Saturday 25 November 2017

The Musical Moment Ago

janitor:                       Here’s a song about playing cards with dad.
somebody else:        Groaners!
janitor:                       I know.

About five minutes ago, I was noting that what I like most about writing this musical is writing lyrics that work. That and playing the piano. Well it's all been fun. 
S.Sondheim said how could anyone hear my songs as statements about myself since every one of them comes from a character someone else invented?
For shows early in his career--West Side Story and Gypsy--he did not write book or music, only (some only!) the lyrics. 
Yes, but what I started to do was refer to the extract of dialogue, above. It's supposedly part of the janitor's patter before he launches--tips erratically, would be more like it--into a poor-boy song on the model of "The Boxer" as done by Jerry Douglas and the guy from Mumford. This would happen during the party in the Amenities room. Afterwards, anyone in the room would add him to the list what an "amenity" is, or they'd get up and leave. 
I'm not sure what he'll say about rhyme, should the matter come up. 
Anyway, the dialogue. I find it really hard. It calls for more control than I'm used to applying on what my character might say. That's why it occurs to me that someone else might as well do it. I'm far from ready to go that route but it's a perfectly reasonable one.

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