Musical Lyrical Lingo
We're Musical Lyrical Lingo!
Join Tim and Lj who delve deep into the wonderful world of musical theatre and more importantly the lessons they have learned from different musicals.
Join them as they explore some of the greatest musicals ever created, from the classics to the new and exciting shows that continue to teach us something new.
So whether you're a seasoned fan of the stage or a newcomer, this podcast is for you.
So sit back, relax and get ready to immerse yourself in the world of musical theatre.
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Musical Lyrical Lingo
Top Hat: Tap shoes and Memories.
Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers dance across time in this nostalgic exploration of Top Hat, the 1935 film musical that defined an era and continues to captivate audiences today.
We dive into Irving Berlin's extraordinary score, written specifically for the production rather than cobbled together from existing works. These songs—"Cheek to Cheek," "Putting on the Ritz," "Let's Face the Music and Dance," and "Top Hat, White Tie and Tails"—transcended their origins to become jazz standards that continue to be performed and recorded by countless artists. Many people recognize these iconic tunes without realizing they originated in this breakthrough film.
The conversation takes a personal turn as we reflect on how childhood dance lessons introduced us to these classic dance styles and songs years before we ever saw the original film. There's something magical about realizing these vintage routines and melodies were embedded in our muscle memory through early dance training, creating a connection to theatrical history that surprised us when revisiting the material as adults.
Looking forward, we share exciting news about the upcoming revival at Chichester Festival Theatre directed by Kathleen Marshall. Given Chichester's stellar track record of producing shows that transfer to the West End (like recent hits Oliver! and Half a Sixpence), this production promises to introduce Top Hat to yet another generation.
Whether you're a lifelong fan of classic movie musicals or discovering them for the first time, join us for this heartfelt celebration of Top Hat's enduring magic. Share your favourite Fred and Ginger memories with us on social media using #MusicalLyricalLingo!
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Hello and welcome to Musical Lyrical Lingo. We're your hosts.
Speaker 2:Tim and LJ. Today and every week we will be discussing musicals, but specifically what they taught us, hey.
Speaker 1:You're back.
Speaker 2:Well, where was I going to go?
Speaker 1:Well, there was a I was considering.
Speaker 2:Oh right, Replacing me. Replacing you. You've never been able to replace me in your life.
Speaker 1:I know, because I would fear my life Shut up, you'd come after me.
Speaker 2:I would, I wouldn't allow you, no, no, but no, you won't.
Speaker 1:I like to show up at your door, hi. Yeah, actually, yeah, lauren has found like old videos from back in the day when we were teenagers, we youngsters. But I know they won't. You'll never see them, they'll never appear on socials. I'm so glad because you know better. Because it shows you in a really good light. An absolute bossy bit.
Speaker 2:I know, but I can't believe how bossy I was even back then. I know that I'm a bit bossy now, but I just thought that was being a mum yeah but you know, I'm like shouting and I be able to clean their place.
Speaker 1:That's what you have to be. Is that bossy when you're with me?
Speaker 2:oh, I mean, I don't think so, but I know that that's how I run my house, how I run the house, like per Aaron literally put his plate in the sink and turned round to, like, speak to our children. I was like, who put their plate in the sink, really? So I mean, yeah, fair.
Speaker 1:Yeah, you're just the boss. I'm the boss do you know who else is the boss? Cynthia Erivo, what is she not doing? I'm slightly obsessed with this girl now.
Speaker 2:I feel, yeah, she's amazing, she's wonderful, but is it they're just slapping her and everything now?
Speaker 1:no, I don't think so. No, because I think she's just still being her and. I? I knew of her before Wicked came about. Do you know what I mean?
Speaker 2:Like most of us. No, I know, do you know what I mean?
Speaker 1:But I'm just like she was always amazing and it was only a matter of time. Yes, and I think even without Wicked don't get me wrong Wicked is going to just have propelled her, but I still think she always would have done a pretty good, had a pretty decent career do you know what I mean. I just think because I think she can do theatre. I think she can do. You know, her voice is great for a recording artist, do you know what I mean? And she also is good on screen.
Speaker 2:Wicked has just made her more mainstream. She was always massive in musical theatre land. I think that's what I'm trying to say but she is just now, and you know what? Because she is so awesome, they are almost using her as a pilot to try her in different things that people maybe else wouldn't do.
Speaker 1:But I also think there's a bit of credibility to her and that I don't think she'll say yes to everything. No, I think she'll only do the things that she wants to do or she thinks are credible enough speaking of wicked, though, did you see that was it yesterday.
Speaker 2:The trailer, like the little tiny tiny trailer released literally just it was like six months ago. That was literally like five seconds Interesting, so we're close.
Speaker 1:The Wicked for Good promotion train has started, hasn't it? Because NBC has also announced that Erivo and Ariana Grande will front a new event special, which will come out ahead of the movie sequel release on the 21st of November.
Speaker 2:And we're going to go and see it together again. A thousand percent, Okay that's good.
Speaker 1:I think we'll also have to have a wee Wicked Night before yes, prior. Yeah, you know, before part two, just to refresh our memories, because I'm also being really good. I haven't watched it since the three times. I watched it the first time around you know what I mean. That is good, no, I know, but I think I'm okay with that. I think I'm all right to leave that, okay, until until closer to just until part two, but also on cynthia revo news.
