Bacharach-David Musical Love Sweet Love
Moderator: mark
-
mario serra
- Posts: 30
- Joined: Wed May 11, 2005 11:15 am
- Location: Rome,Italy
- Contact:
Love Sweet Love
Very good news!!!. Specially that Burt and Hal are partners once more in this new adventure.GOOD LUCK,sincerely for this new enterprise to both of you.I do hope that we'll have the opportunity to have the play staged in Italy, or at least in Europe. 
Thank you all.Till my next post All the best.
Mario Serra
Mario Serra
http://www.sgvtribune.com/lifestyle/ci_7542257
Revisiting the look of love
BY STEVEN D. HARRIS, CORRESPONDENT
Preview
LOVE SWEET LOVE
What: The words and music of Burt Bacharach and Hal David
Where: Cerritos Center for the Performing Arts, 12700 Center Court Drive, Cerritos
When: 8 p.m. Friday, 2 and 8 p.m. Dec. 1, 3 p.m. Dec. 2
Cost: $22-$50
Information: (562) 916-8525,
(562) 467-8818
www.cerritoscenter.com
What does the world need now that there's just too little of? Some songbook stalwarts might suggest a grand revival of Burt Bacharach and Hal David. If you're in agreement, you won't want to miss what the Cerritos Performing Arts Center has to offer in five shows next Friday through Sunday: the Southern California premiere of "Love Sweet Love," a new musical built around the most memorable tunes of the incomparable songwriting team. (Thousand Oaks also offers a performance at the Civic Arts Theatre on Tuesday, Dec. 4 at 8 p.m.)
Thirty-one songs are covered in the three-act play penned by Ben Wolfe. "The Look of Love,", "I Say A Little Prayer" and "What's New, Pussycat?" are just a few.
There is a timely aspect as well to this show. Hard to believe, but this
year marks the 50th anniversary collaboration of Bacharach and David, who partnered in 1957.
"Love Sweet Love" (four years in the making) is a set of stories that focus on five women looking for love in all the wrong places. It is based in modern-day L.A.
Wolfe started devising the play in 2003 after being inspired by the musical "Mama Mia." He had never met Bacharach personally and has only lunched with David on one occasion. So he's especially anxious to hear their feedback on "Love Sweet Love."
"I'm actually not that fond of musical revues," Wolfe said. "But Burt's and Hal's work still resonate as it did years ago, and that's the definition of a classic.
"I've tried to be loyal to what I think their feelings are with the music. Their songs are so theatrical; they seem to tell stories."
Hal David, now 86, plans to see the play at its Dec. 4 showing in Thousand Oaks.
"I'm looking forward to hearing my songs in context with a live story line," David said. "I still love hearing my songs on the radio. Nowadays, you never know what you're going to hear over the air. But there are still some stations that play the great standards."
David said he doesn't know the exact number but estimates he has co-written 200 songs with Bacharach, and has written lyrics to another 600 songs with other collaborators dating back to the late 1940s.
David grew up in Brooklyn and was editor of his high school paper. He played the violin and formed a small band which played for weddings and other local engagements. David would often frequent the remnants of Tin Pan Alley for sheet music.
"I used to go around to the music publishers; they'd give out sheet music and I would study the lyrics," he said. "There was one written by Yip Harburg and Harold Arlen called "Poor You." Part of the lyrics went:
`I'm sorry you are not me.
For you will never know
what loving you can be.'
"I thought: what a fantastic way of saying `I love you!' That really gave me a jolt into thinking I could have my own originality."
David wrote songs and poetry throughout his youth.
"There were guys whose work I loved: Irving Berlin and Johnny Mercer; they were in a class by themselves," David said. "I knew Johnny and had a very long telephone relationship with Berlin about 10 years."
Did the Bacharach-David duo ever feel intimated by other legendary songwriting teams, such as Rodgers and Hart and Styne and Cahn?
"At the time we were writing, especially in the early days, we didn't think about competing with others," David said. "We were just trying to write today's hits and I guess we thought we were pretty good. Then all of a sudden, we had a whole bunch of hits and little by little, they became classics. We never thought in terms of the future that they would be standards.
