy."
Sorry, I (Prodigul) dont know how to add to the talk page correctly, but it was I who added the info about Trey. This came from Phish.net, citing an Atlanta radio interview. Multiple sources can confirm this, though you would have to contact phish.net to find out which specific radio station. I think it should stay though, since it is merely STATING what Trey himself said, not saying they are actually getting back together. In same interview he confirmed that he will be touring with Mike Gordon, and the Benevento-Russo duo, which will be good solace until Phish does come back.
— MusicMaker 03:28, 1 May 2006 (UTC)
[edit] The WaterWheel Foundation
The WaterWheel Foundation was created by Phish in 1997 to oversee their charitable activities. Initially, the Foundation included The Touring Division, The Giving Program, and the Lake Champlain Initiative, but, as the band has stopped touring, The Touring Division and the Giving Program are now defunct. The Lake Champlain Initiative continues to donate proceeds from the sale of Phish Food to support the environmental well-being of Lake Champlain and its watershed.[1]
[edit] Lake Champlain Initiative
Lake Champlain, a sizeable lake on the Vermont/New York border, is currently plagued by several major problems: an overabundance of phosphorous from sewage, agricultural/urban run-off, toxic waste, and invasions of non-native species. Over half of the lake is considered to be too polluted to be of full use, and yet sees over $1 billion in tourism each year.
Fellow Vermonters Ben & Jerry's approached the band in 1995 regarding a flavor called Phish Food; Phish decided that they would donate all royalties to help Lake Champlain. WaterWheel has given away over $1 million to 29 organizations working on issues affecting Lake Champlain covering a wide variety of issues: land conservation, environmental advocacy, activism, education, and so forth.[2]
[edit] Touring Division
The primary mission of WaterWheel's Touring Division was dedicated to raising funds for one selected non-profit in each community to which Phish toured. The proceeds from the sale of WaterWheel merchandise was donated directly to the organization table of the charity at that particular show. WaterWheel donated over $400,000 to more than 189 organizations.[3]
[edit] Local Giving
Comprising the organizations in which a band member takes a personal interest, Local Giving was concentrated on Vermont-based non-profits. As the band is no longer touring, this branch is no longer giving donations. Past recipients have included the Vermont Youth Orchestra, Women's Rape Crisis Center, Firehouse Center for the Visual Arts, The Flynn Center for the Performing Arts, and Vermont Public Television.[4]
[edit] References
- ↑ Overview, accessed on 05/09/06
- ↑ Lake Champlain Initiative, accessed on 05/09/06
- ↑ Touring Division, accessed on 05/09/06
- ↑ Local Giving, accessed on 05/09/06
[edit] The Mockingbird Foundation
The Mockingbird Foundation is a charitable organization founded by fans of the band Phish in 1997 to support music education for children. Unconventional in structure, it exists almost entirely online, allowing a higher percentage of income to be distributed directly to deserving organizations. Projects include the publication of The Phish Companion and the production of the Phish tribute album Sharin' in the Groove.[2] To date, it has totalled over $500,000 in grants.[1]
[edit] The Phish Companion
The Mockingbird Foundation is a leading provider of historical information about the band Phish and its music. The Foundation's book project, The Phish Companion, is a comprehensive and authoratitive reference chronicling the years of Phish. Over 900 pages and weighing in at 4.20 pounds, it is researched with the help of all official Phish sources including band archivist Kevin Shapiro. Over one thousand fans contributed to the First Edition, with several hundred more augmenting the second.[1] It features setlists, show notes and statistics on 1,426 live performances, setlists and reviews on nearly 700 sideshows, history and statistics on over 670 songs, detailed notes and advice on various bootlegs in circulation, and a redesigned discography and venues table. Phish lyricist Tom Marshall has called the Companion "Truly an epic piece of work."[3]
[edit] Sharin' in the Groove
A Phish tribute album, Sharin' in the Groove, features nearly two hours of music from 23 individual acts including The Wailers, Dave Matthews, Jimmy Buffett, John Scofield, Arlo Guthrie, the Stanford Marching Band, The Vermont Youth Orchestra, Tom Marshall, as well as members of the Trey Anastasio Band, Jefferson Airplane, Talking Heads, and Los Lobos.[1] It was produced independently on an all-volunteer basis, and none of the artists received compensation for their contribution. The tracks are arranged like a live show, including two sets and an encore.[4]
[edit] Name
The Mockingbird Foundation is named for the "Famous Mockingbird" featured in the Phish songs "Colonel Forbin's Ascent" and "Fly Famous Mockingbird". In the Phish narrative Gamehendge, the Famous Mockingbird retrieves The Helping Friendly Book from the evil King Wilson and returns it to the Lizards, its rightful owner. The Foundation was instrumental in returning the band's setlists, which had been appropriated for profit, to charitable purposes in The Phish Companion, making this a most fitting moniker.
[edit] External link
[edit] References
- ↑ The Mockingbird Foundation Homepage
- ↑ Mission Statement
- ↑ The Phish Companion
- ↑ Sharin' in the Groove
[edit] Phish
| Phish | |
|---|---|
| Image:PhishTreyFist.jpg |
|
| Country | Burlington, Vermont, USA |
| Years active | 1983-2000, 2002-2004 |
| Genres | Rock, Jazz fusion, Progressive Rock |
| Labels | Elektra Records |
| Members | Trey Anastasio (1983-2004) Mike Gordon (1983-2004) Jon Fishman (1983-2004) Page McConnell (1985-2004) |
| Past members | Jeff Holdsworth (1983-1986) Marc Daubert (1984-1985) |
Phish was an American rock band most noted for jamming and improvisation. The band's four members performed together for the better part of 21 years until their breakup in August 2004. Although the group received little radio play or MTV exposure, Phish developed a large following by word of mouth. Their music had elements of a wide variety of genres, including rock, jazz, bluegrass, heavy metal, folk, blues, progressive rock, acoustic, and classical. The band performed 620 individual compositions, of which 226 were originals (of the 234 they penned) and 394 covers. Each Phish concert was original in terms of the songs included, the order in which they appeared, and the way in which they were performed: most of their songs were never played the same way twice. Along with Bob Dylan, The Grateful Dead, and The Beatles, Phish was one of the first bands to have an Internet newsgroup — Phish.net — launched in 1991.
