h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

Entry: Shakespeare Sings - Stage Musicals Based on the Bard's Plays - A1325567
Author: David B, the Singing Librarian [a.k.a. the Dewey Demon] - U201818

This is one where I'm not sure if people want more, or if this is enough! Quite happy to expand it to include more on the shows I mention in passing, or to add other shows I'm aware of (The Donkey Show and other such oddness) if necessary.

Hi, I can't answer your question because I don't know any relevent musicals.

But I really like the entry - Good Work !

The short answer is more please

The slightly longer answer is - split this into two entries, or even three.

You've got Shakespeare and musicals boxed off. It might need a bit more information if you take this on to a multiple entry approach.

You mentioned Shakespeare and opera in about one line. I'd really love to know more about this. Opera for me, and I guess for many, is a somewhat distant art-form not for the like of proles such as ourselves. If you can show how it has been influenced by Shakespeare, then it sort of pulls things together and brings it a bit more down to earth. For example I'd never even considered that opera (let alone musicals!) and Shakespeare could be connected. Learning that they are aloows me to join dots, make links and spark my interest in both.

Finally, there is other playwrites and musicals. You've given us some teasers and given what has gone before with the Bard, I want to know more please.

Finally, finally, top work - I love it

I'm afraid my knowledge of opera is pretty much limited to Carmen, La Traviata and those operas I've performed in (six of them). Other than that, I just tend to know their names, so someone else would definitely have to take on the Shakespeare and opera entry! But I could take on a fully fleshed-out entry on other musicals based on plays. Be warned, that could be a very, very long entry!

David

This is a superb entry - can't find any problems with it at all. I just wanted to say well done on writing such an informative and consise entry!

Woodpigeon

Thanks! I could have included opening date, lengths of run and so on, but who, other than a musical theatre geek like me, would be interested? And any further information on 'Rockabye Hamlet' would be disturbing, I feel...

David

Good stuff David

If you want to expand the Shakespearean Opera links this article may be useful: http://search.eb.com/shakespeare/esa/660008.html

Personally though, my favourite music/Shakespeare mix is "Return to the Forbidden Planet" which I have performed in. As with the others it draws some of its libretto from a variety of other Shakespeare plays (eg "Beware the Ids that march" from Julius Caesar, and Kking Lear's "Blow winds and crack your cheeks..." speech)

Caractacus

I'm going off on holiday tonight for a week, so will take a look at that on my return, and take on board any other comments and suggestions then. I'll no doubt want to rephrase a few things if nothing else.

David

Terrific entry. I think it's pretty much fine as it is. The only thing I'd do would be add more links.

We have entries on Shakespeare, Leonard Bernstein, and a lot of other things I'm sure, but I can't find them because the search function appears to be down.

Fun stuff. Shouldn't have much trouble getting into the Edited Guide, I imagine.

I'm back! I've added Bernstein and Shakespeare links and added a couple of extra paragraphs - one near the start explaining the reason for Shakespearean adaptations, and a brief note on other musicalisations of the Comedy of Errors in the Boys From Syracuse section. Other things I could add, if people think it'd be a good idea:

- expand the Return to the Forbidden Planet bit

- mention/explain how the Lion King is pretty much 'Hamlet with animals'

- expand the list of 'other' Shakespeare musicals, e.g. I've tracked down five different adaptations of Twelfth Night, none of them particularly successful

And do people want a separate entry on musicals based on works by other playwrights? I'm happy to do it, but I'm not sure it would be an overly useful addition to the guide, as no single playwright other than WS has had more than a couple of their plays adapted as far as I can tell.

David

I've added a bit about the Hamlet/Lion King equation as it has to be mentioned!

David B,

Excellent work, David! As an amateur thespian, I found this fascinating.

A couple of nitpicks: in the second paragraph of the 'Kiss Me, Kate' section, you mention what may or may not be a song title: 'Come To Wive It Wealthily'. Is this a typo? 'Wive' isn't in my dictionary - what does it mean? In the same paragraph, where you mention '...rhyming further by pairing girls names...', 'girls' needs an apostrophe after it.

And what's a 'Dromio', as mentioned in the 'Boys From Syracuse' section? I'm guessing that it's one of the characters, but I think that needs clarifying.

Well done again, though. I played Alonso in 'The Tempest' last year. I kind of wish we'd done the 'Forbidden Planet' version now!

>in the second paragraph of the 'Kiss Me, Kate' section, you mention what may or may not be a song title: 'Come To Wive It Wealthily'. Is this a typo? 'Wive' isn't in my dictionary - what does it mean?

It means 'get married', I suppose. I expect it's an invention of Cole Porter's. He's like that.

>In the same paragraph, where you mention '...rhyming further by pairing girls names...', 'girls' needs an apostrophe after it.

It does, and I am very ashamed of making an apostrophe mistake. Now fixed.

>And what's a 'Dromio', as mentioned in the 'Boys From Syracuse' section? I'm guessing that it's one of the characters, but I think that needs clarifying.

Fixed now, I hope.

Thanks for your comments.

Looks good to me!

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Yay! Whoohoo!

Is this an Edited Entry I see before me? Well done, David!

Indeed! This entry is full of noises, sounds and sweet airs that give delight and hurt not...

Well, assuming you like Rodgers, Porter, Bernstein et al.

Oh, and thanks!