Profile for EvanstonDad

Have been giving this a listen this morning. Up through "Master of the House" and holy over-emoting Batman! I mean I know subtlety isn't the order of the day with "Les Miz" but my goodness I want to tell everyone to dial it down a notch. Plus the orchestrations sound so thin. Don't think this would ever replace any of my go-to recordings.

Good grief, what kind of money laundering scheme is going down at the Shubert?

This is the most ridiculous conversation, and yet I can't look away. You know we live in a world of privilege when something like people wearing baseball caps can become such a fixation for some people. Like, put your energy into something more productive.

Independently of anything the article has to "say," the thing is terribly written. I couldn't even get all the way through it. It's like a direct transcript of someone talking to themselves.

Add me to the list of people who don't have a strong appetite for a revised version of "Flower Drum Song." I will say that I really like the cast recording of the revival though. However, what I really want is a complete recording of the original score like we've recently gotten for "Oklahoma!", "Carousel," and "My Fair Lady." 

Are those numbers for "Wicked" accurate? Don't know that I can remember seeing its average ticket price below $100.

"Considering there were over 200 productions that could be nominated this statement is categorically false."

Sighhhhh........I wasn't making a statement of fact, and I'm aware that not literally every piece of theater was nominated. My point was more in the spirit of my comment. But I feel adequately chastised now, so thank you for that public service.

 

 

This is the "everyone gets a trophy" theater awards group. It's like if you opened this year you get nominated. Not sure what point there is to having this many nominees in every category.

I’d never heard of the movie (my apologies to the legendary Joel Schumacher)

This comment almost made me spit out my coffee. Joel Schumacher is among my five least favorite movie directors of all time. But to each his own. Just feeling a little snarky this morning, but mean no harm. Please continue.....

 

Oof, these reviews killed any interest I had in this show, and I didn't have much to begin with. They confirm what I already suspected -- there's no "why" to this show. Why this film, and why now? 

Is this show accessible to people (like me) who have no idea what queer ballroom subculture is? Seems like a niche show that may struggle to find an audience once those who already know what it is have seen it (name recognition of the ALW musical aside).

The movie is nearly perfect and Al Pacino gives one of the best performances not just of his but of anyone's career. The film is also very kinetic and cinematic. Not saying there's not a way to make this work on stage, but I have trouble envisioning any scenario where this isn't a pale imitation of something that's already iconic as is.Not that it much matters, because there's no way I'll have a chance to see it!

I didn't see the revised version. I've only listened to the cast recording. Based on that, I tend to agree with those who think the revisal didn't completely work story-wise. But I will say that the cast recording is glorious. I felt like I was hearing that score for the first time, and the orchestrations in particular were sensational. I'd love a complete recording of Flower Drum Song similar to what they've done recently with Oklahoma!, Carousel, and My Fair Lady.

How interesting. If you had asked me to guess, I would have been positive that a show like Moulin Rouge wouldn't have yet surpassed treasured classics like South Pacific, The Sound of Music, and The King and I. Has the business model changed to allow shows longer runs (seems counterintuitive to the fact that everything is more expensive to run these days), or am I just overestimating the popularity of those shows back in the day?

Interesting. I really like the ballet in the movie, even if it does give a disproportionate amount of time to a relatively minor character. I also really like the Sunday number in the movie too. It's a musical I've always had a soft spot for even though it feels like a lesser work than some of R&H's best.

The 1961 movie adaptation of Flower Drum Song includes a lengthy ballet sequence. Does anyone know if the original Broadway musical contained a ballet, and if so, is there any recording of FDS that includes it? I feel like this is a show that needs a complete recording similar to the treatments they've done recently to Oklahoma!, Carousel, and My Fair Lady.

That one quote pulled out of context sounds snarky, but the article in full seems very complimentary to the actress.