Apples2for10
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A Change In Me: Yes or No?I was having an in-depth discussion with my Birdie director the other day about ACIM. I personally don't care for the song; I don't think it fits with the rest of the score, I think that the scene with Belle and Maurice before "Mob Song" was better left as a book scene, and I think that at that point in the show Belle has had enough character-defining songs that the addition of ACIM seemed a bit belabored. My director said "The song tends to speak to people who have undergone a major change in their lives like Belle; maybe you just can't relate to it". Well, I have undergone some pretty significant changes, and I still can't relate to it. How does everyone else feel about this song?
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Nettik
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I think the song is pretty, but completely unnecessary for the show.
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Disney-Bway27
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I'm perfectly fine with it. It's a very beautiful song, but it's a little ridiculous and reduntant, due to the likes of Home and the reprise of Belle.
So not really. Very nice on its own, though...the arrangement used for it in On the Record was great and very common.
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Apples2for10
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| Disney-Bway27 wrote: | I'm perfectly fine with it. It's a very beautiful song, but it's a little ridiculous and reduntant, due to the likes of Home and the reprise of Belle.
So not really. Very nice on its own, though...the arrangement used for it in On the Record was great and very common. |
I completely agree with the redundancy factor. Even more unbelievable is that it was written to showcase Toni Braxton. I've always felt that Braxton was a big enough talent that she didn't need a specially written song to show her off.
What do you mean by "very common"? In the last half of your post, it sounds like you're praising the song, but it's been my experience that whenever something is referred to as "common", it's usually in a negative context.
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Disney-Bway27
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Whoops, my bad. Common as in, I've heard it used in several performances of the song outside of On the Record, meaning it's obviously a good arrangement. :]
There's a great video of Anneliese van der Pol singing it using the On the Record arrangement.
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Monsieur D'Arque
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I read somewhere that the song was added to the show for Braxton, but had been a trunk song before that, written for a possible Dennis DeYoung project. In homage to this, the song is written "a la Styx" for the On The Record score, an indication even present in the piano-conductor score's description of how to play the song.
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LumBabsFan
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The song, for one thing, was the best thing to come out of Braxton's time as Belle. While it may be a little long for some to stand, considering where it is in the long stretch, it is a gorgeous song that I personally feel fits in beautifully.
As for it being redundant, I really can't say it is, IMO. The Belle Reprise is just an extention of Belle's "I want...!" motives that come through in the opening. "Home" is both her examining her new life and attempting to accept it while she ironically longs for what she left behind in the village that she once couldn't stand. "Change in Me" is her realization that her life HAS changed, 1) for the better considering where her emotions were during "Home" and 2) in a sense her growing up beyond her "I want...!" moments from the beginning in the show. She's changed and realized that she HAS found adventure and lived her own fairy tale, just maybe not in the childish ways she once did.
Again, this is all just my interpretation and opinion. 
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Beagle On Stage
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I think it's a lovely song and the character, the scene, and the show are all better for it. At any rate, the option of cutting it is not offered by MTI, so it's here to stay whether you love it or not. lol
I have seen the show done with "A Change in Me" cut, and the scene feels bare. Without the song, the section leading up to the mob's entrance doesn't have enough substance and it looks terrible.
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StarDreamer
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The Jr. version does not have ACIM and I am fine with that... the show flows fine without it...
Personally, I love the song and would love a chance to perform it, but not in our show... it just wouldn't flow as well with it.
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DontDoSadnessxx
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YES! yes yes yes yes yes!!!
I want to sing it soooo bad. I absolutely freakin adore it. I think it's gorgeous and it gives the person playing belle a chance to show she is more than just a typical soprano and that a disney character is capable of development (what a freakin concept!)
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Apples2for10
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| DontDoSadnessxx wrote: | | I think it's gorgeous and it gives the person playing belle a chance to show she is more than just a typical soprano and that a disney character is capable of development (what a freakin concept!) |
Amen to that! In that same vein, I love that my two least favorite Disney princesses (Snow White and Aurora) are the only ones with my favorite female range: soprano.
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Disney-Bway27
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Off-Topic: How on EARTH could somebody possibly hate Snow White!? She's Walt's personal princess! He put all of his creative energy in that one movie and a beautiful, innocent, pure princess was the result. Sigh.
Also, isn't Jasmine a soprano?
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Apples2for10
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| Disney-Bway27 wrote: | Off-Topic: How on EARTH could somebody possibly hate Snow White!? She's Walt's personal princess! He put all of his creative energy in that one movie and a beautiful, innocent, pure princess was the result. Sigh.
