#goncharov musical

[writing-is-a-martial-art]

I love the Goncharov movie renaissance, the nostalgic gifs absolutely made my day, but I'm a little surprised nobody brought up the 1980 musical? I know the timing of its release was unfortunate, a few years after the original hype for the movie died down and before the recent renaissance, but it simply must not be forgotten.

The costume design?? Andrey's and Goncharov's blue/red motif is much more prominent, as well as Katya's purple. Plus, the fact that for Goncharov's and Katya's Perfect Marriage duet they're both wearing lavender-ish purple? Peak design, just perfect.

The immigrant solidarity is much more explored in the musical, as well as the queer tones. Katya's and Sofia's Making It Happen was my gay awakening, and sure, it is queer, but it's also about women's solidarity and the solidarity between the Russian and Italian diasporas, despite society pitting them against each other. The line "hand in hand in hand" when in the original choreography Sofia and Katya hold hands closer and closer until their faces almost touch - it's about womanhood, and queerness, and being an immigrant. It's a hymn to otherness in so many forms I cannot believe it has been lost to time so quickly (or I can but, you know. I'm still salty about it-).

Also the fact that they made Andrey's and Goncharov's relationship canon and how the bridge scene mirrors Perfect Marriage - it's like Rocky Horror but with mafia, I could not possibly recommend it more if you are at all a fan of musicals.

[stuff-for-your-scroll]

I haven't seen anyone dig up the little-known musical adaptation of Goncharov, so thought I'd share my knowledge on the topic.

After Matteo JWHJ 0715 was kicked off of the set of his passion project partway through filming, he decided that he would produce a stage version of Goncharov where he could have more control and wouldn’t be bound by the Hayes Code. He was so eager to do this that he started putting together a creative team while the film was still in production. He was originally going to approach Howard Sackler about writing a straight play based on the story but after seeing a production of the original run of Follies on Broadway, decided that a musical adaptation would allow him to tap into the inner lives of the characters better. Stephen Sondheim agreed to write the songs for the piece and JWHJ 0715 set to work adapting his script for a stage libretto.

Unfortunately, this project never saw the light of day. When word got back to the production company that JWHJ 0715 had gone behind their backs on this project, the studio took legal action and was ultimately successful in securing the stage rights to Goncharov.

According to an interview in The Sondheim Review (Vol. XI No.2) the adaptation was going to focus on the shifting relationships between Goncharov, Andrey, Mario, Katya, and Sofia, putting the politics on the backburner in order to explore their various romantic entanglements. Sondheim mentioned in a letter to a fan who wrote to ask him about the project that a total of five songs were written for his unfinished Goncharov musical. We know that one was called “Mario’s Lament” but as of now no music or lyrics have surfaced. (if that sheet of legal paper is sitting in your archive somewhere, let me know!) Two of them are entirely unknown and nameless, to the best of my knowledge. The other two, however, saw a second life. While Sondheim rarely used “trunk tunes” he couldn’t let go of two of the numbers written for the original Goncharov musical. “Goodbye For Now” was written to be sung by Katya to Sofia, after realizing that Sofia is a double agent, will have to return to her home country soon, and could be gone and completely out of communication for quite some time. It was later used as the title theme for the 1981 Warren Beatty film Reds.

The final song didn’t have to wait long at all to get its spotlight. After the project was scrapped, Sondheim was already thinking about romantic entanglements and shifting relationships and used that energy to adapt Ingmar Bergman’s 1955 film Smiles of a Summer Night into a Broadway musical called A Little Night Music. And the song that was written for Goncharov to sing during that fatal moment when Andrey betrays him was added to the show during its out of town previews and later became Sondheim’s biggest hit of all time: “Send in the Clowns.”

While Sondheim spoke little of the scrapped project, he was a lifelong movie buff and often included Goncharov while talking about his favorite films.

As for the Goncharov musical, that’s not the end of the story. Now that the studio had paid their legal fees and gone to the trouble of acquiring the stage rights, they decided to use them. They approached Martin Charnin and Charles Strouse to write the music and the project eventually became the 1974 show Signor Goncharov, a fish-out-of-water story that focused on the culture shock of the Russian characters living in Naples and infused the story with more comedy, though tried to keep a lot of the dramatic tension too, resulting in a major tone problem according to many theatre critics at the time. The show was a flop, closing after only six performances on Broadway. However, the songwriting duo bounced back in 1976 with their hit musical Annie.

A cast album was never produced, but there are rumors that there’s a demo recording out there somewhere. As a Sondheim buff, I’ve always put more effort into trying to track down the lost songs from the original project, but if anyone unearths the music from the show that made it to a Broadway stage, do let me know in the notes! Definitely an interesting moment in theatre history.