Speaker 1:She is going to be returning to the west end and I also love this about her in that she hasn't turned her back on what yeah the start of her career.
Speaker 1:Do you know what I I mean? Just because she's doing movies now and her album's going to be coming out soon as well. Theatre is still there in her heart and I like that. So she's going to be returning to the West End for a solo Dracula. This excites me. I know she will be playing all roles 23 characters to be precise and it's going to open in the Noel Card Theatre on the 4th of February 2026. And tickets will be released later this year. Now, hands up, there's a lot of 2026 news this week on Musical Theatre News, but it's important to know.
Speaker 2:Well, I mean, we're nearly halfway through the year. It's only going to make sense. I suppose I haven't thought of it like that, know? Well, I mean, we're nearly halfway through the year. It's only going to make sense.
Speaker 1:I suppose I haven't thought of it like that. We're nearly yeah.
Speaker 2:And I should say that the Dracula is like a follow on from. So this is the same cast that have just done a one woman production and she won. She was in Succession, she was the female in Succession, she won some Olivier's and Tony's and all for it.
Speaker 1:For Dracula.
Speaker 2:No, not Dracula. They did like an Oscar Wilde. One woman, one woman thing. So this is the same team are doing this now for Dracula, so this will be really good.
Speaker 1:Also Operation Mincemeat, which is doing wonderfully well in Broadway, as we knew it would. Yeah, I would like to see it too. It's going to be doing a World and UK tour in 2026, launching a global-spanning world tour beginning on the 16th of February next year in the Lorry in Manchester.
Speaker 2:Yeah, it worries me, though, because it just says World and UK. Yeah, it worries me, though, because it just says world and UK. Yeah, there's no.
Speaker 1:Ireland. There we might have to go across the water, I know. Or maybe go to some nice country in the world.
Speaker 2:Let's do that.
Speaker 1:International. I mean, we've done our London trip.
Speaker 2:Maybe next year 2026,.
Speaker 1:We need to do international. Let's do it Also Legally. Blonde is going to be going out on another UK and Ireland. So, don't worry, it'll at least come to the Borgos tour next year, starting in Leicester's Curve Theatre on the 7th of February.
Speaker 2:Yeah.
Speaker 1:And it's going to be touring until the 7th of January 2027.
Speaker 2:I think it'll be super popular.
Speaker 1:That's a big, I'll tear it. If you got that contract, you'd be delighted, wouldn't you Delighted with?
Speaker 2:yourself Absolutely. And I suppose we should really mention friends of the pod who have been nominated for three Emmys Our Shamrock Tenor Boys, I know. So our lovely Raymond is up for three Emmys, and then all the boys are up for an Emmy for performance and they're just back from their American tour and they're about to go out to Australia, so there's another wee tour for them. Well done, boys.
Speaker 1:Well done indeed.
Speaker 2:What are we doing today?
Speaker 1:It's a wee musical. A wee musical that I haven't visited for a very long time, and this is why I love this podcast, because it gives you an excuse or it reminds you.
Speaker 1:And I almost felt guilty when I listened to this again, that I haven't been listening to it on a more regular basis, because I actually realized, isn't hindsight and time a great thing? Because I realized just how significant and special this musical was to me and it's a bit weird because I haven't listened to it in a very long time. That's strange. So I'm really like I'm kind of a wee bit like crushing on our musical this week.
Speaker 1:Where are you? It's Top Hat. Top Hat, if not the greatest of Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers' musicals, top Hat was the most successful and, with its silver topped canes and top hats, surely the most iconic of their movies. By 1935, fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers had made several appearances together, but Top Hat was the first movie musical that was conceived as a showcase for their dancing partnership. Yeah, and they were magical that was conceived as a showcase for their dancing partnership and they were magical, yeah, magical Like.
Speaker 1:However, weirdly, I came to the musical as in the stage musical before the film.
Speaker 2:Oh, okay.
Speaker 1:I hadn't seen the film Really Until I saw this yeah exactly Weird, so weird, so weird.
Speaker 2:That surprises me. That's so odd Weird so weird, so weird.
Speaker 1:That surprises me. Yes, but also don't forget, I'm not like you, Like the older movie musicals. I haven't watched very many of them. Yeah, okay, do you know what I mean? Because I'm a bit of a snob, because if it's in black and white I'm not bothered, right, okay, do you know what I mean? Because I'm a bit of a snob, because if it's in black and white I'm not bothered, right, okay yeah, and I, you know, obviously then I watch them, I'm go. Oh yeah, that was amazing yeah but you know what I mean.
Speaker 1:Some of the older movie musicals I haven't watched. Do you know what I mean? Um, but yeah, I saw the musical in London and then watched the film. Okay, I went. Oh yeah, it's beautiful, it's just as beautiful, yeah.
Speaker 2:Yeah, it's one that I've seen. You know the movie I've seen a lot, but I didn't always remember it Is that it didn't, apart from their magical dancing. Yeah, and that's very iconic. The storyline, it's one that I, until I went to obviously research it for the plot, I was like, oh yes, this is what Top Hat's about. Yeah, I couldn't have told you what Top Hat, what the storyline was.
