Profile for Tesse

It's lots of fun; very casual and laid-back, with some trivia and anecdotes thrown in and kickass performances by really great singers. And because it's so casual and laid-back, they really let loose and try things they probably wouldn't risk in a more formal setting (ie, Jack Noseworthy doing Fiddler choreography during "Shiksa Goddess.") Check it out if you can. It's totally worth a visit.

Elisabeth is a very talented lady, and I'm sure she'll do the Post proud. Congrats to her!

I wouldn't say the workshop of KOTSW was "hysterically awful," Eric, but it certainly wasn't great. Only one movie was staged, and its scenes were meant to parallel the story of the two men. It didn't work: The movie was supposed to be a cheesy musical comedy, but they kept forcing in dramatic songs ("I Do Miracles," the title song) to keep the parallel going. It all became very uneven. The movie scenes weren't a respite from the horrible reality, they were a variation of that reality. Likewi...

Oh, ouch. Wow. I understand wanting to try a challenging piece of theatre, but what teacher told her that this was a good selection? And what makes it worse is that with good direction, kids actually can turn in good performances in difficult shows. Years ago, I went to see a friend of mine in a high school production of Gypsy. I was in high school myself at the time, and my theatrical tastes were not nearly so refined then (ahem...), but I remember being rather impressed by the girl who play...

Audra Stokes Cheyenne Jackson Maybe all together?

In the book, I believe he's 36. In the musical, 37. And in the play, 40. I seem to remember some exchange in the play in which Valentin mentions that Marta is 24-- "two years younger than me," he says. "Thirteen younger than me," Molina replies. Valentin glares at him. "Okay, sixteen." Or something like that. It cracked me up when I read it.

*ducks again* *wisely decides to stop singing*

*ducks* *sings* Like Abbot and Costello, Like Sonny and Cher, Like Martin and Lewis, They're the perfect pair. Like Laurel and Hardy, Like that doggy and cat-- They're perfectly mismatched! They're Nathan and Matt!

Hmm... if only for tradition's sake... Nathan Lane and Matthew Broderick? Kidding! Kidding! Stop throwing things at me!

Heh-- too true! But they would be terrific, wouldn't they? I keep thinking Neil Patrick Harris would make an ideal Molina , either in the musical or play...

Oh, yes, and as for Burt Lancaster-- there's an early draft of the screenplay available online somewhere that was written when Lancaster was slated to play Molina (and Richard Gere as Valentin!). It's very different from the final screenplay, and re-imagines Molina as an ex-pat 59-year-old American. Rather strange.

What a pity they'll be using the Baker translation. It's painfully dry and sounds very British-- in one scene, Valentin says, "That's romantic eyewash. You're daft." Yeah, real macho Argentinian. If they're going to spend the bucks on a new production, I wish they'd get a fresh new translation. Maybe Feingold's? I hear that one is much grittier... As for casting, I've wanted to see Denis O'Hare and Raul Esparza do this show for years. (Tho' Raul will probably be old enough to play Molina soon...

Guys, please... This discussion was going so nicely! Can we get back to debating? That was fun!

I'm loving these discussions, too (personal criticisms notwithstanding, ahem). It's great to be able to debate and discuss such a complex show, and I really appreciate reading so many different points of view! It's great to be able to look at this show from a new perspective. Keep 'em coming!!

Good point, orangeskittles. And in the original script for the show, Molina's friendship with Gabriel is exactly as he described it to Valentin. In fact, when he goes to meet Gabriel again, he learns that Gabriel's newest baby is named Luis. It was only later in development that Kander, Ebb & McNally made even that part of Molina's life a fantasy.

I'd have to argue with that, orangeskittles. When Molina tells Valentin about Gabriel, he's lying and perpetuating his fantasy. When he goes to visit Gabriel, he asks, "Why didn't you write me?," acknowledging that the whole "Gabriel's Letter" song was a fiction. He's not oblivious per se, just willfully blind.

Excellent call, Weez! Thank you!! The Panther Woman Molina refers to in that scene is from the '40s horror movie "Cat People," which was translated into Spanish as "El Beso de la Mujer Pantera"-- "Kiss of the Panther Woman." So that explains the title...

I wouldn't say that the novel (or any of its adaptations) represents traditional Magic Realism. There is a very clear delineation between fantasy and reality in all versions of the story-- fantasy is escape, reality is a prison, both metaphorically and literally. And I forget who referenced the TV show Oz earlier in the thread, but I'd agree that the relationship between Molina and Valentin does, at times, resemble that between Beecher and Keller-- simultaneously emotional and manipulative.

Morosco-- I thought it was what happens right after that line that convinces him.

I don't think it's quite that cut-and-dry, Gothampc. If he were only using Molina throughout, he wouldn't give Molina his blessing to talk at the end, and he wouldn't be "crying out convulsively" (as McNally puts it) when his actions get Molina killed. His emotions and motives are unclear-- probably less clear than Molina's-- and that's what makes the show so interesting to discuss.