[TPIN] BARNUM

[Eoin Woods]

On 4 Jun 2007, at 00:53, Tptgirl at aol.com wrote:
> Anyone ever play Barnum?
>
> I got called for this, and was wondering  what the lead book is like?


Hi Cheri,

I played 2nd in this in a local production a couple of months ago  
(and thanks to all those who responded to me asking a similar  
question).  It's a fun show to play, if not perhaps the most  
sophisticated music you'll ever hear.  It's worth knowing that there  
are (at least) two versions in circulation, the Broadway one and a  
"touring" one which is slightly simpler.  For example, in the touring  
version the overture is just pianos whereas the Broadway one has  
plenty for everyone to do.

The production I was in used the simpler edition and none of it is  
all that hard but it's worth having a look at "Come Follow the Band"  
and "Join the Circus" at least.  The "chases" between scenes can be a  
bit frantic too, depending on how fast the MD wants to take them but  
there's nothing really difficult, just a question of keeping up.

One thing you do want to check is whether you're going to be marching  
in from the back of the auditorium for Come Follow the Band.  We  
decided against it and played from our seats, with cast members  
miming the playing as they walked in.  In the original however, the  
band were very much part of the show and so they might expect you to  
march in from the back.

Both 1st and 2nd double on cornet and 1st has a few notes on picc in  
"Bigger Isn't Better" but they're not terribly high as I recall, it's  
only scored for picc for the "toy trumpet" type sound that the  
arranger wanted.  As you'd expect, there are mute changes galore, all  
at the most awkward moment.  As others have noted, the 1st book is  
high in places, particularly at the end of the show.  Again, I think  
from what people have been saying that the Broadway version is higher  
and harder than the "touring" version.

The Broadway album is still available: http://www.amazon.com/ 
Barnum-1980-Original-Broadway-Cast/dp/B000067AS2/sr=8-1/ 
qid=1166366104/ref=pd_bbs_sr_1/103-6332917- 0180656?ie=UTF8&s=music   
(Europeans will need to hunt around - I got mine from a retailer in  
Germany as Amazon in Europe don't seem to carry it).

A great tip that Keith Hinman gave me was to look up Merl Evans - he  
was Barnum's lead cornet player and MD.  His story is on the web in  
various places and is interesting background.

Should be a lot of fun.

Eoin.