Speaker 1:Well, this is the thing. Like the Top Hat's, plot is essentially the standard issue. Hollywood musical form you know Dwight Taylor and Alan Scott's screenplay is built around the boy meets girl, girl hates boy. Boy dances with girl, girl falls in love formula of old.
Speaker 2:Do you know what I mean? A wee bit of mix up going on there.
Speaker 1:There's not really much of a plot to it.
Speaker 2:Yeah.
Speaker 1:But what did mark the film out from its predecessors in the ester rogers series was the score. Yeah, and actually the songs weren't just a grab bag of already existing numbers, but they were written specifically for the movie. Yes, and they were written by irving berlin beautiful, yes, the man once called the best all round overall songwriter America has ever had.
Speaker 2:Yeah.
Speaker 1:All but one of its songs have gone on to become jazz standards.
Speaker 2:And that was the other thing.
Speaker 1:You knew the music before you saw the film where you saw certainly, from our age, you know you knew of some of these songs you could come along or sing them.
Speaker 1:Even as we were getting ready for the podcast tonight, I was whistling one of them and Aaron went oh, that song's from this and it's like you know this because they're jazz standards, but you just didn't necessarily know they were from this musical. Top yeah, top hat roast. 1.7 million us dollars at home in america and then 1.4 million us dollars overseas, making it rko's most profitable film. This is 1930s.
Speaker 2:Yeah, 1930s, so AP, what is that in today's money Like what? Three million pretty much.
Speaker 1:Yeah.
Speaker 2:Yeah, in the 1930s, yeah, dollar Like that is a substantial amount of money. Yeah, but they had magic, didn't they? Fred?
Speaker 1:Astaire and Ginger.
Speaker 2:Rogers, beautiful 57 and a half, 57 and a half, 57 and a half. Wow, yeah, wow, wow.
Speaker 1:No, listen, they were a special partnership.
Speaker 2:And this is a lovely little story and it's all around dancing, which is great.
Speaker 1:It's the music and dancing is front and center. It's not about the story.
Speaker 2:It's terrible the story or even the characters.
Speaker 1:It's that, it's, let's just dance. Yeah, let's face the music and dance, dance.
Speaker 2:Dance. So it was 2011 when the stage musical which is based on the 1935 film, music and lyrics obviously Irving Berlin, but then there was some additional orchestration by Chris Walker. The book is by Matthew White on hard jacks. It first opened in Milton Keynes.
Speaker 1:Milton Keynes yeah.
Speaker 2:And toured the UK before it went to the West End in 2012.
Speaker 1:Yeah, opening in the Aldwych Theatre.
Speaker 2:That's what I saw oh, did you see it there? It did win multiple Tony Awards in 2013.
Speaker 1:Yeah, Tony Awards, olivia Awards, olivia Awards sorry and then UK and Ireland tour in 2014.
Speaker 2:And then it was announced literally mental like we keep doing this people UK and Ireland tour in 2014. And then it was announced literally mental like as we had decided we were doing this musical, and then it was announced that there will be a revival from July, the 14th to the 6th of September and do you know what excites me about this revival?
Speaker 1:What it's opening in the Chichester Festival Theatre, and it's been directed and choreographed by Kathleen Marshall. Anything that is in the Chichester Festival Theatre is a hit and is brilliant. So, like Oliver, that's currently in the West End was a transfer from Chichester Theatre, one of my other favourites that we haven't done on the pod and God help us when we do, because I will be lushing all over. It is Half a Sixpence. It was in Chichester and then it transferred to the Mac and Mabel of recent years.
Speaker 1:I saw it in Chichester Theatre theater and I was sitting out in the foyer waiting to go in and marion margulies was about five meters to my right and I didn't pluck up the courage to go over and say hello to her because I adore the woman, but she also scares me a little bit, so that's why I didn't. That is one of my biggest kick me moments. Like I kick myself every day that I didn't go over and I'm going to see her in October and she just needs to stay alive that long so that I can see her life.
Speaker 2:Yeah Okay, yeah yeah, you know she is coming on a bit. I am concerned. It's a genuine concern.
Speaker 1:I adore the woman Anyway. So the fact that it's opening in Chichester Theatre this revival of Top Hat, it's going to be amazing.
Speaker 2:It's going to be amazing. Does that mean that you're hopeful that it'll have a transfer? I really hope so.
Speaker 1:Either that or I'll have to rob a bank and go and stay in Chichester Although it's a bit Chichester's a bit annoying, because it's a bit Chichester's a bit annoying, like because it's a bit out of the way, like do you know what I mean? Unless you stay in Chichester? Yeah, but if I'm going to go over, I want to go to a few other, you know shows. But it's very exciting.
Speaker 2:Yeah.
Speaker 1:Very, very exciting. The show, the stage show, features 14 of the songs by Berlin, plus six more songs than the original film production. Yeah, plus six more songs than the original film production. Yeah, and the producers were very clever for the West End show in casting Strictly Come Dancing winner Tom Chambers. Now, obviously he's done TV and stuff as well. In the role that was originated by Fred Astaire, and Astaire's daughters were actually in the audience.
Speaker 2:They were.
