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Recommended TV shows with lots of theater actors Aug 15
2024, 02:57:53 PM
Another vote for HACKS - incredible show! Phenomenal performances by both female leads.
I've also been re-streaming PUSHING DAISIES on Amazon. Many Broadway performers as guest stars. I would love to see a PUSHING DAISIES musical on Broadway (there was idle talk at one time). I'd prefer that over BETTY BOOP.
And speaking of BETTY BOOP, I didn't really notice when the show originally aired on TV (perhaps because of the absence of HD?), but on re-watch,
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Universal's WICKED Film - News & Discussion Thread Feb 15
2024, 11:34:17 AM
BrodyFosse123 said: "It will behard to top the Shiz uniforms…
"
Thank you for posting this still! This was one of those "blink and you'll miss it" moments in the teaser.
In the still, Galinda is flanked by two characters from Maguire’s book that do not appear in the stage musical. To Galinda’s left is the character Phannee (played by Bowen Yang) and to her right is ShenShen (played by Bronwyn James). In the book, Phannee and ShenShen are both females. They’re kind of like Glinda’s rich “mean girl” friends, especially in regards to how they view Elphaba.
As seen in the still, it seems the students of Shiz have options regarding whether/not to conform to gender-specific clothing. Above the waist, all are wearing a blazer, but below the waist, some are in trousers, some in knee-length shorts, some in skirts, and some in both skirt and shorts. Their choices for what to wear below the waist do not seem to be restricted to what might be considered traditional gender conformity. In the still, Phannee is wearing a skirt, but it’s not visible whether/not the character is also wearing shorts.
Also in the still, Phannee is obviously showing signs of disapproval. Yang is scowling. His disapproval is accentuated by wearing his glasses lower down on his nose. He's literally looking down his nose at Elphaba at first sighting.
So, here’s what I’m wondering: Why was the character from Maguire’s book changed to imply a stereotype of a gay male?
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Universal's WICKED Film - News & Discussion Thread Feb 15
2024, 11:23:54 AM
ErmengardeStopSniveling said: "There's a lot of hair splitting going on, but I think the bottom line is it looks bad. [...] this is not a visually-successful first trailer.
Agreed. Let's not gloss over the fact that this was shown during the Super Bowl, either. Most folks are aware that the Super Bowl is prime real estate for advertising. IMO, "Wicked" squandered their opportunity by putting out a sequence of "blink and you'll
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Wicked Movie Musical Teaser Feb 14
2024, 10:50:09 AM
RunnyBabbit said: "QueenTwinnied said: "Oh it is. And very amateur looking"
But at least they gave Ariana better hair & eyebrow colors."
I can agree with that.
I also looked at the Vanity Fair photo posted by BrodyFosse123 (I even enlarged it to get a better look). I feel like there's a strong possibility that Grande's hair and make-up styling was made as a business decision to appeal to China's cinema market.
I didn't know that was a "thing" until I heard a story on one of my NPR podcasts. If you are in doubt, feel free to search, "movies cater to asian market" (w/o the quotes). Or, you might listen to/read the NPR story here: Hollywood relies on China to stay afloat. What does that mean for movies?
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Wicked Movie Musical Teaser Feb 11
2024, 11:23:24 PM
QueenTwinnied said: "Beloved…..Ariana is white"
She's Italian. My bad in describing her as LatinX. Should have said, Mediterranean. Still, she's gorgeous as she is. I still don't see why she was whitened up. No reason to do it and it makes her look awkwardly unnatural.
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Barnum has a pro shot?! Feb 11
2024, 11:02:39 PM
I've owned the DVD of this for many years. I watched it only once.
The strike may have benefited folks in the industry (and I don't necessarily begrudge them that) but it's been horrible for consumers. Even though the strike's been settled, content on streaming services and OTA TV remains poor.
Where rentals used to be between $3 and $5 before the strike, now Amazon wants $20. They've also implemented commercials into their content. Hulu isn't quite as ba
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Wicked Movie Musical Teaser Feb 11
2024, 10:32:36 PM
Ariana Grande's makeup styling looks really, *really* unnatural. Her look reminds me of the Wayan brothers' whiteface in the movie "White Chicks", or Ben Platt's "uncanny valley" face in "Dear Evan Hanson". What would be so "wrong", or unacceptable if Galinda were LatinX? I can't think of a single reason why they tried to make her look white. There's just no need for it.
For me, the song, "Popular" is muc
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Broadway Tenor Baritone Overlap Feb 2
2024, 10:30:02 AM
Many of these responses appear to define tenor vs baritone by vocal range only (i.e., which notes the singer can successfully produce). I feel like that's an error, as that singular way of classifying excludes both weight and color of the singers' voices.
IMO, baritones (regardless of how high/low they can sing) are baritones because their voices display darker and/or heavier tone colors than tenors. Tenors are tenors for their lighter tone color. IMO, tone color is the more im
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MY BEST FRIEND'S WEDDING musical, featuring Burt Bacharach catalogue songs Jan 30
2024, 11:42:17 PM
g.d.e.l.g.i. said: "I think with My Best Friend's Wedding, it's specifically because the soundtrack was famously half Bacharach covers, including the dinner scene with "I Say a Little Prayer." Their motivation in going jukebox over original score may have been not to compete with the film's memory and lose."
I think you're exactly right about this, but I also believe it's the reason why the show will fail as a stage musical.
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Amazon's "Hazbin Hotel" Jan 21
2024, 10:36:17 AM
Huh.
