The Burt Bacharach Discussion Forum

British Vocalist Rumer Records Song from Steven Sater-Burt Bacharach Musical Gift of the Magi
By Adam Hetrick
14 Dec 2010

http://www.playbill.com/news/article/14 ... f-the-Magi

The new stage musical from Tony Award-winning playwright and lyricist Steven Sater and Grammy Award-winning musician Burt Bacharach will be a musical adaptation of the O. Henry tale The Gift of the Magi.

Theatre fans are getting an early holiday treat this season in the form of a new single from British recording artist Rumer. The vocalist has recorded "Some Lovers" from The Gift of the Magi as a special Christmas single on Atlantic Records. The B-side to the Christmas LP is the Bacharach classic "Alfie."

Sater and Bacharach are set to get back to work on the project with another three-week workshop in Los Angeles in early 2011, Sater told Playbill.com. Michael Gracey will direct Magi, which will likely receive another workshop in May 2011 towards a full production in late fall/early winter of next year.

The writing duo have penned 18 songs for the Magi score, which Sater described as "classic Bacharach. That gift has just surged back. The songs are remarkable."

Sater explains that Christmas is at the heart of the story, but it is not penned as a holiday musical. "It's a love story that could run all year," he said. "It's four actors, but it's actually two characters. You see these young people at 20 and then you see them at 40. So it's the same characters, and you see their lives. It's really beautiful."

Spring Awakening veterans Kyle Riabko and current "Glee" star Lea Michele took part in earlier readings of Magi. Casting for the upcoming workshops is underway.

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I thought "Christmas Day" from "Promises, Promises" was going to be a perennial Christmas-time hit for Burt and Hal. I figured that it would be a standard that you would hear on the radio every Christmas season. Bu that never happened. So wouldn't it be something if "Some Lovers" becomes a Christams standard for Burt? I would just love for that to happen. And, of course, I would love to see this new show become a Broadway hit. If it's "classic Bacharach" music, as Sater describes, then it can't miss!

Thanks Enormous,
"18" new Bacharach songs............my God !!!!

"blue"

blueonblue wrote:Thanks Enormous,
"18" new Bacharach songs............my God !!!!

"blue"

I know! How many years has it been since "At This Time"? Whatever it is, it's much too long to go through life without new Bacharach music. "Come In Ogni Ora", of course, was new since then. How many other new songs have there been since "At This Time"? Not many, and certainly not enough, that's for sure. (And I'm still SOOOO upset that sheet music for the "At This Time" CD never was published. Just to get my hands on "Danger" would make me soooo happy! Well, maybe eventually it will happen. I feel so fortunate that the sheet music for the entire "Painted From Memory" CD was published. It's still so great to play. But not having the sheets for "At This Time" is like having a horrible itch that won't go away and that you can't scratch. The good news (I hope) is that if "The Gift of the Magi" does make it to Broadway, then we can be almost assured that sheet music book for all the songs will be published.)

Be that as it may, just the thought of hearing 18 new Burt Bacharach songs gives me something to really look forward to.

**fingers crossed**

I, too, am really happy to hear about the 18 new songs, and look forward to hearing them. While I certainly hope for a Broadway showing of "Gift of the Magi," along with bona fide "hit" status, I'm cautious about that. Broadway has become SO expensive and difficult to reach, that many producers won't touch things that are in any way different. If the proposed show has only 4 characters, that could be a challenge to your typical Broadway audience. Of course, "Next to Normal" has been successful with just 6 characters and a decidedly un-Broadway-like topic. But a few years ago, Gillian Anderson(?), I believe, of "Cats" fame, tried to mount a show of BB songs, but it never made it. While the music may make us ecstatic, it will take a lot more to bring "Gift of the Magi" to success on Broadway. "Wishin' and Hopin'"...

Jimmy Webb decided over a quarter century ago trhat, since the top 40 no longer smiled on traditional pop, he would have better luck with the ultimate tradition of the Broadway musical.
Ask his amenuensis Robin Siegel how many projects and hundreds of songs have gone unproduced and unheard.
My worthless advice: Just make an album of these new songs.