20 Great Broadway Songs of the Past 10 Years: “I’ll Forget You”

Like a couple of other songs on my list, “I’ll Forget You” is a new song that was written within the ten-year time period for a show that was originally written prior. The show was The Scarlet Pimpernel, which opened in 1997 and faced some significant alterations in 1998 and 1999, one of the alterations being the addition of “I’ll Forget You.”

In “I’ll Forget You,” composer Frank Wildhorn gives us another passionate, deeply emotional song worthy of both the Broadway stage and radio airwaves. It’s a song perfectly suited to the character and moment—Marguerite longing to break herself of her love for her husband—but it has that Wildhorn pop appeal in its grand emotional peaks (not to mention, on recording, in Rachel York’s powerful belt). Just like “Hey There,” “If Ever I Would Leave You,” and countless other hits from shows past, “I’ll Forget You” functions beautifully within the plot and without as well.

There is, however, a measure of depth to the lyric, in which Marguerite is promising herself one thing, clearly unable to follow through despite her intentions. She finally admits this to herself in a nice turn of the lyric, ending with, “I’ll forget you . . . / When I die . . .”

And although the rest of the score was written in 1997, there is a bevy of great songs in The Scarlet Pimpernel worth noting here, with Wildhorn’s music being greatly aided by Nan Knighton’s literate and poetic lyrics. Their work on “Madame Guillotine” is particularly brilliant, though “The Riddle,” “Into the Fire,” “You are My Home,” and “The Creation of Man” are all priceless gems from the show.

the Broadway Mouth
August 28, 2008

Clip Me, Kate

I was digging through my programs and clippings from various shows I’ve seen over the years, and I came across this advertisement I saved from the tour of Kiss Me, Kate, which starred (at the time I saw it) Rachel York, Rex Smith, Jim Newman, Jenny Hill, and Chuck Wagner.

I loved this advertisement, which made me do a double-take. Because I had seen the show in New York as well, the poster looked eerily familiar—familiar because it not only features mostly the Broadway cast, but eerily because it features ¾ of the original stars as well.

That’s Rachel York’s beautiful face on Marin Mazzie’s beautiful body and Rex Smith’s head on Brian Stokes Mitchell’s body (though those aren’t Mitchell’s hands), twice. Interestingly enough, York on tour, just like she did in the recorded London production, had red hair.

I actually have the Broadway show poster that looks like this with the original cast hanging in Shubert Alley, my hallway with Broadway posters (not to be confused with my living room with its Broadway posters). Probably no one on the tour route would even notice the short-cuts, so it’s not a big deal, but I thought it was funny.

If you live in New York and find the picture familiar, you may recognize it from Rick McKay’s documentary Broadway: The Golden Age, flashed up when Elaine Stritch is supporting revivals.

the Broadway Mouth
March 5, 2008

Amazing Broadway Performer: Rachel York

What’s so great about Rachel York, among many other things, is the versatility in her voice. She has the big Broadway soprano sound that allows her to do the classic shows like Kiss Me, Kate, but she’s also got the belt that allows her to give passion to contemporary roles like Marguerite in The Scarlet Pimpernel or to do a comedic role like her turn as Christine Colgate in Dirty Rotten Scoundrels.

I saw Rachel York in Kiss Me, Kate on tour, and I love revisiting that performance on the DVD recording of the London production. First of all, she’s just so beautiful, but then she has the comedic bite to tear into Lilli Vanessi and pull out all the laughs and the romance.

One of my favorite listens is her songs on the encore CD of The Scarlet Pimpernel. Her “I’ll Forget You” is loaded with such passion and longing that it makes me wish shows with such epic scores were still being produced to give York a chance to do more of those sorts of roles.

Website: http://www.rachelyork.net/



the Broadway Mouth
August 22, 2007