No jazz hands.Showtunes * Stephin Merritt * Nonesuch none·such also non·such n. 1. A person or thing without equal. 2. See black medic. none Despite its title, Showtunes does not feature Magnetic Fields mastermind Stephin Merritt warbling hits from Cats, Cabaret, and Carousel in his trademark deadpan bass. Instead, this disc collects highlights from the gay composer's three collaborations with Chinese theater director Chen ShiZheng. Even removed from their original context, these 26 short selections (performed by original cast members) are immensely entertaining, particularly the toe-tapping "Fan Dance Cha-Cha" and "Ukulele ukulele (y  kəlā`lē), Hawaiian musical instrument developed from the Portuguese guitar. It has a fretted fingerboard and four strings that are plucked or strummed. Me!" Merritt tapers his rapier wit to complement the material, so his clever lyrics illuminate characters and propel plot points rather than revel in dazzling yet empty wordplay. The real revelation here, however, is the arrangements. Working with small ensembles and exotic timbres such as marimba marimba: see xylophone. marimba Xylophone with resonators under each bar. The original African instrument uses tuned calabash resonators. In Mexico and Central America, where it was brought by African slaves, the wooden bars may be affixed to a , lute, Chinese two-string fiddle, steel drums, and bassoon bassoon (băs n`), double-reed woodwind instrument that plays in the bass and tenor registers. Its 8-ft (2.4-m) conical tube is bent double, the instrument thus being about 4 ft (1. , Merritt fashions a colorful universe that's more like a demented whirl through Disneyland's "It's a Small World It's a Small World (formatted “it's a small world” by the Walt Disney Company) is a popular attraction at several Walt Disney theme parks: Disneyland (in California), the Magic Kingdom (in Florida), Tokyo Disneyland, and Disneyland Resort Paris. " than an everyday stroll down Broadway. Bravo!
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