Hood & Hood Musicals Continue

The previous blog shared my memories of writing the first Hood & Hood musical, ‘Pop! Go the Reindeer’. It was not Evelyn’s first musical as she had written ‘High-Rise Halloween’, but it was our first collaboration and it had come together so quickly and easily that it was easy to say ‘yes’ when we were asked to write another. 

The second musical was going to be presented around the Easter holiday and so we decided to opt for a fairly calm telling of the Easter story, in agreement with the Mary Russell School. The format for ‘Pop!.....’ worked so well for the school that we kept that same format. And thus ‘The Little Village’ was premiered only a few short months after ‘Pop! Go The Reindeer’

The writing process was usually the same; by this time we were living in different locations so we would work on our own parts and get together on an occasional weekend to share our latest ideas. Evelyn provided narration and storyline, along with song lyrics which were for the most part intact and did not need any amends. I always remember being amazed that when I read her lyrics I could easily sense the mood that Evelyn was aiming for; she really knows how to evoke a characteristic even in a song which doesn’t have a melody yet! 

Some songs could be tailored for younger students, while others allowed for more intricate melodies, harmonies or structures that could be handled by more mature students. There was something for everyone! And we became more adventurous as the students rose to the occasion with each successive performance. Their achievements allowed us to explore more; I was able to dabble with lyric-writing as well as writing instrumental dance music which I would never have dreamed of doing prior to writing these musicals. 

We went on to write a total of seven musicals for the school, all of which were performed successfully. 

Simon & Evelyn Hood