Great American Musical R.I.P.

[Senator Jack]

Seems like every time I'm in the theater district now I have another reason to shake my head. Saw the billboard for this last night.

http://www.legallyblondethemusical.com/

Senator Jack

 

[Fletch]

Sad. Musical theater has become ancillary to the mainstream culture. There's too much at stake financially to do anything too original or creative. It's a field of highly skilled journeymen artists, and there's a lot of standardization up and down it.

Frankly, I think the theater ought to be prime in its creativity and impact. If it isn't, it's not doing its job for the culture.

I do know that making stage shows out of movies is like turning the crank backwards on the meatgrinder: whatever you get out, it ain't gonna be filet mignon.

 

[Feraud]

Oh the horror! That link made my stomach queasy..

 

[Tomasso]

.

I do know that making stage shows out of movies is like turning the crank backwards on the meatgrinder: whatever you get out, it ain't gonna be filet mignon.

How about "The Producers" ?

 

[Fletch]

Would've been better without the music.

 

[Miss Neecerie]

oh...they are doing a run of

"Edward Scissorhands, the musical'

here in LA....

because for some reason, this needed to become a musical.....

 

[scotrace]

None like

What's playin at the Roxie?


I'll tell you what's playin at the Roxie...

 

[Rosie]

oh...they are doing a run of

"Edward Scissorhands, the musical'

here in LA....

because for some reason, this needed to become a musical.....

Wow, really? (that's all I can say)

Legally Blonde the musical. That's almost funny.

Question: How does an idea that bad even get funded?

 

[scotrace]

What I always wanna know is what do the cast members think? I mean beyond "thank god I made it through the cattle calls" or "I hope this skunk survives until payday?"

At some point, the cast of a really bad production realizes they are in a turkey, and the sense of impending doom falls like a sodden tent over the whole business from orchestra to makeup. You can feel it - the show is a dog!
A show has its own momentum. After a certain point, no matter how bad or wince-producing, the Show Must Go On, come what may.

Having been in a wretched mess or two, that feeling is truly awful. In this case, there's the added bonus of having "Legally Blonde, The Musical" on one's resume!

 

[jamespowers]

Gee, and people wonder why I don't partake of "culture." :eusa_doh:

Regards,

J

 

[Baggers]

Not to defend the practice, but the Brits have been turning anything they could lay their hands on into musicals for years and, like a blind squirrel finding a nut, sometimes it works. Take The Front Page and turn it into a musical and you get Windy City, which was actually not a bad show from listening to the soundtrack. And then there's Little Shop of Horrors. The musical version of that has been a staple around here for years, and I must know five actors who've played Audrey II.

Then there are the brave attempts that just miss the mark. I believe the musical adaptation of Noel Coward's Blithe Spirit fell into that column.

Adapting Legally Blonde is merely an attempt to squeeze a few more bucks out of the franchise, But if you start with real good story and a gifted team of writers and composers, there's no reason for it not to work.

And BTW, I liked The Producers, however only with Nathan Lane and Matthew Broderick. And Will Ferrell in the movie version of the musical didn't do it for me like Kenneth Mars did in the original.

Cheers!

 

[Feraud]

How long before people are paying a lot of money to see Borat or Jackass the Musical?

 

[jamespowers]

How long before people are paying a lot of money to see Jackass the Musical?

Don't give them any ideas. :eusa_doh: It just might happen!

 

[Feraud]

Don't give them any ideas. :eusa_doh: It just might happen!

Sorry! Where is that edit button!?!?

 

[Haversack]

This sort of thing was parodied rather well in the 1989 comedy, _The Tall Guy_ which contained a bit about the new West End musical hit version of _The Elephant Man_ entitled _Elephant!_. The staging, lyrics, and music were all pretty direct send-ups of Andrew Lloyd Weber.

