Music and recordings Flower Drum Song

the dragon gate (as seen in 2008) grant avenue, san francisco, california, u.s.a.

rodgers , hammerstein sought give new work eastern flavor, without using existing oriental music. according ben brantley in review of 2002 broadway revival, use rodgers of repetitive eastern musical structures gives numbers sing-song catchiness that, better or worse, exerts sticky hold on memory. oriental-sounding song in work hundred million miracles , provides eight-note drumbeat musical signature of work overture curtain. hammerstein wrote mei li s first act song, going here , in malaysian poetic form called pantoum in second , fourth lines of each stanza become first , third lines of next. 1 critic thought 2001 version s orchestrations boast more asian accents , jazzier edge original , felt pale in comparison bennett s typically lilting sound.

as many of rodgers , hammerstein s musicals, work features ballet @ start of second act, choreographed in original production carol haney. ballet dramatizes confused romantic longings of wang ta towards women in life, , ends awakens in helen chao s bed. thomas hischak, in rodgers , hammerstein encyclopedia, notes ballets in oklahoma! , carousel (choreographed agnes de mille) broke new ground in illustrating facets of characters beyond learned in songs , dialogue, describes ballet in flower drum song pleasant not memorable . although hischak describes rodgers greatest waltz composer america has ever seen , flower drum song first rodgers , hammerstein musical not feature one.

salvatore dell isola won tony in 1958 music director , conducted cast album.

several of characters given songs introduce them audience, allowing character express dreams or desires , onlookers establish empathy character. linda low, example, expresses self-confidence enjoy being girl ; learn mei li s hopes quieter going here . although not formal musical number, brief rock, ll roll , sung , danced linda , wang san, ta s americanized teenage brother, described lewis virtually first self-consciously rock , roll ditty ever sung in broadway musical. patrick adiarte, originated role of wang san, however, saw corny stuff ... put in there laugh . helen chao s sad love, away described lewis arguably tautly crafted blues song dick , oscar ever wrote .

having decided record companies profiting more sales of cast albums were, rodgers , hammerstein formed own record company produce cast recording original production of flower drum song. album sold relatively modest 300,000 copies, compared sales of on million copies rodgers , hammerstein s next , final musical, sound of music. still, certified gold record having @ least million dollars in sales, , spent 67 weeks in u.s. top 40, 3 of them @ number 1, , did in uk when show opened there in 1960. original cast album relatively complete, including parts of wedding parade, though not include ballet.

in 1960, london cast recording released. according hischak, individual performers not sing new york cast; london recording s strong points nightclub numbers. 1961 album film uses larger orchestra and, according hischak, has fuller sound broadway recording. features dubbing opera singer marilyn horne ( love, away ) , band singer b. j. baker (for linda low s songs). cast album hwang s revision released in 2002 featuring strong performances lea salonga mei-li , jose llana wang ta. nominated grammy, though did not win. hischak notes unfair compare later version earlier predecessors, hwang s version has of dark corners , richness of musical play .