Song of the Day: Tonight

Tonight from West Side Story is probably on of the most perfect and gorgeous musical theater love duets ever written.  A lot of that has to do with Leonard Bernstein's beautiful melodies and Stephen Sondheim's impeccable lyrics.  My school did the show last year and it was interesting to see this song in particular played in a different context than usual, perhaps even more believably than in most standard productions.  Here we have Michael Ball and Lesley Garrett singing and they are anything but young love sick teenagers from opposite sides of the pond.  No, instead here we have two extremely well trained singers who have a tendency to overact... especially Ball.  Garrett is more of an opera singer and that comes through quite clear here, but it is still strangely appropriate as Bernstein does write in a largely operatic style.  I have a recording of Garrett singing I Have a Love from West Side Story that is probably the most intense version of the song that I have ever heard.  I'm a big fan of West Side Story and I cant wait to see that Arthur Laurents directed revival which is coming to Broadway next season.  I'll have to see if I can fly to New York to catch that.  Enjoy.

Note of Interest:  I've already put my name down for a couple auditions and been asked to do a staged reading of a musical.  It will hopefully be a productive semester.  There is only one musical this semester that is being produced and its a student directed one.  So I will of course go out for that one full force, but we shall see what happens.  Maybe I might actually have time for a job... I'm going to have to make time no matter how busy I am.  Living in this city is expensive!!!!!