PBS gets a ‘Musicals’ tuneup
AFTER SEVERAL years in which many of those famous PBS begathons — oops, fund drives — seemed to be aimed largely at the rock ’n’ roll nostalgia crowd, Ch. 13 returns to classic orchestral pop Saturday night.
Good move, and not just as a change of pace.
This special was filmed in London in 2009, and is now making its way to television across the pond. It’s not one of those shows that has the biggest names in all of pop music, but it doesn’t have to.
Talent and material are enough, because the theme of the show is classic MGM musicals.
Like, you could go wrong with “Over the Rainbow” or “Our Love Is Here to Stay”?
There’s also a secret treat: several tunes sung by Seth MacFarlane, best known to U.S. TV audiences as the mastermind behind edgy Fox animation like “Family Guy,” “American Dad” and “The Cleveland Show.”
Some viewers, in fact, have indignantly declared MacFarlane’s shows offensive and tasteless.
Imagine their surprise and delight, then, to hear him croon a fine rendition of “Singing in the Rain.”
Okay, no umbrella, no stern cop, none of the production trappings of the Gene Kelly performance. But just as singing, it’s good stuff — which won’t surprise those who have heard MacFarlane before.
Another American also does a fine job here: Curtis Stigers, who started in the rock ’n’ roll market, then some time ago segued into jazz and pop. His relaxed style well serves “Steppin’ Out With My Baby,” from “Easter Parade,” and “Our Love Is Here to Stay.”
The sound here isn’t light pop, however. It’s full orchestration, conducted and arranged by John Wilson.
The opening “MGM Overture,” a theatrical-style medley weaving together familiar MGM themes, is as engaging as the vocals. That’s a compliment.
U.S. audiences unfamiliar with two British opera stars, Sir Thomas Allen and Sarah Fox, might want to get a little more familiar after hearing Fox’s “Wonderful Wonderful Day,” from “Seven Brides,” segue into Allen’s “Stranger in Paradise,” from “Kismet.”
Co-host Mark Simone declares Allen’s “Stranger in Paradise” even better than the beloved Tony Bennett version.
American Kris Criswell fills out the cast and the show with “The Trolley Song,” “Over the Rainbow” and “Get Happy.” This being a fund drive, of course, we pay a price for hearing this music. We have to hear about funds. But PBS does a clever thing, which is to hawk a DVD with an hour of additional music from this concert.
There will be those who think a donation will be a small price for hearing a longer concert with no pitches in between songs. In fact, PBS is counting on that reaction.