I love this! Thank you for posting it. The girl who is singing ad dancing, wow I gotta applaud keeping all that choreography straight in her head. The band rocks this so well. I've been playing this video over and over for an hour using it to help me write a key scene in my new novel.
A movie version of "Good News" was made in 1930. Someone on youtube has posted The Varsity Drag scene from the 1930 movie. Its really peppy and kinda naughty.
This is sort of slow and swing-ey...owes more to the 1940s movie than its 1920s origin. It seems like that's really common to modern settings of 1920s music, though. Modern musicians just can't seem to grasp the style, and tend to move it forward to the swing era.
Mmm, that tempo drives me nuts, it's not CRAZY slow, but it saps the energy out, the number should be crazy and thrilling and fast! Better once the vocals were done (the choreography is great tho, good dance) And the actress didn't sound like a Babe O'Day to me, sounded to old and with that diva thing going, not flirtatious silly college girl.
Anybody's guess at this point. We did this show 20 years ago. I looked up the lyrics and it appears that two verses were dropped. I would suspect it was to shorten the number as it was quite long.
Most people now don't know what "sheik" referred to in the 1920's That's probably why the phrase was dropped. It simply mean't a modern young man. Flapper was the female equivalent.
I enjoyed this -- some of the dancing was really fun. I had a little problem with some of the costumes -- those plaid skirts look more like the 1940s or 50s rather than the 1920s. That was distracting. Was this a school production?
You're right -- the original Broadway showed opened in 1927. There was also a movie made with June Allyson in the late 40s. When we (the Shakespeare League) put it on 20 years ago, we pretty much were on our own for finding our own costumes. I think we went for the plaid skirts, etc. because it was set on a college campus, and that was just our interpretation at the time.
is the stage actually slanted or is it just the camera angle? The performers upstage look like giants compared to the ones downstage
TheLovableMan2 2 months ago
I love this! Thank you for posting it. The girl who is singing ad dancing, wow I gotta applaud keeping all that choreography straight in her head. The band rocks this so well. I've been playing this video over and over for an hour using it to help me write a key scene in my new novel.
DickieDaviesPM 2 months ago
i kept waiting for them to start dong the actual varsity drag but it never happened....
thelonelyslayer 9 months ago
That girl has a set of lungs! :O
This makes me want to Charleston...
UniLea 1 year ago
To fricken slow.
pirateninjab 1 year ago
A movie version of "Good News" was made in 1930. Someone on youtube has posted The Varsity Drag scene from the 1930 movie. Its really peppy and kinda naughty.
nostalgiajunkie70 2 years ago
Hooray for the singer! Especially loved the ending and the way the she crazily danced her way out.
equinoxrox 2 years ago
omg i love this play i did at Golden performing arts center i was slats great charater lots of fun
XoXoSkyblueXoXo 2 years ago
Thanks for posting this. Really great dancing and singing. Two thumbs up!!
willieneal57 2 years ago
This is sort of slow and swing-ey...owes more to the 1940s movie than its 1920s origin. It seems like that's really common to modern settings of 1920s music, though. Modern musicians just can't seem to grasp the style, and tend to move it forward to the swing era.
baldevis 3 years ago
Slow tempo, but excellent choreography at the end. Should had more action
moejoe08 3 years ago
Mmm, that tempo drives me nuts, it's not CRAZY slow, but it saps the energy out, the number should be crazy and thrilling and fast! Better once the vocals were done (the choreography is great tho, good dance) And the actress didn't sound like a Babe O'Day to me, sounded to old and with that diva thing going, not flirtatious silly college girl.
tas08 3 years ago
Nice job. The video cams were still new stuff in 1987. I shot a friend's wedding from a church pew with one that year.
bostonblakie 4 years ago
I wonder why the lines about a sheikh learning to speak Latin and Greek badly have been removed?
cbak12sg 4 years ago
Anybody's guess at this point. We did this show 20 years ago. I looked up the lyrics and it appears that two verses were dropped. I would suspect it was to shorten the number as it was quite long.
campbecl178 4 years ago
Most people now don't know what "sheik" referred to in the 1920's That's probably why the phrase was dropped. It simply mean't a modern young man. Flapper was the female equivalent.
carrotville 4 years ago
it takes place in the 40's
cba32101 4 years ago
Hmmm. The song was written in 1927 for a show "Good News" that was about the dances of the 1920s.
livingaragtimelife 4 years ago 2
I enjoyed this -- some of the dancing was really fun. I had a little problem with some of the costumes -- those plaid skirts look more like the 1940s or 50s rather than the 1920s. That was distracting. Was this a school production?
livingaragtimelife 4 years ago
You're right -- the original Broadway showed opened in 1927. There was also a movie made with June Allyson in the late 40s. When we (the Shakespeare League) put it on 20 years ago, we pretty much were on our own for finding our own costumes. I think we went for the plaid skirts, etc. because it was set on a college campus, and that was just our interpretation at the time.
campbecl178 4 years ago
Comment removed
juanieboy12 4 years ago
Yup! Greg Young is the best!
campbecl178 4 years ago