Most 4ths of July I think back to Spring, 1989, ninth grade, and my school's production of 1776, an ideal show for our all-boy Catholic school. The musical centers on the signing of the Declaration of Independence, with catchy numbers about what the national bird should be, who should give up his weekend to write the declaration, and how hot Philadelphia in July could be centuries before air conditioning. I had a pretty good role, Robert Livingston, delegate representing New York at the Constitutional Convention. Even had a solo in which I offered an innuendo-laden set of excuses about why I should NOT be the one to write the declaration since my wife was waiting back in New York (something about "popping the cork," which I sung with a cracking, Greg-Brady-esque voice).
Kudos to the school for restoring the song "Cool Conservative Men" to the production. The track , which painted right-wingers as anti-democratic and pro-monarchy, was cut from the musical's film adaptation under pressure from the Nixon administration. But the lefty priests who ran the school adored the song's lyrics and included it. Alas the following year, the school modified the script of Sondheim's Sweeny Todd to cut out Judge Turpin raping Lucy Barker. If you're keeping score at home, I played Beadle Bamford in the latter show, and sang yet another song (this time with a notably deeper voice) full of innuendo, "Ladies in their Sensitivities," in which the Beadle gives love advice to his boss, the rapist Judge. A little irony from Mr. Sondheim.
Happy 4th.
1 comment:
Such happy memories of the fourth of july that you share remind me of less traumatic years in my past. Of course, for me and my family the fourth was another occasion to get together, eat, and set off fireworks or go down to one of the new york parks to watch more professional displays.
Years later in California, most of the partying surrounded picnics into the late night waiting for the firemen's fireworks show.
As I've been railinlg lately, no historical connections for me at least when I was younger. Just party, party, party.
I wonder is that the reason I'm not partying so much these days?
Luisa
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