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Old 01-06-10, 12:26 PM   #1
frau kaleun
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Default Das Boot: The Musical

From http://www.jpwsfc.org/boots.htm


Someone requested a musical version of Das Boot. I think Chris Roberts' fine work in Wing Commander makes him the obvious choice for director of Oh, Dem Boots! The Musical, but I am reluctant to hand over the writing to him; he lacks experience. We'll take it from here, Chris, and we'll call you when we're ready for you.

Oh, Dem Boots! must be organized along the lines of a proven formula because musicals are tricky. No formula is more proven than that of Gilbert & Sullivan. Of course, Das Boot has no women except the singer in the saloon, but that won't stop us. While we're improving the story with song & dance numbers we can also improve it with interesting new characters.

Jürgen has never proved on film that he can sing, but he's given some indications that he can't, so he gets the Martyn Green role: comic antics and tongue-twisting patter songs. As he is fortunately very graceful, we can beef up the role by choreographing occasional pratfalls down the ladder in the control room as a terribly funny running joke.

Werner, of course, is the innocent and befuddled lead tenor. A musical would be impossible without a love interest in the form of a lead soprano, so the main action will have to take a backseat to a new plot: Werner, with the assistance of the crew, smuggles that saloon singer on board. And what hilarious complications ensue as they try to keep her out of sight of the other officers on that tiny little submarine! I am gasping for breath just thinking about it.

The chief engineer is the baritone, who is usually the "explainer" in the musical (ref Pish-Tush in The Mikado, the Bosun's Mate in H.M.S. Pinafore, and Don Alhambra in The Gondoliers). The Chief's role is tailor-made for those snappy arias giving the run-down of structural damage in rhyme, accompanied by cute little dances with the crew as chorus, repeating the refrains. I see "Battery Strips" as his big number.

Then there's the mezzo, which is more of a problem. Easily solved by a riotous subplot in which Johann turns out to be a woman who disguised herself in order to join the crew and be near the Captain, whom she loves madly but who doesn't know she's alive. This convenient device serves double duty as the means to a happy ending. Discovering the saloon singer at last, the Captain is furious. But then Johann reveals herself, much to the Captain's chagrin, and he decides the less said, the better.

The court-martial is off, and it's half a bottle of beer for each! HOORAY!!

[Later the title OH, DEM BOOTS was criticized for bad form and it was changed to OH, DAT BOOT to appease the masses. -ed.]


-Posted cuz it made me
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