Pink ranger April 17, 2015 Share April 17, 2015 I think that Finding Neverland will be comertially sucessfull. It appeals to the family market who wants a new alternative to Lion King, Aladdin & Matilda. Aside from maybe Gigi I can't think of another new musical this season that appeals to young children. Even if Matt dosnt score any awards heat this is the first time in his career that he has been the outright lead of a show and his notices where favourable overall so it's still been beneficial for his career IMO . Just from the box office figures so far he should be able to parlay this job in to more down the line that that will hopefully be more critically successful. Link to comment
caracas1914 April 17, 2015 Share April 17, 2015 (edited) It appeals to the family market Not that I disagree with you but I sort of chuckle with people who haven't seen the movie it's based on, because... The mother dies in the end and it's really a downer storyline for the little ones, far from escapist and not really about Peter Pan at all... Edited April 17, 2015 by caracas1914 Link to comment
Pink ranger April 17, 2015 Share April 17, 2015 (edited) Oh i know that the movie isn't really for children but they are certainly coming to the Broadway show . BWW had a whole thread complaing about lots of babies crying, toddlers running around ect during performances, ha! Also on ticketmaster , the matinees are the most popular, they are flaged with " not many available" when close to selling out. That screams young audience. Edited April 17, 2015 by Pink ranger Link to comment
caracas1914 April 17, 2015 Share April 17, 2015 Those little ones will be traumatized....LOL Link to comment
Sara2009 April 17, 2015 Author Share April 17, 2015 " Wicked" got bad reviews and still scored a bunch of nominations. Anything is possible I suppose. Link to comment
fakeempress April 17, 2015 Share April 17, 2015 Neverland has a real dog and a bunch of kids in the cast, and is tangenial to Peter Pan, so the family show label sounds kind of inevitable. Link to comment
caracas1914 April 17, 2015 Share April 17, 2015 " Wicked" got bad reviews and still scored a bunch of nominations. Anything is possible I suppose. I suppose so, though I seem to recall "Wicked"'s reviews were more genuinely mixed, whereas I think Neverland has lot more out and out bashing by some critics. It's hard to guess with nominations, Daniel Radcliffe is certainly a name, and got good to great reviews for his turns in "Equus" "How to Succeed" and " The Cripple of Inishmaan", which all had more than respectable runs and yet he's been shut out of Tony nominations. It's not as if he's not a Broadway veteran who's earned his chops. Link to comment
Ceeg April 17, 2015 Share April 17, 2015 (edited) How so, Ceeg? Because most people going to Broadway shows don't really care about what Ben Brantley has to say about a show, especially with ticket prices these days. It's why there are sooooo many movies-turned-musicals because people visiting New York are going to want to see something they're familiar with. Brilliant shows that got amazing reviews have closed after just a few weeks/months because they didn't have a "star" and it was either original or unfamiliar source material. People (i.e. tourists) don't wanna spend $100/ticket to see Joe Schmo and Jane Doe sing about something original. And like Sara said, Wicked is a perfect example. It got mixed reviews, but it's become a virtual cultural phenomenon. And I think a big part of that is that it's using familiar and beloved source material, with a new spin. Edited April 17, 2015 by Ceeg Link to comment
Higgs April 17, 2015 Share April 17, 2015 From The New York Times, 08/2014, re "Wicked": "My return visit also confirmed how significant those young fans remain to the show’s success. The audience at the evening performance I attended teemed with bopping tweens and their families. Many of the girls clearly knew the show’s score already, greeting Mr. Schwartz’s polished Broadway-pop confections and throat-searing ballads with the physical equivalent of a half-dozen smiley-face emoticons. "In retrospect, “Wicked” seems an early sign of the cultural clout — which is to say buying power — of a generation of girls (and now women) whose desire to see, and read, and sing along with stories about female empowerment has become a snowballing trend. “The Hunger Games” came along in 2008, and became one of the biggest media phenomena of the past decade. And, of course, “Frozen,”Disney’s animated blockbuster movie about two royal sisters with a complicated relationship, surely owes a significant debt to “Wicked,” and not just because Ms. Menzel gave voice to the heroine Elsa, with her snow-blowing superpowers and her megahit “Let It Go.” "When “Wicked” at last ceases to defy gravity at the box office — and that still seems a good way off — it’s a safe bet that a Broadway musical of “Frozen” will be primed to take its place. http://www.nytimes.com/2014/08/22/theater/a-decade-later-wicked-continues-to-be-catnip-for-tweens.html For Matt's sake, I hope the girls want to go see the boys. Maybe he should tear off another button on his shirt. Alec Baldwin on Ben Brantley, after receiving a bad review: "...Brantley is viewed as some odd, shriveled, bitter Dickensian clerk who has sought to assemble a compendium of essays on theatre, the gist of which often have no relationship to the events onstage themselves." from Wolcott on Brantley: http://www.vanityfair.com/culture/2013/05/alec-baldwin-gives-ben-brantley-a-noogie Link to comment
caracas1914 April 18, 2015 Share April 18, 2015 Oh I get what makes commercial success on Broadway, I mean the movie adaptations and juke box musicals outnumber everything else for a reason. My point was more that even "Wicked" had some good reviews at the time, whereas it seems the overwhelming number of "Finding Neverland " reviews have been bad, even downright scathing. So it's not that the show won't be a hit, it's more that it would seem it might be a hard pill to swallow to give it more than a smattering of Tony noms. I wouldn't be surprised if it was shut out. Link to comment
Sara2009 April 21, 2015 Author Share April 21, 2015 These aren't all that prestigious, but Matt Morrison, Kelsey Grammer, and " Finding Neverland" itself were all nominated for Drama League Awards. At least it's something. Link to comment
Pink ranger April 21, 2015 Share April 21, 2015 The Drama League Awards are one of the big three important pre Tonys awards in the New York Theater awards season. Getting nominated is significant! Link to comment
Sara2009 April 21, 2015 Author Share April 21, 2015 (edited) The Drama League Awards are one of the big three important pre Tonys awards in the New York Theater awards season. Getting nominated is significant! There are 40+ people nominated in the " Distinguished Performance" category, though. Edited April 21, 2015 by Sara2009 Link to comment
Pink ranger April 21, 2015 Share April 21, 2015 (edited) There are 40+ people nominated in the " Distinguished Performance" category, though. That's because an actor can only win that particular award once in their entire lives and it includes Broadway, off Broadway, plays, musicals, male, female, lead and supporting. Edited April 21, 2015 by Pink ranger Link to comment
caracas1914 April 21, 2015 Share April 21, 2015 The Outer Circle Critics Nominations came out: (what the name implies, not from NY critics) Covers both Broadway and Off Broadway http://www.playbill.com/news/article/outer-critics-circle-nominees-announced-something-rotten-leads-the-pack-347165 "Finding Neverland" was completely shut out, including Matt Morrison and Kelsey Grammar. "Something Rotten" "On the 20th Century" "American in Paris" all dabbed multiple nominations... Link to comment
Hana Chan April 21, 2015 Share April 21, 2015 (edited) Considering that The Last Ship (one of the nominees for Best Musical) closed in January, that's an especially sharp slap. But it also goes to show that shows might be critical successes, but fail at being commercial successes. We'll have to see where Finding Neverland falls. Edited April 21, 2015 by Hana Chan Link to comment
Pink ranger April 21, 2015 Share April 21, 2015 (edited) ^ The omission of ken watanabe from King & I was surprising, I thought that he was a front runner for the lead actor Tony, that show has amazing buzz. Finding Neverland was pretty much crucified by the New York critics so any awards recognition will be an uphill struggle. Edited April 21, 2015 by Pink ranger Link to comment
caracas1914 April 21, 2015 Share April 21, 2015 (edited) Considering that The Last Ship (one of the nominees for Best Musical) closed in January, that's an especially sharp slap. "Side show" and "Honeymoon in Vegas" got no love, and some critics liked those (though yes, some hated them). Curious to see how BW icon Chita Rivera's "The Visit" will fare, reviews are out soon. Edited April 21, 2015 by caracas1914 Link to comment
Sara2009 April 21, 2015 Author Share April 21, 2015 (edited) ^ The omission of ken watanabe from King & I was surprising, I thought that he was a front runner for the lead actor Tony, that show has amazing buzz. Finding Neverland was pretty much crucified by the New York critics so any awards recognition will be an uphill struggle. A lot of people have said that Ken Watanabe is difficult to understand, which might hurt his awards chances.The Drama Desk nominations will probably be the best indicator for the Tony's. A lot of the NY critics liked the performances in FN( though not the show itself), so it's hard to say for sure. It's definitely an uphill battle, though. I think Michael Cerveris, Christian Borle, and Brian d'Arcy James might be locks, which leaves a crapload of actors vying for that one last spot in the Lead Actor category. Edited April 21, 2015 by Sara2009 Link to comment
Pink ranger April 21, 2015 Share April 21, 2015 Robert Fairchild from American in Pairs is a lock too I think. Christian Borles category is unclear . He was nominated as lead for the outer critics awards but a lot of people are saying he is and has a better shot in supporting instead of splitting votes in Lead with D, Arcy. Link to comment
Sara2009 April 21, 2015 Author Share April 21, 2015 (edited) True. I'm sure Weinstein will be obnoxiously campaigning no matter what, though. At least they got Drama League nominations, which are better than nothing. The Drama Desks will be interesting because " Fun Home" is ineligible. Edited April 21, 2015 by Sara2009 Link to comment
Higgs April 21, 2015 Share April 21, 2015 "See Jane sing" https://www.mondaviarts.org/events/event.cfm?event_id=1551&season=2014&ignoremobilepage=y&utm_source=wordfly&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=20150421ArtsMail&utm_content=version_A Well, I guess it's better than listening to her sing. $58 for all seats in the orchestra pictured at the top of the link. Link to comment
tom87 April 22, 2015 Share April 22, 2015 GLEE's Jenna Ushkowitz to Lead Pittsburgh CLO's THE WEDDING SINGER; 2015 Summer Season Casts Set Jenna Ushkowitz is making her Pittsburgh CLO debut as Julia, the role first made famous by Drew Barrymore in the film "The Wedding Singer." Ms. Ushkowitz began her career at a very young age on the set of "Sesame Street." She went on to appear in episodes of "Reading Rainbow," "As the World Turns," and many other television series before making her Broadway debut in The King and I in 1996. Ms. Ushkowitz returned to Broadway in Spring Awakening in 2008 alongside future co-star Lea Michele before they both rocketed to fame as cast members in the hit Fox television show "Glee." http://www.broadwayworld.com/pittsburgh/article/GLEEs-Jenna-Ushkowitz-to-Lead-Pittsburgh-CLOs-THE-WEDDING-SINGER-2015-Summer-Season-Casts-Set-20150422 1 Link to comment
Cranberry April 22, 2015 Share April 22, 2015 This AfterEllen reviewer had nice things to say about Dianna Agron and Bare: I can’t speak highly enough of Dianna Agron, whose haunting performance stays with you long after you leave the theatre. In Glee, Agron was criminally underused, and there hasn’t been a film or television role that has truly allowed the actress to shine to her full potential. But in Bare, her understated style is refreshing and quite stunning to behold. Beneath Agron’s still face and soft eyes, rages a tempest. Always observing, her character may glide through life like a ghost, but she never misses a beat. She’s a smart actress who allows reaction to drive her, rather than being the impetus. Less of a love story than a coming of age journey, make no mistake, this film is all Agron’s. I also think it’s a game changer for the actress who is still very early in her career. Link to comment
caracas1914 April 22, 2015 Share April 22, 2015 So nice to hear praise for Dianna's performance, can't remember where else I read but some other good critical notices for this role. Link to comment
jaytee1812 April 23, 2015 Share April 23, 2015 Jenna's treading the boards in The Wedding Singer http://www.broadwayworld.com/pittsburgh/article/GLEEs-Jenna-Ushkowitz-to-Lead-Pittsburgh-CLOs-THE-WEDDING-SINGER-2015-Summer-Season-Casts-Set-20150422 1 Link to comment
Sara2009 April 23, 2015 Author Share April 23, 2015 In an exciting but surprising bit of news, Matt Morrison got nominated for a Drama Desk Award. http://www.theatermania.com/new-york-city-theater/news/drama-desk-announces-2015-nominations_72646.html?cid=homepage_news 3 Link to comment
Pink ranger April 23, 2015 Share April 23, 2015 (edited) There where only two for Finding Neverland, Matt and featured actress for carolee carmello. Edited April 23, 2015 by Pink ranger Link to comment
Sara2009 April 23, 2015 Author Share April 23, 2015 There where two for Finding Neverland, Matt and fetured actress for carolee carmello Yes, I know. I just didn't mention Carolee because she's not part of the " Glee" cast. Ha ha I'm sort of shocked that Kelsey Grammer didn't get a nomination. Link to comment
Pink ranger April 23, 2015 Share April 23, 2015 I honestly thought that Kelsey had the best shot of a nomination from them cast, his Captain hook is a scene stealer there is still the Tony nominations next Tuesday though. Link to comment
Sara2009 April 23, 2015 Author Share April 23, 2015 I honestly thought that Kelsey had the best shot of a nomination from them cast, his Captain hook is a scene stealer there is still the Tony nominations next Tuesday though. I did too. The Kelli O'Hara snub is the biggest shock, though. Link to comment
fakeempress April 23, 2015 Share April 23, 2015 Does anyone know why quite a number of performers who are or started on Broadway, go by their three names - is it some sort of tradition or just idiosyncrasy? Link to comment
caracas1914 April 23, 2015 Share April 23, 2015 Great news for Matt, it certainly makes me rethink of his having a better shot at a Tony Nom (not jinxing him I swear!) though the snub of Kelli makes me rethink everything. Link to comment
caracas1914 April 23, 2015 Share April 23, 2015 Lea's charcter in Scream Queens: First Look: Lea Michele gets dramatic transformation for Scream Queens Scream Queens follows a sorority, which includes Michele’s character, being stalked by a vicious killer. “Her name is Hester,” reveals Murphy. “She plays a girl with scoliosis and a neckbrace, whose nickname is Neckbrace—Emma’s character just calls her “Neckbrace.” It’s a real Eve Harrington part for Lea. This girl wants everything Chanel (Emma Roberts) has and will do anything to get it. Lea calls it her Charlize Theron Monster moment. We won’t let her put on any make up and she wears these horrible 1995 tracksuits. But there’s a great turn that happens half-way through the season with that character.” Roberts says Michele is nailing the new role. “I can’t look at Lea in a scene because she makes me laugh,” admits Roberts. “She’s so funny. We’ll be doing a scene where I’ll be giving everyone my death glare and I’ll have to skip Lea because I’ll start cracking up. It’s been really fun to work with her because I was such a fan of Glee. Her and I have really hit it off.” 1 Link to comment
dizzyizzy01 April 23, 2015 Share April 23, 2015 OMG that's pretty awesome. Different character for sure. The show actually sounds pretty fun. It sounds ridiculous and campy with hopefully no shoe-horned PSAs, Everything a RM show should be. 1 Link to comment
jaytee1812 April 23, 2015 Share April 23, 2015 Sounds like dem bitches be crazy. All I would expect from an RM show! Link to comment
Danielle87 April 24, 2015 Share April 24, 2015 Ugh, I knew Lea would suck me into watching this show. I don't wanna though! Link to comment
tom87 April 24, 2015 Share April 24, 2015 (edited) OMG that's pretty awesome. Different character for sure. The show actually sounds pretty fun. It sounds ridiculous and campy with hopefully no shoe-horned PSAs, Everything a RM show should be. My hope he keeps it that way. Dark, campy fun and not try to do much more than that. The Eve Harrington stuff better be true this time. Edited April 24, 2015 by tom87 Link to comment
phoenixrising April 24, 2015 Share April 24, 2015 Based on his track record, just don't watch past season 2, max. 2 Link to comment
AndySmith April 24, 2015 Share April 24, 2015 (edited) Yeah, but isn't Scream Queens going to be an anthology series like AHS? If it gets rebooted every season, you don't have to worry about that. Ok, I checked, and it isn't quite the same as AHS. Some characters and continuity will crossover from season to season, which, Ryan, noooo! You are not friends with continuity and long term character development. Edited April 24, 2015 by AndySmith Link to comment
tom87 April 24, 2015 Share April 24, 2015 Yeah, but isn't Scream Queens going to be an anthology series like AHS? If it gets rebooted every season, you don't have to worry about that. Ok, I checked, and it isn't quite the same as AHS. Some characters and continuity will crossover from season to season, which, Ryan, noooo! You are not friends with continuity and long term character development. Yeah doesn't make sense tbh, since the anthology actually works for him. Ryan's quote So will each season be a different conceit like American Horror Story?It’s different than Horror Story. Jamie Lee and I were talking about that in horror movies, particularly in that era, there was always the last girl, the final girl. So we’re playing with that. Whoever survives—and there will be people who will survive—they will go on next season to a new location and a new terror. Unlike Horror Story, which completely reboots, this has some of the continuity in that some of the characters and some of the relationships continue into a new world. He does say they are "playing with that". So who knows if it will actually happen that way. Link to comment
AndySmith April 24, 2015 Share April 24, 2015 (edited) I see "playing with that" as meaning, more than one girl could survive at the end (maybe not the innocent virgin/girl who doesn't have as much sexual experience as the others, she she is the one who usually survives by the end in these types of movies), but so could some of the guys, or even the villain. Either way, Ryan really should stick to anthologies that are complete reboots every season. Otherwise, we could end up with the same mess Glee and Nip/Tuck ended up becoming. Edited April 24, 2015 by AndySmith Link to comment
jaytee1812 April 24, 2015 Share April 24, 2015 Based on his track record, just don't watch past season 2, max. Has it been given a second season already? Link to comment
tom87 April 24, 2015 Share April 24, 2015 (edited) http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/race/tonys-drama-desk-award-nominations-791045?utm_source=twitter Drama Desk Awards Outstanding Actor in a MusicalBrian d'Arcy James, Something Rotten!Robert Fairchild, An American in ParisJeremy Kushnier, AtomicLin-Manuel Miranda, HamiltonMatthew Morrison, Finding NeverlandRyan Silverman, Side Show No majors for Finding Neverland, except Outstanding Featured Actress in a Musical Carolee Carmello, Finding Neverland Outstanding Actress in a MusicalKate Baldwin, John & JenKristin Chenoweth, On the Twentieth CenturyLeanne Cope, An American in ParisErin Davie, Side ShowLisa Howard, It Shoulda Been YouChita Rivera, The Visit Edited April 24, 2015 by tom87 Link to comment
indeed April 24, 2015 Share April 24, 2015 Sounds like the Scream series. A few core people survive and we follow one in particular to different places. Link to comment
fakeempress April 24, 2015 Share April 24, 2015 (edited) Dianna in an image for her play. The actor is a splitting image of McQueen. Dianna looks more intriguing than usual (I rarely like her stills because she often looks inert to me). Looks like an interesting project that I'd see if only I could be in London. Edited April 24, 2015 by fakeempress 1 Link to comment
caracas1914 April 24, 2015 Share April 24, 2015 I'm interested in seeing how successful Dianna can get carving out this post Glee body of work in different roles, as she's even getting some good personal notices now. Of course so much also is timing/ luck, getting the right role in the right project. Link to comment
phoenixrising April 24, 2015 Share April 24, 2015 Yeah, but isn't Scream Queens going to be an anthology series like AHS? If it gets rebooted every season, you don't have to worry about that. Ok, I checked, and it isn't quite the same as AHS. Some characters and continuity will crossover from season to season, which, Ryan, noooo! You are not friends with continuity and long term character development. I thought AHS seasons 3-4 got really terrible. Although the continuity isn't as big of an issue, I felt like in those two seasons he was still very ADD and couldn't focus on anything long enough for it to be interesting. Or he'd focus forever on boring stuff. Link to comment
caracas1914 April 24, 2015 Share April 24, 2015 Ryan Murphy probably has no idea how Scream Queens will end up being. For example, if a breakout character is killed during the season, do they pop up as another character in the next? American Horror Story sort of works because the shock value is rebooted every year in a new setting: , Haunted house, asylum, witches coven, freak show , and for next year a hotel.(ala Psycho). Scream Queens, which as of now seem to be veering toward black comedy/slasher series, I'd wait and see if it's easily transferable to just another setting beyond the first year. Link to comment
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