Last night, I went to the "Alan Menken - A Whole New Word" concert at BYU. Alan Menken is the composer of "The Little Mermaid," "Beauty and the Beast," "Aladdin," and many other great shows. I was going by myself and thought I would be very lonely sitting way up in the back of the hall. But just before the concert started, I saw a friend sitting down front all by herself with many open seats around her. I went down to talk with her, and she coaxed me to come sit by her. Her people couldn't come, so I got to sit up front with a perfect view of the stage. Wow! I got a great seat to watch one of my idols!
Alan Menken came out on stage to thunderous applause and proceeded to tell the story of his life punctuated with playing and singing songs from all of his hit shows. He told about growing up in a family of dentists. His father was a dentist and so were his uncles and most of his cousins. It was assumed that he would also grow up to become a dentist. He said he was ADHD and did not have the patience for studying or even practicing piano. He loved music, but just didn't want to practice other composer's music. He spent his practice time making up his own songs. He went to New York City as a Pre-Med student, but quickly realized that he needed to do something else. He wondered if he could make a career out of writing songs.
So he did whatever he could with music to make a living - accompanying for dance classes, singers, nightclub acts, etc. - all while writing songs and trying to figure out how to get them heard. He had some success writing jingles for TV and radio. He got the chance to write some songs for "Sesame Street." Fortunately, he connected with lyricist Howard Ashman and together they wrote a few off-Broadway shows. After "Little Shop of Horrors" got some notice, Ashman contacted Disney about writing the songs for "The Little Mermaid." We all know what happened next - the trajectory of Musical Theater changed!
During the late 1960's through the 1970's, Broadway was dying. There were very few box office successes on Broadway. Many of the theaters were closing due to lack of business and the businesses were turning into seedy bars and tattoo shops. Once Disney decided to buy a theater on Broadway and start producing shows there, the future for Broadway perked up. Other mighty shows such as "Les Miserables" and "Phantom of the Opera" also came in and improved the landscape on 42 Street. Alan Menken has had many shows featuring his music on Broadway. Many of his movies (his "babies"), even the ones that were declared box office flops, got a second life on the Broadway stage. "Beauty and the Beast," "The Hunchback of Notre Dame," "The Little Mermaid," "Aladdin," "Newsies," and others all started as movies, and are now full-fledged theatrical pieces. They are performed live all over the world by professional companies, community theaters, and even school and children's theater groups.
He said that he is often asked "What is the secret to writing memorable songs?"
So he did whatever he could with music to make a living - accompanying for dance classes, singers, nightclub acts, etc. - all while writing songs and trying to figure out how to get them heard. He had some success writing jingles for TV and radio. He got the chance to write some songs for "Sesame Street." Fortunately, he connected with lyricist Howard Ashman and together they wrote a few off-Broadway shows. After "Little Shop of Horrors" got some notice, Ashman contacted Disney about writing the songs for "The Little Mermaid." We all know what happened next - the trajectory of Musical Theater changed!
During the late 1960's through the 1970's, Broadway was dying. There were very few box office successes on Broadway. Many of the theaters were closing due to lack of business and the businesses were turning into seedy bars and tattoo shops. Once Disney decided to buy a theater on Broadway and start producing shows there, the future for Broadway perked up. Other mighty shows such as "Les Miserables" and "Phantom of the Opera" also came in and improved the landscape on 42 Street. Alan Menken has had many shows featuring his music on Broadway. Many of his movies (his "babies"), even the ones that were declared box office flops, got a second life on the Broadway stage. "Beauty and the Beast," "The Hunchback of Notre Dame," "The Little Mermaid," "Aladdin," "Newsies," and others all started as movies, and are now full-fledged theatrical pieces. They are performed live all over the world by professional companies, community theaters, and even school and children's theater groups.
He said that he is often asked "What is the secret to writing memorable songs?"
"Well," as he pointed to a youthful picture of himself up on the screen behind him, "It's the aviator glasses."
Where can I get me some of those?
Alan Menken is such an inspiration to me! I love his music and enjoyed immensely getting to know a little more about him at the concert.
Where can I get me some of those?
Alan Menken is such an inspiration to me! I love his music and enjoyed immensely getting to know a little more about him at the concert.
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