Time for another:

Musical of the day!

Today's musical is Evita. I'm always going to enjoy the Andrew Lloyd Webber and Tim Rice collaborations having read the autobiography by Tim Rice explaining how they did it. This is possibly the first ALW musical I came to appreciate as an adult. I had gained an appreciation of Joseph as a child and again as a teenager, but generally felt that ALW stuff was naff. The allure of Joseph faded through my teenage years - in fact, the thought of it still makes me cringe, though I was in rapture when I saw it at the theatre earlier this year.

Evita is great. I have two favourite versions. The movie soundtrack with Madonna in possibly her finest ever performance is currently playing and I like the original concept album with the exceedingly sexy Julie Covington at the helm (sexy performance, more than sexy to look at - I've no idea what she looks like).

Possibly the finest thing about the song Don't cry for me Argentina is its rhyme scheme. It has a long tune, possibly double the length of most verse tunes. Tim Rice's rhyme scheme is excellent. Each verse rhymes with the next. Look:

It won't be easy, you'll think it strange when I try to explain how I feel that I still want your love after all that I've done you won't believe me all you will see is a girl you once knew, although she's dressed up to the nines at sixes and sevens with you

I had to let it happen, I had to change couldn't stay all my life down at heel staring out of the window looking out at the sun so I chose freedom running around trying everything new but nothing impressed me at all I never expected it to

Tim Rice has a very conversational style of lyric writing, which I like. I'm starting to find some of his earlier lyrics a little pedestrian, but there's enough magic to keep me very interested. I can't foresee a time when I'll not want to listen to these collaborations... except Joseph, which I can't bear the thought of listening to or watching a video of. I'd perform it or watch it performed, though.