The Magical Touch of Alan Menken's Music

The opening of the musical Aladdin at Her Majesty’s Theatre in Melbourne brought composer Alan Menken to the city. Patricia Di Risio listened in as Menken explained a little about the art of making musicals.

Alan Menken loves being interviewed next to a grand piano, allowing him to break up the talking with some of his beautiful melodies. In the case of Aladdin, the most famous tune is “A Whole New World”, the centerpiece of the original animated film and now the musical.

For Menken the stage version was an opportunity to revive the original concept of the film as he had envisioned it along with lyricist Howard Ashman, who sadly passed away before the completion of the film score.

Both had intended it to be “a tribute to those old Bob Hope-Bing Crosby ‘road pictures’… and a celebration of the jazz of the 1930s and 1940s, particularly the music of such breakout stars such as Fats Waller and Cab Calloway.”

Menken learnt a long time ago not to be too precious about his work.

“It’s not about you. Just be in love with the process,” he said. “If someone does not like a song throw it out and move on. It is about the collaboration, the process, it is not about you.”

However the song Proud of Your Boy, which was cut from the film version but now features in the stage production, has a treasured place in Menken’s heart.

“It was the hardest thing to lose from the film and not just because the song was lost – I’ve lost a lot of things in my career – but because we had also lost Howard.”

The song is undoubtedly one of the highlights of the show and gives the wondrous glitz and glamour on stage real emotional depth.

Professionally Menken has explored almost every avenue. He enjoys revisiting his work and finding ways for improvement or reinterpretation. Menken and Ashman made this an intrinsic part of their art form.

Their early work includes the horror rock comedy musical Little Shop of Horrors, which premiered Off-Off Broadway in 1982. The authors of the sharp-witted black humour that characterises this story would seem an unlikely pair to rescue the fading success of children’s animation for Disney.

According to Frozen (2013) composer Robert Lopez, “They saw a link between Broadway musicals and the animated feature that no one had seen before.”

Menken and Ashman energised the Disney animated films by making the music an integral part of the story. Through hugely successful projects such as The Little Mermaid (1989), Beauty and the Beast (1991) and Pocahontas(1995),Menken has essentially written the soundtrack for the childhood of a generation who grew up in the eighties and nineties.

“I am really blessed. It is serendipity that I ended up at Disney. A song like “Under the Sea” (from A Little Mermaid) would have been a little cabaret song if I did not write it for Disney.”

Menken is acutely aware of the enormity of the legacy he has created, and although it can sometimes be daunting to try and protect that legacy, he is willing for his work to take on a life of its own. He likens himself to an architect, creating structures for others to inhabit the way they see fit.

“Other people are going to build on it and live in it, and they should live in it the way they want to. I try not to be very judgmental about that.”

He observes the great chemistry in the Australian production of Aladdin and appreciates the minor changes that have been made to tailor the show to suit a local audience.

Menken’s more recent project, A Bronx Tale, is currently playing on Broadway and attests to the versatility of his talent. It is a stage musical adaptation of the 1993 film which tells the story of the world of mafia gangsters.

The story is set in the 1960s and is partially based on the life of Chazz Palminteri who wrote the script and starred in the film. Described as “a combination of Jersey Boys and West Side Story”, the show highlights the turbulent relationship between a father and son who are torn between two worlds. While the genre seems far removed from Menken’s usual repertoire, he is clearly the composer of choice when looking for someone who can capture emotional intensity in music.  

He watched the audience reaction to his music first-hand in Melbourne, sitting through a matinee where children were standing in the aisle. “I watched the kids to see what it means to them.”

Menken was most impressed with the actor playing the Genie (Michael James Scott), whom he described as “mind blowing”.

Menken is no stranger to accolades, “I have an awards cabinet in my studio where I keep my eight Oscars, my eleven Grammys, my seven Golden Globes and my Tony Award.”

It is no wonder he is still highly sought after and remains an inspiration for emerging composers.

His face lights up as he reflects, “My dance card seems to be filled for the next…I don’t know how many years.”

Menken worked on the live action version of Beauty and Beast and there are plans to do the same with Aladdin and possibly The Little Mermaid.

It could have been so different, as his parents assumed he would be a dentist.

“If they had known I was going to be a song writer they would have lost their mind. But they have got over it.

“All the men in my family have been dentists but I didn’t want to put my hands in people’s mouths.”

Despite his legendary and veteran status, his warmth and candour convey a very endearing and youthful energy. His willingness to delight his interlocutor with a medley of his most famous tunes makes an encounter with Menken a larger than life experience.

He offers candid advice to those who want to follow his craft.

“Success may or may not come. That does not matter. Just keep creating new work. Dig for gold and enjoy the digging.”

The range in Menken’s compositions shows that the secret to success is not about repeating formulaic patterns. Demonstrating a willingness to explore a variety of both heartbreaking and heartwarming emotions, and making them the centre of his work, seems to be the key to his success. This means he has a disarming ability to reach out to people in the most personable manner both in life and in his music.

Images of Alan Menken - TPR Media.  Ainsley Melham (Australia's Aladdin) Photo by Deen van Meer.

Originally published in the May / June edition of Stage Whispers.

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