Pop Quiz Answered

I recently gave a Pop Quiz here on the blog, which was met with great enthusiasm... from my Dad, anyway. (Hi, Dad!) I offered a prize to anyone who could tell me the connection between The Pirates of Penzance and Thoroughly Modern Millie - two shows I ended up playing just a few weeks apart.

[Incidentally, I'm playing another cycle of Millie this week, at a different venue.]

As promised, here's the answer. (Nobody guessed it. Which is okay, I guess, because I had no idea what I'd give as a prize.)

In the 1983 film version of The Pirates of Penzance they added a song not originally in Gilbert and Sullivan's Pirates, but taken from G&S's Ruddigore and modified for Pirates. The song is "My Eyes Are Fully Open" and is sung by Frederic, the Pirate King, and Ruth. I guess the filmmakers felt that the Major General Song just wasn't enough, and another frenetic patter song was needed!

Well, Thoroughly Modern Millie also has a modified version of the same song from Ruddigore. It even begins with the same lyrics: "My Eyes Are Fully Open..." In Millie, the song is called "Speed Test." It's pretty funny.

Here's the original from Ruddigore:



And here's the one from the 1983 film of Pirates:



And finally, here it is in Millie. This song always makes me laugh when Millie sings her high note and Mr. Graydon says, "Niiiice." (3:08 in video.) It all starts slowly, but don't be deceived - it is a patter song!



And finally, on an unrelated note, here's my favorite song from Millie, "Forget About The Boy":