Animated The King and I
Jul 22 2012, 11:06:19 PM
I've never gotten around to seeing this movie or hearing the soundtrack.
What exactly was the point of making this an animated film anyway? Because it's a story that happens to feature children?
You know, just because kids are in it doesn't make it a kids show.
Nancy gets beaten to death in Oliver!, and community theatres all over America get nasty letters from parents about their children being traumatized.
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Worst Tonys performance ever?
Jul 20 2012, 06:24:03 PM
two words: Busker Alley
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Shows that don't work as regional/amateur productions
Jul 20 2012, 12:25:10 PM
First of all, regional/amateur should not be considered bad words. There are great theaters keeping the arts alive all over the country, and some of them churn out great work.
Evita has been a community theatre staple for ages. The original Prince production was Brechtian with sparse sets. It's a rather small-scale show, save the fact that the role can exhaust ill-equipped actresses. I've seen decent community theater productions of Evita.
Miss Saigon, however, should be banne
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Annie 20th Anniversary Revival Casting Controversy
Jul 20 2012, 12:51:49 AM
I remember it being a big deal at the time, in all the papers. It was like the Challenger disaster all over again. Only worse.
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Denise Whelan Is Norma Desmond ....
Jul 20 2012, 12:32:33 AM
The set was awful. The set designer is actually quite good though. His set for The King and I at the WST was unbelievable. I have no idea what happened with Sunset, but everything was subpar in contrast to Norma's costumes.
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What is the most beautiful song from a musical?
Jul 19 2012, 10:52:44 AM
"You Are Beautiful" from Flower Drum Song
"My Gentle Young Johnny" from Tenderloin
"Some Other Time" from On The Town
"Tomorrow Belongs To Me" from Cabaret (the OBC with the waiters is gorgeous)
"All the Wasted Time" from Parade
"People Like Us" from The Wild Party
"Hello, Again" from Hello Again
"Alaiyo" from Raisin
"I Never Has Seen Snow" from House of Flowers
"My Man's Gone Now" and "Bess You is My Woman" from Porgy and Bess
"Bill" from Show Boat
"M
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Why'd
Jul 19 2012, 10:35:42 AM
"As to why it succeeded in London...End of the Rainbow, Elena Roger, blood pudding, this...clearly they appreciate different things."
LOL!
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Denise Whelan Is Norma Desmond ....
Jul 19 2012, 12:33:28 AM
Kipster, it looks okay from a distance but it's actually not great. It's very brown, not gaudy, vampy and gothic. The portraits of her are gigantic, plentiful and not very subtle (I wonder what they do in the event of an understudy). Also, for some reason she has a lot of books and bookshelves. Like Norma Desmond sits around reading books!
That's not the worst of the sets...
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Andrew Lloyd Webber Recycles
Jul 19 2012, 12:27:46 AM
A lot of Sunset Boulevard is recycled. The bridge in "As If We Never Said Goodbye" was originally the bridge in "Half a Moment" from Jeeves. Laurie Beechman does a wonderful rendition of the latter song and keeps the original bridge. It's not used in By Jeeves. It's a thrilling moment in Sunset Boulevard though.
"The Lady's Paying" was originally a song called Benedicte from the 70s I think...I don't know much about the song.
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Most obnoxious and delusional musical fans...
Jul 18 2012, 01:12:29 PM
I should also add that the "Ozalots" during the days of The Boy From Oz were all pretty crazy. Post-menopausal ladies from the burbs would max out their credit cards seeing the show over and over and over again, hoping Hugh Jackman would notice them and ravish them after the show in his dressing room. I will admit, I was a repeat visitor and got to meet Hugh a few times, but these women were nuts. They were also in serious debt. The night before the final show, one of the Ozalots spread her moth
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Most obnoxious and delusional musical fans...
Jul 18 2012, 01:06:53 PM
I love Sondheim, but let's be honest, his fans have a tendency to be blowhards and pretentious twits who think they know everything. Unfortunately, they can't accept the fact that Stephen Sondheim is just an entertainer and not the Messiah. If you don't believe me, spend a few minutes over at Finishing the Chat.
I am a Patti LuPone fan (obviously), and honestly, the reason many are so rabid about her is because people who dislike her are damned pompous and purposely say stuff just to hu
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Will we ever get a Michael Bennett revue?
Jul 18 2012, 10:35:52 AM
"Maybe the problem is there is no one out there really championing Bennet's legacy, in the way Gwen and Anne were there for Fosse?"
Donna McKechnie for one. She was married to him. I bet Jennifer Holliday would be a vocal supporter - and I think she ought to be in it too, to add sing some ballads for variety (give her "Fifty Percent"). As a matter of fact, I would hope that she recreated some Dreamgirls scenes, i.e. "It's All Over" and "And I am Telling You I'm Not Going" including Mich
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Denise Whelan Is Norma Desmond ....
Jul 18 2012, 10:20:50 AM
Saw her in Lancaster at the Fulton in Sunset Boulevard. She was really great. I've always been a fan of Denise, she's a really great person. I absolutely loved her as Velma in Hairspray.
If you're near, go see this production.
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Will we ever get a Michael Bennett review?
Jul 17 2012, 05:13:30 PM
Exactly, Mister Matt. I was going to add Scandal but forgot the name of it. Everything I've read about it sounds like it was damned good. This could be a great opportunity to bring it back.
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Will we ever get a Michael Bennett review?
Jul 17 2012, 05:06:35 PM
Sorry, should have wrote "revue" not "review." I'd go back and edit, but I can't, and Broadwayworld doesn't believe me.
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Will we ever get a Michael Bennett review?
Jul 17 2012, 05:05:31 PM
We've had Jerome Robbins' Broadway, Fosse, and now this Harold Prince thing coming up. Why no love for Michael Bennett? Surely his staging and choreography warrants a tribute. The mirror number from Follies, "The Music and the Mirror" from A Chorus Line, "Turkey Lurkey Time" from Promises Promises, scenes from Company, Ballroom, Coco, Seesaw and of course Dreamgirls.
Do people just not know enough about who he is, even though you could market the hell out of Dreamgirls and A Chorus Lin
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Musicals that you don't want to see?
Jul 17 2012, 04:55:21 PM
Pretty much anything playing on Broadway right now.
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Bette Midler in GYPSY
Jul 17 2012, 10:36:41 AM
"as good as everyone said Patti was she was just a brassy bulldozer and had no warmth at all that is needed...plus she is a HORRIBLE HORRIBLE ACTRESS..."
What are you, 12? That's a bit extreme. If she's such a horrible, horrible actress why is she constantly working? You know, you could just say "I'm not a fan" instead of making blanket comments. I'm assuming you're a failed actor?
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Bette Midler in GYPSY
Jul 17 2012, 10:34:31 AM
I have been a Bette fan all my life. I have all her recordings, plus bootlegs. I love her in nearly everything, except Gypsy. From what I've read, she did great work in rehearsals, but when it came time to film, she was Bette doing Clams on the Half Shell again. Maybe it's Laurents' fault for not controlling her. Maybe it's just Bette. She's not simply bad, she's infuriating because you know when you watch the movie she could have been one of the great Mama Roses. A missed opportunity. She got t
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MARGUERITE
Jul 16 2012, 10:48:26 AM
I listened to Marguerite once and couldn't make it through 10 minutes without laughing. It reminded me of one of those late 80's early 90's anonymous West End epics inspired by Chess/Les Mis/Phantom. Was the show any good?
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