Speaker 1:When the show opened in London and they described Three Empt Chambers as wonderful, wonderful and what I thought this was a lovely quote about the show. They said that the show was a beautiful production and it definitely gives new life to these songs and to Top Hat for a younger generation. And that was me, that was 100% what it did to me, yeah.
Speaker 2:I love that it got the seal of approval from two of Berlin's daughters and Fred Stair's daughter. I just think that there's just something lovely about that it just kind of is like that is because because they're fred astaire and ginger rogers, movies and style of dancing was very of its time yeah the fact that so many years later it was given a revival um and then, like I said, new audiences, but even they have gone.
Speaker 2:Do you know what? This is lovely and I think that our parents that have been very proud of it yeah, yeah, absolutely.
Speaker 1:Shall we move on to your music lyrical?
Speaker 2:language. Well, yeah, yeah, I suppose we've talked about. No, I'm just saying like it is that sort of um romance, comedy of errors, um, and I think that, but you said it's mainly the dancing that just drives the story forward, and the costumes were beautiful too. And it's a 31 cast person cast which is quite large.
Speaker 1:Yeah, but my goodness, did they work hard.
Speaker 2:And there is a bit of confusion, miscommunication, and it changes from London to Venice. So there's a lot going on in this story, but really there's not at the same time, it's just yeah, it's just anyway. It is heartwarming and it is timeless. So yeah, let's do our musical lyrical lingos. Do you know what? I didn't do it in order this this week.
Speaker 1:What is?
Speaker 2:wrong with me, I know, because I was kind of not listening to the song in order, so I was like writing down, like as I so I won't be able to say it the piccolino, piccolino. First of all, why does that song remind me of Bon Voyage? From anything else, I don't know, tell me you felt the same go home tonight. Listen, listen to it. It is da, da, da, da, da, da, da, da, da da.
Speaker 1:Yeah, fair enough, thank you. I love when he validates my theories it was better than last week's Book of Mormon links.
Speaker 2:And that means little one. Yes.
Speaker 1:I was this. I went on a bit of a race around the world to try and find out what the heck a piccolino was, because it does mean little one and it isn't Italian, yes, but it also. That didn't make a huge amount of sense in the song. Because they were talking about play the piccolino. Because obviously it's Italian. I'm working on my Italian. A piccolino also refers to several musical instruments, however, including small, they're all small, small instruments.
Speaker 2:They're all small.
Speaker 1:Saxophone and metronome. It is also used in general sense to denote a small version of a larger instrument, like a piccolo trombone. Oh, but it also means little one, like a young child.
Speaker 2:Ah, the piccolino? Well, yes, because at this point in the story they've moved to Venice.
Speaker 1:Yes.
Speaker 2:Yeah, like the story's now in Venice, so they're sort of talking about that. They also talk about the Adriatic Sea.
Speaker 1:Yes.
Speaker 2:Is that right? Is that right, which is a semi-enclosed arm of the Mediterranean Sea, which is located between Italian and the Balkan Peninsula? Well done, Go me. I said big words.
Speaker 1:You're also talking geography.
Speaker 2:Which I have no clue what that means. What is a semi-enclosed arm means? What is a semi-enclosed arm? What is a semi-enclosed?
Speaker 1:arm. So if you think about our peninsula, okay, it's like it, it's a bit of land that juts out. It's a peninsula. That's what a peninsula is right, but there is like a little bit of sea in the inside, do you?
Speaker 2:know what I mean? Okay, just think of it like an arm, an arm that sticks out, okay.
Speaker 1:From the main body of land. God, I'm good, aren't you? I should have been a geography teacher.
Speaker 2:When you're ahead what does that make it like A boot? You know where the heel and the back of the calf would be? Yeah, stop it. Wow, there you go. Okay, see, I'm learning, I'm constantly learning. It does mention plate of scallopine. Did I say it right? No, which is just thin meat, scallopino, scallopino.
Speaker 1:Yeah.
Speaker 2:Thin meats.
Speaker 1:Yeah.
Speaker 2:Yeah, do you eat that a lot when you're in Italy?
Speaker 1:Oh yeah, Don't don't talk to me about Italy, because, honest to goodness, if I could get on a flight this evening and go, I would do it and not come back.
Speaker 2:No, you've got to come back.
Speaker 1:We've got a podcast today. I think I'd have to do it remotely. I'd be coming on going oh my little piccolino.
Speaker 2:It's my plate of scallopini Touché. So yeah, that's what I learned. So I learned that it's very like bon voyage and anything goes. And I learned about a semi-enclosed arm within that song. What are your musical?
Speaker 1:air clings Well the song I was whistling before the pod was Putting on the Ritz. Oh, none the Ritz. Did you know? Putting on the Ritz was inspired by the sight of black residents in Harlem dressing up in fancy clothes, as if going to the Ritz Carlton. In slang it means to dress very fashionably.
Speaker 2:Yeah, it was written in 1927. It was written before. It means to dress fashionably inspired by. It was written in 1927. It was written before Means to dress fashionably inspired by the Ritz Hotel, one of the few songs to feature in multiple musicals, did you?
Speaker 1:know that. Yeah, yeah, Well, like Irving Berlin's tunes do pop up every so often in a couple of places.
Speaker 2:Yeah.
Speaker 1:Because I know I got very confused the first time I was working on Crazy For you, yes, and I was like, uh, this song I can't remember what song is it? Someone To Watch Over you?