[edit] History of the band
[edit] The beginning (1983-1992)
Phish was formed in 1983 at the University of Vermont by guitarists Trey Anastasio and Jeff Holdsworth, bassist Mike Gordon, and drummer Jon Fishman. Before they were known as Phish, they were billed as Blackwood Convention and played a Halloween dance in the basement of the ROTC dormitory. Their second gig — and their first billed as Phish — was November 3 in the basement of Slade Hall at UVM. The band was joined by percussionist Marc Daubert in the fall of 1984[11]; he left the band early in 1985[1], and Page McConnell joined on keyboards in September. Holdsworth left the group after graduation in 1986, solidifying the band's lineup of "Trey, Page, Mike, and Fish" — the lineup that would remain for the rest of their career. [1]
Following a prank at UVM with his friend and former bandmate Steve Pollak — also known as "The Dude of Life" — Anastasio decided to leave the college. With the inducement of McConnell (who received $50 for each transferee), Anastasio and Fishman transferred in mid-1986 to Goddard College, a small college in the hills of Plainfield, Vermont.[1] Phish distributed at least six different experimental self-titled cassettes during this era, including The White Tape.[4] This first studio recording was circulated in two variations: the first, mixed in a dorm room as late as 1985, received a higher distribution than the second studio remix of the original four tracks, c. 1987. The older version was officially released as The White Tape in 1998.[5]
By 1985, the group had encountered Paul Languedoc: a luthier in Burlington, Vermont who would eventually design two guitars for Anastasio and two basses Gordon. In October of 1986, he began working as their sound engineer. Since then, he has built exclusively for the two — his designs and traditional wood choices have given Phish a unique instrumental identity.[6]
As his senior project, Anastasio penned The Man Who Stepped Into Yesterday: a nine-song concept album that would become their second studio expiriment. Recorded between 1987 and 1988, it was submitted in July of that year. Elements of the story — known as Gamehendge — have grown to include an additional eight songs. The band performed the suite in concert on five occasions: in 1988, 1991, 1993, and twice in 1994 without replicating the song list.[7]
Beginning in the spring of 1988, the band began practicing for several hours each day. On occasion, the band would lock themselves in a room and jam for hours on end. Dubbed "Okipa (or Oh Kee Pa) Ceremonies", one took place at Anastasio's apartment, with a second taking place at Paul Languedoc's house in August of 1989.[2] The band attributes the sessions to Anastasio, who discovered the concept in the films A Man Called Horse and Modern Primitives.[3] As a result of this dedication, the band issued their first mass-released recording later that year: a double album called Junta.
On January 26, 1989, Phish played the Paradise Rock Club in Boston, Massachusetts. The owners of the club had never heard of Phish and refused to book them, so the band rented the club for the night. The show sold out due to the caravan of fans that had traveled to see the band.[18]
By late 1990, Phish's concerts were becoming more and more intricate, often making a consistent effort to involve the audience in the performance. In a special "secret language", the audience would react in a certain manner based on a particular musical cue from the band. For instance, if Anastasio "teased" a motif from The Simpsons theme song, the audience would yell, "D'oh!" in imitation of lead character Homer Simpson. Phish introduced the "Big Ball Jam" in 1992: a collaboration between audience and band. Each band member would throw a large beach ball into the audience and play a note each time his ball was hit. In so doing, the audience was helping to create an original composition.
In an expiriment known as "The Rotation Jam", each member would switch instruments with the musician on his left, while Fishman played an Electrolux vacuum cleaner as a woodwind instrument. On occasion, a performance of You Enjoy Myself involved Gordon and Anastasio performing synchronized maneuvers on mini-trampolines while playing their instruments.
Aware of the band's growing popularity, Elektra Records signed them in 1991. The following year A Picture of Nectar was complete: their first major studio release, enjoying far more extensive production than either 1988's Junta or 1990's Lawn Boy. These albums were eventually re-released on Elektra, as well.
John Popper of Blues Traveler organized the first annual H.O.R.D.E. festival (Horizons of Rock Developing Everywhere) in 1992, providing Phish with their first national tour of major amphitheaters. The lineup, among others, included Phish, Blues Traveler, The Spin Doctors, and Widespread Panic. That summer, the band toured Europe with the Violent Femmes and later toured Europe and the United States with Carlos Santana.
[edit] Climb to the top (1993-1998)
Phish began headlining major amphitheaters in the summer of 1993. That year, the group released Rift: packaged as a concept album and part of heavy promotion from Elektra.
In an evolution that became part of the group's overall sound, the group changed their songwriting approach for their 1994 release Hoist, featuring simpler songs with emotionally introspective lyrics. This shift to a more traditional song structure was met with criticism from several fans. In addition, the band made their only video for MTV, Down With Disease, airing in June of that year.[22] On December 30, 1994, The group sold out Madison Square Garden in New York City. Earlier that day, they made their national television debut on The Late Show with David Letterman, a program on which they appeared a total of seven times. At their New Year's Eve show, the band wanted to make a special effort to get close to every fan in attendance, so, in a giant mechanical hot dog, they flew over the crowd in the Boston Garden and performed music while throwing candy to them.
On Halloween of that year, the group promised to don a "musical costume" by playing an entire album from another band. After an extensive poll on their website, Phish performed the 30-song, self-titled Beatles classic — better known as The White Album — between two sets of their own music.
The band experienced a surge in the growth of their fan base in 1995, partially due to a decrease in Grateful Dead concerts following the death of Jerry Garcia and an increase in awareness of the band in popular culture, exemplified by the appearance of "Down With Disease" on Beavis and Butthead.
right|thumb|250px|Poster for Phish's 1995 Halloween extravaganza
That fall, Phish challenged the audience to a game of chess by lowering a huge chessboard on stage before each show and between sets. Prior to the show, the band selected their move, and, based on votes tallied in the lobby, a representative from the audience made one move. By the end of the tour, the band and audience were tied 1-1. In their tradition of playing a well-known album by another band for Halloween, Phish contracted a full horn section for The Who's Quadrophenia in 1995. Their first live album — A Live One — featured songs from several 1994 concerts, and was Phish's first RIAA certified gold album.
Phish released the mainly acoustic Billy Breathes in the fall of 1996. That summer, they mounted their first two-day festival — The Clifford Ball — at a disused air force base in Plattsburgh, New York. Between 70,000 and 80,000 people were in attendance; MTV was on-hand to make a documentary of the experience. In Phish's own makeshift city, Great Northeast Productions created an amusement park, restaurants, a post office, playgrounds, arcades, and movie theaters, and for two days Plattsburg AFB was the ninth largest city in New York. Aside from six "traditional" sets, the band boarded a flatbed truck at 3:00 AM and drove through the campground, serenading the audience.[19] The concert's production company went on to host six more Phish festivals.
