Storyline:
Young Louie is bummed because his family has moved from the old neighborhood
to a new one. The fact that it is Halloween makes it all the harder to be
away from his old friends, so - with the help of his toy airplane - he flies
back "home" for an evening of trick or treating with his friends. There he
finds that a new kid has moved into his old place and, while his friends try
to demonstrate their loyalty by rejecting the new guy, Louie shows
them that it is OK to welcome new friends.
Schwartz's melodies and rhythms are as good as
you would expect of him at that heady time in his career. It was a decade that
included, in addition to the hits mentioned above, both The Magic Show
and Working. Here he has bright, jaunty pieces like "Trick or Treat"
and "New Kid in the Neighborhood," a comic spoof of spooks in "Shadows" and
a heart-felt anthem "Home Again."
The lyrics are very good indeed. Typical of
Schwartz, there is a feeling of wonder at the world surrounding these
characters ("We fly to the Milky Way and try a sip / In the Little Dipper,
take a dip") and a joy at playing with rhymes ("Up here in the blue, we rock
and roll / while on the ground below / all the folks we know / point at us
and go / 'ooohhh' and 'ahhh' and 'ohhh'"). Yes, there are few clunkers -
he has little kids saying "the stores look unfamiliar." But he hits just the
right tone of excitement over Halloween's ritual with "trick or treat /
gimme somethin' good to eat / maybe somethin' chewy or crunchy / or gooey or
munchy / or nice and sweet / trick or treat!"
Here these songs are sung by a cast of ten, the
same number as on stage off-Broadway at the Little Shubert Theatre on West
42nd Street. Two of the ten are in the show. They are accompanied by a combo
of five, one more than is used at the Little Shubert. The sound is bright
and close miked to capture the spirit of it all, and recording engineer
Danny Lawrence uses a few stereo effects to heighten the feeling that this
is, in fact, the recording of a score intended for a live performance.
Track Listing: New Kid in the Neighborhood, Big
Red Plane, A Welcome for Louie, Shadows, Trick or Treat, Loosa on the Block,
Spiffin' Up Ziggy's, Captain Louie, Home Again, Finale.
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