Speaker 2:maybe yeah was in another musical and I was like uh what's going on?
Speaker 1:yeah, yeah but he, he, his songs were liked and adored and kind of nabbed for a few different musicals.
Speaker 2:But there's actually not that many songs which do feature, you know, apart from like jukebox musicals which maybe feature a couple of similar songs, but anyway, but this is one of them. So it featured obviously in Top Hat and then Idiot's Delight, which was Clark Gable starring that, and then it had like a revival in Young Frankenstein, which is the 1974 musical.
Speaker 1:Yeah, great musical as Frankenstein does his tap routine, his tap routine, hilarious.
Speaker 2:Really good. But in the film Top Hat putting on the ritz, this is the first song in film to be sung by an interracial ensemble there you go. Isn't that great.
Speaker 1:It's great they sing Dressed up like a million dollar trooper trying hard to be like Gary Cooper Super duper. I didn't know who Gary Cooper was.
Speaker 2:No, he's Gary Cooper, gary.
Speaker 1:Cooper was an American actor known for his strong silent screen persona and understated acting style. To be fair to the man, I don't think I've seen any of his films.
Speaker 2:No.
Speaker 1:But he won two Academy Awards and had further three nominations and he received an Honorary Academy Award for his career achievements in 1961. So he must have been decent if he was getting an honorary.
Speaker 2:Yeah.
Speaker 1:And I mean they've mentioned him.
Speaker 2:Mentioned him in the song. Yeah, so he must be all right. Like there were spangled gowns upon the bevy of high eyebrows, so bevy is. Can we have two meanings? So it's either a large group or collection of people or things, but also slang for a drink.
Speaker 1:But that's not what they're talking about.
Speaker 2:They're talking about how bevy is a large group or collection. Yeah, and then where all lullabell, lullabell, lullabell go.
Speaker 1:Yeah.
Speaker 2:Lullabell just means a famous beauty. And then Harlem flits. Is that what I said? Yeah, yeah, um, lullabell just means a famous beauty. And then harlem uh blitz. Is that what I said? Yeah, light and swift movements there you go, there we go.
Speaker 1:One of my favorite songs, just because it's a sweet, cute one, is I'm putting all my eggs in one basket um if someone puts all their eggs in one basket, they're putting all their efforts or resources into doing one thing so that if it fails, they have no alternatives. So people are often encouraged don't put all of your eggs in the one basket. But I was like okay, where'd that come from? Where, where did that originate from? So the exact origin it's a bit annoying when this is the answer you get after spending hours of researching of the phrase is debated great, really helpful okay but it's often attributed to the spanish writer miguel de cervantes.
Speaker 1:I probably said his name wrong. He wrote Don Quixote in 1605.
Speaker 2:I've heard of that.
Speaker 1:Yeah, but interestingly, top Hat, the Top Hat song, originally sung by Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers, further popularised the idiom.
Speaker 2:Oh, okay.
Speaker 1:So, actually put in, all the people who use that idiom today are semi-inspired by the Top Hat song.
Speaker 2:Well, do you know that your dad used that expression once whenever I was obviously a little child and I asked him? I was like what do you mean? What does that mean? God, he really had an impact on you, didn't he?
Speaker 2:You mention him on this podcast more than I do oh, okay, yeah, I mean, but I mean you forget that we've been told each other's lives a long time well, I think he had said maybe he was saying that to you or something. I was like what does that mean? Oh, so I was like yeah, but I do remember being in a car, so we must have been going somewhere, um, and I definitely wasn't like we weren't teenagers. I remember being like young and, um yeah, not so strange, so I love that. Like whenever I haven't heard that song, I was like, oh yeah, it. Yeah, it was actually Cain that I associate that idiom with.
Speaker 1:That's nice, that idiom. Anyway, moving on.
Speaker 2:He won't know because he doesn't listen to the pod, because he thinks it takes us too long to get into the actual musical. He picks and chooses that's for sure.
Speaker 1:I mean, it goes without saying Top Hat, white Tie and Tails just refers to the formal wear required On a party invitation Of the time. I mean, for somebody who doesn't like dressing up, I hate dressing up, like you know. If you're going out somewhere, fancy.
Speaker 1:Oh right, okay, like most guys would put on a shirt and stuff like that or you know, like, at a wedding, you wear a suit. I flippin' hate all that. I hate it, and I think it's because for my day job, it's normally a shirt and tie every day and trousers. Do you know what I mean? I just hate dressing up fancy. It's tight, it's uncomfortable. I don't enjoy it. However, try and stop me wearing a top hat white. However, try and stop me wearing a top hat, white tie and tails Honest to God and black on my shoes Spats.
Speaker 1:I have several pairs.
Speaker 2:I know.
Speaker 1:Honest to goodness, try and stop me.
Speaker 1:Yeah, I know, it is a good look that should be brought back, oh do you know controversial statement here I don't know if the men of today could pull off a top hat, white tie and teal. Not very many could Even the way they slip their hair back in the day and all of that you are in. These aren't showing us slip back hair there. Scalp, Scalp. I'm not far behind the sunshine. Yeah, so that's top hat, white tie, and I'm not far behind in sunshine yeah, so that's. Top Hat by Ty and Teal, also great number yeah, fantastic.
