Sunday theatre question: A song you always associate a play
11/04/2021
This week's Sunday theatre question is inspired by a comment made on my Instagram post about how a song played during a production of Julius Caesar at the Bridge Theatre became forever associated with that play.
It got me thinking about which songs take me back to a play whenever I hear them.
I've always loved music (just not musicals) and can find songs very evocative of particular times and places, so it isn't surprising that a stand out scene or play can get linked with a song that is played over it in a particular production.
Probably the strongest link is Chris Isaak's Wicked Game which was played during a pivotal scene in A Streetcar Named Desire at the Young Vic, starring Gillian Anderson, Ben Foster and Vanessa Kirby.
It fit so perfectly, tonally and lyrically to what was going on, and whenever I hear it, I think of that play and that scene.
Another song that I always associate with a play is David Bowie's Starman which was used during My Night With Reg at the Donmar Warehouse. It is a song with a bittersweet tone that worked perfectly when it was played for a dance scene at the end of the play.
And finally, I've seen not one, but two plays use Lorde's Royals. This time the choice seems to have been a little tongue in cheek as both plays were about the monarchy.
The first was Charles III at the Almeida Theatre and the second was during the James plays at the National Theatre. I love the song, and it put a smile on my face to hear it at the theatre in this particular context.
Do you have a song you always associate with a play now?
You'll also find more Sunday Theatre questions and discussion on my social media channels:
YouTube channel, Facebook page or Instagram.
ðŸŽðŸŽðŸŽðŸŽðŸŽðŸŽðŸŽðŸŽðŸŽ
And if you want to read the post that inspired the Instagram post that inspired the question that was my Lockdown Theatre walk to the Bridge Theatre.