Category: show tune

Let’s decorate our majestic tree with a blazing star and hope all is tranquil. It’s Christmas! Let’s get silly!

“There’s a Star” is an experimental exploration of folk-jazz from the ever-mindful Bah & the Humbugs. It’s a trip–to the treetop.

Ostensibly a kidsong, Todd McHatton’s Tony the bunny (kin to Kermit in accent) wants to “Put the Star on Top.” It’s also oddly playful and weird.

And now a word from the star itself: “Twinkle Twinkle Little Me” from Stevie Wonder tells the tale of the heavenly body that alit on your conifer. (The Supremes make this song too scary for me.)

And wishing to be the “Star on the Xmas Tree” from pkruse 1234. Oompah retaliation about a crappy world.

Mighty Magical Pants also personifies the decoration with “I’m Gonna Be the Star.” This showtune flips out about the li’l twinkler that could.

When Heaven rings bells, it must be some kinder big deal. Thus, “Ding Dong Merrily on High.” This was an early 20th Century carol from one of those carol books the kids were always reading under the desks at school. Set to a really old dance tune, it has that ‘O’ part that goes up and down and up and down for people who like lots of notes but not so many words.

The music is nice filler for the background of some holiday party, but i couldn’t tell you who has a hit record of it–it’s that sacred. Roger Whittaker does his best to fool around with it, but it’s bells to God. And okay, there are lots of Celtic goes at it, a couple with bagpipes… which really makes a churchgoer sit and check his watch.

Let’s leave it to grunge masters I Don’t Know Margo to honor this hymn in their own garage way. Get me outta here.

At this point we gotta admit, sometimes the bells are TOO MUCH. “Christmas Bells” from the cast of ‘Rent’ documents the overexposure of marginalia instead of goodness and spirit during the season. Bells aren’t the topic, but the gateway into a mishmash of jazz atonal showpiece musical parts. Enjoy.

Overslept? You can miss Christmas that way. Ask Scrooge, he almost did.

Hungover and crashing hard, Masters of Stank (HEAVY BLUE ALERT) white rap “A City with No Christmas.” They can’t be bothered to even try to yule, though they do protest shrilly.

Too tired is the excuse Retro-Gamer Dave gives in his show tune romp “Why I Missed Christmas.” Pee Ess, he means the First Christmas. It’s a story.

Some, in fact, are proud of earning a place on the no-buy zone for Xmas.

Jakub Ivanický for Hoxton swells with glee admitting “I’ve Been a Bad Boy.” This video game composer has landed a musical show stopper (or maybe just a chuckler). Worth a couple listens.

The opportunity to squeeze treasure out of dirt ought to occur to more musicians taking on the ol’ coal for Christmas routine… but it’s just more metaphor.

Sampling old Xmas shows Jon Pablo’s “If I Get Coal for Christmas I’m Making Diamonds” is just an experimental stroll down musical possibilities. Certainly it’s fun, but not novelty.

LA’s drag Cavern Club Theater put on a little mucial revue around ’09 (entitled ‘JESUS CHRIST! It’s Christmas!’). The number here “Coal in Your Stocking” gets ugly, but Tammie Brown fronts The Boofant Sisters with vim and vigor to (attempt to) bring down the house with this show slower.

Not too many tunes perpetuate the stereotype of cowboys as killers–especially at Christmas.

Kids love it, though. Plank Road Publishing offers a show for the wee ones to put on: ‘Christmas at the OK Corral,’ but instead of squaring off with lethal weapons mean old Bart intends to cover the old West town in “Bubble Gum Goo.” Ew, Teresa Jennings, gross.

Then the completely unnecessary musical adaptation of ‘A Christmas Story’ includes the fantasia “Red Ryder Action BB Gun,” which of course is more showtune than western. Owned by Clarke Hallum (listen to that last note!). If you need me to expand the context here… count yourself lucky and move on.

‘It’s much worse than dying alone,’ bewail Fortress of Attitude in “It Sucks to be Born on Christmas.” This ponderous elegiac is both blues and slo-mo pop ballad, but really reads (for me) as showtune. Enjoy.

‘Another Fucking Christmas Play: A Fucking Musical’ gets not so much mean or real as real mean about the holidays. “Another Bastard is Born” is not about JC, but some low rent unplanned family and the misery of overpopulation, again. Churchy flavored, so somber as hell.