Speaker 2:Did you know? Cheek to Cheek was nominated for an Oscar and it was actually inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame in the year 2000.
Speaker 1:I did know it got an Oscar. It was one of Top Hat's four was it four. Academy Awards they won. They were nominated for four Best Picture, art Direction, original Song for Cheek to Cheek and Dance Direction.
Speaker 2:But I also love that that's in the Hall of Fame.
Speaker 1:It's a great, great song and we know that as well, because it was in our Hollywood number Actually a number of songs from Top Hat were in our Hollywood number. Well, this is my biggest learning.
Speaker 2:What.
Speaker 1:So remember, at the beginning of the podcast, I realised just how special this was, and I remember when I went to see it in London not knowing what I was going to see. Because, don't forget, you didn't know I hadn't watched the film and I sat down and every song that came on I knew. And yes, I know they are jazz staples. But actually the reason I knew them was because of Stageco and because of you just mentioned our Hollywood routine. Yeah, and they were like literally cheek to cheek, putting on the ritz.
Speaker 1:Let's face the music and dance top hat, white tie and tail yeah, and we learned them all as a young person do you know what I? Mean and it just made me. I was researching it and it just made me think of Vivi.
Speaker 1:And just you know, there are certain people who you come across in life who leave such a lasting memory or hold such a special place in your heart and it just I hadn't thought of her in a while and it made me think of her and it made me remember me sitting in that London theatre going oh, my goodness.
Speaker 1:I know all these songs like, and they're tap dancing and I knew those songs and I knew how to tap dance and I would cause actually I remembered going, none of these routines are really difficult Like I could give these a go because it was. You know it was the basic tap steps. Now don't get me wrong. They were executed unbelievably and they were all showstoppers, every single last one but I went this this this all just resonates with me because of one person.
Speaker 2:Yeah, that's it. This one person, like it taught us those moves and like, introduced us to those songs and that era which we didn't grow up in, you know, um, and.
Speaker 1:I do feel, and we've, and I've mentioned on this podcast before I do feel I have a fondness for the older musical and I think it's also partly no, don't get me wrong, I definitely think my parents have a part to play in that too, because they love the likes of Guys and Dolls and all those. But you know, it was those older musicals that we were introduced to in Stagecoach, it was the Oklahomas, it was the. You know those old standards you know, and I think that's why I love.
Speaker 1:Like, if you hand me a revival of an old musical and a brand new musical, probably nine times out of ten I'll go. I actually want to go to see the revival rather than go and see the new musical. Yeah, and I think it's because of people like Vivi Sorry, that got a wee bit. No, do you know what? It just hit me? I went oh my God.
Speaker 2:Yeah.
Speaker 1:My learning from this musical is I went to see this and I absolutely loved it because it was an old-fashioned, like jazzy musical. I knew all the songs I could do the tap dancing and it was all because yeah, and it was nostalgic.
Speaker 2:Yeah, because then and you were thinking about a time when we had I won't mention it loads like our little dance trip was so fortunate of the experiences that we got. Now I know that you didn't get that first experience of when we did hollywood, because it was like a london trip, but you were then very much see how you're throwing that in there. No, but I just mean it wasn't like it wasn't a one-off, because actually it was class, yeah, um, and then um.
Speaker 1:So we got that london trip. I was so cross.
Speaker 2:That's on video somewhere, so you could watch it and pretend like you were there.
Speaker 1:The girls in stage school went to London and performed, but the routine they were doing only required the girls and I wasn't taken.
Speaker 2:I was raging.
Speaker 1:I was so cross.
Speaker 2:And it happened more than once, didn't?
Speaker 1:it, it's fine, it's fine. When I was slightly older, I went to bromley well, I didn't get to go there so yeah yeah, you know that's so right.
Speaker 2:I hope the listeners didn't hear that insult um but yes, like even in that we were introduced to characters like may west and all of that stuff, that then who maybe didn't know about what we went and did? So I suppose it's really by dropping little things like that that's where we realize that musicals could teach us stuff.
Speaker 1:Yeah, so way back, but it drives me insane, because sometimes in stageco, like we will suggest, like you know, we just we do wee bits and pieces, like we don't do full shows because we have too many kids to show showcase in one show, so we'll do wee bits and pieces of this, that and the other. And it drives me insane because every year we will. We will try and pick, you know an older musical or you know one of the classics because you learn so much from them, and you do get, uh, because it's not one of the new fancy modern musicals and it's like, no, yeah, you learn so much from, you wouldn't have your modern fancy musicals today if these guys didn't pave the way. Yeah, so pipe down and learn something.
Speaker 2:And you will learn something.
Speaker 1:And they do and like at the end of the process of you know, dragging them along. No, there's no dragging along, but by the end of it they've absolutely thoroughly enjoyed themselves and had a wonderful time and they have learned a lot. Yeah, it's like just go with the old, go with the flow.
Speaker 2:I'm trying to think. See, whenever you were inserted into our Hollywood routine, what did you wear?
Speaker 1:I know I knew you were thinking of that. It was a shiny silver waistcoat.
Speaker 2:What was?
Speaker 1:that I knew you were thinking of that. It was a shiny silver waistcoat. Black trousers, white shirt, shiny waistcoat and shiny silver bow tie.
