Alan Menken is the GOAT, and Ashman is such a loss. The NPR tiny desk concert with Menken playing this song and (I think) getting teary is just so lovely. Thanks for breaking down the genius work these two made together.
I grew really close with this show this year playing my number 1 dream role (Seymour). Love the analysis! This song was never one of my favorites with all the great songs in it but it has grown on me a lot. Might I say it grew for me 😂
Hahaha! I love Little Shop and I’m so glad you got the chance to play Seymour. One of the most fun roles in the world (and I should know - I played Seymour in high school!)
Haha I guess a lot of people have noticed this is kinda the same song: ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-wwNzC8BBvho.htmlsi=xA43iUfKUnCGN5U2
I remember thinking "Somewhere that's green" the first time I watched Little Mermaid. I'd seen the show as a high school production with one keyboard but two keyboard players--one for each half of the show (so each would only have to learn half of the music), and then later saw the movie and thought the ending was butchered. Having later seen all the footage that was shot for Audrey's win, I think the movie should have done the "Don't feed the plants" number during the closing credits, so Seymour could save Skid Row while the rest of the world got taken over. The Little Mermaid "Part of Your World" song is an amazing encore for "Somewhere That's Green". The dynamic structure in both has a feature which is present in both, but differently: they reach a dynamic peak during the B section, but TLM starts building again before the end of the B section, so it's building into the launch of the final A section ("and ready to know what the people now"), unlike LSoH whose final A is quieter ("I'm his December bridge; he's father--he knows best"). I think LSoH's more subdued manner is appropriate to Audrey's character at that point in the show, I don't think she should reach "that shore up above" until much later, in act 2, when "Suddenly Semour shows [her she] can". Incidentally, as a minor observation people who don't know French would miss: On the DVD, in the French subtitle lyrics for the song, Audrey "coifs like Marilyn" and uses Air-Wick instead of Pine-Sol, and Seymour is "Father... Father Christmas", but by favorite part is the ending: "Far from our hell... I dream of making... a little green nest". I just really like that image.
@@MusicTheatreTheory I'm not sure why, but I really love the line "un petit nid vert" and it's meaning. I'd suggest listening to the French dub of the song on the DVD, Blu-Ray, or RU-vid; I think the producers really did a nice job with it, and I'd be curious to know what you think. Incidentally, searching "Un petit nid vert" produces the DVD scene, but also a stage performance whose titlte and ending lyric are "Au coeur du vert" [at the heart of green].
i just finished doing little shop as a high school production which gave me the opportunity to realisr that little shop if pretty flawless for what it is ngl. somewhere thats green is a favourite from the show. imo i think its most effective when the singer sings it completely sincerely, as if unaware of the humour of the song. i've seen a couple of performances that lean into the jokes, somewhat self aware, but i think the lyrics provide enough humour. audrey starts singing, we laugh at her meagre ambitions, but if you play it completely straight, by the end ofthe song its all the more tragic that she sees this relatively small dream as utterly unattainable, y'know? the lyrics provide humour themselves, allowing rhe singer to break our heart. great breaksown of a great song, love your stuff :)
This video is great for musical theatre lovers like me, with some previous music training is a remote past! Haha The format with the sheet music and piano keys is super helpful. You should considering putting together an online course!