From Guy Fawkes to Monty Python
Often it is difficult to tell the difference between a good subject for a musical and a bad subject for a musical. Men and women of history, one would have thought would be a good subject… but is it the heroes or villains that are the best? And is it only hindsight that proves whether they were good or bad or on whose side they were fighting!!!
Whether they were good at the time or not is pretty much immaterial if the – it is the effects of their actions that will give them their rightful place in history.
So today we play – good musical bad musical because ultimately we are not here to judge the people themselves!
So here we go: Good Musical or Bad Musical.
- Whinnie
- Blondel
- Evita
- Jesus Christ Superstar
- Camelot
- Assassins
- Remember Remember
- Spamalot
- Joan of Arc
Yes even Guy Fawkes gets a musical – in fact if you delve into the world of most people of any note will have a musical written about them – however mis-guided. Some, like Joan show promise and may well one day make it out of Buckinghamshire – others, thankfully, most of us will never see.
I am intrigued about Remember Remember as I have just written a one man one act play about the dear old chap – and I think a song called “I’m Gonna Blow That Man Right Up in the Air” would be a show stopper! Maybe I’ll squeeze it in – remember you heard it here first.
In the meantime I guess we will get our historical information from Monty Python – Lawd help us!
Also Robert Hardy is back in Winston Churchill’s clothes in The Audience with Helen Mirren – no songs though!
All the best
Simon