"Sunrise, Sunset" for gay weddings: PRIDE issue
The Broadway Maven, David Benkof, interprets Broadway
In honor of Gay Pride, this issue of The Broadway Maven’s Weekly Blast is FREE. For a full weekly subscription ($36/year), press this button:
Shalom!
This week, The Broadway Maven looks at homosexuality and Broadway:
• No Monday or Thursday class this week
• This Weekly Blast presents a re-write of “Sunrise, Sunset” for gay weddings; RANTS about Broadway shows that closed too soon; RANTS about my Wikipedia page; and links to two YouTube GEMs: a video essay about the association of gay men with musical theater, and a video I created about homosexuality in West Side Story.
For generations, “Sunrise, Sunset” was an extremely popular song as brides and grooms stood under the chuppah (canopy) or altar. What about weddings with two brides or two grooms?
In 2011, as same-sex marriage was becoming legal across the country, Fiddler on the Roof lyricist Sheldon Harnick, then 87 years old, decided that “Sunrise, Sunset” needed to be updated to reflect the new reality.
With lyrics like “When did they get to be so handsome? When did they grow to be so tall?” (there’s a lesbian version, too), the octogenarian showed that musical theater can adapt to meet changing times.
Check out the revised lyrics:
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Homework for the Lynn Ahrens class: watch the video below from Lynn’s talk to the class earlier this month. What is it that makes her such a great lyricist? Put your answer in the comments.
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Marcie Kramer: Many shows on Broadway have sadly closed way too early. Even if a show is highly acclaimed it will not survive if it cannot bring in enough at the box office. Three shows that come to mind in this category are Side Show, Groundhog Day, and Bright Star. All of these shows received at least four Tony nominations, but could not sell enough tickets.
Side Show is a heartwarming musical with a beautiful score. It's based on a true story about conjoined twins in the 1920s who are rescued from life in a sleazy, familial freak show and go on to become sensations of the vaudeville circuit. Rumors are that the show was bumped to pave the way for Something Rotten to move into the St. James Theater.
Groundhog Day is a phenomenal show based on the movie starring Bill Murray where the main character lives the same day over and over giving him a chance to alter things in his life. It's a fun, engaging musical which makes you laugh, cry and cheer. It received rave reviews from the critics. I was devastated that this one closed after only 6 months.
The last one is Bright Star which is a homespun fable that is set in the Blue Ridge Mountains of North Carolina in 1945. It was written by Steve Martin with music by Edie Brickell. It's based on a true story about a woman at two different points in her life and the mystery surrounding a young man her life is connected to. It's a feel-good show with easy-listening music provided by an onstage bluegrass band, impeccably staged and well acted.
Unfortunately, it's all about hitting the mark at the box office for many shows that deserve a longer shelf life.
My Wikipedia page (which I did not write) is filled with obsolete information (some more than a dozen years old) and inaccuracies, particularly regarding homosexuality. However, the site’s policies do not allow edits without written sources. So here’s a written source:
I’m openly gay, I date men, and I have no problem with gay marriage - and that’s been true for several years.
I wish I didn’t have to say that. Thanks for listening.
Here, host Tommy from the Musical Theater Mash channel explores why gay men are so closely associated with Broadway, as well as some of the coded queer lyrics by songwriters like Cole Porter, Noël Coward, and Lorenz Hart. You may find that songs you know well have gay references you never caught!
With Steven Spielberg’s West Side Story film barely six months away, check out my video on homosexuality in that show.
Note: links to register for ALL classes are ALWAYS available at TheBroadwayMaven.com.
Thursday, July 1 Plunder discussion with author Menachem Kaiser (FREE, Noon ET)
Thursday, July 8 Lynn Ahrens beyond Ragtime (minimum tuition $2, Noon and 8 pm ET)
Monday, July 12 Gershwin on Broadway (FREE, Noon and 8 pm ET)
Thursday, July 15 A Chorus Line (minimum tuition $2, Noon and 8 pm ET)
Thursday, July 15 Deadline for ALL-ACCESS Passes for Summer 2021
Monday, July 19 Disney’s Broadway (FREE, Noon and 8 pm ET, registration opens soon)
Monday, July 26 The Wizard of Oz (FREE, Noon and 8 pm ET, registration opens soon)
Tuesday, July 27 Godspell (ALL-ACCESS Passholders only, Noon and 8 pm ET)
-David Benkof, The Broadway Maven
I have seen "Side Show" and "Bright Star" and have listened to the CD of "Groundhog Day." Of the three, I believe that "Side Show" has the best score, though the act-1 finale of "Groundhog Day" is spectacular. I saw "Bright Star" in a live-stream high school production (my grandson had a role), but it's less memorable. I have never seen "Dr. Zhivago" (composer: Lucy Simon) or "Death Takes a Holiday' (Yeston), but I have the CD's and the music is great. I wonder why neither became a hit.
I really liked Side Show (only saw it at the college level). Then again, I’ve always been intrigued by all things Barnum, and other showmen.