"We started out in New York and met almost every day in the Brill building for about 17 years," David said. "It was still filled with music publishers when we were there. We wrote in the same little room with an upright piano. Eventually, we moved back and forth between New York and Los Angeles.
"Sometimes Burt would take my lyric home and I would take his music home. Other times we'd be writing three songs at once. We wrote during the day and made records at night with people like Dionne Warwick and Jack Jones. We'd be writing every day, sometimes up to the last minute.
"Often, there would be a song we finished one day and recorded the next," he said. "That doesn't happen anymore.
"Burt and I started in the period when rock `n' roll broke out, only we weren't writing that type of music," David said. "Looking back, it's amazing that we were able to break through and write things that the public accepted so well.
"I think that was pretty much the last time that good songs were able to be heard," he said. "It's a tough world to be in now and hard to break through with anything of quality."
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Information Copyright © 2005 San Gabriel Valley Tribune
Los Angeles Newspaper Group
Revisiting the look of love
BY STEVEN D. HARRIS, CORRESPONDENT
Preview
LOVE SWEET LOVE
What: The words and music of Burt Bacharach and Hal David
Where: Cerritos Center for the Performing Arts, 12700 Center Court Drive, Cerritos
When: 8 p.m. Friday, 2 and 8 p.m. Dec. 1, 3 p.m. Dec. 2
Cost: $22-$50
Information: (562) 916-8525,
(562) 467-8818
www.cerritoscenter.com
What does the world need now that there's just too little of? Some songbook stalwarts might suggest a grand revival of Burt Bacharach and Hal David. If you're in agreement, you won't want to miss what the Cerritos Performing Arts Center has to offer in five shows next Friday through Sunday: the Southern California premiere of "Love Sweet Love," a new musical built around the most memorable tunes of the incomparable songwriting team. (Thousand Oaks also offers a performance at the Civic Arts Theatre on Tuesday, Dec. 4 at 8 p.m.)
Thirty-one songs are covered in the three-act play penned by Ben Wolfe. "The Look of Love,", "I Say A Little Prayer" and "What's New, Pussycat?" are just a few.
There is a timely aspect as well to this show. Hard to believe, but this
year marks the 50th anniversary collaboration of Bacharach and David, who partnered in 1957.
"Love Sweet Love" (four years in the making) is a set of stories that focus on five women looking for love in all the wrong places. It is based in modern-day L.A.
Wolfe started devising the play in 2003 after being inspired by the musical "Mama Mia." He had never met Bacharach personally and has only lunched with David on one occasion. So he's especially anxious to hear their feedback on "Love Sweet Love."
"I'm actually not that fond of musical revues," Wolfe said. "But Burt's and Hal's work still resonate as it did years ago, and that's the definition of a classic.
"I've tried to be loyal to what I think their feelings are with the music. Their songs are so theatrical; they seem to tell stories."
Hal David, now 86, plans to see the play at its Dec. 4 showing in Thousand Oaks.
"I'm looking forward to hearing my songs in context with a live story line," David said. "I still love hearing my songs on the radio. Nowadays, you never know what you're going to hear over the air. But there are still some stations that play the great standards."
David said he doesn't know the exact number but estimates he has co-written 200 songs with Bacharach, and has written lyrics to another 600 songs with other collaborators dating back to the late 1940s.
David grew up in Brooklyn and was editor of his high school paper. He played the violin and formed a small band which played for weddings and other local engagements. David would often frequent the remnants of Tin Pan Alley for sheet music.
"I used to go around to the music publishers; they'd give out sheet music and I would study the lyrics," he said. "There was one written by Yip Harburg and Harold Arlen called "Poor You." Part of the lyrics went:
`I'm sorry you are not me.
For you will never know
what loving you can be.'
"I thought: what a fantastic way of saying `I love you!' That really gave me a jolt into thinking I could have my own originality."
David wrote songs and poetry throughout his youth.
"There were guys whose work I loved: Irving Berlin and Johnny Mercer; they were in a class by themselves," David said. "I knew Johnny and had a very long telephone relationship with Berlin about 10 years."
Did the Bacharach-David duo ever feel intimated by other legendary songwriting teams, such as Rodgers and Hart and Styne and Cahn?
