The Burt Bacharach Discussion Forum

The definitives songs??????

and....surprise


Some Lovers London Ago 2017

New Song (Title ????????)

Molly
Aren't We? (NO London Show)
Some Lovers
Aren't We?/Another Start
Love Me For An Hour
The Only Music I Understand

New Song (Title ????????)

A Hit For You
Living With the Ghost

Window Shoppin' & Dreamin' Dreams (NO London Show)

The Girl Who Sang My Songs (NO London Show)

Hold Me
A Thousand Things That Were You
Welcome To My World
Ready to be Done With You
Every Other Hour
Just Walk Away

This Christmas (NO London Show)

Hush
This Christmas (finale)

Surprise:
https://twitter.com/AriaEnts/status/902 ... 87648?s=04

Ciao
great Show
Roberto

I saw the show for a second time last night and all the songs that were unfamiliar to me the first time made a much greater impression this time round, especially the opening number which has a gorgeous jazzy chord sequence to go with the ear-catching lyrics. The show's other recent addition would appear to be called 'Winter and I', although I'm not certain. As for the eight or nine songs I knew already before seeing the London production and the ones most of us are familiar with on this forum, I can't over emphasise how impressive they sound when heard live in the theatre in the context of the show as apposed to through the speakers of a computer or a Smart Phone and my estimation of them all has risen greatly accordingly. Incidentally, these are the same songs that got the biggest response from the audience on both the nights I went with perhaps 'Hold Me' receiving the most sustained applause last night. I took notes as the show went along last night so as to get the song list as accurate as possible, including the times when only a portion of a number was performed.

Don't Fuck With Me
Molly
Aren't We? (portion)
Some Lovers
Aren't We?/Another Start
Love Me For An Hour
The only Music I understand
Winter and I
A Hit For You
Living With the Ghost
Hold Me
A Thousand Things That Were You
Welcome To My World
Ready to be Done With You
Every Other Hour
Just Walk Away
This Christmas (portion)
Hush
This Christmas (finale)

Producer Katy Lipson tweeted me to say that the new song for the London production is 'Winter and I'....and gorgeous it is too....

Thanks for the list pjlms.........

On my second visit yesterday, the songs had greater impact. Most of them got applause, which is not always the case with new musicals in London, especially the power house performance of 'Welcome To My World' by Aaron Kavanagh who is a recent Musical Theatre graduate from the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland in Glasgow.

'Love Me For An Hour' is a gorgeous love song and Jenna Innes's rendition of 'Some Lovers' has a lighter feel than the Rumer recording.

Just Walk Away is a powerful, darker song as we approach the climax of the show. We're fortunate to have a commercial recording of that one.

Would like to think 'Some Lovers' has a life on the London stage beyond Saturday but who knows?

Trailer for the London production featuring the title song

https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_cont ... Je4LTVVgi0

https://twitter.com/AriaEnts/status/902 ... 87648?s=04

Ciao
Roberto

With matinee performances of stage musicals you can usually confidently predict that the theatre will be packed out and the average age of the audience will rise significantly. Well, yesterday that turned out to be only half true and perhaps it was the beautiful late summer weather that kept the numbers down.

The first time I saw Some Lovers there were only a couple of the songs that failed to register with me, 'The Only Music I Understand' and 'Winter And I', but on seeing the show again they also cast their spell. For Bacharach to compose such an attractive, compelling and moving score at this stage in his career I find hugely gratifying and I hope that one day soon there'll be some sort of cast recording. However, as much as I loved the show's songs - words and music - if not the book, I agree with others that this is very much a chamber piece and it's difficult to imagine it getting a big West End production. A theatre something of the size of Southwark Playhouse would probably be suitable and it actually staged a workshop performance of the show back in February, not to mention this year's revival of Promises, Promises before that.

Andrew Lloyd Webber used to always release an album first before launching a stage production, for example Jesus Christ Superstar and Evita...

Can't help thinking that an album release of Some Lovers and some consequent radio play would drive audience numbers for this musical....

Forty or fifty years ago, I would have agreed with you, Peter. The Top 40 in my day consisted of music far more diverse in nature than the then-current "British Invasion" and Motown hits. It was in that era, of course, when Burt had his greatest commercial success.
Yet, two subsequent generations have come of age knowing only some variants of disco (sorry, EDM) or rap as being contemporary pop. Maybe playlists are still looser elsewhere, but in North America I can`t imagine a platform where standard-form pop by anyone could be exposed.

Talking of Andrew Lloyd Webber, he attended the show last Thursday evening as did Steven Sater, who I gather was in London throughout the show's short run. As for BB, he was a No-Show-Jones. Incidentally, ALW just happens to own The Other Palace Theatre.

I went again on the final night on Saturday and the thing that struck me most this time was that despite the 16 or 17 songs having Bacharach’s musical imprint all over them they’re not obviously derivative of anything he’s written before and in fact most of them sound remarkably fresh and original. I also think that the show builds well musically, peaking with the sequence of songs that begins with Hold Me and continues through A Thousand Things That Were You, Welcome To My World, Ready To Be Done With You, Every Other Hour, Just Walk Away and Hush. All the songs were well received on Saturday night but Ready To Be Done With You in particular got a massive, emotionally charged response:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5ZEiP45HLDo

Kudos are long overdue on this thread to the cast of Ben Richards and Aaron Kavanagh who played the older and younger Ben and Gemma Wardle and Genna Innes who both played Molly for singing so admirably and performing the songs with such musical intelligence and emotional conviction. If the rumours are true and Some Lovers does eventually get an extended London run then I sincerely hope they’re able to cast the same four people. Praise too for musical director Jordan Li-Smith and all the musicians involved.

Yes, how refreshing it was to hear actors who can really sing and do justice to the songs. All four of them had their big numbers and they all harmonised impressively too. Highlights for me were Ben Richards and 'A Thousand Things That Were You', and the remarkably plaintive way he repeatedly sang the line, "And What's There?", during the song I can still hear now. Gemma Wardle's powerful rendition of 'Just Walk Away' made me realise for the first time just what a terrific song it really is. Aaron Kavanagh injected a lot of passion into 'Welcome To My World' which the audience responded to big time the two nights I went, and Genna Innis's bittersweet 'Ready To Be Done With You' had me reaching misty-eyed for the whisky bottle until I remembered I wasn't at home.