The future of musical theatre

I might be harping at too much length on the generation gap as witnessed by yours truly backstage on His Dark Materials. However I have been able to exercise my love of the musical theatre vicariously through Charley and Robyn.
Both young girls are training at Chichester College of Technology and already planning how to get on the first rung of a professional acting career by applying to drama schools.

Charley plays Lyra and justifiably got a glowing review from the newspaper critic. She is lovely to be with on stage as she possesses real charisma and you feel she is acting just with you - a really rare quality! Anyway she is also looking for possible material for a end of year musical to be mounted by Chichester College. I have suggested The Baker's Wife, Songs for a New World and Urinetown. The first because it is a musical I love and really want to do myself. I think it could be done by a young college cast although it is aimed at an older age range but has a great score by Stephen Schwarz. The second piece is not a musical but a music review by Jason Robert Brown whose musical The Last Five Years a group of us saw earlier this year at the Menier Chocolate Factory. Sondheim is top favourite but Schwarz and Brown are also high on the list. The last musical is an unknown off-Broadway piece (hence the jokey title - say it aloud and you'll see what I mean) that I am unlikely to see except under the circumstances of a plucky College crew mounting it. I have just been listening to a real oldie but it might work for a college as well as it deals with virile young men playing baseball - Damn Yankees. ( A previous blog quoted from one of the songs and I would like it included at my funeral please!) Poor Charley is going to get Damn Yankees foisted on her this evening. (While searching through my CDS in research for this blog I came across The Rink by Kander and Ebb - so I am afraid Charley will have to be lumbered with that as well. This is another of those musicals we could do well at the Bench and I would especially like to hear Ingrid and Alice in the mother and daughter roles.)

Robyn appeared in last academic year's performance of Company at Chichester College. She sang Amy the night I saw it. I have asked her to sign my copy of the programme so that I can sell it on ebay when she is famous - sorry, treasure it as a memento! She is auditioning for drama schools at the moment and so I have lent her some anthology pieces for mezzo sopranos that I bought from my favourite musical store, the Dress Circle in Monmouth Street. (Wonderful times to be had there and especially the notices advertising little known shows or chamber musicals which I will have more time now to indulge before the funds run out!) Two of the pieces are from The Last Five Years so I was able to loan the CD to Robyn.

I am getting quite a kick out of all this musical theatre.
Did I review Avenue Q?