"At the time we were writing, especially in the early days, we didn't think about competing with others," David said. "We were just trying to write today's hits and I guess we thought we were pretty good. Then all of a sudden, we had a whole bunch of hits and little by little, they became classics. We never thought in terms of the future that they would be standards.
"We started out in New York and met almost every day in the Brill building for about 17 years," David said. "It was still filled with music publishers when we were there. We wrote in the same little room with an upright piano. Eventually, we moved back and forth between New York and Los Angeles.
"Sometimes Burt would take my lyric home and I would take his music home. Other times we'd be writing three songs at once. We wrote during the day and made records at night with people like Dionne Warwick and Jack Jones. We'd be writing every day, sometimes up to the last minute.
"Often, there would be a song we finished one day and recorded the next," he said. "That doesn't happen anymore.
"Burt and I started in the period when rock `n' roll broke out, only we weren't writing that type of music," David said. "Looking back, it's amazing that we were able to break through and write things that the public accepted so well.
"I think that was pretty much the last time that good songs were able to be heard," he said. "It's a tough world to be in now and hard to break through with anything of quality."
Print Email Return to Top
Check out our newest entertainment blog, where our film, music, TV and Hollywood critics dish out their latest thoughts!
More »
Information Copyright © 2005 San Gabriel Valley Tribune
Los Angeles Newspaper Group
-
Roberto Pinardi
- Posts: 435
- Joined: Mon Apr 10, 2006 5:25 am
LA TIMES REVIEW
http://www.calendarlive.com/stage/cl-et ... e-features
[LOS ANGELES TIMES]
THEATER REVIEW
'Love Sweet Love'
The musical showcasing the tunes of Burt Bacharach and Hal David pays off in the long run, thanks to the director-choreographer and a wonderful cast.
By F. Kathleen Foley
Special to The Times
December 3, 2007
"Love Sweet Love," which closed Sunday at the Cerritos Center for the Performing Arts but will play the Thousand Oaks Civic Arts Plaza beginning Tuesday, requires a little patience. Brimming with tunes by the legendary songwriting team of Burt Bacharach and Hal David, "Love" is essentially a glorified revue cobbled into a "plotted" musical by adapter C. Ben Wolfe, whose book bombards us with so many characters that it's difficult to figure out just who is who.
The opening scenes presume an emotional connection to the material that has yet to be established. As a result, the pathos is cloying and the camp seems obligatory -- at least at first. Stick around. Although this Theater League production, directed and choreographed by Sha Newman, needs a little tweaking on the front end, it pays off richly in the long run.
Set shortly before Valentine's Day, the action centers on a bevy of forlorn females, all nursing broken hearts. There's Chris (Kristen Howe), who rightly suspects that her husband, Mike (Keith Bearden), is cheating on her. Katherine (Kara Shaw), Mike's mistress, yearns for true love but is always hooking up with Mr. Wrong. After a bruising breakup, lonely Amy (Alaine Kashian) cruises Internet dating services searching for Mr. Right. On a more somber note, shellshocked Gwen (Dawnn Lewis) has just been widowed in a car accident that left her paralyzed.
These lovelorn lovelies are bolstered by gal pals Darla (Staci Wilson) and Tiffany (Mercy Malick), who keep their friends' spirits up while trolling the city's bars and coffeehouses for eligible men. Of course, there are some happy endings in store. Gwen finds new love with hunky Latin lover Julio (Daniel Lujan), while five-foot-nothing Amy hooks up with lanky Norman (Matthew Patrick Davis), a fellow basketball fan who looms over her like a giraffe over a ground squirrel. As for Chris and Katherine, they team up to give the philandering Mike his walking papers.
Steven Young's lighting, Thomas G. Marquez's costumes and Mark Cowburn's sound are glitzy perfection, while Bradley Kaye's vibrant, versatile sets swirl on and offstage without a hitch. Cleverly, the sports bar set is dominated by a massive widescreen, courtesy of Mark Ciglar's video design, on which everything from sporting events to animated karaoke lyrics are displayed.
A wily theater veteran, Newman has assembled a hugely talented troupe. Musical director Lloyd Cooper, who also did the orchestrations and arrangements, deserves high praise for the flawless blend of orchestra and voices.
But then, Bacharach's music and David's lyrics provide all and sundry with terrific source material. Tunes range from the familiar to the obscure. (You might not remember that the durable duo wrote "The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance" or the Carpenters' hit "Close to You.")