Speaker 2:Right, Okay, I can think because we had these like 1930s style, like short, short, like all in one bodysuit Whenever. Obviously the older girls were in that from the very beginning. We were little background singers you had roughly um shirley temple things, and then we progressed up to that but I was like what was he in?
Speaker 1:no, no they tried to get me into the hot pants, but I said no yeah, oh yeah.
Speaker 2:And I think we also enjoyed doing the hollywood, because it was new, do you remember?
Speaker 1:or did I wear, did I? I'm now doubting myself. Did I wear a tailcoat?
Speaker 2:did you, I think no because we had the tailcoats were for stepping out I'm mixing up step yeah, we're for step night another good, good musical, yeah, um, but yeah, I was just like I couldn't remember what you, what you'd wore there. Um, but yeah, sorry, hollywood routine was new.
Speaker 2:We were learning it from scratch, while all the others were like hand me down, showing somebody else was teaching us it yeah well, like, like oklahoma, my fair lady the irish, um, I'm trying to like caribbean, all of those, while hollywood, we were all learning it from scratch.
Speaker 1:It was like this is exciting and we're getting to do it with young.
Speaker 2:Come over and do all that yeah, amazing, and so it was um but like all of the songs were so catchy could you still do the hooray for holly? And then do you remember we did it for vivian's edia?
Speaker 1:I know, but we did them all. We did all those routines, but we, we did them all.
Speaker 2:We did all those routines for Vivian's idiot, but we started with her right yeah.
Speaker 1:I remember all those routines. Like genuinely like muscle memory is ridiculous.
Speaker 2:Because we were doing it so often.
Speaker 1:Yeah, it's quite interesting. I don't think I could remember the order in which the numbers come, but I could bang out the routines.
Speaker 2:Well, one person who would remember absolutely everything is jillian, because she's got the most amazing memory at things like that. Um, so if we, we ever did anything with her. She's great at keeping us right, but I'm I can, I can remember them because I think it is like a muscle memory and I'm like, no, I know, I know doing that yeah um, I know, usually whenever we've had a couple of drinks, some sort of dance comes out, yeah, but not anymore.
Speaker 1:Because honestly, honest to goodness, that performance at vv's 80th nearly killed me like we were rehearsing for weeks before that.
Speaker 2:No wonder, because we're not spring chickens anymore, lauren oh well did you learn anything else from? No, that's all I learned, and my stand ovation is putting on the riffs I can't pick my stand ovation.
Speaker 1:That's why I was like, oh I can't like.
Speaker 2:I genuinely can't I do love it do you know what I love.
Speaker 1:I love the comedy characters in Top Hat.
Speaker 2:Okay, but you do love the comedy characters. I think it's Madge and Victor is it. It is Madge. And yes, because Deal thinks that Jerry is married to Madge.
Speaker 1:Yes, yeah, and they sing a fantastic song. Um outside of that, I love you yeah and they're singing, as a married couple, about all of the things that really, really annoy but if you ignore that, I really love you.
Speaker 2:But outside of that I love you and it's just it's very, very funny and funny story.
Speaker 1:I recently saw Cabaret in London and Herrschreiter the older lady oh, yes, yes, isn't it? Herrschreiter. I think it is Herrschreiter, or is that sound of music I'm thinking of?
Speaker 2:I think you said this the last time. Anyway, yes, as in whenever we were doing cover.
Speaker 1:Anyway, the older lady, the actress who was playing it was sensational, everything about it was sensational. But she was oh my God, she ripped your heart out and squashed it on the floor. But she was strangely familiar to me and I was like I recognize her face and I know her voice and I was like it was killing me. I was going I don't know her, like what have I seen her in before? What have I seen her in before? So, unlike you, I'm terrible. Now. I don't buy programs because they're so bloody expensive the only place that isn't expensive.
Speaker 2:It's a board gosh oh, very good and. I have noticed that.
Speaker 1:Sorry, but yeah okay, um, so I will just wait till it's over, and obviously, because in cabaret they give you a sticker and you have to put it over your phone, you can't use your phone. So I waited until I got back to the hotel and I looked it up and it was an actress called Vivian Parry, who I saw for the very first time as Madge in Top Hat. That's hilarious, and I was like, oh my goodness, it was her. Like she was in Top Hat, and I loved her. Like for for weeks I listened to that song outside of that. I love you. I hate the way you comb your hair.
Speaker 1:I hate that that's so strange, yeah and she was brilliant and she still is brilliant yeah, see, everything just is all connected I know yeah floor line schneider. So I was right. Yeah, yeah, okay, phew, because I don't want to get confused with the sound of music.
Speaker 2:No, please, no, okay, um, what would patty do for?
Speaker 1:this week. I don't want this episode to end, I'm just saying I'm really enjoying talking about top hat well, it's been lovely and I know if you don't want it to end, so we just have a sing song. Let's do a sing song.
Speaker 2:Let's do the hooray for hollywood routine. Okay, great, okay, we'll do it on camera yeah okay, what would patty do?