[th4ts-camp]

You all thought Bad Cinderella was awful you have all forgotten about the fucking GONCHAREV MUSICAL. How can you take the fucking movie goncharev and make a musical and FUCKING REMOVE THE CLOCKS. that's not how adaptation works. Also the fruit seller gets a whole scene and song but Katya and Sofia only have one duet. And they totally fucked up ice pick Joe's whole vibe. It's a shame that the musical wasnt good because it's could have been. It could have been a masterpiece.

@hatsoff-forgandalf

[lunatock]

So I guess now's a good time to use my super niche musical theatre knowledge to talk about the Goncharov Musical.

Mutterings about a musical began pretty immediately after the movie came out with Rodgers and Hammerstein slated to write it. But the thing is, Hammerstein was already dead. I guess they were just hoping people wouldn't remember that and someone from his estate would ghostwrite (which they did - or at least SOMEONE did, because there are a few scans of lyrics floating around). It was going to be the biggest thing since Oklahoma.

Bizarrely, the vibe of this musical was...very golden age, playing up the hetero romances (at least to investors). I, and many others, sincerely doubt it would have remained that way, but all we've got are early notes and drafts.

Most people think the musical didn't end up happening because Chicago and A Chorus Line in '75 spelled a new era of Broadway, but who knows what the actual reason is.

Anyway, here's a picture of the only lyric from it I could find with text beneath it. If anyone wants to sleuth out which lyricist's handwriting this is, be my guest.

"At the Stroke of Twelve"

verse intro:

Do you hear that, my dear?

I hear it so well.

Is that my heart, my dear?

Or is it a bell?

-

verse 1:

Why did I grow a moustache so fine

If it always shall be hidden by a smile?

How come our gazes always intertwine,

And yet our lips are lying all the while?

I wonder silly questions every day,

But when the sky bends its eye towards the moon,

I know that nothing will be in our way

'Cause I shall see my darling very soon!

And when I hold your trembling hand,

Angels will strike up the band

At the stroke of twelve!

-

v2:

Persephone must loathe you for your shine!

Athena's full of envy for your wit!

Dear Bacchus wishes your blood were his wine!

Rumor has it, Aphrodite's up and quit!

Oh, I don't often wish away the hour.

I know my time on earth will not be long.

You must have struck me with some ancient power

To make me feel like nothing's at all wrong!

And once my chest your thumb unlatches,

The sky will strike its million matches

At the stroke of twelve!

-

(B into dance)

I've traveled through Campania in a haze!

My ten a.m.s mean no more than my eves.

But now, oh honey, I am in a daze

When I'm with you, oh, how time deceives!

-

(dance)

-

Tickle me with your tocks,

Prickle me with your socks,

Knuckle me with your knocks,

Buckle me with your frocks,

Stay with me when the clocks strikes twelve!

[reallyjustsalt]

In my last year in school in 2020 we wanted to make a musical of 1973s Goncharov and I was supposed to play Mariella but bc of covid and a lockdown we never got to actually play it

I think I still have the script somewhere ...

[elissiaro]

Fun fact, there used to be a video from a practice session. One of the super early youtube videos actually. 

And omg it had so much potential? The score was absolute FIRE.

But it’s impossible to find now. I think the account got deleted a few years ago for copyright issues?

And APPARENTLY the video wasn’t important enough for anyone to have made backups. :|

i just don’t know why we aren’t all talking about the fact that there was a goncharov musical WRITTEN BY ABBA(!!!) planned that never made it past previews. imagine the world in which mamma mia had flopped and goncharov had been a worldwide sensation with a remake starring amanda seyfried as katya

[thisisnotjuli]

Goncharov score masterpost

I want to make a post to keep track of all the Goncharov score that’s been uploaded to tumblr, so I will link to all the one’s I’ve found so far and update with any new ones that come up (if you know any I’m missing please share the link!)

Main Theme uploaded by @caramiaaddio

Main Theme (End Titles) uploaded by @if-only-angels-could-prevail

Main Theme (Reprise) uploaded by @raccoonfink

Main Theme uploaded by @eternenty

General Soundtrack uploaded by @mortal-ghost

Shortened Main Title as used in the original theatrical release, uploaded by @somanyofthekids

Main Theme (Opening Credits) uploaded by @fireball-me

The Bridge Breaks uploaded by @nicewizard

The Clocktower uploaded by @dungeonmastersconsortium

Farewell Scene uploaded by @levuna (pointed out to me by @graduatedpillowmonster, thank you!)

