Songs from theatre Holgate fade away

Mel Cooke, Gleaner Writer

Every year the Jamaica arm of the International Theatre Institute names the production with the best original song and best original score at the Actor Boy Awards, Mo'Bay Vibes taking the honours at this year's 20th anniversary staging.

Song is regularly served up as theatre fare, some of it a presentation of already popular songs (such as this year's University Dramatic Arts Society's major production, Glass Routes) but much of it is original in lyrics, melody and music, notably the National Pantomime staged by the Little Theatre Movement.

However, as delighted as the audiences often are with the songs, when the last snatch of the infectious melody and memorable lyrics leave their lips as the theatre dwindles in the rear-view mirror, the song is forgotten. Songs from theatrical productions, regardless of their quality, are very rarely recorded or given another run in a subsequent play.

Astley 'Grub' Cooper is in his fourth decade of composing musicals and has had his hand in more than 20 pantomimes, maybe half that number of Louis Marriott musicals, as well as most of Aston Cooke's music-rich productions, from Jamaica Run-Down through to Jamaica2Rahtid, Pupalick, and productions for the late Trevor Rhone. In all, it comes to "maybe 400 or 500 songs", Cooper doing arrangement, writing and production and he also said there is a lot of collaboration with the lyrics as "I have run into people who are excellent writers".

no real avenue

Among the very few of those songs which have been recorded are I'm Alone and Believe In Yourself (from Pantomimes), Ooh Waah (composed for a Louis Marriott production) and Blah Blah Blah, which he recorded and talk show host Wilmot 'Motty' Perkins once used to open his programme.

Cooper said, "Basically, the way the media views theatrical works in general, there is no real avenue for them to use theatre music. They don't think of it as popular music. They don't find any room for it on their playlist. They think of it as theatre music."

Cooper pointed out, though, that "it is a Jamaican concept" and a lot of the music from overseas that Jamaicans embrace is from Broadway and film.

"In the US, music is music," he said.

He did note, too, that the rare song has broken through from theatre to popular music. Chances are, many of those who chortle along with Bim and Clover singing "I would like you and my sweetheart to be friends" do not know that it comes from a Bim and Bam Production. Then there is Pam Hall's I Was Born a Woman from the movie Children of Babylon.

Michael Holgate, currently at the Philip Sherlock Centre for the Creative Arts, UWI, Mona, counts numerous musicals with the Ashe Performing Arts Company (among them Nuff Respect for Nature, Lift UP Jamaica, Parenting Vibes and Rachel's Christmas Wish) among his work in the genre over 15 years. He said, "The songs are definitely worth preserving. Let's look at what we consider a favourite Jamaican folk song - Evening Time. Few people even know that it's not really a folk song, but was instead written as an opening song for the pantomime Busha Bluebeard in 1949 by cultural icon Louise Bennett and Barbara Ferland. Thank God that was preserved."

Original songs have been part and parcel of his musical forays and Holgate said "Some of those songs have been recorded and placed on ASHE CDs. They haven't, however, been marketed in a big way for general consumption. They have been sold along with other merchandise at shows or workshops. They have also been used along with DVD/video recordings of the productions from which they have come. Songs like Lift Up Jamaica are used, for example, close to Labour Day activities as the song symbolises what the day represents, with lyrics such as "Work as a people, lift up Jamaica/Work as a people build up wi nation".

While he said he is "not sure if a song written specifically for theatre would find it hard to break on to the radio or sound system, I do realise, however, that very often the theatre groups are not fully aware of the 'mechanisms' by which songs which are played on the radio get to be so. Although it's one entertainment industry, there are different worlds. It is truly a pity, though, because some really beautiful and powerful songs come from musical theatre".

Holgate also pointed out the difference in other countries. "In other areas of the world there is more of an ease in crossover. In fact, few people know that one of the most inspiring songs which have been covered by various artistes through the years, The Impossible Dream, comes from an obscure musical called Man from La Mancha. The powerful song, Seasons of Love also comes from the musical RENT. It would have been a great tragedy if such songs hadn't reached the airwaves. Likewise, it's a pity that some of our own Jamaican musical theatre songs that have been written for our society as our own artistes grapple with the issues we are facing in this country don't get to the radio," he said.

Cooper said that while some of the songs are compiled on CDs, "The most the producers hope for is sales during the production." Some songs may have a second lease on life, going "into hibernation until there is a rerun and you regurgitate it and maybe change the lyrics".

He reeled off productions - The Student Prince, The Sound of Music, Westside Story, Hair - which have spawned popular recordings and observed about the deficiency in Jamaican music, "it is how we are oriented musically. We do everything backway".