HOW IN THE "NELL" DOES SHE DO IT?

Hello Palma Pascale fans.... Here's a start at describing the "how" of it all. Yes, I know, I've taken my sweet time in preparing this blog about the wonderful fun Broadway Musical, WHAT THE HELL, NELL! but I hope you find this story worth the wait. Interestingly, as I looked back over my information to begin the blog, I find where Palma and I have discussed NELL several times over the past couple of years.

Palm is quoted as saying "at one point in my early career, an unusual opportunity presented itself, and, not knowing any better, I said YES! I was asked to write the full original score to a show that some friends from college were attempting to mount in New York City. That show, which eventually changed it’s name to WHAT THE HELL, NELL!” also changed my life." This Palma declared in an interview for Carpenters Online in 2005. She continues... “I performed about 33 backer’s auditions in the practice rooms of Carnegie Hall, met with would-be producers and backers, including a trip to Nebraska (boy, was it cold in Dodge!), and wrote over 33 songs over many years of trying to “perfect” the show. Eventually, that show received financial backing for a “Pre-Broadway” tryout in New York City around 1980. (The show had 23 songs, then). We began rehearsals in the Michael Bennett Studios, and it was so exciting to see “NELL” on the boards with the rehearsals of a yet unknown other show, “DREAMGIRLS.” I was sure it was the beginning of my success as a composer/lyricist of American Musicals. It was a fun, tune-filled melodrama and there was no way it could miss. No way, if you don’t count all the things that can go wrong when LOTS of other people are included in the mix. Mounting a professional new musical is like building a giant building. The vision has to be the same, And you need lots of talented people, all working toward a common goal. It’s a precarious situation, at best.”

Palma goes on to tell us that, at this time, there was " a mixed-bag of styles and a lot of hurt feelings when all was said and done." I know without a doubt that to this day, she firmly believes in this show, and now she has another believer: me! So, continuing to believe in WHAT THE HELL, NELL!, here’s what Palma did about it, some years later. In the early 90’s, a man who had always believed in NELL, just as Palma had, approached her about it. This man had been one of the producers many years before. With his encouragement, they started to talk about the possibility of mounting the production again, themselves. He submitted the music and script to Erik Krebs, the owner of the Houseman Theatre in New York City, the largest off-Broadway house in New York. He ran a program for new American musicals called “The 6 O’clock Musicals” where promising new musicals could be showcased. Talk about timing! Turns out, Mr. Krebs loved the musical, and asked them to be part of the showcase series.

Palma continues in her interview with Carpenters Online; “…What a thrill to cast the show with live, professional actors – to be the Musical Director, teaching the cast how to sing the score the way I believed it should be sung, and going to rehearsals in New York City. It was a thrilling experience and although there was no giant orchestra, and the actors had to hold the scripts in their hands and “read” (a requirement in showcases), I knew for the first time, the show would look and sound like the show I intended it to be, years ago…”

Palma recalled that the show was packed every night, and that she shared the stage with the extremely talented actors and actresses. Of course she thought for SURE that a Broadway opportunity might just follow. The problem with showcases is that if the “dream producer” does not appear, and the run is over, it is over, period! Although Mr. Krebs himself said he would have loved to mount the musical, the cast was too large. There were about 11 actors required, and the economics of the theatre, even in 1993, were for small casts of between 1 and 3 actors….still true today off-Broadway. So, what to do – where to go? Palma likened this feeling to a giant balloon, whose air had just been slowly let out.

A few years later, Palma’s producer friend and she decided to mount it, once again! They intended to mount it in a famous brewery in downtown Manhattan. A brilliant idea, indeed. The show, after all, takes place in the Pennsylvania countryside, and in a “den of iniquity” (a bar!) in New York City. They negotiated and hired the actors and actresses themselves, and split the costs of rehearsal studios, etc., and... wouldn’t you know it….just before the show was set to open, the owner of the brewery backed out of the deal….they heard he was going bankrupt. So, now these two had a show with no location, and actors that were ready to perform. What to do now?

