Bonus Video! The Weird Broadway Saga of "Let My People Come"
Picture it: New York, 1974, and you're going out on the town for a night of classy theatrical delights ... at a new off-Broadway show called Let My People Come. This was an absolutely real, actual show that became an unlikely hit, and also touched off a years-long controversy (but not for the reasons you might expect).
Join me for livestreams on Twitch, every Sunday at noon pacific, here: http://twitch.tv/mattbaume
If you'd like to listen to some of the tunes from this show (they're not great, but they are extremely dirty), here are some links:
A playlist of the full original soundtrack: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=StCJMPrKKfg&list=PLY5d6U1_0DZKhzOD0Wbs018O3z-mb0MzN
Here's a performance in Baltimore in the 1980s: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B7iBeYQs18A
And a 2018 performance of the cunnilingus song (my favorite part is when a gay in the audience goes "oh WOW") https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jGwpFHHMB14
And here's a law professor talking about musical copyright -- without using a single dirty word! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oJY89OZ2974
Bonus Video! The Weird Broadway Saga of "Let My People Come" (YouTube)
Comments (19)
So I don't know if this is at all connected or if they just parodied the title, but there was a very strange film (maybe porn-chic/parody? not sure) called "Let My Puppets Come", which has a very thin plotline and you guessed it. Puppets having sex. I can't even begin to describe how weird the film is. However, there is a musical break in the film that I found very interesting, and the song is actually iconic, I think, though I'd never heard of it before. I think the title of the song is "Smile", and it goes: "Smile through the heartache, laugh at the blues. Smile and be happy, whatcha got to lose? Smile when you're down and out, find if you do, the whole world will soon be smilin' at you." It's performed by a lady named Susan McAneny, but I can't find any information about her at all. In fact, I can't really find much info on this film at all, other than other people saying how weird it is. Haha.
Oh hm that's fascinating! It MUST be a reference to the Broadway show, with a kind of Madame-esque twist ... looks like someone put it in full on the internet archive! https://archive.org/details/let-my-puppets-come-1976_202203
Matt, I'm curious, given your thoughts about parody lyrics for established songs, what do you think about Randy Rainbow?
I'm sure other people enjoy his work very much!
Hair doesn't really fit with these others. Yes, Hair had some risque scenes but it wasn't just one risque thing after another. There was some genuine artistic merit to Hair.
And a video from "The Golden Girls" in which Betty White improvises the story of the Herring Circus: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BA002hEFNnE
Here's an adorable short video of a small parrot dancing and singing to their favorite song, "Bacon Pancakes". I thought it might be something for your weekly newsletter. https://www.youtube.com/shorts/LCk7-k1VyVs
While I did enjoy the sheer ridiculous length of the old-style outro, there's no denying that this is a lot less unwieldy, and still provides a fun little chuckle right at the very end. On balance, I'll give it a yes vote!
Yeah it was starting to turn into a big headache because I have media spread across a lot of drives and I had to keep reconnecting stuff!
Abbreviated ending is better, but I do like the "Oomph!" clip from "The Women", and, strangely enough, the "That's not wonderful" from "Turn On". Maybe because it was part of such a train wreck, and who does't like train wrecks.
"That's Not Wonderful" should be the title of a book about that whole debacle
We need a ranking or vote on the best coming out show tune. "I'm Gay" from Let My People Come vs "I'm Gay" from Brain Candy vs. "His Name Is Lancelot" from Spamalot vs ??? Maybe the closing montage can be a random selection plus something new, so the old ones ("...tits") always have a chance to come back. In your video editor it should be possible to make separate copies of each clip in a single location so you're not pulling original sources each time.
Lolllll the Brain Candy song has SUCH different energy! I love this comparison.
Yes - shorter end credits please! BUT... you really need to include Angela Lansbury saying "tits"!
Haha maybe I'll rotate through some of the "classics"
"Let my people come" seems to be a thematic ancestor to the hands down craziest thing I saw at TIFF last year (and maybe any year?) "Dicks: The Musical". This was a truly insane musical developed by Aaron Jackson and Josh Sharp based on a previous work they developed called "Fucking identical Twins" (which is unfortunately a very literal title) when they were with the Upright Citizen Brigade. If anyone is into having a seriously off-kilter, borderline hallucinatory night of entertainment, Dicks: The Musical might be something worth streaming. On a completely different note, I'm excited to hear you reference Oliver & Company. That was my absolute favorite movie when I was a kid, which I watched probably once a day for a solid two years before I wore out the VHS tape. It never seems to get the love that the other Disney movies got, likely because it came out directly before "The Disney Renaissance" of The Little Mermaid, Beauty and the Beast, and The Lion King. While those latter movies are fantastic, Oliver will always be the one closest to my heart :)
Oh yes I still haven't seen Dicks! Gotta get on that. So to speak.
Is new writing often in the Off-Off Broadway space then? Also is it more well defined as what counts off and on Broadway as in the London being official West End is a bit muddled really as not really by location.
In general, as I understand it, it is defined by the number of seats. Broadway theaters have 500 or more seats, off Broadway houses are 100-499, and off off Broadway are under 100. Also, performers in Broadway shows are always members of Actors Equity union, in off Broadway shows there may be a mix of union and non-union talent.