Jim on Film
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Lea Salonga-Lea Salonga sang for Princess Jasmine in Aladdin and also performed singing duties for Mulan, most notably with her beautiful rendition of Reflection. Salonga, however, first rose to fame in the role of Kim in the legendary Broadway show Miss Saigon, for which she won a Tony Award.
Most recently, Lea Salonga starred in the revival of Rodgers and Hammerstein’s Flower Drum Song, which featured a new book written by David Henry Hwang (who co-wrote Aida and is attached to the stage version of Tarzan). If not one of Rodgers and Hammerstein’s better-known shows, it contains songs that are on par with the duo’s other songwriting efforts, including songs written for such classics as Oklahoma!, South Pacific, and The King and I. In the revival cast recording, Salonga gets to take hold of some great songs, giving Mei-Li, the immigrant from Communist China, both childlike wonder and dignity. She gets to sing in A Hundred Million Miracles, which opens and closes the CD, hinting at the powerful theme of Americanization that runs through the show. She also performs several other songs on the CD, but perhaps the highlight is her moving rendition of Love, Look Away, which is a stunning showcase for her vocal power as well as her ability to move us with a heartfelt interpretation using her beautiful voice.
Richard M. Sherman and Robert B. Sherman-The Sherman Brothers are probably the songwriters most associated with the Disney studio. After writing the Disney classic Tall Paul and many other songs for Annette Funicello as well songs for the films The Parent Trap, The Jungle Book, Mary Poppins, The Happiest Millionaire, and others, the Brothers went on to write for many other film and stage projects, and for many years I have been a fan of their score for Over Here!, their first Broadway Show.
Written as a vehicle for two of the legendary Andrews Sisters, the story of Over Here! is a look back on the good old days of World War II. The loose story concerns two sisters (Maxine Andrews and Patti Andrews) who want to entertain the troops but realize that they need a third voice to become a truly popular singing group. Unfortunately, they form a connection to a talented singer named Mitzi, who happens to be a Nazi spy. As with Barnum, the listener doesn’t need to know the plot in order to appreciate the music because, in addition to supporting plot and character, they maintain the stamp of the glorious Big Band era. The infectious songs, which are all original, include Over Here!, Buy a Victory Bond, We Got It, and The Big Beat. It’s a great CD.
Interestingly, the show featured performances by some significant future stars, including Ann Reinking, John Travolta, Marilu Henner, Treat Williams, and most important to Disney fans, Samuel E. Wright. Wright, best known as Sebastian in The Little Mermaid, Kron in Dinosaur, and the original Mufasa in the Broadway Lion King, gets to sing Don’t Shoot the Hooey to Me, Louie.
For more on multi-talented Disney performers, check out my original column, Disney’s Renaissance Stars.
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-- Jim Miles
Jim On Film is published the first Wednesday of the month.
The opinions expressed by our guest columnists, and all of our columnists, do not necessarily represent the feelings of LaughingPlace.com or any of its employees or advertisers. All speculation and rumors about the future of Disneyland and the Walt Disney Company are just that - speculation and rumors - and should be treated as such.
-- Posted November 5, 2003