It seems these two made quick arrangements to perform NELL where they had arranged it; at Musical Theatre Works, and then at the TaDa Studios. Once again a showcase with a limited run can only be seen by the “important” people for a brief period of time, and then, the opportunity is lost. Palma says there were a few influential people who attended, but alas, not the “right” influential people, and as before, the showcases ended. The production was, in fact, once videotaped, but not in a highly professional manner. I believe Palma called the quality “less than stellar.” (At least there is a visual recording of it, which I definitely hope to see someday).

So, as does the very story we’re discussing, this plot thickens!! It was about this time that another friend of Palma’s, a man with a lot of money and every bit as much vision contacted her…out of the blue. He told Palma that having talent is one thing, but having talent without promoting it just will not guarantee success. So, "walking the walk", he stepped-up to do just that.

It was he who suggested recording the score for WHAT THE HELL, NELL! professionally, starring “Palma” doing all the parts. It was he who helped finance the recording, which allowed Palma to fully orchestrate the show. (And, what an amazing job she did with that, I must tell you). What a brilliant idea this was – it meant no more backers auditions, no more live showcases that ran out of time……just an intact, full score with explanation on CD that will tell the listener all they need to know. NOTE: This last statement of Palma’s is so very true. I have read the script, and there is nothing in the script of "Gold in the Hills/Dead Sister’s Secret" that isn’t also in the lyrics of these unbelievably clever tunes. (pictured: Palma Pascale/Fred Guarino @ Tiki Studios)

Palma continues: “Because of this wonderful man, I was able to reconnect with my trusted friend, Fred Guarino, owner of Tiki Recording Studios where so many good things have happened right up until today. We did the bulk of the “NELL” recording there, where the technology had advanced so much, I could “make” the orchestra entirely through computer generated sounds. I had to play all the parts, but the computer could provide the sounds of each orchestral instrument, as I layered them on, an entire pit orchestra was available to me. I was in heaven. I was able to provide a blueprint of the entire show’s orchestration as well as sing all the songs the way I envisioned them…” And so, along with the wisdom and expertise of recording guru Fred Guarino, another fabulous Palma Pascale creation was born right there at Tiki Studios! (pictured: Fred Guarino, Owner/Tiki Recording Studios)

Now then, by her own words, you have a good, complete background on why “NELL” was written in the first place, the trials and tribulations Palm went through with it, to date, and how she came to record it. Plus, you have a bit of the “how” of the recording, itself. I can only imagine the blood, sweat and tears that both Palma and Fred put into this, as well as the fun and excitement they had while recording the bulk of the CD at Tiki Studios, together.

My friends, the “important people” that Palma referred to who missed both of the showcases, are truly the losers in this story, as “WHAT THE HELL, NELL!” is, simply stated, a masterpiece. As I listen to song after song, I can certainly picture in my mind’s eye, this incredible musical story played-out on the Broadway stage, and it’s an amazing picture, to be sure.

Recall the first song on the CD if you would... (and though I have posted it below, it's important for you to know the story, when it happened, and where America was in their thinking at the time). Palma writes:

WHAT THE HELL, NELL! is an original musical based on a truly All-American theatrical art form; the Melodrama. From the classical melodrama with its highly stylized manner of acting came the American Operetta, and then the Broadway musical. The musical score of What The Hell, Nell! draws its flavor from the wonderful rhythmic syncopation of cakewalk and ragtime and spins a glorious web of memorable melodies, heart stirring ballads and operatic motifs. The piano underscore highlights the action on stage, signaling the arrival of good, doubt, mystery and evil, as was the custom in silent films. The audience cheers the hero and boos the villain.

