Musical Theatre: " Preparing two songs for the showcase"

From last weeks we stared to learn two new songs which will use in our showcase in December this year. First song we learnt :"Freedom's Child" from Civil War Musical and "The Human Heart" from Once On This Island Musical.
Here you have more information about these two songs:

1)Civil War Musical :

Theatre : St. James Theatre

 Opening Night :Apr 22, 1999

Total Performances :61

Original Cast:

Larry Gatlin, Bebe Winans, John Ayres, Moses Braxton Jr., Mike Eldred, Steve Gannon, Dawana Gudger-Richardson, Keith Byron Kirk, Michael Lanning, Debra Winans, Royal Reed, Clay Roberts, Amy Rutberg, Roy Richardson Jr., Carolyn Saxon, Bart Shatto, Marlayna Syms

Director:Jerry Zaks

Choreographer :Luis Perez

Musical Director: Jeff Lams

Orchestration : Kim Scharnberg

Scenic Design :Douglas W. Schmidt

Costume Design:William Ivey Long

The Civil War - is a musical written by Gregory Boyd and Frank Wildhorn, with lyrics by Jack Murphy and music by Wildhorn. The musical centers on the American Civil War, with the musical numbers portraying the war through Union, Confederate, and slave viewpoints. The musical was nominated for a Tony Award for Best Musical. Its styles include Gospel, Folk, Country, Rock, and Rhythm and Blues.ghting Design:Paul Gallo.

*Here is lyric of the song:

 

"Freedom's Child"

Look at these hands
I stole them from my master
Look through these eyes
Imagine what they've seen
The cold, dark night
Must now come to an end
A holy light
Is just around the bend
Today we fight
For all the ground in between
The words we say and what we really mean
So let the bells of freedom ring
Let the dogs of war run wild
From out the age of darkness bring
The birth of freedom's child

Look at these words:
"To God all men are equal"
Write them again
In letters black and strong
Till all are free
We'll all live as a slave
We all must be
The land born to the brave
Till you and me
Can find a place to belong
Where we believe what isn't right must be wrong
So throw my brother's chains away
No more to be exiled
And get down on your knees and pray
We'll all be freedom's child

All of those years
Standing outside
Knocking on heaven's door
All of those tears
All of us crying
Give us our freedom
Nothing less, nothing more!
Where slavery is, there liberty cannot be
Freedom!
Where liberty is, there slavery cannot be
Freedom!
If this institution of slavery is to be removed from this land
Freedom!
We must remove it!

So throw my brother's chains away
Freedom!
No more to be exiled
Freedom!
And get down on your knees and pray
Freedom!
We'll all be freedom's child!
So let the bells of freedom ring
Freedom!
Let the dogs of war run wild
Freedom!
From out the age of darkness bring
Freedom!
The birth of freedom's child

So throw my brother's chains away
Freedom!
No more to be exiled
Freedom!
And get down on your knees and pray
Freedom!
We'll all be freedom's child!

*And here you have a video to listen this song:

 

 

 

 

2) Once on This Island - is a one-act musical with a book and lyrics by Lynn Ahrens and music by Stephen Flaherty. Based on the 1985 novel My Love, My Love; or, The Peasant Girl by Rosa Guy, it is set in the French Antilles archipelago in the Caribbean Sea. The show includes elements of the Romeo and Juliet story and elements of the Hans Christian Andersen fairy tale The Little Mermaid. It concerns a peasant girl on a tropical island, who uses the power of love to bring together people of different social classes.

The original Broadway production ran from 1990 to 1991, and the West End production opened in 1994, where it won the 1995 Olivier Award for Best New Musical.

*Here is the lyric of the song:

 

"The Human Heart"

 

[ERZULIE]
The courage of a dreamer
The innocence of youth
The failures and the foolishness
That lead us to the truth

[ERZULIE]
The hopes that
Make us happy

[STORYTELLERS]

The hopes that
Make us happy

[ERZULIE]
The hopes that
Don't come true
And all the love
There ever was

[STORYTELLERS]
And all the love
There ever was

[ERZULIE]
I see this all
In you
You are part
Part of the
Human heart

[STORYTELLERS]
You are part
Part of the
Human heart

[ERZULIE]
You are part

[STORYTELLER]
You are part

[ERZULIE, STORYTELLERS]
You are part

[ERZULIE]
Of all who took the journey
And managed to endure
The ones who knew such tenderness
The ones who felt so sure

[ERZULIE]
The ones who
Came before you

[STORYTELLERS]
The ones who
Came before you

[ERZULIE]
The others yet
To come
And those who
You will teach
It to

[STORYTELLERS]
And those who
You will teach
It to

[ERZULIE]
And those you
Learned it from
You are part
Part of the
Human heart

[STORYTELLERS]
You are part
Part of the
Human heart

[ERZULIE]
You are part

[STORYTELLER]
You are part

[ERZULIE, STORYTELLERS]
You are part

[ERZULIE]
This is the gift I give
Through your love you'll live
Forever...

[ERZULIE]
Forever

[STORYTELLERS]
You are part
Part of the
Human heart

Forever

[ERZULIE]
You are part

[STORYTELLER]
You are part

[ERZULIE, STORYTELLERS]
You are part
Tonight
Tonight

[ERZULIE]
Part of the human...

[ERZULIE, STORYTELLERS]
Heart.

 

*Here you have a video to listen this song:

 

 

Homework:

Our homework is to learnt both these songs and practise them before next week. I really like these songs and I know I will memorise them very quickly . Also I think these two songs are very good choice for the showcase and I think people will also like them. They have very interesting lyric and history which want to convey.