Also, isn't Jasmine a soprano? |
I'd say Jasmine's a mezzo at best. And I don't 'hate' Snow White; it's just that if I had to rate the Princesses from best to worst, she'd be towards the bottom. She has zero personality, and she lied to the Dwarves. When they left for work, they told her not to let anyone in the cottage. She promised them she wouldn't, and then what does she do?... She lets the Witch in the house!
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Disney-Bway27
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Yes, I know you don't "hate" Snow White...but I also wouldn't say she lied to the dwarfs, she just broke a promise.
Anyway, that's a completely different story. Ah well.
Sorry to get this off-topic!
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Apples2for10
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| Beagle On Stage wrote: | | At any rate, the option of cutting it is not offered by MTI, so it's here to stay whether you love it or not. |
That's strange; is there a specific reason for that or is it just MTI policy? Cause I know that Tams-Witmark lets you cut songs out of their shows.
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fjays
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Personally, I don't think A change in me fits in with the rest of the score..
But then again, I've never seen the show live so I don't really mind. Besides, it is a nice song..
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Jman383
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| Beagle On Stage wrote: | | I have seen the show done with "A Change in Me" cut, and the scene feels bare. Without the song, the section leading up to the mob's entrance doesn't have enough substance and it looks terrible. |
I completely agree. I saw the show once where they cut it... HATED it, but then again, their Belle probably couldn't have sung it anyways. Still, I think the song adds a wonderful dynamic to the show, and gives the actress playing Belle a good chance to belt her face off.
P.S. I've known it was written for Braxton, but wasn't it a few keys lower when she did it? I know there's a vid on YouTube and it seems way low from what it is now. Also, did anyone see her as Belle? For some reason, I can't see her doing the legit stuff, and would like to hear how she sounded on the more classical side of Belle. Thanks 
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Apples2for10
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| Apples2for10 wrote: | | Beagle On Stage wrote: | | At any rate, the option of cutting it is not offered by MTI, so it's here to stay whether you love it or not. |
That's strange; is there a specific reason for that or is it just MTI policy? Cause I know that Tams-Witmark lets you cut songs out of their shows. |
Beagle, could you please answer this?
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Damask and Dark
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Story-wise, I think it's a very nice touch to the scene when Belle is reunited with her father. Given her close relationship with her father, it seems natural that she would want to tell him about this major change in her life and explain to him why on earth she'd want to go back to the Beast that formerly imprisoned them. After all, he has watched her grow up and knows her hopes, dreams, personality, etc. better than anyone, and I think this song explains Belle's feelings more eloquently than dialogue could. It also makes for a nice contrast with the following mob sequence.
Musically, it is a nice piece for the Belle character. I was the oboe/English horn player in the pit band, and it was one of my favorite songs from this show to play.
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Please,Hello
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The song is in the licenced script so it's nessecary.
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SianZena
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I like the song personally. I think it shows a lot of what's going on through Belle's mind. I know this could be shown through speech and physicality, but the fact is, it's a musical, so it seems right to have her express her change of feelings through song.
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Brigantine
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| Jman383 wrote: | | Beagle On Stage wrote: | | I have seen the show done with "A Change in Me" cut, and the scene feels bare. Without the song, the section leading up to the mob's entrance doesn't have enough substance and it looks terrible. |
I completely agree. I saw the show once where they cut it... HATED it, but then again, their Belle probably couldn't have sung it anyways. Still, I think the song adds a wonderful dynamic to the show, and gives the actress playing Belle a good chance to belt her face off.
P.S. I've known it was written for Braxton, but wasn't it a few keys lower when she did it? I know there's a vid on YouTube and it seems way low from what it is now. Also, did anyone see her as Belle? For some reason, I can't see her doing the legit stuff, and would like to hear how she sounded on the more classical side of Belle. Thanks |
Well, from that clip on youTube, Toni sounded like... Toni. Not like she was trying to be a Disney Princess.
The production I was in cut the song, but it was probably for the better as well, since Belle was a bad singer.
Depending on how it's done, it can seem like it brings the show to a screeching halt for 4 minutes, or be an interesting character development and nice song. I personally don't like it if it's too slow, or too belty. IMO, a few notes are fine but please not the whole song... it just doesn't seem very "Belle". I think the semi-recent trend to belt a lot of Belle's stuff is just to make it more interesting/popular with the teens and tweens. Belle is intelligent, classic, and graceful... she doesn't need to be yelling ALL the time.
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