TubeNet

Just saw the DVD of the London production of "Barnum" with Michael Crawford. Even higher energy than the U.S. version with Jim Dale I saw oh so many years ago.

Accompaniment is provided by a small circusy band with a neat sousaphone part including a solo as he starts Act II by marching down the center aisle. Unfortunately there are no musicians indentified on the DVD and no liner notes. Has any TubeNetter played this gig? Would be nice to hear some inside info.

Bert Strompf played the New York production. I think John Stevens was the sub.

I've played the book as a ringer with school production and because of different staging did the sousaphone solo from the pit. If I still have the book for the show it will take doing to locate it in a box somewhere. Haven't played it since.

Mark Heter

I played it for a 2 week run at the Westbury Music Fair on Long Island back in the 80's. WMF is a theater in the round with a slowly revolving stage. I didn't know the show and was ashamed of myself for not knowing it - big tuba solo to open the 2nd act. I was told to bring a tuba and a sousaphone and I would get paid for doubling, so I did. Once there, I was told that, due to budgetary reasons and because of logistics with the stage, they weren't going to do the parade starting the 2nd act and we would perform that part from the pit, so I didn't need the sousaphone. After seeing the solo and reading through it for the first time, I was thrilled that I didn't have to read it on a BBb sousy when I was pretty much always playing CC for any other playing I did. I used my 1971, 186 CC in the pit. It was great fun, once I survived the first reading of the solo. I think the solo was in the key of D - up tempo, swing style piece.