The story takes place in a simpler time in the Pennsylvania countryside in the late 1800’s, at the turn of the 20th Century, when right was right and wrong was wrong. It was a time in America when there were strong family values, a strict moral code and an adherence to tradition. A line of demarcation was firmly drawn between honest country folk and morally corrupt city dwellers.There is a hero, a heroine, and a villain; a mysterious detective and an orphan child. There is a gunfight, a snowstorm and a sad Christmas. All the characters speak and act in broad tones of black and white.

Bone-weary, God-fearing, widowed farmer Stanley doesn’t know there is oil under his land. And the unscrupulous city-slicker, Handsome Harry Howard, (also known as Richard Murgatroid), will stop at nothing to inherit the old man’s farm; marriage, foreclosure, or murder.Innocent Nell is tempted away from her honest fiancé, John, by the handsome, evil villain. She is banished from her home by her outraged father, leaving behind her devastated younger sister, Abigail and judgemental housekeeper, Lizzie. Nell winds-up cold, homeless and hungry in the dance hall Saloon of Big Mike Slattery on The Bowery in wicked New York City. A nightly Showtime at Big Mike’s includes rousing performances by “Kate, the Barroom Queen”, and the tawdry “Bowery Bruisers and Beauties”. A den of iniquity holds many secrets and all worlds collide as our villain threatens to ruin our hero and heroine for good.But, before her final downfall, Nell is rescued, just in the nick-of-time, through the constant love and the noble efforts of her steadfast hero, John….through the help of a mysterious stranger and through the love of a child. The villain is arrested, the lovers are reunited, the homestead saved! Goodness and justice triumph!!! But then…..you knew how it would end….didn’t you???
Okay everyone, let’s look at what we’re really discussing here. (I so love this, as it just blows me away each time I think about it). It’s an ENTIRE MUSICAL SCORE! And, it’s direct from the mind of Palma.

Within the musical, these songs alone tell the story quite well without any actual dialogue needed. What I'm trying to point out is that this is NOT just another song or another compilation of songs where there may be a connecting theme (like In & Out of Love, where the theme is LOVE). Instead, this is a musical score that must incorporate the "storyline" of the play, the "characters" of the play, and, the “feelings” must also be aptly represented (i.e., sad, happy, funny, truth, lies, etc.).

Not only do the lyrics of each of these 23 songs tell part of the story, the instrumentation that was chosen, the arrangement of the song, the melody line....all of this helps to tell a part of the same story, and it’s so well done, you don’t even know that until you consciously make yourself listen for it. THAT’s just brilliant writing, friends. Brilliant! The music underscores, by its very composition, the nature of the song that is sung within the context of the storyline of the play. Just think of all of the pieces to this puzzle that Palma had to keep track of while writing the music in the first place.

I know, now – having read the actual script - that there are only the most important pieces (which could simply be one phrase, or one word, for that matter) that have been incorporated into the lyrics. For example, “The Fortune Song” uses a phrase from the play, which was said just one time by Handsome Harry Howard; that line being “It’s a Fortune.” Out of that, came a song. Go figure!

One of my questions is, where does one know where within the script a song should be composed, as they are contemplating putting one in the play to give it “meaning?” I mean, it needs to be in a spot where it makes sense, yet carries the story forward. Not just a song for a song’s sake, if you get my drift. That’s another thing that boggles my mind….how did Palma know WHERE within the play to write a song, and WHAT she was going to write. I can understand a bit, since this play is done using the syncopation of “cakewalk” and “ragtime” how some of the tunes came together, and how they might have been inspired. But, for this first exmple, there is a quite haunting, yet beautiful song called “OUR NELLY IS GONE” in which Palma has three people singing different parts. Oofah! How the heck did she figure THAT out, for goodness sake? Each of the characters have their own melody, and they sing individually, and together. It’s a beautiful combination, truly. Here are the various lyrics:

Abigail (spoken) - “Oh! Mercy, father.”

Hiram (spoken) - “Silence! She has disgraced us. There’s the door. Get your cloak, and go!”