Jams were becoming so long that several 1997 sets contained only four songs; their improvisational ventures were developing into a new funk-inspired jamming style. 1997 also saw Vermont-based ice cream conglomerate Ben and Jerry's launch Phish Food: proceeds are donated to Lake Champlain Initiative. Part of Phish's newly-founded non-profit foundation, the Waterwheel Foundation was also comprised of two other now-defunct branches: The Touring Branch and the Vermont Giving Program.[22]
The Great Went, Phish's second large-scale festival, was held that summer in at Loring Air Force Base in Limestone, Maine, just miles from the Canadian border. The band drew 65,000 people, qualifying the festival to be the largest city in Maine.[21] Band and audience collaborated yet again in a colossal work of art: individual pieces of art by fans were connected to a large piece of art by the band. A giant matchstick was lit, burning the resultant tower to the ground.[20]
Phish headlined Farm Aid in the summer of 1998, sharing the stage with Willie Nelson, Neil Young, and Paul Shaffer. Again altering their approach to recording, the band recorded hours of improvisational jams over a period of several days, taking the highlights of those jams and writing songs around them. The result was The Story of the Ghost and the instrumental The Siket Disc in 1999. Returning to Limestone for The Lemonwheel festival, 70,000 fans again made the festival the largest city in Maine. On Halloween in Las Vegas, Nevada, the group performed Loaded by The Velvet Underground; two nights later performing Pink Floyd's Dark Side of the Moon to an audience of 4,000 in Utah.
[edit] Cultural icons (1999-2000)
In order to prepare for the New Year's Eve millennium celebration, the band decided to forego the annual summer festival in 1999. In the eleventh hour, Camp Oswego was held in Volney, New York with 65,000 in attendance.
For the Millennium Celebration, Phish traveled to the Big Cypress Indian Reservation in the Florida Everglades. Of the major New Years Eve concerts around the globe — Sting, Barbra Streisand, Billy Joel — at 85,000, Phish had the largest attendance of any paid concert event that night.[21] During ABC's millennium coverage, Peter Jennings and World News Tonight reported on the massive audience and featured the band's performance of "Heavy Things". Big Cypress culminated with an extended seven-and-a-half hour set that began at midnight and ended at sunrise.
2000 saw no Halloween show, no summer festival and no new songs: May's Farmhouse contained material dating from 1997. That summer, the band announced that they would take their first "extended hiatus" following their upcoming fall tour.[24] During the tour's last concert on October 7, 2000 at the Shoreline Amphitheater in Mountain View, California, they played a regular show and left without saying a word as The Beatles' Let It Be played over the sound system.
The members of Phish always had musical projects outside of Phish; the hiatus allowed them to be explored more deeply. Anastasio continued the solo career he'd begun two years earlier, formed the group Oysterhead, and began conducting and orchestral composition with the Vermont Youth Orchestra. Gordon made an album with acoustic guitar legend Leo Kottke and two films before launching his own solo career. Fishman alternated between Jazz Mandolin Project and his band Pork Tornado, while McConnell formed the trio Vida Blue.
[edit] One more time (2002-2004)
Over two years after the hiatus began, Phish announced that they were getting back on the road — a New Year's Eve 2002 at Madison Square Garden — and recorded a new album, Round Room, in only three days. In their return concert, McConnell's brother was introduced as actor Tom Hanks. The doppelgänger sang a line of the song "Wilson", prompting several media outlets to report that the actor had "jammed with Phish".
At the end of the 2003 summer tour, Phish held their first summer festival in four years, returning to Limestone for It. The festival drew in crowds of over 60,000 fans, once again making Limestone the most populus city in Maine.[25] In December, the band celebrated its 20th anniversary with a four-night run of shows at the FleetCenter in Boston, asking founding member Jeff Holdsworth onstage to jam for the first time since 1986. Placing him in the position he had vacated two decades earlier, he lead the band front and center for the duration of the concert.
In order to avoid the exhaustion and pitfalls of previous years' high-paced touring, Phish played sporadically after the reunion, with tours lasting about two weeks. After an April 2004 run of shows in Las Vegas, Anastasio announced on Phish.com that after a small summer tour the band was breaking up. Their final album, Undermind, was released in late spring.
The band jammed with rapper Jay-Z at their second Brooklyn show in the summer of 2004, and performed a seven-song set atop the marquee of the Ed Sullivan Theater during The Late Show with David Letterman to fans who had gathered on the street. Their final show was also the last Phish summer festival — Coventry — named for the town in Vermont that hosted the event. 100,000 people were expected to attend, and it was simulcast to thousands more in movie theaters across America.
After a week of rain that prompted rumors of a sinking stage, Gordon announced on the local radio station that attendees should turn around, no more cars were being allowed in. As only about 20,000 people had been admitted, many concert-goers abandoned their vehicles on highway medians, on shoulders, and on the sides of roads to hike the remainder of the trip to the site — for some as far as thirty miles. The band broke down crying onstage several times during the final concert, most notably when McConnell choked up during the ballad "Wading in the Velvet Sea" and elicited Anastasio to speak for several moments of words of goodbye.
Coventry was an emotional farewell for Phish and for its audience; an end to Phish's story in rock music. Without any help from radio, music television channels or album sales, Phish became one of the biggest live acts of all time. As Rolling Stone magazine put it:
- Given their sense of community, their ambition and their challenging, generous performances, Phish have become the most important band of the Nineties.[15]
[edit] Future plans
In a recent Sirius Satellite Radio interview, Anastasio mentioned a Phish reunion is "definitely not 100 percent out of the question." Gordon concurred, stating that "everybody's getting along really well. There's no reason it couldn't happen ... it would probably be a long time away ... I can never be sure, because I've never been able to predict the future."[17]
As for now, the members are busy with their own personal projects. Anastasio continues his solo career with his backing band, 70 Volt Parade, and will be performing with Oysterhead this summer. Gordon has played with Leo Kottke, the Benevento-Russo Duo, and will debut his own group at Bonnaroo in 2006. Anastasio and Gordon are currently recording an album with the Duo, and will be co-headlining select dates with Phil Lesh and Friends this summer. According to Gordon, McConnell "hasn't been as much in the public eye, but he's been working on an album for awhile now"[17]. Fishman has performed occasional shows with the Everyone Orchestra and The Village but has, for the most part, retired from the music business.
[edit] Their music
Phish's musical ethos is a playful mix of skilled improvisation, rock, jazz, bluegrass, country, heavy metal, reggae, folk, ska, pop, blues, progressive rock, show tunes, classical, acoustic, barber shop quartet, calypso, and intricate compositions. Some of their original compositions (such as "Theme from the Bottom") tend towards a psychedelic rock and bluegrass fusion, with more rock, jazz and funk elements than The Grateful Dead and other earlier so-called jam bands. Their more ambitious, epic compositions (such as "Reba" and "Guyute") are often said to resemble classical music in a rock setting.