Farewell Scene - Extended Version uploaded by @levuna

Tempus Fugit - “Clock Theme” uploaded by @trupowieszcz  (pointed out to me by @graduatedpillowmonster, thank you!)

Goncharov Theme in Minor uploaded by @mapplejuice  (pointed out to me by @graduatedpillowmonster, thank you!)

Katya’s Leitmotif (Vinyl Rip) uploaded by @unscharf-an-den-raendern  (pointed out to me by @graduatedpillowmonster, thank you!)

Andrey’s Theme uploaded by @the-frosty-mac (pointed out to me by @muzic4sewerratz , thank you!)

It Is True (Extract) uploaded by @hex-of-els (pointed out to me by @graduatedpillowmonster, thank you!)

Memories Of Water - Goncharov Soundtrack uploaded by @rismrus (pointed out to me by themself-- please do feel free to toot your own horn!)

Katya’s Sonata uploaded by @arcanistvysoren

“For My Love” Andrey’s Serenade uploaded by @diagnosed-anxiety-disorder

Stolen Time uploaded by @avatar-of-the-vast

Sharing A Dance uploaded by @the-frosty-mac (pointed out to me by themself)

In The Boathouse uploaded by @madame-karenina

What Was And Will Be uploaded by @piano-flute

Overture on the Clocktower uploaded by @dead-minecraft-fandoms (pointed out to me by @mccoppinscrapyard, thank you!)

Privyet Goncharov uploaded by @rismrus (pointed out to me by themself)

Goncharov’s Gun uploaded by @netcup

Sofia’s Serenade to Katya, from the deleted scene in the boat where she sings “Come Raggio di Sol,” uploaded by @melongumi

Sofia’s Theme uploaded by @andrey-transgenderism

Icepick Joe’s Leitmotif uploaded by @whimperandabang

Waltz of the Pearls uploaded by @raynaonyourparade

Katya’s Theme uploaded by @fancydunamancy

Katya’s Theme (a different version) uploaded by @katyathemegoncharov

Katya’s Death Song (ночь, улица, фонарь) uploaded by @traumagician

Lovers Forlon - “Katya and Sofia Final Goodbye” from the deleted scene, uploaded by @colours-of-the-galaxies

Andrey On The Bridge uploaded by @reinbel

Palace Dance Scene uploaded by @lostlovepunk

Dirge of the Living uploaded by @paradoxicalpockets

Smoke and Mirrors uploaded by @andrey-shot-first

Goncharov, Alone uploaded by @khufiya-khaufnak-antariksh

If You Loved Me, You Wouldn’t Miss uploaded by @thetasteoffire who also provided a transcript in a reblog of this post (link)

Clocktower Confrontation uploaded by @rismrus

Goncharov’s Dream uploaded by @verochkasnightmarecorner

Love Theme uploaded by @literary-potat0

Time Motif (All Things Twist) uploaded by @oldbay-on-apples

Predatel'stvo (Katya's Lament) uploaded by @lierdumoa

Shootout on the Old Bridge uploaded by @raynaonyourparade

This Is It uploaded by @angrycatlovesfandoms

Gonchorov’s Theme and Sofia’s Theme uploaded by @koalas-cave

Last Train uploaded by @minotaurlovesyou

Now Departing uploaded by @theshadowbastard

The Courtroom uploaded by @traegorn

Goncharov’s Death uploaded by @loruleyuga

Katya in Peril (Vinyl Rip) uploaded by @unscharf-an-den-raendern

Te Deum (Cathedral Scene) uploaded by @3liza

Katya and Sofia uploaded by @elluminis

Love Theme uploaded by @tweltchy

Katya’s Theme uploaded by @maebird-melody

The Betrayal uploaded by @kip-can-fiddle

Chase Scene uploaded by @fireball-me

Prayer Scene uploaded by @fireball-me

Delusions by the Clocktower uploaded by @sleeveace22

A Clockmaster’s Lament uploaded by @rismrus

If only time would stop for us uploaded by @fireflydragon2005

Apples at the Market uploaded by @raynaonyourparade

Four Seconds (The Clockmaker Reprise) uploaded by @lostinthewinterwood

Demise uploaded by @hyrixmusic

In The Church At Midnight uploaded by @composerinprogress

Departing Naples uploaded by MINDSSACRE

Dockside #2, one of the unreleased tracks, uploaded by @reptilemodernism

Unnamed Fragment from Goncharov’s death scene, uploaded by @quizshow1994

Bonus:

Cover of the song Goncharov (2010) by @idiopathicsmile  (pointed out to me by @graduatedpillowmonster, thank you!)