Haversack

 

[Avalon]

having been in a wretched mess or two

Hey now, I liked "Into the Woods"! :eusa_clap

 

[feltfan]

20-20 hindsight

One thing to remember when evaluating culture, fashion, or anything from
our point of view, is that a lot of the bad stuff fades from view.
There were terrible fashions in the 40s, we just don't fixate on them.
Broadway had its share of flops over the decades, but those
aren't the ones we remember. And when we do remember the
good ones, they seem plentiful because we can draw on 100 years
of the best, and it seems like a lot. So from Gilbert and Sullivan to
Stephen Sondheim we seem a lot of great stuff. By definition recent
years are few in number, and must contain few great anythings.

That said, we have seen some great revivals lately. A few years
back New York had that super revival of Wonderful Town. Last year
Broadway revived Sweeney Todd in a version so original it counts
as new in my book (and outstanding). This year even the humble
Irish Rep revival of Meet Me in Saint Louis was a lot of fun.

I can't say I loved the relatively new 25th Annual Putnam County
Spelling Bee, but I have loved a lot of new musicals as they have
come out, and expect to love more as they are written. I have liked
The Black Rider, the musical version of Shock Headed Peter, and
many other things in recent years. Yes, they are different from
Guys and Dolls or Finian's Rainbow, but they are no less inspired.

Musicals are not immune to attempts to cash in on big buck movies.
Not a news flash. People like big tacky shows- ditto. But there
are lots of top quality musicals being produced, so there is no excuse
not to attend the theater. And I've never really understood the
purpose of bemoaning the good old days of anything, when all one is
really doing is saying that there are more good [insert your subject]
over the last 100 years than there have been in the last 10.

 

[Mike in Seattle]

How long before people are paying a lot of money to see Borat or Jackass the Musical?

Drat! You beat me to the joke that immediately jumped into my mind...

 

[Mike in Seattle]

At some point, the cast of a really bad production realizes they are in a turkey, and the sense of impending doom falls like a sodden tent over the whole business from orchestra to makeup. You can feel it - the show is a dog!

"Impending doom falling like a sodden tent..." What a great line! Since my partner's in theatre (I get corrected if I spell it any other way...sorry...I forgot...there IS no other way to spell it), I've been to shows where the entire performance can spin on one line. The writer of a show they did last year encouraged coming up with more timely lyrics or locality references in the numbers. Three versions of the verse of one song were done, all funny, and of course, the funniest was the most controversial.

That was my comment - it's the best, but you're going to get a lot of flack, and I'd use the second best - the board will laugh but never approve it. But surprisingly, the board of directors OK'ed. Preview - brought the house down. Opening night - uproarious laughter and the performers & musicians had to do a little pause for that to die down. Second night...the same. ("The number's a hit!!!")

Third performance, the Sunday matinee however - it just laid there. Not a snicker, not a laugh - dead silence with deer-in-the-headlights-eyed performers thinking "Where's the laughter? Where's the roar of the crowd?" I was NEVER, in my entire life, so glad to have my Fedora with me as I was that night as I slid down in my seat and put it over my face. I'm told it only lasted a few seconds, but to me it seemed endless. Fortunately, nobody walked out and no complaints about that number at all, but that's how the rest of the run seemed to go. Some performances they'd get the number, some nights not. My favorite comment from the lobby at intermissions was, "It was better than Springtime for Hitler!" I heard it more than once.

But "Impending doom falling like a sodden tent..." sums it up beautifully! And Paul's jokingly suggesting "Legally Blonde - The Musical!" to the play selection committee this afternoon just to see the jaws hit the floor.

 

[happyfilmluvguy]

I liked the first Legally Blonde. PLEASE DON'T HURT ME!

lol

When there is an original stage musical it's usually not a broadway one, but something at a small community theatre or school. I saw Les Miserables at a High School and I have to say that was the most amazing show I've seen at a high school! Great singers, actors, actresses, the school band played the music, and did absolutely wonderful and the sets were great for it to be at a high school.