(Here, the music starts…it’s a sad dirge; a round, actually, set in a minor key…a lone oboe carries the melody over a bed of some sort of old-time sounding pump organ, along with soft strings…(The organ is called a home organ, I believe Palma referred to it as....which was a parlor instrument of the period) Here, then, is another interesting fact, showing us that Ms. Pascale does not just "guess" at what to do when writing, rather she either knows which instruments would be most appropriate; and if she's not already aware, she finds out because, as I said before - every single NOTE, complete with including the sort of instrument that note will be played using, has been added FOR A REASON - which, in my opinion, is why the end result is that all these pieces come together so unbelievably well.


All of this instrumentation, then, is accompanied by the actual sounds of the action; footsteps of Nell walking, a door creaking open, the wind whistling and blowing, and finally, the door creaks yet again, and then slams shut).

Abigail sings (mournfully): “Put out the light and close the door for she’ll be coming home, no more. And though her memory lingers on, our Nelly is gone.”

Hiram (Nell's father) sings (on top of Abigail’s repeat of “Put out the light…”):
“I did what I had to do…what shame she’s put me through.
I once had three daughters now two have gone bad…what sad luck I’ve had.”

NOTE: (We have two rhythms now in the vocal lines going on at the same time as these two sing their parts).

Lizzie sings while Abigail and Hiram repeat again, softly:
“If you ask me she only got what she deserved.
Good riddance to her but poor Hiram must face such disgrace.”

And yes, a third part- with a third counter rhythm - is introduced. [This is the sort of thing that makes these songs so interesting to listen to].

Abigail sings: “There’ll be one empty room, there’ll be one empty chair,
And the sound of her voice won’t fill the air.”

Hiram sings: “She has broken my heart, that’s the thanks that I got.
It’s a good thing her mother ain’t here (sniff)– to shed – (sniff) – a tear – (sniff) – poor dear!”

Together, the three of them finish with a slower, more deliberate and painfully felt version of verse one:
"Put out the light and close the door for she’ll be coming home, no more.
And though her memory lingers on, our Nelly is gone.”

Now folks, that is just vocally what is going on in what one might classify when they heard it as a “nice, simple little sad song.” It may be simple sounding, (ah yes, the mark of a great composer, yes?) but there’s certainly a lot that has gone into this simple creation. Let’s look at it a bit closer.

Musically, as Abigail begins, after the spoken words, we hear what sounds like a plucked instrument (perhaps the plucked strings of a lap-harp), along with piano. Interspersed is a triangle, and an oboe comes back in at some point to reiterate the melody line. It sounds very much like a music box playing in the background, actually.

As Hiram begins his counter-melody, Palma introduces a cello, playing a scant line, but providing a “bottom” to the sound. Also added here, and played only a time or two, is the sound of a distant tambourine. To build the music behind this telling lyric, more strings are introduced, with a beautiful, short arpeggio leading to a swell; so do our hearts swell, as we listen to poor Farmer Stanley’s tale of woe.

When they all sing, Palma uses the instruments she’s already introduced – a tambourine played a bit more in this verse – a cello, an oboe, the plucked instrument, a bit of piano, and more layers of strings.

For the bridge that Abigail sings (There’ll be one empty room…), a pennywhistle, which is, again, an instrument they would use during this time) is introduced and played after some of the statements* (one empty room* – one empty chair*) and it is carried throughout the bridge. The piano and plucked instrument take more of a center stage, here. As the players are all “sniffing” first on one side of the speaker then the other (nice job, Fred), there is a slight ritard, as Palma goes into the final duet where a bass drum, a snare drum, and a harpsichord are introduced, giving us a whole new sound to heighten the excitement of the song, and bringing it’s level of emotion up one outstanding notch right to the climactic cymbal crash, announcing “our Nellie is gone.”

Wow - all of this is just the beginning. I hope you'll check-in soon for more thoughts on this fantastic musical. I'm not sure what we'll discuss about NELL next, but trust me, you'll want to get the scoop.

Until next time, I wish you all my best,
~Martini