At Goncharov’s Gate (PC Version), song written for the PC game with a Super NES port released in 1994 for PC-DOS, uploaded by @badgraph1csghost (pointed out to me by @graduatedpillowmonster, thank you!)

Intro to Goncharov (Super Nintendo version) uploaded by @badgraph1csghost

You Think You Have Time, a remix of the original theme that wound up in Hotline Miami DLC, uploaded by @coolwitchaunt

Bonus Disc Menu uploaded by @turtrose

Goncharov 8-Bit Theme from the Goncharov NES game, uploaded by @moonset-music

Trailer for Goncharov (2022) directed by @madphantom

Live action FULL MOVIE: Goncharov (2022) directed by @madphantom

Blooper Reel for Goncharov (2022) directed by @madphantom

One of the official trailers was recently recovered by @talkshowhost1996

A soundtrack compilation is now available on soundcloud

Analysis of the music in the Ballroom Scene by @clarionglass

Analysis on the overall sountrack by @odense

[levuna]

So it turns out they recorded an extended version of the music from the farewell scene! They had to cut it from the movie, but it’s still on the soundtrack!

[brsb4hls]

Ok, but have you heard the rumors about the 2001 musical reboot of Goncharov?

Elton John already had half of the songs written and Pierce Brosnan was cast to play Ice Pick Joe.

And then John Peters lost the rights to the script to Pamela Anderson during their divorce and she tanked the project out of spite (she didn't get the role as Sofia).

[gay-mormon-wizard]

Lin Manuel Miranda is going to KILL it for real with Gonched! The Musical 😍 I heard a rumor that the Lumineers and Taylor Swift are cowriting some of the songs

tumblr. do ur thing

It's honestly so clever how the Lumineers referenced Goncharov (1973) in this song

When Katya and Goncharov have that one big fight and she's challenging him on his hesitance to stakeout Ice Pick Joe's hideout, and she yells, "So when he comes after me, will you just dig my grave, or will you rail against my dying day?!" Knowing the context honestly adds so much more depth to this lyric.

[lawbreaker13]

Goncharov feels like the evil twin of TikTok’s creation of the Ratatouille Musical.

It came from nothing. It’s not real. No matter how much we contribute, it will never be real. There are gifs. There are screenshots. There’s fanfiction, a cast, a Letterboxd, a TV Tropes page, and an IMDB page. There’s a score and a poster. It’s not real. Most importantly, we cannot get the attention of anyone big enough to make it real because it’ll destroy the entire concept. We don’t WANT the attention. We don’t WANT it to exist. It exists several decades in the past rather than as a joint effort for a collective future project so that no one will ever be able to create or recreate it. But the essence of the film still lies in the collaboration that “made” it. And it now only exists because we decided it should.

I am so obsessed with Tumblr’s community. I really am.

[traumagician]

I know someone posted the timeless main theme already, but my favorite musical moment in Goncharov is definitely the song that Katya sings in the cabaret just before the infamous poker scene with Sofia... and her reprisal of it just before she "dies" (EVEN THOUGH I STILL THINK EVERYTHING POINTS TO HER FAKING HER DEATH) just breaks my heart every time....

The music supervisors did their homework on this one too, because the lyrics are actually from a famous poem by Russian poet Alexander Blok, and they just fit the tone of the show SO well...

Night, street, lamp, drugstore,

A dull and meaningless light.

Go on and live another quarter century - nothing will change.

There's no way out.

You'll die, then start from the beginning;

It will repeat, just like before:

Night, icy ripples on a canal,

Drugstore, street, lamp.

UGH! THE THEMES! THE BLEAKNESS OF IT ALL! Anyway, if you need me I'll be hiding in my room and being absolutely normal about all this... and I may post more hard-to-find clips from the soundtrack to my music blog @traumaticmagic later

[idiopathicsmile]

say what you will about 2010 acoustic pop hit "goncharov," like, does it scrub the 1973 movie quote "i know it won't be us" entirely of its original heartbreaking context? yes. was it written by someone who had pretty clearly never seen the movie and only had a passing familiarity with the plot? probably. but since it's been all anyone's been able to talk about on here, i've had the chorus banging around in my head, so here's a quick little cover.

[avasillva]

the movie might be fake, but holy shit the talent is so so real

[nicewizard]

The string heavy score of Goncharov always pleased me. Who else remembers this piece, the confrontation on the bridge, the cutaways to the clock?

[ukulelekatie]

goncharov is all fun and games until someone inevitably decides it should be a real movie and sets up a fundraising campaign, severely underestimating just how much work and time and money goes into making a movie, resulting in them being chased down with torches and pitchforks by everyone who was gullible enough to give money to a random person on the internet thinking they were capable of singlehandedly making a movie