Doesn’t this sound good? an “adult animated musical series” featuring a talented cast of voice actors, including recognized Broadway stars, Alex Brightman, Lilli Cooper, Jeremy Jordon, Christian Boyle, Daphne Rubin-Vega, James Monroe Iglehart, Darren Criss, and Patina Miller High praise from critical sites like rogerebert.com (a sweet, raunchy time many adults, especiall
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Will Stephen Sondheim Ever Win The EGOT? Jan 20
2024, 10:51:08 PM
RUkiddingme said: "I have always believed that if Sondheim had wanted the EGOT he would have writing a song for TV to get the Emmy.
The fact that he didn't ever bother speaks volumes. "
He bothered... "Evening Primrose" was written for TV and aired on ABC on November 16, 1966.
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Modern The Sound of Music Jan 16
2024, 12:05:01 PM
CATSNYrevival said: "greenifyme2 said: "It got me thinking, what would a modern version of this show look like?"
It would look a lot like School of Rock. It’s practically the same story without the nuns and nazis."
Although I agree with you, I think a more definitive example is "Ted Lasso".
Like TSOM, “Ted Lasso” contains these similar plot points and characters: - A recognizably established British female musical theater star: Julie Andrews/Hannah Waddingham - An exceptionally large family with a special talent: Van Trapps/Singing; AFC Richmond/Football - A “fish out of water” protagonist (Maria/Tedd) who: 1. Joins the family because their colleagues/superiors feel the character is lacking in knowledge, or life skills. 2. Unexpectedly creates significant change for the better within the family. 3. Unexpectedly/Reluctantly becomes involved in a romantic situation. - An oppressive antagonist from whom the family needs to escape/defeat: Nazi regime/Rupert Mannion and West Ham - Diegetic vocal performances of songs that are integral to the plot: SOM’s entire score (obviously)/Tedd Lasso (see: Top 10 Best Ted Lasso Musical Moments. Also note how often R&H songs are used, as opposed to others’ whose catalogs are used only once. Some of the vocal performances in Ted Lasso also demonstrate characteristics of juke box musicals.) - Choreographed dance numbers that are integral to the plot (similar to diegetic sound).
The Number One Reason Why Tedd Lasso is Most Fitting of What a Modern Version of “The Sound of Music” Would Look Like: So Long, Farewell
(Because unlike “School of Rock”, “Tedd Lasso” actually incorporates songs from the R&H catalogue, and this number from TSOM’s score).
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Harmony word-of-mouth Dec 22
2023, 12:39:25 AM
Jonathan Cohen said: "Audiences are more forgiving of shows with a feel-good ending."
Like "Cabaret"? I disagree with you.
I think that Barry Manilow is a master at writing melodies, lyrics and jingles that have universal, emotional appeal. That kind of exceptional talent however, only needs to succeed for a short interval.
Manilow's strength as a composer lies in his ability to encapsulate a complete story in just a few minutes (hen
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A lack of great new choreographers and director-choreographers? Dec 22
2023, 12:06:55 AM
I have a personal bias re: Josh Rhodes as he was a participant in a Decatur Park District program that I was in charge of way, way back when he and I both were much younger. (FYI, I DO NOT claim to be the "dance father" he credits in other interviews). Still, because I knew him when, I'm ecstatic for his professional success.
It does not matter to me whether Josh's acclaim comes from his work on Broadway or in regional theater. I feel that wherever he works, his accom
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Story of the Week: The Average Broadway Theatergoer Earns a Household Income of $271,277 a Year Dec 21
2023, 11:44:40 PM
Wow. This is very saddening.
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Wonka really is a musical! Dec 21
2023, 11:19:54 PM
Wayman_Wong said: "'Just for the record, Roald Dahl disowned the 1971 movie of ''Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory.'' He was ''infuriated'' with the plot deviations, and called the music ''sappy, saccharine and sentimental.'' Dahl also thought Gene Wilder lacked the edge to play Wonka, and thought Spike Milligan, an Irish comedian, writer and actor, should've played him."
All may be true (especially Dahl
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Harmony word-of-mouth Dec 21
2023, 11:01:52 PM
Although what you and your friends feel re: "word of mouth" might be actual fact, reality might be different.
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I posted a very negative review of Kimberly Akimbo on YouTube and got a threat to delete it. Dec 21
2023, 10:57:20 PM
In the words/Lyrics of Kander/Ebb:
For the sun will rise And the moon will set And learn how to settle For what you get. It will all go on if we're here or not So who cares? So what?
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Wonka really is a musical! Dec 21
2023, 10:33:18 PM
I dunno...
The film with Gene Wilder as Wonka has never even come close to being eclipsed by any of its successors. IMO, Wilder's *completely* en-pointe performance has never been eclipsed. He captured Rhold Dahl's dark yet compassionate style to a T.
Movies that followed have never captured that same lightening in a bottle. Does no one see that the song "Pure Imagination" appears in every successive incarnation of this story?
IMO, the only thing t
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Video: Andrew Barth Feldman Performs “Popular” (Yacht Rock Cover) Dec 21
2023, 09:45:34 PM
This (for my tastes) is an example of trying to fit a square peg into a round hole, with the musical style being the square peg and the song being the round hole.
Feldman nails the musical vocal styling with absolute perfection. I'm very impressed with this unexpected, previously un-displayed versatility re: his musicianship. Bravo!
I've always enjoyed the song "Popular", too. Unfortunately (again, for my tastes), the musical styling and the song don't mesh. They don't compliment each other in a way that elevates the lyrics and the story they tell.
IMO, square pegs and round holes each have their beauty, but some things shouldn't be forced into sharing the same space. This reminds me of Beverly Goldberg's famous Shrimp Parm recipe. (Just shouldn't be...)
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