A quibble: The beautifully wistful "Message to Michael," rendered here by a lively karaoke trio, deserves a more thoughtful solo.
And "Wives and Lovers," which cautions "little girls" about letting their husbands see them in curlers for fear the horrified men will run off with other women, should be required listening in college sociology and women's studies courses. Hilariously sexist, the song is a barometer of just how much society has changed in a very few decades.
'Love Sweet Love'
Where: Thousand Oaks Civic Arts Plaza, 2100 E. Thousand Oaks Blvd., Thousand Oaks
When: . 8 p.m. Tuesday-Friday, 2 and 8 p.m. Saturday, 2 and 7 p.m. Sunday
Ends: Sunday
Price: $40-$49
Contact: ticketmaster.com
Running time: 2 hours
[LOS ANGELES TIMES]
THEATER REVIEW
'Love Sweet Love'
The musical showcasing the tunes of Burt Bacharach and Hal David pays off in the long run, thanks to the director-choreographer and a wonderful cast.
By F. Kathleen Foley
Special to The Times
December 3, 2007
"Love Sweet Love," which closed Sunday at the Cerritos Center for the Performing Arts but will play the Thousand Oaks Civic Arts Plaza beginning Tuesday, requires a little patience. Brimming with tunes by the legendary songwriting team of Burt Bacharach and Hal David, "Love" is essentially a glorified revue cobbled into a "plotted" musical by adapter C. Ben Wolfe, whose book bombards us with so many characters that it's difficult to figure out just who is who.
The opening scenes presume an emotional connection to the material that has yet to be established. As a result, the pathos is cloying and the camp seems obligatory -- at least at first. Stick around. Although this Theater League production, directed and choreographed by Sha Newman, needs a little tweaking on the front end, it pays off richly in the long run.
Set shortly before Valentine's Day, the action centers on a bevy of forlorn females, all nursing broken hearts. There's Chris (Kristen Howe), who rightly suspects that her husband, Mike (Keith Bearden), is cheating on her. Katherine (Kara Shaw), Mike's mistress, yearns for true love but is always hooking up with Mr. Wrong. After a bruising breakup, lonely Amy (Alaine Kashian) cruises Internet dating services searching for Mr. Right. On a more somber note, shellshocked Gwen (Dawnn Lewis) has just been widowed in a car accident that left her paralyzed.
These lovelorn lovelies are bolstered by gal pals Darla (Staci Wilson) and Tiffany (Mercy Malick), who keep their friends' spirits up while trolling the city's bars and coffeehouses for eligible men. Of course, there are some happy endings in store. Gwen finds new love with hunky Latin lover Julio (Daniel Lujan), while five-foot-nothing Amy hooks up with lanky Norman (Matthew Patrick Davis), a fellow basketball fan who looms over her like a giraffe over a ground squirrel. As for Chris and Katherine, they team up to give the philandering Mike his walking papers.
Steven Young's lighting, Thomas G. Marquez's costumes and Mark Cowburn's sound are glitzy perfection, while Bradley Kaye's vibrant, versatile sets swirl on and offstage without a hitch. Cleverly, the sports bar set is dominated by a massive widescreen, courtesy of Mark Ciglar's video design, on which everything from sporting events to animated karaoke lyrics are displayed.
A wily theater veteran, Newman has assembled a hugely talented troupe. Musical director Lloyd Cooper, who also did the orchestrations and arrangements, deserves high praise for the flawless blend of orchestra and voices.
But then, Bacharach's music and David's lyrics provide all and sundry with terrific source material. Tunes range from the familiar to the obscure. (You might not remember that the durable duo wrote "The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance" or the Carpenters' hit "Close to You.")
A quibble: The beautifully wistful "Message to Michael," rendered here by a lively karaoke trio, deserves a more thoughtful solo.
And "Wives and Lovers," which cautions "little girls" about letting their husbands see them in curlers for fear the horrified men will run off with other women, should be required listening in college sociology and women's studies courses. Hilariously sexist, the song is a barometer of just how much society has changed in a very few decades.
