Profile for John Adams

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?

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?

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.

 

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.

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).

Wow. This is very saddening.

Although what you and your friends feel re: "word of mouth" might be actual fact, reality might be different.

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?

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...)