The Proposal/The Night Was Alive

Whenever I mention Titanic: The Musical, every one always reacts the same way.

"Oh! You mean with Jack and Rose and 'My Heart Will Go On' and stuff?"

No. Not with Jack and Rose and most definitely not with "My Heart Will Go On."

Titanic: The Musical came months before the famed Titanic movie, opening on Broadway on April 23rd, 1997, and closing on March 21st, 1999, running for a total of 804 performances. It follows the lives of first, second, and third class passengers aboard the RMS Titanic from he beginning of their journey till the end. What I really love about this show is that there is no main part. Really, there aren't a few main parts at all. There are so many wonderful parts in this show, so many wonderful songs and great solo opportunities, and you find yourself attached to multiple people in the show. One moment you're sympathizing with the three Irish Kates and the immigrant chorus longing for a new, better life in America, and the next you're dancing with the first class.

You can't help but be moved during this show. The music is breathtakingly gorgeous; a more classical Broadway/choral style of music. There are beautiful harmonies, with sopranos reaching for high X's as tenors sing their hearts out. Though I am a huge fan of modern musicals with heavier, rock, pop, and belter type scores, such as Rent and Wicked, the music in Titanic simply pulls at my heartstrings.

I have many favorite songs in this show, but my all-time favorite is The Proposal/The Night Was Alive. In this song, Frederick Barrett, played by Brian d'Arcy James, is dictating a message to Harold Bride, played by Martin Moran, to send to his beloved Darlene back home. The tonal purity of these two men's voices is astounding. It's clear and clean with perfect vibrato. No auto-tune needed here.

You would never guess by listening to this that Brian d'Arcy James would someday go on to play Shrek in Shrek: The Musical.

There is so much passion in Brian d'Arcy James' voice. Listen to the contrast in his voice. For example, at :37 and 1:08 he has these moments of great strength that are preceded by or lead to quieter, meeker tones. I love the way he drags out the word "devoted" at 1:18 by elongating the vowel. He does the same thing with the word "sailor's." Both words have no vibrato to them. But listen to what Brian d'Arcy James does next. After these two elongated, vibrato-less words, he switches it up with a strong, powerful "heart." It's wonderful phrasing that sounds excellent with his voice, and with his accent. I really love his little riff at :37 on the word "I" and on the word "day" at  :44. It's such a unique sound that makes impact, especially after Brian d'Arcy James  makes such a bold statement with his "Marry me" at :37. You can see the decision being made in his mind through his body movements and his powerful voice.

There is passion in Martin Moran's voice as well, but it's more controlled. With Brian d'Arcy James, you feel the passion and love seeping though his voice even on the quiet and tender parts of his song. With Martin Moran, you can hear the awe and passion, such as at 2:21 when he starts to sing about Marconi's telegraph, but you don't really get the power until Moran lets it loose, at moments like 3:21. Both men are singing with love, but Brian d'Arcy James is more enamored whereas Moran is more in awe. Moran also has a more boyish sound. He has a lighter quality to his voice, whereas Brian d'Arcy James has a rich, deep tonal quality. However, the two blend well together, and the mixture of their voices from 3:27 on is just magnificent.

I really love the orchestration and harmonies in this song. Listen, for example, to Moran at 1:38 with the phrase "My telegraph sends its messages to ships at sea." You'd expect him to go up on the word "sea" but instead he stays on the same note and it is the orchestra that makes the note change, with what I believe is a flute. It's an interesting sound, but I like it. I also enjoy how the orchestration gives you a little preview of later bits of the song. For example, when Brian d'Arcy James is first singing about his proposal at :53, you hear that the orchestra is above his voice. Then, later in the song at 3:28, Brian d'Arcy James is now singing the harmony that the orchestra was playing earlier at :53.

Marvelous, isn't it?

I'm no Sho-shopath!

I adore Next to Normal.

I first heard of it when Alice Ripley mentioned the Off-Broadway show she was working on, then called Feeling Electric, at Skinner/Ripley: Raw at Town Hall. She then began to sing "I Miss the Mountains" and from that moment on, I was hooked.

I already loved Alice Ripley. She and Emily Skinner made a dynamic duo as Violet and Daisy Hilton, respectively, in the short-lived Broadway show Sideshow. Despite its 91 performance run on Broadway, Sideshow, Alice Ripley, and Emily Skinner earned a cult following. I, admittedly, am a part of this cult.

So when I heard Alice Ripley's show Feeling Electric was now going to be on Broadway as Next to Normal, I knew I was going to love it.

And I did.

The show is such a startlingly Broadway hit. It's not your typical feel-good, happy-go-lucky musical that has you leaving the theatre whistling and humming tunes from the show. For those of you that don't know, Next to Normal follows the life of Diana Goodman, manic depressive and bipolar with delusional episodes, and her family as they try to cope and live. In the song above, "Didn't I See This Movie?" Alice Ripley's character, Diana, is being told of a new treatment by her husband and one of her many doctors. Let's just say, she doesn't take the news very well.

Alice Ripley has such a unique voice, one which is clearly shown in this song. She has an intense vibrato, and her voice is usually placed farther back in her mouth. Despite this odd placement, most likely due to vocal damage from sing-screaming her heart out in Sideshow, Alice Ripley has power in her voice like none other. Listen to her from :23 on, with the start of her "CRYYYYY!" This power comes out of nowhere, and remains for the rest of the song.

And then comes my favorite part.

Listen to Alice Ripley at :39 when she sings "I'm no sociopath!" Except she doesn't actually she say that. What she really says is "I'm no sho-shopath!"

Oh, Alice. Of course you're not a sho-shopath. I am surprised that you aren't a "Shylvia Platt" though.

I love all of Alice Ripley's little voice quirks. Like how when she sings "farmer" it sounds more like "far-er-mer" and when she sings "pain" it sounds more like "pay-in" with a lot of emphasis on the "n." Her "know" at 1:11 has a really cool slide. I can almost see Alice Ripley sliding her head up as she sings it. At 1:15, Alice Ripley sings "movie" but like "sociopath" she has to add her little special mark to it. So "movie" becomes "moo-oo-vie."

And of course, the lyrics are so phenomenal in this song. My favorite is "The patient got impatient and said 'Sorry, Doc, I'm through!" "Patient got impatient" is just such a great play on words.

What better way to end a powerhouse song than with a riff? At 1:19, she sings "I walked out!" with a great riff on the "out." Not only does she riff, but she also gives a stop to her voice. First, she uses her breath to help her hit the notes, so instead of "out" it becomes "h-out." Well, actually, it's "OW-OW-HOW-OW-OUT." But between the "HOW" and "OW" Alice Ripley stops her voice, so each "OW" becomes separate and distinct from each other. Amazing what a little breath and force can do to a word, isn't it?

I had the privilege of seeing Alice Ripley perform as Diana in Next to Normal in LA. I was absolutely blown away by the power and intensity in her voice, even if it was even more placed back than I had ever heard it before. She's a wonderful performer, and gets so deeply into her role as Diana that by the end of the show she is absolutely drained, physically and emotionally. It was a great night, one I won't forget. But the best part of the entire show?

When Alice Ripley sang "I'm no sho-shopath."

I did a little fist pump.