Why We Don't Live In A Musical

Once or twice Jim has asked "why don't we burst into song and dance like that?" while watching a musical. Allow me to explain:

This evening Dad and I were watching Oliver Twist. Bill Sykes (BOO! HISS!) turned up on screen. "Is that his Nancy on his knee?" he asked. "Yeo ho," I replied,
And his arm around her waist!
And then we stopped, unable to remember what happens next[1]. I've never been in a Gilbert and Sullivan operetta as I have an awful singing voice; my Dad played a pirate (in the first part) and a policeman (in the second) in The Pirates of Penzance, but that would be over 40 years ago. Neither of us has sat down and memorised The Mikado. So essentially, we don't spontaneously burst into song and dance routines as we haven't practised and rehearsed enough to improvise.

Here's what should have happened (link):


[1]
Chorus: Then man the capstan — off we go,
As the fiddler swings us round,
With a yeo heave ho,
And a rum below,
Hurrah for the homeward bound!
With a yeo heave ho,
And a rum below,
Yeo-ho, heave ho,
Yeo-ho, heave ho,
Heave ho, heave ho, yeo-ho!

Comments

Anonymous said…
Not being a big G&S fan, I'd never realized that the bit in the musical The Producers was a spoof of The Mikado! Never think your blog is not of educational value.

Now, this sort of thing is what I feel ought to happen whenever I go shopping. I don't know what I'm doing wrong that it doesn't.
Neil Willcox said…
Are those Three Little Maids one of which is about to ge married?

(I'm pushing the analogy, but I'm told that Gilbert and Sullivan were popular and continue to have fans in India, and it's not impossible that early Bollywood Musicals were influenced by G&S productions)
Anonymous said…
Arrrgh! Eventually, yes, they all do. Have you not seen Bride and Prejudice? I highly recommend it. Jane Austen meets Bollywood!

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