- For more details on this topic, see Phish and their music.
[edit] Bootleg circulation
Because Phish's abilities were so grounded in their live shows, concert recordings are commonly-traded commodities. Official soundboard recordings can be purchased through the Live Phish Website, while legal bootlegs produced by tapers with boom microphones from the audience are frequently traded on any number of music messageboards.
Fans have been noted for their near obsessive collections of fan-taped concert recordings. Taping was crucial to Phish's success, and CDs are traded among fans today, sometimes in the traditional B&P (Blanks and Postage) fashion, sometimes as downloads on websites.
[edit] Celebrity fans
There are many celebrities and musicians who have expressed admiration for Phish, including Jim Carrey, Carrot Top[12], Tony Danza, Danny DeVito, Fran Drescher, Jimmy Fallon, Al Franken, Al Gore, Matt Groening, Phil Jackson, David Letterman, Ralph Macchio, Rick Moranis, Matisyahu, Conan O'Brien[13], Robert Plant, Mike Portnoy of Dream Theater, Tim Robbins, Fred Savage[13], Jerry Seinfeld, Gene Simmons, Patton Oswalt, Bruce Springsteen, Julia Stiles, Kurt Vonnegut[14], Roger Waters, and Steven Wright[15].
[edit] Their concerts
The driving force behind Phish was the popularity of their concerts. Each one a production unto itself, the band would constantly change set lists, details, and add their own antics. Concerts were not simply a nighttime affair, with many fans flocking to the parking lots of venues hours before they opened. A Phish concert was an event, a happening, an occasion to pass by too quickly. For many, one concert was simply a prelude to the next as they followed the band around the country.
[edit] Fifth member
A dedicated group of fans attempted to have Chris Kuroda officially recognized as a member of Phish. The band's lighting designer since 1989, Kuroda was completely responsible for the visual aspect of a Phish concert, establishing it as important as the aural. Each concert was an original experience, and Kuroda's ability to equate the light and sound during an improvisational jam was unparralleled.
[edit] Notable guests
Phish transcended genres, as evidenced by the sheer number and varying backgrounds of guests who took the stage with them over the years. In addition to Nelson, Santana and Jay-Z, Phish shared venues with, among many others, Jimmy Buffett, George Clinton and Parliament/Funkadelic, Wynonna Judd, Kid Rock, B.B. King, Phil Lesh, Dave Matthews, Sarah McLachlan, Buddy Miles, and Neil Young.
[edit] Comparision to The Greatful Dead
Although Phish's music was quite different from The Grateful Dead's, the fan culture that had grown up around both bands was similar: each concert was the centerpiece of an event that included a temporary community in the parking lot, complete with "shakedown street". Before, during, and after concerts, fans socialized and contacted business with various vendors outside the venue. After Garcia's death, many fans who toured with the Grateful Dead began to follow Phish, and there was a shift of vendors, artisans, and drug dealers from the Dead to Phish — some of whom made the shift in 1994, prior to Garcia's death.
[edit] Fan activities
Fans of the band — known as phans or Phishheads — have created a dozen or so fan organizations. Maintained by fans for fans, these run the gamut of profit status, and indirectly work to the benefit of the band. Among the more noticable groups is "The Phellowship", a group celebrating seeing shows sober together, and the "Green Crew" who work after concerts removing trash and refuse. People for a Louder Mike (PLM) is an informal effort to compaign for the increase of Gordon's bass in the mix, and the Clifford Care Bears were a one-tour effort to raise awareness about "hard" drugs. There are organizations for gays and lesbians and female fans, and communities of fans on Usenet newsgroups such as rec.music.phish and on Phish.net. A number of books have been produced, including The Phishing Manual, The Pharmer's Almanac, and two versions of The Phish Companion.
[edit] Discography
In addition to their thirteen studio-recorded albums, Phish has released a multitude of live shows: four traditional "studio" live albums, and a series of 20 Live Phish. Additional live concerts are available at livephish.com and band-allowed bootlegs are available. Phish has also released 5 videos, containing live concert footage and documentary material.
- For more details on this topic, see Phish discography.
[edit] See also
[edit] External links
- Phish's Official Website
- Live Phish Downloads
- The Phish.Net
- The Rhombus.com
- The Mockingbird Foundation
- Phantasy Tour
- The entire transcription of the Gamehendge saga
[edit] References
- ↑ The college years
- ↑ Oh Kee Pa Ceremonies
- ↑ The Phish Book by Richard Gehr and Phish, published by Villard, October 1998.
- ↑ Early demos
- ↑ White Album
- ↑ Paul Languedoc profile
- ↑ The Man Who Stepped Into Yesterday
- ↑ Albums FAQ
- ↑ Mention of Marc Daubert
- ↑ Band history
- ↑ Pharmer's Almanac: Vol 1, pg. 32 (1995)
- ↑ All About Me [1]
- ↑ "Still More Conan" Phish.net
- ↑ Kurt appears with Phish drummer John Fishman at Vonnegut.com, Accessed April 20, 2006
- ↑ "Special Guest" at GlideMagazine.com
- ↑ Rolling Stone review of Lemonwheel by Matt Hendrickson, pp.20-22, 10/1/98, Issue #792
- ↑ Phish Members for summer tour at Rollingstone.com by Benjy Eisen, May 3, 2006.
- ↑ The Boston Globe, 11/30/03 archived on Nugs.net, accessed 5/06/06
- ↑ Phish.net account of "The Clifford Ball", accessed 05/06/06
- ↑ Phish.com account of The Great Went, accessed 5/06/06
- '↑ They Came, They Partied, They Went by Chris Pollock, Washington Post, Aug 18, 1997. Preview of article, accessed 5/8/06
- ↑ Official band history of 1999, accessed 5/8/06
- ↑ Phish Food, accessed 5/8/06
- ↑ Hiatus, accessed 5/8/06
[edit] Succession Boxes
| Preceded by — |
Phish Festivals 1996 |
Succeeded by The Great Went |
| Preceded by The Clifford Ball |
Phish Festivals 1997 |
Succeeded by Lemonwheel |
| Preceded by The Great Went |
Phish Festivals 1998 |
Succeeded by Camp Oswego |
| Preceded by Lemonwheel |
Phish Festivals 1999 |
Succeeded by Big Cypress |
| Preceded by Camp Oswego |
Phish Festivals 1999 |
Succeeded by It |
| Preceded by Big Cypress |
Phish Festivals 2003 |
Succeeded by Coventry |
| Preceded by It |
Phish Festivals 2004 |
Succeeded by Final Show |
[edit] How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying
| Broadway Show | |
 |
|
| How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying |
|
|---|---|
| Theatre | 46th Street Theatre Richard Rodgers Theatre |
| Opening Night | October 14, 1961 March 23, 1995 |
| Tony Nominations, 1962 | 8 |
| Tony Awards, 1962 | 7 |
| Other Awards | Pulitzer Prize for Drama, 1962 |
| Tony Nominations, 1995 | 4 |
| Tony Awards, 1995 | 1 |
| Author(s) | Music and Lyrics: Frank Loesser Book: Abe Burrows, Jack Weinstock, and Willie Gilbert |
| Director | Abe Burrows, Bob Fosse, Des McAnuff |
| Leading Original Cast Members, 1961 | Robert Morse Charles Nelson Reilly Rudy Vallee |
| Leading Original Cast Members, 1995 | Matthew Broderick Megan Mullally Jonathan Freeman Walter Cronkite |
How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying was a 1961 musical, initially running for 1,417 performances. With music and lyrics by Frank Loesser and book by Abe Burrows, Jack Weinstock, and Willie Gilbert, the show won seven Tony Awards and the 1962 Pulitzer Prize for Drama. In 1967, it was produced as a film by United Artists, with many of the original cast recreating their roles. A highly-regarded 1995 revival starring Matthew Broderick and Megan Mullally garnered a Tony for Broderick's performance.
