Harper Listening Report #4 Tell Me on a Sunday from Song and Dance

In 1982 the first production of Song and Dance premiered on West End in London. The
production was later brought to Broadway in 1985. The original production was written and
composed by Andrew Lloyd Webber and included a first act that was a one woman musical
entitled Tell Me on a Sunday and a second act that was a ballet featuring his composition
Variations, based on the A Minor Caprice No. 24 by Paganini. When the piece was moved to
New York City the first half, the Song half, was adapted by Richard Maltby, Jr. This was an effort
to make the lyrics and plot connect with an American audience. In this adaptation several songs
were dropped, such as Its Not the End of the World and Lets Talk About You, and replaced
with more American songs, such as So Much To Do in New York. One new song added to the
show for the American run was English Girls, which is very upbeat and has an almost rock and
roll vibe to it compared to the rest of the show. This is a direct reflection of what American
audiences of the time wanted, or at least what Webber and Maltby thought the audiences wanted.
So Much to do in New York also stands out as a song written for the audience rather than the
plot because it starts off much darker than any other song in the show, almost unnecessarily grim.
The rewritten lyrics fit the show well; however, the London cast recording flows much better
than the Broadway version. The show as a whole reflects the decade well and is a very
contemporary show with a pop edge. However, it sounds like every other Andrew Lloyd Webber
show and contains many moments reminiscent of Phantom of the Opera. The plot follows
Emma, the sole character on stage and in any songs or dialogue. Throughout the show the songs
reveal the development of her several different relationships and the highs and lows of her
journey. From the beginning she is involved with Sheldon Bloom and her relationship is
chronicled in First Letter Home and Capped Teeth and Caesar Salad. The relationship breaks
during You Made me Think You Were in Love which effectively shows the characters
emotion of bitterness and not sadness through the rock n roll number, which is directly
contrasted by Capped Teeth and Caesar Salad (Reprise), the first ballad of the show. The
ballads in this show, with the exception of Unexpected Song, are only used to portray
heartbreak. In contrast, Unexpected Song chronicles the happiest moment of Emmas
relationship with Joe and is the most powerful song in the show with a modulation before the last
verse which allows Bernadette Peters (or any actress portraying Emma) to belt the end of the
song, an opposition to the rest of the show which is mostly legit. This creates a powerful
moment, foreshadowing the end of the Ballet in Act 2 in which Emma and Joe end up together.
The most famous song from this show, Tell Me on A Sunday, ends Joes chapter of the first Act
and is a turning point in the music of the show. From this point on in the show the music and
lyrics have heaviness to them, reflective of Emmas troubled mental state during her relationship
with Paul, due to the fact that he is married. The song Married Man has a jazzy feeling and
almost grittiness to it. Jazz is often reflective of sexuality and sin and Andrew Lloyd Webber
utilizes it in this instance to show the character development of Emma, from a trusting almost
innocent immigrant to a woman who knows how to use men to get what she wants. At the end of
the show Webber briefly brings a theme from Tell Me on A Sunday into the finale, which
leaves the audience with thoughts of Emma and Joe for Act 2, rather than thoughts of Emma and
Paul. In the Original Cast Album Recording with Bernadette Peters the tempo is blatantly
disregarded for the majority of the show, giving it a very natural feeling, as though the songs
were all Emmas inner thoughts being spoken. This quality makes the show very believable and
is by far my favorite recording of the show I have heard.