'Love Sweet Love'
Where: Thousand Oaks Civic Arts Plaza, 2100 E. Thousand Oaks Blvd., Thousand Oaks
When: . 8 p.m. Tuesday-Friday, 2 and 8 p.m. Saturday, 2 and 7 p.m. Sunday
Ends: Sunday
Price: $40-$49
Contact: ticketmaster.com
Running time: 2 hours
Reviews from those who attended (LA Times):
http://www.calendarlive.com/stage/61665 ... iews.event
One of the reviwers, Steven Stanley, refers us to his complete review. For ease of reference, here's he direct link:
http://www.lastagescene.com/lovesweetlove.html
http://www.calendarlive.com/stage/61665 ... iews.event
One of the reviwers, Steven Stanley, refers us to his complete review. For ease of reference, here's he direct link:
http://www.lastagescene.com/lovesweetlove.html
Love Sweet Love review
I went to the Sunday matinee performance of Love Sweet Love. I wasn't sure what to expect, and I went in with an open mind, but I left feeling disappointed. I admire what the director and cast were trying to do, but the production felt very forced and, frankly, shallow.
The cast was generally good, but the four interweaving stories were rather trite and sometimes just bizarre. One of the principals is a women in a wheelchair. We quickly learn that her husband died in a recent auto accident that left her paralyzed. Her first song, the one that introduces her, is One Less Bell to Answer. Initially I thought, hey that's an interesting take on a possible story behind that song, but as soon as she sings "I should be happy..." it's obvious what a terrible choice this is. I should be happy? Really? Your husband's dead and you're in a wheelchair! Why on earth would you be happy?! And of course she has to stop herself before she sings the line "each time the doorbell rings I still run." I suppose that was meant to be poignant, but it came off as unintentionally comedic. There are some other really strange approaches to the characters and their stories that struck me as completely at odds with the moods the original recordings of the songs evoke (the three other Bacharach fans I attended the show with felt the same way). There were some nice individual performances, especially a Spanish rendition of I'll Never Fall in Love Again (Yo Nunca Volvere Amar) but they were few and far between.
In the first act, the musical arrangements were inoffensive if uninspired, but in the second act they are so rushed you barely recognize the beautiful harmonies under Burt's incomparable melodies, especially the tunes that are done "kareoke" style. I got the sense the cast was trying to rush to the finish line, not revel in the music.
Love Sweet Love is a great idea for a musical, but doing it right would require a lot more thought and story development than the show I saw Sunday. On a scale of 1 to 10, where Burt's concert at Disney Hall earlier this year was an 11, I give LSL a 3, at best. If it should come to your local theatre and you're tempted to buy a ticket, take my advice and walk on by. Save your money for the next time Burt comes to town.
The cast was generally good, but the four interweaving stories were rather trite and sometimes just bizarre. One of the principals is a women in a wheelchair. We quickly learn that her husband died in a recent auto accident that left her paralyzed. Her first song, the one that introduces her, is One Less Bell to Answer. Initially I thought, hey that's an interesting take on a possible story behind that song, but as soon as she sings "I should be happy..." it's obvious what a terrible choice this is. I should be happy? Really? Your husband's dead and you're in a wheelchair! Why on earth would you be happy?! And of course she has to stop herself before she sings the line "each time the doorbell rings I still run." I suppose that was meant to be poignant, but it came off as unintentionally comedic. There are some other really strange approaches to the characters and their stories that struck me as completely at odds with the moods the original recordings of the songs evoke (the three other Bacharach fans I attended the show with felt the same way). There were some nice individual performances, especially a Spanish rendition of I'll Never Fall in Love Again (Yo Nunca Volvere Amar) but they were few and far between.
In the first act, the musical arrangements were inoffensive if uninspired, but in the second act they are so rushed you barely recognize the beautiful harmonies under Burt's incomparable melodies, especially the tunes that are done "kareoke" style. I got the sense the cast was trying to rush to the finish line, not revel in the music.
Love Sweet Love is a great idea for a musical, but doing it right would require a lot more thought and story development than the show I saw Sunday. On a scale of 1 to 10, where Burt's concert at Disney Hall earlier this year was an 11, I give LSL a 3, at best. If it should come to your local theatre and you're tempted to buy a ticket, take my advice and walk on by. Save your money for the next time Burt comes to town.