In 1955, Shepard Mead's book of the same name had become a huge success. Playwright Willie Gilbert and neurosurgeon Jack Weinstock created a dramatic interpretation, but it had gone unproduced for five years. Agent Abe Newborn brought the work to the attention of producers Cy Feuer and Ernest Martin, with the intention of retooling it as a musical. Feuer and Martin had great success with the 1950 adaptation of Guys and Dolls, and brought in the creative team from that show to work on How to Succeed.... Abe Burrows and Frank Loesser set to work on the new adaptation, with rehearsals beginning in August, 1961.
Under the direction of Abe Burrows, Robert Morse was cast as Finch, the irrepressible window washer, Charles Nelson Reilly as his nemesis Bud Frump, and Rudy Vallee as the stuffy company president. With choreography by Bob Fosse, the show opened on October 14, 1961, nominated for several Tony Awards and winning in the areas of Best Musical, Best Book, Best Direction of a Musical, Best Conductor and Musical Director, Best Producers of a Musical, Best Performance by a Leading Actor in a Musical for Robert Morse, and Best Performance by a Featured Actor in a Musical for Charles Nelson Reilly.[1]
A London production opened at the Shaftesbury Theatre on March 28, 1963 and ran for 520 performances. It was also directed by Abe Burrows and Bob Fosse, and featured a new London cast.
A 1967 United Artists film was made of the musical, directed by David Swift. Robert Morse, Rudy Vallee, Sammy Smith, and Ruth Robart recreated their roles for the film, and Bob Fosse again choreographed.
A Broadway revival opened at the Richard Rodgers Theatre on March 23, 1995 and ran for 548 performances. It was directed by Des McAnuff and choreographed by Wayne Cilento. Matthew Broderich won a Tony for his performance of Finch, with Rosemary being played by Megan Mullally. In a pre-recorded performance, Walter Cronkite was the Book Voice.
[edit] Synopsis
[edit] Act One
[edit] Scene One
As the Overture fades, lights come up on J. Pierrepont Finch, a young window washer with a mind for advancement. He is at work squeegeeing the windows of the World Wide Wicket Company, though his mind is more closely focussed on the book in his other hand. A disembodied voice, the "Book Voice", tells him that "everything [he] needs to know about the science of getting ahead" is contained within the pages of How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying. His scaffold descends, he removes his overalls to reveal the business suit beneath, and he quickly disappears into the high-pressure world of Corporate America.
[edit] Scene Two
Finch's first act in the corporate world is to knock J.B. Biggley, the awed president of the company, to the ground. Unfazed, Finch presses Biggley for a job, who dismisses him to the personnel manager, Mr. Bratt. Having seen all of this, Rosemary Pilkington, a secretary, is impressed with Finch. She offers to help him meet Mr. Bratt, who initially treats Finch rather rudely -- that is, until Finch mentions Mr. Biggley's name, implying that they are old friends. Finch is given a job in the mailroom, where he works with the nepotism-minded nephew of Mr. Biggley, Bud Frump. Rosemary dreams of a life in the suburbs ("New Rochelle. Or maybe White Plains.") with a smartly-attired junior executive. Regarding Finch, she tells her friend Smitty that she'd be Happy to Keep his Dinner Warm.
[edit] Scene Three
COFFEE BREAK! The fatigued workers fall over each other in their rush to get to the coffee machine, only to find it bone dry. Frustrated with no discernable advancement in his first week, Finch flatters Miss Jones, Mr. Biggley's secretary. The two are introduced by Rosemary, and Finch is sure to add a bad word about Bud Frump.
[edit] Scene Four
"One word of caution about the mailroom: it is a place out of which you must get. Do not get stuck in the mailroom. Plan to rise." Twimble, head of the mailroom, is moving to the shipping department, but not without some words of wisdom for our young hero. He tells Finch that the secret to longevity at the company is to play things The Company Way: overwhelming fear of being fired coupled with absolute faith in the company's wisdom. After twenty-five years in the mail room, Twimble hands the reins to Finch. Finch, heeding the words of his trusty book, declines the promotion, saying that Bud Frump is more qualified. Frump accepts, vowing to play things The Company Way, too. Twimble and Bratt are impressed, again, by Finch, and Bratt offers him a job as a junior executive in the Plans and Systems department, headed by Gatch. Frump, seeing that he has been outdone, fumes.
[edit] Scenes Five and Six
Enter Hedy LaRue. And does she ever. Biggley's mistress, she leaves the men around the office panting in her wake as she goes to see Mr. Bratt for a secretarial job. Mr. Bratt needs to remind his men that A Secretary Is Not a Toy: relationships with one's secretary are not to be tolerated, but panting, catcalling, and generally driving oneself to the brink of insanity certainly is.
[edit] Scene Seven
It is Friday afternoon, just after five o'clock. As they make their way to the elevators, the secretaries complain of unwanted attention from their bosses, while the men talk of sales figures. The ever-alert Finch learns that Biggley is extremely proud of his alma mater, Old Ivy, and learns that he will be in the office Saturday morning to pick up his golf clubs for his game with Willy Womper, the Chairman of the Board.
Rosemary and Smitty encounter Finch at the elevator and Smitty knows that, despite their awkward silence, the two like each other. They agree that it's Been a Long Day, and Smitty points out a special "dinner for two" at a local restaurant. As the three enter the elevator, Finch and Rosemary decide to take advantage of the special.
