I got to wondering: "Your Beardy Face" seems like it's more than just a song. Clearly it's the centerpiece of a musical theatre sensation. After far too much painstaking research, I've been able to uncover what is perhaps the single remaining review of "Your Beardy Face" from published accounts of its initial theatrical performance run. Here, for your enjoyment and use, is the only known précis of the song and it's original presentation vehicle:
“Your Beardy Face” is the runaway musical hit and second-act centerpiece of the unexpected Dwarven theatrical sensation: “We’re Diggin’ It!” The duet is sung by the show’s star-crossed adolescent characters Ismie Portercrumble and Gurdin Lodebottom as they are carted apart by their warring clans never, presumably, to see each other again. The song brilliantly captures the crystalline moment when the two realize their love supersedes clan loyalty and sets the stage for the memorably shocking third act and the Forge Crystal's visually arresting destruction. The deep resonance of “Your Beardy Face” with Dwarven audiences in particular, and non-Dwarven audiences in general, stems from its dirge-like lyrics atop joyful bagpipes belying the boundless, loving hearts of the ill-fated young lovers. The show’s powerful political subtext helped “We’re Diggin’ It!” reach realm-wide heights of popularity heretofore rarely seen in a Dwarven production, but “Your Beardy Face” made it immortal.
Personal note: Though in the intervening years countless performances of "Your Beardy Face" have allowed musicians to make it their own, this author prefers the version, mentioned elsewhere herein, sung to the tune of "Sweet Caroline" and accompanied, of course, by Dwarven bagpipes. Your mileage may vary.
I got to wondering: "Your Beardy Face" seems like it's more than just a song. Clearly it's the centerpiece of a musical theatre sensation. After far too much painstaking research, I've been able to uncover what is perhaps the single remaining review of "Your Beardy Face" from published accounts of its initial theatrical performance run. Here, for your enjoyment and use, is the only known précis of the song and it's original presentation vehicle:
“Your Beardy Face” is the runaway musical hit and second-act centerpiece of the unexpected Dwarven theatrical sensation: “We’re Diggin’ It!” The duet is sung by the show’s star-crossed adolescent characters Ismie Portercrumble and Gurdin Lodebottom as they are carted apart by their warring clans never, presumably, to see each other again. The song brilliantly captures the crystalline moment when the two realize their love supersedes clan loyalty and sets the stage for the memorably shocking third act and the Forge Crystal's visually arresting destruction. The deep resonance of “Your Beardy Face” with Dwarven audiences in particular, and non-Dwarven audiences in general, stems from its dirge-like lyrics atop joyful bagpipes belying the boundless, loving hearts of the ill-fated young lovers. The show’s powerful political subtext helped “We’re Diggin’ It!” reach realm-wide heights of popularity heretofore rarely seen in a Dwarven production, but “Your Beardy Face” made it immortal.
Personal note: Though in the intervening years countless performances of "Your Beardy Face" have allowed musicians to make it their own, this author prefers the version, mentioned elsewhere herein, sung to the tune of "Sweet Caroline" and accompanied, of course, by Dwarven bagpipes. Your mileage may vary.