My Time of the Day
Jan. 16th, 2003 09:45 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
yendiA comment I made elsewhere reminded me of this wonderful song (whose lyrics I can't find anywhere to post). Which in turn reminded me of how wonderful Guys and Dolls is. In spite of the butchering it received when they made it into a film, it's as close to a perfect musical as has ever been written. When I took my friend Carole (who'd managed to miss it, in spite of the fact that every high school on the planet performs it) to see it at the Furst Center a few years ago, she was shocked at how many of the songs she knew. It's the only musical I never get tired of (although the Gershwin greatest hits musical, Crazy for You, comes damned close). I was lucky enough to see the Bway version with Nathan Lane and Faith Prince, which was, hands down, the best stage experience of my life.
And I just have to wonder, what would have happened if Frank Loesser had written more musicals? I mean, he wrote three shows (Guys and Dolls, The Most Happy Fella, and How to Succeed in Business WIthout Really Trying) that make most critics' top twenty lists (and my personal top ten). The other people who can make that sort of claim --Cole Porter, the Gershwins, Sondheim -- all wrote a lot more musicals (and have certainly had their share of misses -- I still shudder at the idea of seeing "Company" again). His name should be as common as all of theirs, but most folks don't know who he is, even though they probably know more of his tunes than anyone else's.
And I just have to wonder, what would have happened if Frank Loesser had written more musicals? I mean, he wrote three shows (Guys and Dolls, The Most Happy Fella, and How to Succeed in Business WIthout Really Trying) that make most critics' top twenty lists (and my personal top ten). The other people who can make that sort of claim --Cole Porter, the Gershwins, Sondheim -- all wrote a lot more musicals (and have certainly had their share of misses -- I still shudder at the idea of seeing "Company" again). His name should be as common as all of theirs, but most folks don't know who he is, even though they probably know more of his tunes than anyone else's.