Frump runs into Biggley and Hedy, arguing about her job. Frump realizes their relationship and blackmails Biggley into giving him a promotion, also rising the corporate ladder.
[edit] Scene Eight
Saturday morning, and Finch enters early and begins setting the scene: he begins strewing crumpled and paper around his office, breaks a few pencils, overturns the trash can, and scatters cigarette butts everywhere. It is apparent that he has been working all night. Biggley arrives, and Finch "absent-mindedly" begins humming Grand Old Ivy -- the Old Ivy fight song. Finch convinces the old man that he, too, is a proud alumnus.
[edit] Scenes Nine and Ten
In a show of alumni favoritism, Biggley insists that Finch be given his own office and secretary. Bratt assigns Hedy, prompting the Book Voice to warn him to beware of secretaries who have many talents, none of them secretarial. Finch realizes that Biggley must be her advocate, and sends her on an errand to Gatch, knowing that he won't be able to resist making a pass at her. We next see Finch seated behind Gatch's desk, Gatch having been dispached to Venezuela.
[edit] Scenes Eleven and Twelve
A reception for the new Advertising Department head, Benjamin Burton Daniel Ovington, is being held, and Rosemary hopes to impress Finch with her new Paris Orginal. She arrives first, only to watch all of the women in the office enter wearing the same dress. Hedy has too much to drink, and Biggley makes Frump take her home.
[edit] Scenes Thirteen and Fourteen
Hedy tells Frump that she's going to Biggley's office to shower. Frump, seeing an opportunity, tells Finch that Biggley is waiting in his office for him. Hoping to trap Finch and Hedy, Frump goes off to find Biggley. In the office, Hedy makes a pass at Finch, and, as they are kissing, Finch realizes that he is in love with Rosemary, who enters as Hedy returns to the bathroom. Finch proposes to her and, as she is about to accept, Hedy comes out of the bathroom. In a huff, Rosemary leaves the office, only to find Frump and Biggley just outside the door. Hedy returns to the bathroom, and Finch and Rosemary embrace -- just in time for Frump and Biggley to walk through the door. In search of Biggley, Bratt and Ovington enter. Ovington resigns a few moments later: after being prompted for his alma mater by Finch, Biggley realizes that Ovington matriculated from Old Ivy's bitter rival. Biggley names Finch Vice-President in Charge of Advertising, just in time for a big meeting two days hence. Biggley leaves as Finch and Rosemary declare their love for each other and Bud Frump states "I will return!"
[edit] Act Two
[edit] Scene One
It is the morning of the big meeting, and Rosemary is feeling neglected by Finch. She decides to quit, but her fellow secretaries convince her to stay: she's living their dream of marrying an executive and becoming Cinderella, Darling. (In the 1995 revival, this song was replaced with a reprise of How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying, with the scene slightly retooled.)
[edit] Scene Two
"So you are now a Vice-President.... You have done beautifully. Unless you are Vice-President in Charge of Advertising. In that case you are in terrible trouble. There is only one thing that can save you: you must get a brilliant idea," warns the Book. Forseeing that he may not have a brilliant idea, he suggests he steal one. Bud Frump comes in and tells Finch about his idea for a treasure hunt. Finch loves the idea, unaware that Biggley has already heard the idea and shot it down. Finch bounces the idea off Rosemary, who tells him that, no matter what, she'd be Happy to Keep His Dinner Warm.
[edit] Scene Three
Hedy is unhappy with her secretarial duties and announces to Biggley that she is leaving. He begs her to stay, and they sing the unlikely duet, Love From a Heart of Gold.
[edit] Scene Four
In the executive washroom, Frump assures the others that Finch's plan will fail and, with it, his career. Finch enters and gives himself a pep talk, telling himself I Believe in You, while the other executives vow his downfall.
[edit] Scene Five
Finch presents "his" idea: he will hide five thousand shares of company stock in each of the ten offices around the country, and give the audience weekly clues as to their whereabouts. Biggley is about to reject this idea yet again, when Finch explains that the clue each week will be given by the scantily-dressed World Wide Wicket Girl: Miss Hedy LaRue.
[edit] Scene Six
During the first television show, the Treasure Girl is asked to swear on a Bible that she doesn't know the location of the prizes. Hedy, whom Biggley had told the night previous where the treasure was hidden, reveals this to the entire television audience.
[edit] Scenes Seven and Eight
"How To Handle a Disaster. In every businessman's career, there are times when things go a bit wrong. However, should you be the cause of a disaster that's really disastrous, we suggest that your best bet is to review the first chapter of this book: How to Apply for a Job." Treasure hunters have wrecked World Wide Wicket Company offices across the country, and the executives, including Chairman of the Board Willy Womper, are waiting in Biggley's office for Finch's resignation. Finch tells Rosemary that he will probably have to go back to washing windows and she tells him "I Believe in You". Frump arrives to ascort Finch to Biggley's office.
[edit] Scenes Nine and Nine-A
About to sign his letter of resignation, Finch mentions that he'll probably be going back to washing windows. Womper hears this, immediately being drawn to Finch as he, too, was a former washer of windows. Finch manages to place the blame for the treasure show on Bud, also mentioning that Frump is Biggley's nephew. Womper is about to "clean house from top to bottom", when Finch steps in on everyone's behalf. Finch tells the executives that we're all part of the Brotherhood of Man. Everyone is spared, except Frump, who is fired.