Speaker 2:okay, now I want you to listen to this whole thing because I know you, you're gonna go. Well, it's already happened, right? So would you rather lose a shoe during a big tap number or suffer a costume tear forcing you to complete the performance in a makeshift outfit? So, oh, the glasses are off. He's thinking about it. So shoe comes off during the tap number or your costume breaks, but you can't go on and you've got to makeshift your costume.
Speaker 1:Babes Costume nearly came off and I was on stage and couldn't go off but this one.
Speaker 2:this is very specifically you need to complete performance in a makeshift outfit. You didn't have to makeshift an outfit during your sharing of your mum.
Speaker 1:Stuff up, I'd do that.
Speaker 2:You'd do that rather than your tap shoe I think that's the most frustrating thing.
Speaker 1:Actually, worse than the tap shoe falling off, is the tap of the tap shoe coming off mid routine, isn't it? The worst though do you know what I? Isn't it the worst?
Speaker 2:I can only compare that to, and I can't, but I can only compare that to, and I can't, but I can only compare that to a guitarist breaking a string halfway through a song. Yeah, that is the only thing that must be as frustrating I can't think of a drummer breaking a skin or something like that, but it is the most frustrating and you're like fling and then you lose the little screw and then, just like you, carrying your screw in your pocket, yeah, yeah, because currently there's a screw in my glasses that just likes to listen every 30 minutes.
Speaker 1:Um, no, but it and the non-hoofers listening to this will not understand the annoyance that causes, yeah and it puts you off your step and like taps so intricate too like that's something flat it's when it clings on for dear life as well. You know, like, say, two out of the three screws comes out and there's one bloody screw hanging in there for dear life and you're like, do you know what it is? Just give up the ghost and come off too, because it would be much easier than this, like swivel of a tap as you're trying to hoof around. So yeah, I would be okay with the wardrobe malfunction and having to come on in a makeshift.
Speaker 1:In a makeshift, whatever you'd style it out, whereas you can't style a flappy tap no, no, true, that's a great, that was a great one. Yeah, that's a great, that was a great one, yeah, yeah, that had a bit of juice to it, and also, just as we're talking about, like annoyance with tap shoes.
Speaker 2:Um, it's really annoying whenever you tap on and your heel gets caught, like you know, if the floor isn't even. Remember, we used to tap on a floor that wasn't even um, and your heel got caught like in a bit of wood and then you got stuck and you're like you nearly like catapult forward.
Speaker 1:I haven't tapped for a long time and it wasn't maybe a couple of weeks, maybe a month and a half ago. I put them back on again because somebody they were going for an audition and they'd asked for like a quick, you know half hour.
Speaker 2:Oh my god did you miss it?
Speaker 1:yeah, should we go back? And it was only when I put them back on, I went and my signs were still crystal clear. I'm not lying, like I thought, because I'm sorry, you can, you can, you can fake a faker but, like we'll know yeah, oh yeah.
Speaker 2:Do you know what I?
Speaker 1:mean, if you're like dummy, fluting your yeah, your taps, and was like I'm really proud of myself, my ankles can still move in this way, love it. I felt it the next day, though, oh I'm sure, and it was only like half an hour, and I was like basic, it was basic steps, oh my goodness, but I went. It did make me go. Do you know what? If I had more time and there was an adult class, I'd go.
Speaker 2:Yeah, and there was an adult class, I'd go. Yeah, it's the one thing that makes me proud. Whenever the kids are coming back and wanting to do a little bit of like tap practice, and I'll maybe get up beside them and, like Aaron, will go. You're actually really good at that and I'm like, oh, thank you like Aaron, is very supportive of anything.
Speaker 1:I do.
Speaker 2:But it's just lovely because that was like a child skill that I was like, oh thanks, I can still do it yeah, no, that's the thing with tap.
Speaker 1:I don't think you ever lose it. It's that muscle memory again, isn't that? I think it's such a specific skill yeah, or teaching. Do you know what I mean? That once you've been taught, it that's like your ankles will always move like that you'll always hear the beats that are missing you'll, you know yeah, yeah, I love tap shows.
Speaker 2:We need to do more tap shows.
Speaker 1:Yeah, there needs to be more tap shows out there or bring back the tap shows that there are like bring it's great, bring back the top hats yeah, yeah you know, people often think like anything goes. Maybe we said this when we did anything goes, that anything goes as a tap show. But it's not really there's like one tap number in it. Yeah, if you do it as a tap number and you don't even need to, yeah, true, do you know what I mean? But yeah, what? Other tap shows are there obviously crazy for you.
Speaker 1:It's got a good bit of tap in it um holiday inn is with a big tap. Yes, it's a big tap, and but again, is that like one number?
Speaker 2:It could be one number.
Speaker 1:White Christmas is mostly tap, isn't it yeah?
Speaker 2:And then obviously in Young Frankenstein.
Speaker 1:There's at the end is the tap. Yeah, putting on the Ritz tap.
Speaker 2:Newsies.
Speaker 1:Newsies. Newsies has a tap number. Well done, well done, aaron. We have taught you so much. I much I know, and that is again another musical that we both adore and we need to.
Speaker 2:Yeah, we need to do, don't we need to do? There's just so, so many. Well, we're making our way through them, making our way through them, one musical at a time folks fancy that.
Speaker 1:But you'll just have to come back next week then see what we're doing next week.
Speaker 2:Until then, bye.
