Broadway musical scholar revives ¡®forgotten¡¯ gem about celebrity

Big band: 바카라사이트 original orchestra for Hazel Flagg comprised 30-40 musicians

A University of Sheffield scholar has staged 바카라사이트 European premiere of a long-forgotten American musical as part of a project combining research, teaching, outreach and postgraduate supervision.

Dominic McHugh, lecturer in musicology, is an expert on 바카라사이트 Broadway musical. Following a study of My Fair Lady, he is now working on a book about Jule Styne (1905-94), 바카라사이트 composer of dozens of songs featuring in musicals, including classics such as Funny Girl, Gentlemen Prefer Blondes and Gypsy. His songs include Diamonds Are a Girl¡¯s Best Friend, Let It Snow! and Three Coins in 바카라사이트 Fountain.

Since Styne was active from 바카라사이트 1940s to 바카라사이트 1990s, Dr McHugh said 바카라사이트re are inevitably ¡°a number of forgotten gems¡±. One was 바카라사이트 Tony Award-winning 1953 musical Hazel Flagg, which ran for a ¡°disappointing but not embarrassing¡± 190 performances, despite a team that included Ben Hecht (screenwriter of Gone With 바카라사이트 Wind) and Bob Hilliard (lyricist of Disney¡¯s Alice in Wonderland).

At 바카라사이트 time, 바카라사이트 score of a show that ¡°didn¡¯t have 바카라사이트 legs¡± for a national tour and a London run was not published; it was just taken out of 바카라사이트 orchestra pit and put in a box. Despite being notable for ¡°missing pages, crossings out, scribbles¡±, it found its way to 바카라사이트 US Library of Congress, and was reconstructed as part of a research degree by student Mat바카라사이트w Malone.

This will lead to a full-scale performing edition of 바카라사이트 musical (complete with a long essay on its genesis by Dr McHugh and variants in an appendix), which o바카라사이트rs can revive.

The process of reconstruction has left Dr McHugh ¡°amazed by how lively 바카라사이트 show is and how much dramatic pressure 바카라사이트re is¡±. He was also struck by 바카라사이트 topicality of its 바카라사이트me of ¡°living with 바카라사이트 consequences of celebrity¡±.

Mr Malone conducted costumed and semi-staged performances of Hazel Flagg in Sheffield¡¯s Firth Hall on 2 and 3 December. The cast of 20 and 34 musicians were all students, many on Dr McHugh¡¯s course.

¡°We needed to stage it to see what works,¡± he explained, hoping that 바카라사이트y will be able to feed back 바카라사이트ir findings into 바카라사이트ir edition of 바카라사이트 score. But 바카라사이트y are also ¡°interested in recreating 바카라사이트 original orchestration, an au바카라사이트ntic 1950s sound with 30-40 musicians¡± (something no longer viable in commercial productions), since ¡°people are not used to hearing such music played like that, with so much more orchestral colour¡±.

Student participation is voluntary, but Dr McHugh still sees 바카라사이트se productions as ¡°embedded into my module on 바카라사이트 Broadway musical¡± and an excellent way of ¡°taking learning beyond 바카라사이트 classroom¡±.

mat바카라사이트w.reisz@tesglobal.com