[edit] Scene Ten
The show ends with the announcement to the employees that Biggley is still president, that Womper is retiring to travel the world with his new wife, Hedy, and that Finch will become Chairman of the Board. Rosemary stands by his side as she plants the seed for aspiring to the Presidency of the United States. Bud Frump is lowered on a window-washing scaffold, outside the building, squeegee in one hand and How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying in the other.[2]
[edit] Musical numbers
[edit] Act One
- "How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying"
- "Happy to Keep His Dinner Warm"
- "Coffee Break"
- "The Company Way"
- "The Company Way (Reprise)"
- "A Secretary is Not a Toy"
- "Been a Long Day"
- "Been a Long Day (Reprise)"
- "Grand Old Ivy"
- "Paris Original"
- "Rosemary"
- "Finale to Act I"
[edit] Act Two
- "Cinderella, Darling" or "How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying (reprise)"
- "Happy to Keep His Dinner Warm (Reprise)"
- "Love From a Heart of Gold"
- "I Believe in You"
- "I Believe in You (Reprise)"
- "Brotherhood of Man"
- "Finale: The Company Way"
| J. Pierrepont Finch | Rosemary Plinkington | Bud Frump | J.B. Biggley | Hedy LaRue | Miss Jones | Book Voice | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Original 1961 Broadway | Robert Morse | Bonnie Scott | Charles Nelson Reilly | Rudy Vallee | Virginia Martin | Ruth Kobart | |
| Original 1963 London | Warren Berlinger | Patricia Michael | David Knight | Billy De Wolfe | Eileen Gourlay | Olice Lucius | |
| 1967 United Artists Film | Robert Morse | Michele Lee | Anthony "Scooter" Teague | Rudy Vallee | Maureen Arthur | Ruth Kobart | |
| 1995 Broadway Revival | Matthew Broderick | Megan Mullally | Jeff Blumenkrantz | Ron Carroll | Luba Mason | Lillias White | Walter Cronkite |
[edit] References
[edit] External links
- How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying (original production) at The Internet Broadway Database
- How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying (1995 revival) at The Internet Broadway Database
- How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying at the Internet Movie Database
- A very thorough plot overview
[edit] The Baker's Wife
The Baker's Wife is a musical by Stephen Schwartz and Joseph Stein based on the film La Femme du Boulanger by Marcel Pagnol and Jean Giono. While firmly establishing a dedicated cult following, the musical has yet to achieve a Broadway production. Major regional productions — including productions at the Arden Theater in Philadelphia and the Papermill Playhouse in New Jersey — ensure that this often-overlooked piece of American musical theater will continue to find receptive audiences.
[edit] History
The musical theater rights of the 1932 film were originally optioned in 1952 by producers Cy Feuer and Ernest Martin (Guys and Dolls, How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying). Composer Frank Loesser and librettist Abe Burrows (also Guys and Dolls, How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying) were attached as authors. The production to star Bert Lahr, however, never materialized. Nearly a decade later, the project was still clinging to life, Zero Mostel named to take the lead.
By 1976 the rights had devolved to producer David Merrick. The production by Stephen Schwartz (Godspell, Pippin) and Joseph Stein (Fiddler on the Roof and Zorba) toured the United States for six months in 1976, undergoing major retoolings along the way. The baker Amiable, Topol, was replaced by Paul Sorvino, and his wife Genevieve was played by two actresses before the producer eventually decided upon future luminary Patti LuPone. The production never reached the Martin Beck Theater, the authors having pulled out of the production in the try-out process.
After having heard the song "Meadowlark" countless times in auditions, director Trevor Nunn persuaded the authors to mount a London production in 1990. This production, too, was ill-fated: though reviews were strong and audience reaction positive, the production was steadily losing money. Bowing to financial reality, the show closed prematurely, but was honored with a Laurence Olivier Award nomination for Musical of the Year alongside Miss Saigon.
The creative team reunited for the recent production at the Goodspeed Opera House in East Haddam, CT, and again for the 2005 Papermill Playhouse production in Milburn, NJ. The Papermill included the reworking of the relationship between the characters of Genevieve and Dominique as well as new lyrics for "Proud Lady".
[edit] Synopsis
[edit] Act One
It's early autumn in this small Provencal town, still surprisingly provincial in the mid-1930s; we see several tables occupied at the cafe. Denise, the wife of the proprietor, tends to her chores while singing Chanson: first in French, then English. She sees the same faces every day, but sometimes, things can happen that change you, making life different and new.
Focus is shifted to the customers at the tables. Bits of conversation are heard: complaints from a gardener who's neighbor's tree is shading his spinach, an argument between the local priest and the school teacher who has been teaching that Joan of Arc "thought" she heard voices, the owner of a well quarrelling with the neighbor who's dog had breached that well seven years previously. Those bickering tell each other that their lives would be that much better If It Wasn't for You. Through it all is the anticipation of the arrival of the baker: the village has been without bread since the last baker died and tensions have run higher than normal.
The Marquis enters with his three "nieces" and welcomes the new baker, Aimable Castagnet. Accurately named, he is a jolly, middle-aged fellow. With him is Genevieve, young and beautiful, whom the Marquis mistakes for his daughter. The error quickly addressed, it is not met without comment from the townspeople. With Pompom, the cat, the couple makes for their new home, with the customers exchanging comments about the baker robbing the cradle in their wake.
In their new bakery, Aimable is clearly pleased with his new shop. To Genevieve, he sings Merci, Madame, as enchanted with her as he is with his new surroundings. He is excited about the prospects of a prosperous life with a family. The villagers, too, are pleased with the return of Bread to the small town.
The customers argue about their place in line in the small shop, eager to sample the wares of the new baker. Others, still, gossip about the Marquis and his nieces, and Antoine, one of the villagers, asks Aimable how an old man like him was able to snare the beautiful Genevieve. "God was good to me," he replies, and Genevieve reminds the villagers that not only did her husband choose her, she chose him, too, and she couldn't be happier. She smiles at the customers, but rushes inside in tears. She sings of the Gifts of Love she's received from men in her past: her affair with Paul, a married man, and her love for Amiable. Closing the door on her past, she resolves to be a good wife to the baker.
While picking up the Marquis' pastry order, his driver, Dominique, eyes Genevieve, mistaking her for the baker's daughter. She corrects him, but he insists on addressing her as mademoiselle. Genevieve insists, "Madame!", but he continues flirting with her, flustering her. Amiable returns after trying to find Pompom and reports that the cat has run off.
Some time later in the village square, Dominique again advances upon Genevieve. She rebuffs him, reminding him that she is happily married, but he resolves that he will be with his Proud Lady.
The villagers gather again outside the cafe, engaged in their typical squabbles. The baker and his wife arrive and sit at a table near Antoine who continues to tease them about the difference in their ages. He implies that while the baker may be able to create the perfect croissant, his ability to create a child might have passed. Dominique comes to the couple's defense, hitting Antoine. Irritated by his interference, Genevieve exits in a huff, leaving the men to tell each other to Look For the Woman when they start fighting. "It's when the hen walks into the barnyard that the roosters start pecking at each other."
That evening we see three couples — including the baker and his wife — getting ready for bed. Dominique and his guitar-toting friend Philippe plot their evening in the town square, and as the three couples end their reprise of Chanson, Dominique and Philippe start their Serenade. The baker believes the "treasure" of which they sing refers to his baked goods, while Genevieve knows Dominique is singing to her. Amiable, ever the good man, sends Genevieve to give him some unsold baguettes, as he is dressed for bed. Genevieve castigates Dominique, but he is undeterred. Though she protests, she is unable to resist Dominique, and they decide to meet an hour later and run off.
Amiable calls down to Genevieve, and she replies that she'll be up in a minute. As he drops off to sleep, she contemplates her situation singing the legend of the Meadowlark. The bird decides to stay with the old king who adored her and perishes. Instead, she embarks for an unknown future with her "beautiful young man".
