I know it's been almost two weeks since I last updated my blog. Last week, i went to visit my brother, who attends French Woods: A performing arts camp. For those, who have never heard of French Woods, it's a unique camp that give its camper a wide variety of choice to do the things that they enjoy. French Woods offers everything from Theater, Music, Circus, Sports, Dancing, Horseback Riding, Arts and Crafts and so much more. If you've ever seen a French Woods Theater production, you know that everything is taken seriously and professionally. I've seen shows at French Woods,which were done far better than the actual Broadway show. Some of you may have seen that MTV Camp'd Out special about French Woods. Sadly, MTV has portrayed French Woods in a completely different light then to what it is actually like. I have had the privilege of attending French Woods for six years and it was the best six summers of my life.
I learned a lot of things during my experience at French Woods. While many of them were personal things, there were many other things that I learned, which were not so personal. French Woods has introduced me to a bunch shows that I had not heard much about before. While, I was unfamiliar with a majority of the musicals when i first started camp, I have seen a number of productions done at French Woods, some of which have not caught on big with the mainstream world. If you asked people to list some musicals that they have heard of they'll give you the same typical answers. Phantom Of The Opera, The Lion King, Beauty and The Beast, Cats, RENT, Aida, etc. But there are several shows out there that you might have never heard of and they're just as good, maybe even better than those shows.
Jason Robert Brown - A Music composer and a former Frenchwoodite, who has a huge loyal fanbase within the French Woods community, is probably the most popular lesser known Broadway composer. His most recent show, 13, ran on Broadway from October 2008- January 2009 was met with positive reviews. As of this weekend, French Woods will have put on productions of all four of Jason Robert Brown's major shows and although I've only heard the songs from 13, i absolutely loved each of his shows and they're all worth a good look.
Parade - I saw the 2003 French Woods Premiere of this powerful musical, which is based off of a true story and it was one of the best musicals that i have ever seen. When French Woods did the show again during my last summer in 2007, The camp director, Ron had wanted me to be in the show, but since I had to get things ready for college, I had to switch to On The Town. However, I did get to see a pit rehearsal run through of the show and not only was it powerful, it left me in shock. Parade tells the true story about Leo Frank, a Jewish factory manager living in Georgia, who's falsely accused of raping and murdering 13 year old employee, Mary Phagan. You could read more about the real story online. The musical, which ran on Broadway back in 1998/1999, did receive positive reception when it opened and even picked up two Tony's, including best score. It's a beautiful show and if it ever happens to come your way i recommend that you see it.
Songs for A New World - If you ask me about French Woods Cabaret Troupe, there are two years themes that come to mind. Ain't Misbehavin' the most recent Cab Troupe theme blew me away when i went to see them perform this summer. The other was in 2006, when they took on JRB's Songs For A New World. Like Ain't Misbehavin' or Smokey Joe's Cafe, it's a musical revue, a show consisting of songs from a composer, which are usually connected by a specific theme. This features some of my favorite songs from JRB, including "The Stars and The Moon", "Just One Step", "I'm Not Afraid Of Anything", and "King Of the World." It's definitely a fun show to do and I'm hoping that a lot of people will get word of this show because it's amazing.
The Last Five Years - While not a favorite of mine, if you like the other shows by Jason Robert Brown, then chances are you will enjoy this musical. It's a one act that only features two characters, who happen to be married. The female character narrates from the end to the beginning, while the male character narrates from beginning to end. It is an interesting show and you should check out the musical, but I still don't love it as much as JRB's other shows.
Floyd Collins - Another powerful tragic musical, Floyd Collins tell the story of a man, who get trapped in a cave in Kentucky and the efforts that his family and the town use to rescue him. It's not the typical subject for a musical and I wonder what it may look like if it was done as a drama. Written and composed by Tina Landau and Adam Guettel, you should add it to the list of shows that you should try to check out. Warning: Floyd Collins happens to be one of the only shows where most of the audience was in tears at the end.
Joe, The Musical - This show has become some so under the radar that I only managed to find one link to this show. Written by former Frenchwoodites Dan Lipton and David Rossmer, Joe! The Musical was one of those shows that never got a chance to pick up steam, but it was indeed a hilarious show. The concept is about Joe, a drama actor, who has grown up to hate musicals. It's a total nightmare when Joe wakes up one day and finds that his life is a musical, with his family and friends singing and being all happy and cheery. It's a really good poke at the light hearted tone that is cliche in many shows. I'm hoping that this musical does gain some more attention and if you get word of it then you should definitely check it out.
There are plenty of other shows that you should check out but I might save those for another time. Until then forget about Phantom and try out some new, under the scope shows.
This has been Ian Feldman speaking words of wisdom.
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