Book Review: Medleys from Broadway: Intermediate to Late Intermediate (Dan Coates Popular Piano Library)

Dan Coates has been arranging music since 1976. He knows how to fit songs together smoothly and make an intermediate player sound professional (with practice, of course.) In this new music collection, he has created medleys from six very popular Broadway shows.

My favorite of the six is Little Shop of Horrors,which is just a lot of fun. The medley here consists of “Grow for Me,” “Prologue,””Skid Row,” and “Suddenly Seymour,” providing a smooth but diverse rock and roll showcase.

But the other medleys are also enjoyable to play and perfect for performing at recitals, parties, and other events.

Disney is represented with Beauty and the Beast,  with the sprightly “Be Our Guest,” the dreamy “Beauty and the Beast,” and the touching “I Can’t Love Her.”

The immortal Cole Porter adds sophistication to the mix with the medley from Anything Goes, including the bubbly title song and the familiar and beloved “I Get a Kick Out of You” and “You’re the Top.”

My Fair Lady is a classic of the theater and provides a perfect performance piece with “Get Me to the Church on Time,””I Could Have Danced All Night,” “I’ve Grown Accustomed to Her Face,” and “Wouldn’t It Be Loverly?”

Another classic Broadway favorite, Funny Girl, is represented with “I’m The Greatest Star,” “Don’t Rain on My Parade,” and “People.”

The collection closes with the most contemporary of the selections,Mamma Mia! Expect people to sing and dance to “Dancing Queen” and “Mamma Mia,” and the less-well known (to me, at least) but enjoyable “Super Trouper” and “The Winner Takes All.”

These arrangements are complex enough to be interesting but not so difficult as to take the fun out of playing them. There is something here for every listener and any occasion. Once again, Alfred Music Publishing and Dan Coates have provided a music book that belongs in every pianist’s collection.