The Future Sound of Australian Musical Comedy

(WARNING: there are some naughty words)

"Drama" by Kate Miller-Heidke featuring Drapht - lyric video

(For reasons unknown I can't seem to embed this clip but it's very much worth a click)

This is a song from the album O Vertigo by Kate Miller-Heidke (assisted here by a hippity-hop fella from Perth by the name of Drapht). Miller-Heidke is a pretty exceptional singer/songwriter from Down Under. She's sung modern opera with the English National Opera company and she's recorded electronic pop with hubby/creative partner Keir Nuttal.

So far she hasn't written any musical comedy (although she's apparently working on a children's opera). But judging by "Drama" I'd say she'd be well placed to have a crack.

Generally with comedy numbers, people think about the lyrics, mostly the wit and the rhymes. There's plenty of that here ("deeper than Chopra/bigger than Oprah"). Then there's the comedy in the performance and the overlapping voices of the two singers in this song is beautifully timed ("I said.../I heard you the first time").

But what really makes a great comedy song is the music. The character being portrayed here is the world's largest ego; an outrageous and outspoken modern-day diva. So the words get spat out in short and punchy melodic phrases (half sung, half shouted). There's the high-pitched shrill self-affirmations in the chorus ("She's the man!") followed by those big piano octaves after the word "drama", all suitably over-the-top and melodramatic. To top it all before the final verse, the music modulates hysterically, moving up a couple of semitones for no good reason.

It's a terrific musical comedy number. It just so happens it's on a pop album. What with this and Gwyneth Herbert's "Perfect Fit", I'm beginning to wonder if the best musical theatre songs are currently to be found outside of the theatre.

P.S. For those who like their musical comedy a little bit more traditional, she can do that too: