Theatre Talk: In Our Own Little Corner

[Silver Raven]

I just saw Beautiful: The Carole King Musical at the Sacramento Community Theater.

First let me say that when I was stationed in Germany, we went to see Carole in concert in Frankfurt, and she dedicated "So Far Away" to the American military members in the audience, so I've always felt a special connection her, but I just loved this.  So many great songs.  And not only does it include Carole King and Gerry Goffin songs, it also includes the songs of their friends and competitors Cynthia Weil and Barry Mann.

This production starred

Sarah Bockel as Carole King.  She had a lovely voice, and did the role justice, though it was clear she wasn't really playing the piano.

Andrew Brewer as Gerry Goffin.  He had a nice voice, though nothing special.

Cynthia Weil and Barry Mann were the comic relief in the play.

Sarah Goeke as Cynthia Weil.  She was my favorite performer of the play.  She had a great voice.

Jacob Heimer as Barry Mann.  His role is largely that of the buffoon, and he isn't expected to sing well.  In fact in one song, his horrible singing is part of the joke.  But when he rocked out to "We Gotta Get Out of This Place", he was awesome, and it was favorite performance of the show.

James Clow as Don Kirshner.  He was *HORRIBLE*.  Terrible acting.  Ugh.

The ensemble, serving as various acts of the 50s and 60s, were really good.

[dbklmt]

I saw the World Premiere 1st preview of Summer: The Donna Summer musical last night at the La Jolla Playhouse and like Come From Away which also debuted there I predict it will be transferring to Broadway the only question is in what theatre and how soon?

If you're interested in reading about what I thought here's a link to a thread that I started at Broadway World about what I saw.  I'm Wicked Fanatic in the thread.  https://www.broadwayworld.com/board/readmessage.php?thread=1105376&dt=20 

[ebk57]

So, I saw Mean Girls this past Saturday.  If you liked the movie, you should like the show.  It's pretty much the movie with songs.  The songs are fine.  Nothing memorable, but nothing awful.  The set worked well.  The cast was great, especially Kate Rockwell who played Karen, and Barrett Wilbert Weed who played Janis (I really wish I'd gone to see her in Cabaret last year at Signature).

They are re-working a bunch of it this week (poor Mr ebk will have to go in at 8am every day - he really thought once the show opened, it would be better).  I won't be going back to check it out, unless I can get in for free (ha!).  

It was a fun afternoon, but it won't set the world on fire.  At least not my world.

[aradia22]

Quote

They are re-working a bunch of it this week (poor Mr ebk will have to go in at 8am every day - he really thought once the show opened, it would be better). 

It's not frozen? I'm not quite sure how things work out of town. Will they keep reworking it throughout the run before Broadway? 

Thanks for weighing with some behind the scenes gossip. Aside from the revivals, this is the only show I feel like I have much interest in. (I saw The Band's Visit off-Broadway.) I've stopped watching those broadway.com vlogs. Maybe if I catch up, it'll psych me up to see Spongebob or something.

[ebk57]

2 minutes ago, aradia22 said:

It's not frozen? I'm not quite sure how things work out of town. Will they keep reworking it throughout the run before Broadway? 

Thanks for weighing with some behind the scenes gossip. Aside from the revivals, this is the only show I feel like I have much interest in. (I saw The Band's Visit off-Broadway.) I've stopped watching those broadway.com vlogs. Maybe if I catch up, it'll psych me up to see Spongebob or something.

Not frozen at all.  Even after the critics come on the 19th.  That's what out of town tryouts are for.  Trying out and fixing stuff.  

They need to cut at least 15-20 minutes from the show.  It's 2:45 right now and that's looooong... I'd vote first for cutting the song Regina's mom sings.  Kerry Butler is wonderful, but the song isn't needed, doesn't advance any plot, and was probably just written for her because she's wonderful.  

 

We've had a bunch of shows in productions at the theatre over my long career.  It's always been fascinating to me to see them take shape - what's cut and what stays.  Sometimes I disagreed with what was cut (a particular scene in Amadeus comes to mind), but that's why I'm not a director.  I obviously have no clue.

[aradia22]

That's crazy to me. I don't like to go in previews (even though that's sometimes when there's the best availability, discounts, etc.) because I want to see the version of the show that will be official after it's frozen and I like to think the actors have warmed up to their parts and refined their performances. I'd be curious to see how a show evolves but if it was going to be my one and only memory and if I was paying full price (or thereabouts) I'd want to see the show as it was going to be.

[Qoass]

Forgive me if this is too off the beaten path but I went to see a filmed version of Hello Again last night at my local movie theatre. I had no idea what it was about but was interested because Martha Plimpton and Sam Underwood were in it. I was surprised to see Rumer Willis singing away and not entirely awful. Does anybody know if this was a one-off for her or if she's actually active in musical theatre?

[aradia22]

@Qoass Like many "celebrities" with questionable musical ability, she did Chicago on Broadway.

[ElectricBoogaloo]

Ari’el Stachel discusses The Band's Visit on Build:

 

In this clip, he talks about how seeing In the Heights and meeting Chris Jackson inspired him:

[ElectricBoogaloo]

Ito Aghayere discusses her new Broadway show Junk:

 

Jonathan Groff said that his portrayal of King George III in Hamilton was inspired by Barbra Streisand:

Edited November 14, 2017 by ElectricBoogaloo

[ElectricBoogaloo]

Thomas Schumacher discusses The Lion King and its 20th anniversary. He also talks about his favorite Disney movies that he's worked on.

[Rinaldo]

A quick tip to and from NYC yesterday, to catch two seldom-produced plays that are closing soon:

Matinee, Torch Song at Second Stage. Harvey Fierstein has revised his former Trilogy (originally three one-act off-Broadway plays) lightly trimming throughout so that it now plays in two acts (the first two plays joined before intermission) and plays around two and a half hours instead of the former four. (Directed by Moises Kaufman.) It's interesting to see how how its original in-your-face outspokenness now plays like episodes of a sitcom. Which speaks both to Fierstein's foresight, I guess, and to all that has happened since 1982. The funny lines (and there are a ton of them) remain funny, and Michael Urie proves surprisingly successful in a role written for that very specific voice and manner (Urie does adopt a hint of the now-familiar nasal drawl; I think it's inevitable). The rest of the cast comes across well too, though I'm still making up my mind about Mercedes Ruehl as Ma. It's a piece of history that on occasion still has something to say.

Evening, Time and the Conways, Roundabout at the American Airlines Theatre. A year ago I bought a second-hand book collection of J.B. Priestley's six favorites among his own plays. Of them, An Inspector Calls still turns up from time to time, and I've always had a fondness for Dangerous Corner (I've seen film and video versions, still hope to catch it onstage someday). But I never ever thought I'd see Time and the Conways -- it seemed such a relic of a long-distant theatrical style (the comedy of manners showing us a provincial well-off English family, first at a party right after WWI, then jumping 20 years into the future to see how depressingly everything turned out for them, then resuming the earlier party). It's reminiscent of Merrily We Roll Along in overall intent, but in a social milieu that itself seems dauntingly hard to understand now. Still, here it is, beautifully cast (Rebecca Taichman, director) and designed (by Neil Patel and Paloma Young), adding a technical coup de theatre that isn't even in the script. The eventual anger and disappointment do come across effectively, with Elizabeth McGovern splendid in some of the best outbursts of rage, and the sense that so much promise came to nothing is one that I generally find affecting. I very much enjoyed the work of Steven Boyer (the epitome of what the British wincingly call "that dreadful little man"), Anna Camp, Gabriel Ebert, and Alfredo Narciso.

[aradia22]

Happy to hear your thoughts on Time and the Conways @Rinaldo

I saw it as well but I don't post about what I'm seeing as often here anymore. I thought the beginning was a bit tedious but the acting after the time jump was incredible. There was something a bit stilted and artificial about the performances early on but after the time jump it was almost like watching a TV show (more like a soap opera) where the actors had years to live with their characters and figure out who they were. Or perhaps some of them were just better at playing the older versions of their characters. The design was very effective for me. I didn't love the "past" timeline costumes but the "future" timeline costumes were gorgeous. I wasn't entirely sold on Elizabeth McGovern's portrayal of that character. But I loved Charlotte (Kay) and Gabriel Ebert (Alan). The actress who played Madge was also quite good. I feel like maybe picking up one of those books myself because I think some of what was being communicated about gender, socialism, class, etc. was a lost on me with the pacing of the play. I think it communicates its central point about time and how you should live your life well (at least by the end) but there are things being discussed throughout that don't resonate as much because they aren't the main focus. 

Did you get to see Brigadoon? I did. Recognizing all the small weaknesses and tweaks that you would probably make before a full-scale production, I thought it was marvelous. Everyone sang beautifully, the performances were surprisingly well-realized and given the rehearsal period, that was some smart and impressive choreography. I know it is a dance-heavy show but I did get a little bored after Come to Me, Bend to Me when Jean and her friends have that long ballet. That was one dance break too many for me. But again, otherwise wonderful. And I'm glad I was able to see it once with this talent because in spite of some lovely music, it is really like knock off Oklahoma and I think particularly in this political environment, its message doesn't read well. 

Edited November 19, 2017 by aradia22

[Silver Raven]

1 hour ago, Rinaldo said:

Matinee, Torch Song at Second Stage. Harvey Fierstein has revised his former Trilogy (originally three one-act off-Broadway plays) lightly trimming throughout so that it now plays in two acts (the first two plays joined before intermission) and plays around two and a half hours instead of the former four. (Directed by Moises Kaufman.) It's interesting to see how how its original in-your-face outspokenness now plays like episodes of a sitcom. Which speaks both to Fierstein's foresight, I guess, and to all that has happened since 1982. The funny lines (and there are a ton of them) remain funny, and Michael Urie proves surprisingly successful in a role written for that very specific voice and manner (Urie does adopt a hint of the now-familiar nasal drawl; I think it's inevitable). The rest of the cast comes across well too, though I'm still making up my mind about Mercedes Ruehl as Ma. It's a piece of history that on occasion still has something to say.

Is it set in modern times or is it played as a period piece?

The upcoming movie The Greatest Showman, starring Hugh Jackman, is a musical about  P T Barnum, with music by Pasek and Paul.

Edited November 19, 2017 by Silver Raven

[Rinaldo]

8 hours ago, Silver Raven said:

Is it set in modern times or is it played as a period piece?

Oh, definitely in period. That's really the only way it makes sense, and we see the title of each play and its year in neon behind the actors.

[annzeepark914]

We just saw Book of Mormon at the Kennedy Center (I'm sure you've all discussed it way back in this thread).  My husband thoroughly enjoyed it.  I disliked it...especially the lyrics to one song (re: raping babies so we don't get AIDS).  I did like the dancing and altho' the songs weren't memorable, IMO, the casts' voices were great.  

[Milburn Stone]

4 hours ago, annzeepark914 said:

We just saw Book of Mormon at the Kennedy Center (I'm sure you've all discussed it way back in this thread).  My husband thoroughly enjoyed it.  I disliked it...especially the lyrics to one song (re: raping babies so we don't get AIDS).  I did like the dancing and altho' the songs weren't memorable, IMO, the casts' voices were great.  

I felt like there wasn't much to it. Took me on a journey from "some people's beliefs and customs are ridiculous" to "all people's beliefs and customs are valid." Yeah, thanks, Sherlock.

[aradia22]

I saw Thais at the Met opera tonight. Ailyn Perez played Thais. I don't know the score and I've never heard someone sing it to compare. I would say her acting was fine (by opera standards) and she sang very well but it didn't give me the thrill of seeing Diana Damrau or Anna Netrebko or anyone else where even as a neophyte I could feel "this is special." That said, she was BY FAR the best part of the production.

The baritone who was supposed to be playing the role was out and while his replacement was relatively attractive (as best as I could tell up in the balcony) and sang all the notes, the best way I can describe his approaching to singing the score is "blaring." He had some nice moments, notably the duet in the oasis before they get to the convent. But yeah, I wasn't really feeling it. The color palette in the Alexandria scenes was pretty but I can't for the life of me figure out what they were going for with the set design and costume design in general. It was... not good and yet it required them to pause and change over the set WAY TOO MANY TIMES. Basically, every time they changed locations in the story. 

As for the show itself apart from the strengths and weaknesses of this production, I did enjoy it for the most part. I think the music is a little... obvious. But the violin solo was very pretty. That's the one piece of music I might listen to (any recommendations for good recordings are appreciated). I enjoyed the duet between Thais and her tenor lover. Basically anything with Ailyn wasn't too bad (including her aria alone in her room and the oasis scene later) but nothing stuck with me like arias from Les Contes d'Hoffmann or Madama Butterfly. Even though I just accused it of being obvious, I did find parts of it more complicated in an interesting way. For instance, while there are romantic baritones in classic musical theater there don't tend to be a lot of them in the operas I've seen so it was interesting to have that character be our presumed "hero." Also, while the show is critical of Thais, she often has the best/most enjoyable music and Athanael's music often feels stormy and threatening. I also appreciated the use of "romantic" music (particularly duets) as a way of manipulating the audience's emotions. I kept thinking that it would be interesting to see Sondheim or Jason Robert Brown do a twist on the Thais story except I already know it would be wildly unsuccessful because it's problematic source material. But I just feel like it needed that extra depth and maybe some slightly prettier music. Storywise, I liked it better than Salome because there's less misogyny and there's a nice chiasmus with Thais and Athanael. But it feels a little jumbled/cobbled together. In this production there's a belly dancer and a separate soprano who accompanies the two servants. God only knows what that part was for. And while I appreciated the gray areas, I don't think the creators had a great grasp of what they were trying to say about the characters. Everything was softened where Athanael wasn't so much of an evil hypocrite (think Frollo from Hunchback of Notre Dame) and Thais wasn't much of a seductress (they skip to the saint part very quickly) and it's not even that problematic that you end up feeling less. Sure, Salome annoyed me a lot more but the parts that worked really worked. 

[Silver Raven]

Raúl Esparza, Ramin Karimloo, Ruthie Ann Miles, and Karen Olivo Set for New Chess at Kennedy Center

http://www.playbill.com/article/raul-esparza-ramin-karimloo-ruthie-ann-miles-and-karen-olivo-set-for-new-chess-at-kennedy-center

It better include "Anthem", "One Night in Bangkok" and "I Know Him So Well"

[ElectricBoogaloo]

Sara Bareilles is returning to Waitress 

[Silver Raven]

Justin Huff, a senior Broadway casting director at lead talent agency Telsey + Company, has been terminated from his position over reports of sexual misconduct.

https://www.broadwayworld.com/article/Broadway-Casting-Director-Terminated-Over-Sexual-Misconduct-Allegations-20171130

[aradia22]

Is it just me or is there a lot of Russia stuff lately? Maybe there's always been a lot of Russia stuff and I'm just more aware of it right now but it feels like there's a lot of Russia stuff in the theater world right now. Great Comet, Fiddler on the Roof, Anastasia, Beardo... Those are the obvious ones but I feel like it's come up in small ways in other shows like Assassins. 

I saw Describe the Night tonight. No idea if it will change any more in previews. It's not perfect but it's quite good. I won't say the writing is weak but some of the actors (especially Tina Benko and Danny Burstein) make up for the weaknesses of the material. Apparently it's been performed before and out there for a few years now before this production at the Atlantic. I feel like it touches on interesting points but it hasn't really honed its message yet, particularly when it comes to the present day (2010) parts of the story. You could argue that it's historical fiction but I think its closest relative is Slaughterhouse 5. (No spoilers but it seemed pretty clear to me when they brought up Dresden.) For those of you not near the city, I don't think it's worth the trip but I think it's perfectly enjoyable if you do happen to catch it. A little bit obvious both in its argument and in how much all the pieces fit (no loose ends) but there are moments of poetry and eloquence as well. 

Perhaps it helps that I saw The Portuguese Kid the day before and that was mostly bad. Mary Testa was funny but that play was a mess and it 100% didn't need to be such a mess. 

[Silver Raven]

Lea Salonga just tweeted this: "I have a feeling the world of Broadway is going to be rocked to its foundations. We'd better wear our seatbelts for the next few days."

Edited December 1, 2017 by Silver Raven

[ElectricBoogaloo]

Adam Pascal sings One Song Glory after Something Rotten! show in LA

[bosawks]

I got tickets to take the nephews to SpongeBob next week with my mom and I have to say the reviews have me really intrigued.

This was a complete "take one for the team" purchase and now I'm actually looking forward to seeing the show as opposed to just looking forward to the day in the city with the family.

[aradia22]

Let us know what you think @bosawks

[bosawks]

1 hour ago, aradia22 said:

Let us know what you think @bosawks

Will do!

[ElectricBoogaloo]

John Magaro discusses Illyria on Build:

[ElectricBoogaloo]

Leslie Odom, Jr. discusses his new Christmas album, Hamilton, being a new dad:

[aradia22]

I might have more to say at a later date but since it takes me forever to write reviews lately...

Junk... Pretty good. I feel like it was successful in communicating its points but maybe not the most successful play. But it was engaging enough in the moment that it never lost me. I wouldn't tell anyone to run to see it (though getting tickets might not be difficult given how poorly it was sold... the loge was pretty empty as well as the back rows). I didn't have any difficulty following the financial elements. I got all the arguments being made about manufacturing, the false narrative of American exceptionalism, greed, race/prejudice, etc. but I can't really say I found the characters or the story that compelling. It was a vehicle to hang all those elements on. And honestly, things got a little too heavy-handed in act 2. It went from subtly (and we can debate the subtlety of referring to a Jewish character as Shylock) implying prejudice to lampshading it (so you didn't miss the reference) to later outright using a bunch of racial slurs to hammer home the implied racism of one of the teams. Act 2 also indulged in more dramatics than act 1, the typical shouty "acting" moments... though I can't imagine this play being remembered around Tony time. 

Who's Holiday... I wonder how you'd feel about this one if you don't love Lesli Margherita. If you hear the premise and you're in, I think you'd enjoy it. The majority of the show is rhymed and for the most part it works. There's an awkward line here and there but it's surprisingly well done. She gets 3 songs. A not very good original rap, Blue Christmas, and Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas. But it's more of a play than a musical event. There's minor audience interaction (one person gets singled out) but it's more about working the crowd. They basically hit every curse word in the book (not including the racial slurs). The message isn't that compelling but I guess if you're willing to go with it... it's better than these things usually are. I mean, it's trying to actually tell a story, it's not all bawdy jokes and cheap humor. But I don't know how much a general audience cares about this fanfiction about Cindy Lou Who's life after she met the Grinch. Lesli has had better showcases for her talent but it does allow her to show off things like her wacky voices and I think she does manage to capture an essential sweetness that never makes the show feel too crass. There's drinking and drug use but its very mild. The show does go through a lot of tonal shifts into sadness and sentimentality and I think that's where it differs from other shows that are more one-note in their jokes and goals. The set and costuming is fantastic for a small show like this. I think it stumbled a bit in trying to make real-world analogies but if you can put aside any sensitivity to language, etc. it's a pretty inoffensive show. It's a good-natured bawdiness, it's not mean-spirited or carelessly offensive. I do think a large part of that is Lesli's delivery. Spoilers for the plot...

Spoiler

Cindy is in her trailer waiting for her Christmas party guests. Over the course of the night everyone cancels on her one by one. After the events of "How the Grinch Stole Christmas" she made friends with the Grinch. When she was 18, they had sex and eventually engaged in a romantic relationship that resulted in a pregnancy. He proposed marriage. Her parents locked her in her room and set up a marriage with someone else. She was going to marry that guy but ending up leaving him at the altar and marrying the Grinch instead. She lived with him in his cave, which she fixed up, but he was a slob without a job. Because of the prejudice in Whoville, she could only get a job at the circus owned by her ex-fiance. She had a daughter named Patty but they were barely making ends meet. One night the Grinch forgot to bring Max the dog inside so he froze to death. Cindy tried to revive him but ended up cooking and serving him. When the Grinch realized what he was eating, he came after her with a rock but she stepped aside so he fell down the mountain. She was charged with his murder and sentenced to jail time. At the time of the play, she's just recently gotten out on parole. The play ends with her deciding that the audience are her friends and then her being surprised with Patty showing up at her trailer. We never see Patty because the stage goes dark. 

There's a joke about Patty starring in the tour of Wicked. There are some theater jokes sprinkled in. The conceit doesn't totally make sense. There's acknowledgement that this is a show and yet the relationship with the audience is kind of nebulous.

They try to map diversity/prejudice issues onto her relationship with the Grinch and you can see where the analogy gets awkward. There's no pretending he's normal. She refers to him as a monster, beast, etc. It also ends on a weird note given all of that about how she made the wrong choice choosing him and sometimes a Grinch will never change. Ultimately it's less about any of that and more about staying hopeful.

Side note: Do you ever feel like there are plays that are enjoyable in the moment and plays that stick with you after? And maybe that's okay? I feel like lately there are a lot of plays (including musicals) that I enjoy while I'm watching them but then I quickly forget about what happened and/or I don't really feel inclined to debate or mull over anything the play was saying afterwards. The best plays of course do both but then there are also plays I didn't think much of in the moment but they had something interesting to say that gives me something to think about after the play is over. 

[Silver Raven]

Jesus Christ Superstar Live will be broadcast on NBC on April 1, Easter Sunday.  The only casting I've heard so far is Alice Cooper as King Herod.

[aradia22]

Saw Once on This Island (matinee). Quick thoughts. Phillip Boykin was replaced by Oliver T. Reid and Lea Salonga was also out. I thought Reid was wonderful. I can't imagine Boykin being much better. I did miss Lea a little but Urzulie isn't a huge role. I feel like the gender swap of the two roles gives a camp feel (in the original sense). It's not very motivated but Newell brings a drag queen sass (complete with fan) to Asaka and Dandridge brings a diva quality to Papa Ge (like Maleficent with a touch of Elphaba). I think they both sound great and she has some nice moments with her lower register. I do think they changed her parts slightly to fit her voice and it detracted from Papa Ge ever so slightly to hear it in a higher range (and possibly a different melody for a few phrases?) I realized just how much this show is in my bones. I probably couldn't sing the whole thing for you if you put me on the spot but I instantly recognized all of the songs and the beats like it hasn't been over 10 years since I performed it. Generally I'd say they made the smart choice to cast a lot of vocally strong veteran actors and performers around their younger cast members. Young Timoune is more child than child actor. Hailey is a very competent Timoune but they opted to cast someone with a very youthful energy over perhaps better singers. She's not bad but there are better singers and actresses her age. I will say she sounds better live than in any of the recordings or videos I've seen. No strain, she just has a particular voice (not that same contemporary musical theater sound). Alex sings the hell out of his song but he doesn't dig very deep emotionally. Isaac as Daniel doesn't have a lot to do but he does it well and he mostly pulls off his accent. I also liked the Andrea. 

MVP... Kenita Miller. Quickly becoming a big fan. Mostly loved Dandridge as Papa Ge. Quentin Earl Darrington sounded great as Agwe. I actually cared about Agwe. 

Without going into it all, in some ways the production isn't particularly exciting or innovative but I think it's very well done. A lot of smart choices. A lot of choices that feel simple but are powerful and thoughtful in context. Timoune is a tougher character than I remember. That is, she doesn't have the easy likability of a Disney princess or something. She's individualistic and in her pursuit of Daniel she's ungrateful to her adoptive parents. I think Hailey's performance + the material ends up making the apparatus around the story more compelling than the romance. In this production the storytellers and the community and those lessons feel more important than anything between Timoune and Daniel. 

It was also great to see a diverse range of body types. 

[aradia22]

I saw The Mad Ones today. It's very good. And with changes I could see it being a phenomenon like Dear Evan Hansen. But... it didn't quite come together for me. It was an odd experience. The cast of 4 is incredibly talented and they each have at least one moment to show that off (well, more so for the women). Their voices are killer. But... there's something off. It's a combination of directorial choices, a weak set design and weak choreography, and just... I don't know how else to describe it right now except that it felt like watching a reading or a concert of a concept album instead of a show. It was like each song was being presented discretely as a new opportunity for the characters to win you over. And I can totally see how hearing the songs or even seeing them performed out of context, you would think this show is incredible and want to see it staged. The mom has a vocally brilliant moment that channels Alice Ripley in Next to Normal. One girl has the pipes you'd expect from a former Elphaba and the lead is no slouch either. And even though he's a bit too old for his co-star, Jay Armstrong Johnson is adorable as Adam. But because everything is so sparse, you have to focus on the actors. I don't know if it's choreography or direction to blame but especially in the beginning they feel very stiff. There's a gray area where it's impossible to tell if an actor is uncomfortable and timid or if the character is shy, withdrawn, emotionally closed off, awkward, etc. They didn't lean far enough into portraying anything so it just felt like the actors were stiff and hadn't been given enough direction about how to move their bodies. That improved as the show moved into more exuberant and more dramatic and emotional moments but the damage was done for me. There are also bits of awkwardness throughout. It's hard to critique without a script or cast album in front of me (another problem is it went winging out of my head almost as soon as I stepped out of the theater) but it felt too much like discrete songs. They weren't gelling as a whole to tell a complete story. It wasn't wildly incongruous, just ever so slightly off in every song, like they were more devoted to making each song stand out than using those songs to aid the project of telling the story. 

This is more speculation/opinion than spoiler but...

Spoiler

Towards the middle I started to feel like the story would be stronger if Sam and Kelly were a little in love with each other or if Sam was at least a little in love with Kelly. I'm not saying it should have been entirely about her struggling with her sexuality... she could have been bisexual and in love with Adam but also idolizing Kelly a little the way you do with someone unattainable. Without that the show feels disconnected. Again, it's not messy but there are too many pieces that don't quite fit. 

I get a show that is a whole big mess. The Mad Ones isn't that. It's almost too clean. I see the little things that don't work a bit too clearly because in some ways the show seems too scared to take a big risk and fail. It doesn't feel wild and passionate and mad and reckless. It feels careful and engineered and crafted but not in a positive way. It's like a project to write good contemporary musical theater songs without the thoughtfulness of telling a meaningful, specific story. It also kind of rushes by without giving you much time to breathe. 

[aradia22]

https://www.broadwayworld.com/article/Corey-Cott-Solea-Pfeiffer-and-More-to-Join-National-Symphony-Orchestra-for-WEST-SIDE-STORY-in-Concert-20171211

If someone checks this out, please report back. I have no interest in the leads but I'm curious about Ana as Anita and Joel as Bernardo.

[ElectricBoogaloo]

On 12/11/2017 at 2:31 PM, aradia22 said:

https://www.broadwayworld.com/article/Corey-Cott-Solea-Pfeiffer-and-More-to-Join-National-Symphony-Orchestra-for-WEST-SIDE-STORY-in-Concert-20171211

If someone checks this out, please report back. I have no interest in the leads but I'm curious about Ana as Anita and Joel as Bernardo.

Solea performed the same role last year at the Hollywood Bowl before she was cast as Eliza in the Hamilton tour. I just saw Ephraim in Ain't Too Proud a few months ago.

[ElectricBoogaloo]

Noah Galvin & Steven Levenson discuss Dear Evan Hansen

Lesli Margherita, Matthew Lombardo & Carl Andress Cha discuss Who's Holiday

Laura Benanti discusses Meteor Shower and joining the cast of The Detour

School of Rock cast

 

Beanie Feldstein talks about how her role in Lady Bird got her Broadway debut in Hello, Dolly!

 

Aasif Mandvi discusses Brigadoon and his tv show Shut Eye

Edited December 13, 2017 by ElectricBoogaloo

[ElectricBoogaloo]

Kristin Chenoweth to star in musical version of Death Becomes Her

[DisneyBoy]

That could end up being really cool but it could also be a big dud. I suppose that goes without saying, LOL, but the movie is just so good on its own that I don't know if there's really room to improve it. The thing with Legally Blonde being such a great musical on-stage (although opinions may vary there) is that the story was fine but kind of unremarkable. You could paint added depth into the characters. I kind of feel like Death Becomes Her says all there is to say in a wonderfully campy fast-paced  special effects-filled package. Taking it to the stage is probably going to mean losing the wonderful falling down the stairs scenes that could only be accomplished with special effects or the scenes where the actresses have holes in their bodies or reversed necks. If you lose that kind of stuff you better know how to compensate with not only visual gags but really compelling characterizations. I have no doubt that they could make the leading ladies more well-rounded, but considering the story is basically a big cat fight will it even matter? They're supposed to be a little superficial, aren't they?

I also think that Kristin Chenoweth might be too on the nose for this. I didn't really like what I saw her in On The 20th Century and think her comedic chops need to be used very carefully because otherwise she can come off hokey. Plus, she's also an actress of a certain age who's had a little work done and I almost don't want to see her playing a role that has that kind of meta commentary built into it. She's got an incredible voice and really warm personality and Lord knows she has a lot of fans...but maybe this might be a misstep for her? I'm totally jumping the gun here but to be honest I was more excited that they were thinking of doing a musical adaptation then I am about her being involved in it.

If it happens and she's awesome...in it all the better.

 

I'm really disappointed War Paint closed so quickly. I realize it ran for a long time but I guess some part of me was hoping to see it later this month. If anybody knows of some bootlegs made of the show, particularly with understudies, send me a private message please!

Is it wrong that I'm really hoping the Frozen musical crashes and burns? I know it probably won't but I just don't feel like dealing with more of that terrible movie. I haven't even seen Aladdin yet, and I really love that film. I guess I'm just burned out on the idea of Disney doing musical adaptations for Broadway. I guess I'm just sick of Disney regurgitating its hits! Probably the only thing that they're working on now that I have any interest in is the live-action Mulan. I'm a huge Disney fan, but even I have my limits.

 

Does anybody know why the cast recording of The Mystery of Edwin Drood is so hard to come by online for free? Maybe it's a regional blocker thing, but I can't seem to find the original recording of the song The Writing on the Wall on YT or elsewhere without buying an iTunes download. Why is that?

Edited December 15, 2017 by DisneyBoy

[ElectricBoogaloo]

Cast for the second national tour of Hamilton announced (and Hamilton now has its first South Asian actress in a lead role and its first Asian actor in a lead role!)

Also of note: cast changes for the first national tour:

Michael Luwoye (Hamilton) is leaving the tour to take over the role from Javier Muñoz on Broadway. His first show on Broadway will be January 16.

Joshua Henry (Aaron Burr) is leaving the tour for the Carousel revival on Broadway starring Jessie Mueller and Renée Fleming. Previews begin on February 28. 

Jordan Donica (Lafayette/Jefferson) is leaving the tour for the My Fair Lady revival on Broadway starring Lauren Ambrose (Eliza), Henry Hadden-Paton (Professor Higgins), Diana Rigg (Mrs. Higgins), Norbert Leo Butz (Alfred Doolittle), and Linda Mugleston (Mrs. Pearce). Jordan will be playing Freddy. Previews begin on March 15.

I felt a little sheepish because I saw the first national tour in San Francisco earlier this year and then bought tickets to see them again in San Diego. Since Solea Pfeiffer (Eliza) will also be missing some shows due to her West Side Story performances at the Kennedy Center (see above), it’s possible that I will be seeing four of the main characters with different actors so it will be a completely different show! Now I feel a lot more justified in seeing the show again.

And in other Hamilton news, the first song in the Hamildrops series (Ben Franklin's Song recorded by The Decemberists) has been released:

Edited December 15, 2017 by ElectricBoogaloo

[ElectricBoogaloo]

1 hour ago, DisneyBoy said:

Is it wrong that I'm really hoping the Frozen musical crashes and burns? I know it probably won't but I just don't feel like dealing with more of that terrible movie. I haven't even seen Aladdin yet, and I really love that film. I guess I'm just burned out on the idea of Disney doing musical adaptations for Broadway. I guess I'm just sick of Disney regurgitating its hits! Probably the only thing that they're working on now that I have any interest in is the live-action Mulan. I'm a huge Disney fan, but even I have my limits.

Part of me wouldn't be disappointed if Frozen didn't do well on Broadway. I'm actually very neutral on the movie. I didn't hate it and I didn't love it. I enjoyed it when I watched it, I liked some of the songs, and there were some really beautiful visual effects, but it wasn't a Disney movie that made me think I must watch this movie again repeatedly. I don't have kids so I didn't really have to deal with hearing "Let It Go" all day every day like a lot of parents did, so I don't hate that song either. I don't actively dislike Frozen itself so I'm not rooting for the musical to fail because I hate the movie.

But I do agree that Disney is going to the same well and milking each movie for everything it's worth. We've already had Beauty and the Beast as an animated film, a Broadway musical, and a live action movie, and they're doing the same for The Little Mermaid, Aladdin, and The Lion King. How many iterations of the same movie can they do? And that's why I would be okay with Frozen not doing well on Broadway.

Like you, the live Mulan movie is the only one that I'm really interested in. Considering how much more effort has been put into cultural research for recent animated movies (Coco and Moana), I wonder if that will bring about any changes, however small or large, to the new version. I still haven't watched the Emma Watson version of Beauty and the Beast even though it keeps popping up on my Netflix home page. I don't know why I'm so reluctant to watch it. Probably because I liked the original movie so I didn't see any reason to remake it as a live action movie. I like Emma Watson as a human being, but I saw a clip of her singing and it wasn't as bad as, say, some of the non-Broadway actors who were cast in the movie version of Les Mis, but I wasn't impressed.

I saw the national tour of Aladdin with Adam Jacobs and to me it was like sugar filled empty calories in that it was great while I was taking it all in but it didn't stick with me afterward. The sets were beautiful, as were the lights and the costumes, so I enjoyed the experience in the moment but afterward I didn't think ooh, I must immediately get the cast recording or find bootleg videos on youtube. For the record, one thing that SUCKED about the performance I saw was that they couldn't get the magic carpet to work so they sang "A Whole New World" while sitting on a bench. That was really disappointing since everyone says it's the best moment in the show. Aladdin is one of my favorite Disney movies so I really wanted to love the show. I set my alarm to buy these tickets months in advance and I even paid for the fancy seats (seventh row!) so I was expecting to be blown away. I didn't hate it, but I really thought that I was going to come out of the theater with hearts shooting out of my eyes and instead my reaction was, "It was good."

Anyway, I just feel like these reboots are a combination of laziness and cashing in because it's easier to let the money keep rolling in for different versions of the same story instead of coming up with new ideas.

[bosawks]

I have returned from SpongeBob with the nephews and my mom and I have to say it was entertaining and the time flew by.

This "review" might be colored by the fact I was with the boys in the city for their Christmas present and my mom and I were already a few champagne cocktails and an eggnog cookie from Schmackery's for the better.

That being said I felt there was a real story there, almost too much of one, some plot points seem to fizzle and much more of a cohesiveness in the music and book than I expected.  The stage design was excellent and not as overwhelmingly overwhelming as I was fearing.  And I can't say enough about the cast, I've been burnt before seeing shows aimed at a younger demographic where it feels like some of the cast is coasting on the costumes, stage design and familiarity to do most of the heavy lifting, not this cast.  They were giving it their all and looked like they were having a blast doing it.  

There was a political/topical bent to it but for the kids the message played more as things will work out if we try and all stick together.  For the theatre fans they threw in some homages to Hamilton/Fiddler/Chorus Line.  All and all I agree with the reviews it really was a delight filled with equal parts silliness and joy.

[DisneyBoy]

Quote

I just feel like these reboots are a combination of laziness and cashing in because it's easier to let the money keep rolling in for different versions of the same story instead of coming up with new ideas.

And you can't really blame them there either - people will show up for each of these shows because they know what they're getting more or less.

Quote

Like you, the live Mulan movie is the only one that I'm really interested in. Considering how much more effort has been put into cultural research for recent animated movies (Coco and Moana), I wonder if that will bring about any changes, however small or large, to the new version.

Ditto. Will they keep the Eddie Murphy-trying-to-do-Robin-Williams aspect or go another direction? Will they lean more into the questions of gender identity posed by the heroine feeling more comfortable as a "man"? There's lots there to play with.

[Charlie Baker]

I was very indifferent towards Encores' upcoming Hey, Look Me Over! but the casting of these ladies just might get me interested:

Judy Kuhn, Bebe Neuwirth, Vanessa WIlliams, Carolee Carmelllo

[aradia22]

Oh my God... a musical version of Death Becomes Her? I'm in. If they do it right, I'm so in. That movie is amazing and I will fight anyone who says otherwise. I'm not sure about Chenoweth. I was thinking of someone a little sultrier, or at least a more traditional belter (alto/mezzo). And taller.

Quote

I saw the national tour of Aladdin with Adam Jacobs and to me it was like sugar filled empty calories in that it was great while I was taking it all in but it didn't stick with me afterward.

This is what I was trying to bring up earlier in the thread. I don't know if there's terminology for this but I don't think it's necessarily a bad thing for a show to be entertaining/compelling in the moment but not linger too much afterwards. You're paying for 2 (more or less) hours of enjoyment. Everything else is just a bonus.

I loved Frozen when I first saw it. I didn't think it was perfect but I thought it was very strong in a lot of ways and it made me cry. (Not the most difficult thing but I put some stock in which movies/shows/etc. can make me cry and which can't.) Then I got just so hammered with all the Frozen haters that now I find it hard to enjoy it. But I saw the little special they did (I think it was playing in front of Coco but they also aired it on TV) and it was pleasant. The songs weren't great but again, it made me tear up at the end. It does reinforce that the characterization in the original movie isn't that strong. In the special you're reminded that Kristoff is a bit of a weirdo and an idiot. When Olaf says something like "you're a princess, you don't have to settle" I was agreeing with him. I admire some of the colorblind casting for the stage musical but what I've heard of the set and story adaptation seems disappointing and I do not like a lot of the main casting choices (most of the colorblind casting is standbys/understudies, etc.). 

@bosawks Glad you enjoyed Spongebob. I think it might not be for me but the cast certainly looks enthusiastic. I think it might just skew a bit too young. Can you comment any more about the music? I'm curious how it works with so many different songwriters. 

@Charlie Baker So it's more of a concert/revue show? Also, DEAR GOD. Judy Kuhn, Vanessa Williams, Bebe Neuwirth, Carolee Carmello, Marc Kudisch, Tam Mutu... so many favorites! I still haven't listened to Greenwillow though I got the CD at a past flea market. I might do that before I decide. Also, random sidenote I listened to one of Bebe's concert albums. I will forever love her for Chicago but that album was... not great. 

[aradia22]

http://www.vulture.com/2017/12/lin-manuel-miranda-drops-hamilton-song-about-ben-franklin.html

[ElectricBoogaloo]

23 hours ago, aradia22 said:

http://www.vulture.com/2017/12/lin-manuel-miranda-drops-hamilton-song-about-ben-franklin.html

FYI - this was posted last week (see above). The next hamildrops song will be released next month!

ETA: Upon rereading my post, I just wanted to apologize if it came off sounding short which wasn't my intent! I just got super excited when I saw your post because I thought LMM had released another song ahead of schedule as an early Christmas present :)

Edited December 21, 2017 by ElectricBoogaloo

[ElectricBoogaloo]

Ethan Slater discusses SpongeBob SquarePants: The Musical:

 

The Kinsey Sicks discuss their musical Oy Vey in a Manger:

Edited December 21, 2017 by ElectricBoogaloo

[aradia22]

@ElectricBoogaloo That's OK. I've just given up on people posting the same links or the same information.

[Charlie Baker]

A new book about a significant Broadway lyricist.

John Latouche biography

[Rinaldo]

1 hour ago, Charlie Baker said:

A new book about a significant Broadway lyricist.

John Latouche biography

I bought this book as soon as it was available. He's a fascinating subject (there's a good off-Broadway revue of his work, which was recorded), unlikely to get more than one biography, and fortunately Howard Pollack is a tireless and insightful researcher. This one isn't quite the backbreaker his Gershwin bio was, but it's still a massive achievement for a subject about whom, as he says, there's a shortage of documentary evidence. If so, Pollack found every scrap. 

Larouche worked with interesting composers -- Vernon Duke, Jerome Moross, Douglas Moore, Leonard Bernstein -- and for such a short-lived person, his name is attached to an impressive number of significant works: Cabin in the Sky, Ballet Ballads, The Golden Apple, The Ballad of Baby Doe, Candide. The book talks about all these, and forgotten credits in between, too.