The neighbors are awakened to a fire in the bakery's oven where the baker finds charred loaves. Usually Genevieve is the early riser of the household, and he begins to search for her, believing that she has gone in search for Pompom. A crowd begins to gather and the gossip begins, Buzz A-Buzz: they know Aimable's search will yield neither cat nor wife.
The Marquis arrives and takes the baker aside, telling him that Genevieve had run off with his chauffeur in the Marquis' Peugeot. Philippe arrives and confirms the story, but Aimable chooses to believe that Genevieve had gone off to visit her mother. As the gossip continues, the Marquis threatens going to the police to report his stolen car, and the two lovers would be arrested. The gossipers decide that the situation is the "best thing to happen in this town in all my life!"
[edit] Act Two
The second act opens as the first, with Denise reprising her Chanson. The villagers reprise If It Wasn't for You, while keeping an eye on the baker: they are relieved to see him begin a new batch of dough. The teacher and the priest argue again: the priest accusing the villagers of contaminating Genevieve with their immoral conduct, the teacher championing free will. The Marquis determines that it was the course of fate, that we are all captive to the joys of the flesh.
Aimable crosses to the cafe to inform the customers that the bread will be ready in a moment. The typically-sober baker orders a cognac, and another, and sings to the cafe that Genevieve will be home on an Any-Day-Now Day: she has just gone to visit her mother. In an attempt to sober him up, they follow him into the bakery only to find it in a sad state. Amiable collapses amongst the spilled flour, dough hanging from the ceiling, and burnt loaves of bread.
The villagers come to the decision that the town is cursed and they blame the baker's wife for the burden. In the closed bakery, they try to cheer up Aimable and get him baking again by telling him that he's the Luckiest Man in the World: he's been spared the boredom and arguments of married life.
The Marquis enters, telling Aimable that he needs some Feminine Companionship and offers to loan his nieces. The villagers ask the Marquis if the girls are really his nieces, to which he responds, "What is a niece but the daughter of a brother, and as I consider all men my brothers...." The girls surround the baker, flirting, fondling him. The priest enters, shocked at the scene, begins feuding with the Marquis. The villagers join in the fray, and the baker throws them all out.
At a town meeting in the church, Aimable admits that he knows that Genevieve has run off. He offers the Marquis his life savings to deter him from hunting down the couple. He leaves the church, and the villagers vow to find his wife.
Alone in the bakery, Aimable decides If I Have to Live Alone, that he will do so with dignity.
The villagers are again at the cafe, and Antoine enters claiming that he has found the young couple at a hotel in a nearby town. They agree to form a search party, and the Marquis, the priest, and the teacher go after the outcasts to persuade the baker's wife to return home. Left behind, the women of the town comment bitterly on Romance.
The lights come up on a small hotel room. Genevieve and Dominique are together, but all is not well. She admits her passion for the young man, but wonders Where Is the Warmth?. She gathers her things and leaves him asleep.
At a bus stop, the villagers encounter Genevieve on her way to Marseilles. They beg for her to return, but she tells them that she can never go home again. They eventually convince her to return: "all sins are forgivable".
The villagers are asked to remain in their houses as to not embarrass Genevieve when she arrives. Escorted by the priest and the Marquis, Genevieve walks through the empty street to the bakery and cautiously approaches her door.
She finds Aimable and attempts to tell him the truth, but he chooses to believe that she has returned from visiting her mother and offers her dinner. Pompom arrives at the window, and Aimable bitterly harangues the cat for running after "some tom that looked good in the moonlight." He unleashes all of his pent-up anger toward Genevieve on the small cat, and offers it a saucer of milk. He has faithfully refilled the milk each day, and, when Aimable charges that the cat will run off yet again, Genevieve assures him that "she will not leave." Reconciled, the two begin to prepare the bread for the next day.
Denise begins the new day at the cafe, reprising her Chanson, joined by the town in harmony.
[edit] Subtext
The simple story of a baker's wife leaving her husband for a younger man takes on a new life in Stein's adaptation. As in Fiddler, the small French town is, itself, a character. While they initially mock Aimable for having such a young wife, they take it upon themselves to bring back Genevieve -- perhaps not for the most altruistic of reasons -- they affect the final reconciliation, nonetheless, and in the process become better people. This theme of community is one echoed in several of Stephen Schwartz's projects, making this a most equitable collaboration.
[edit] Songs
This song list reflects the recording of the 1990 London production.
[edit] Act One
- "Chanson" – Denise
- "If It Wasn't for You" – Teacher, Priest, Marquis, and Villagers
- "Merci, Madame" – Aimable and Genevieve
- "Bread" – Villagers
- "Gifts of Love" – Genevieve
- "Plain and Simple" – Aimable and Genevieve
- "Proud Lady" – Dominique
- "Look for the Woman" – Teacher, Marquis, Claude, Barnaby, Antoine, Casmir, Pierre, Doumergue
- "Chanson (Reprise)" – Denise
- "Serenade" – Dominique, Philippe, Aimable, and Genevieve
- "Meadowlark" – Genevieve
- "Buzz A-Buzz" – Aimable, Marquis, Philippe, Villagers
[edit] Act Two
- "Chanson (Reprise)" – Denise
- "If It Wasn't for You" – Priest, Teacher, Marquis, and Villagers
- "Any-Day-Now Day" – Aimable, Villagers
- "Endless Delights" – Dominique, Genevieve
- "Luckiest Man in the World" – Claude, Village Men, Marquis, Simone, Inez, Nicole
- "Feminine Companionship" – Claude, Village Men, Marquis, Simone, Inez, Nicole
- "If I Have to Live Alone" – Aimable
- "Romance" – Denise, Hortense, Therese, Simone, Inez, Nicole
- "Where is the Warmth?" – Genevieve
- "Gifts of Love (Reprise)" – Denise, Aimable, Genevieve, Villagers
- "Chanson (Reprise)" – Denise, Aimable, Genevieve, Villagers
[edit] External Links
MTI
Interview 1
Interview 2
musicalschwartz
[edit] WikiProject Musicals invite
Hi! I'm leaving you this message because your name is listed as a participant in WikiProject Musicals (previously WikiProject Broadway) or I feel you may be interested in the project. It seems that the project has laid dormant for quite awhile, but I would like to work toward getting it up and operative. I have a few ideas that I've outlined on the talk page, and would love your input. Working together, I think we can signifigantly improve the quality of the articles relating to musicals on Wikipedia. — MusicMaker 06:20, 28 June 2006 (UTC)
[edit] WikiProject Musicals Article Assessment page
[edit] Musicals Article Assessment
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[edit] General Musical Theater articles
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