Kristina from Duvemala to Broadway

[ShadOlsen]

Posted: 9/28/09 at 11:38am

So, when I moved to NYC to be an actor in 2000, I wanted to be a part of the dramatic period musicals. Where have they all gone? Is the pop opera dead or are the recent failed attempts a result of brainless construction? Finally, along comes Kristina. Yes, I'm biased being a Minnesotan of Swedish ancestry and having loved the books before the musical and having loved the Swedish musical before seeing the recent English language concerts at Carnegie Hall. But STILL I say FINALLY- some variety in New York. I'm not saying that EVERY musical has to be classical in nature, but neither does every musical have to be rock- or a campy comedy. I was broken by the end of Kristina, watching a broken Karl Oskar hear the last words sung by his wife who had finally found a home (yet not one on earth). It's okay to cry in a musical, right? Though I think the concerts weren't a great format for telling the story of Kristina's journey (and there were sound problems on the first evening)- it was promising to hear a sweeping and epic score filling a venue in NYC once again! Without the book stringing the songs together, the story felt a little episodic and non-linear. But, with some cuts in the music and the reimplementation of dialogue, I think there's a Broadway musical there about searching the world for a home both physically and emotionally and I'm confident that every beat of the story will fulfill that theme. Even the song "Lice" which didn't go over so well among bloggers- in the flow of the show it is an obstacle on Kristina's journey to home. It builds the tension between her and Ulrika which is really a metaphor for the conflict between the old and the new- Kristina clings to the ways of the old country while Ulrika spits on them. A fight breaks out but it's not really about lice. Anywho, I hope there are others out there looking for a new wave of intelligent and moving Broadway shows so that I can be reinspired the way I was at the Kristina concerts!

[speedjeans]

Posted: 9/28/09 at 1:58pm

Shad,

This is a tough room to play for people who understand the concert was only a shadow of the actual musical, the intent of which was to gauge audience response but most importantly to get it to Decca.

I've heard people say "Great musicals are great in concert." One guy mentioned "South Pacific" as an example but failed to acknowledge that S.P included the dialogue.

"Kristina" is a traditional book musical with powerful dialogue taken from Moberg's source. People who saw the show in Malmo or Stockholm are at an unfair advantage having actually seen "Kristina" with all its elements intact.

The remarkable thing is that people who should no better (critics should do some due diligence) believe "Kristina" is a sung-through musical. If you start off with that
misconception, there's little wonder why it seemed to be "two-dimensionsal" or
"lacking dramatic drive".

Can you imagine what "Gypsy " would have been like if dialogue like this was taken out?

Rose: I said, turn it off! Nobody laughs at me! Because I laugh first. At me! Me, from Seattle! Me, with no education. Me, with no talent, as you kept reminding me my whole life! Well, Mama look at me now. I'm a star! Look! Look how I live! Look at my friends! Look where I'm going! I'm not staying in burlesque! I'm moving, mabye up, maybe down! But wherever it is, I'm enjoying it. I'm having the time of my life! Because for the first time, it is my life! And I love it. I love every second of it! And I'll be damned if you're gonna take it away from me! I am Gypsy Rose Lee! And I love her! And if you don't, you can just clear out now!

What would a concert of "Fiddler" have sounded like if this was left on the "cutting
room" floor?

"A fiddler on the roof. Sounds crazy, no? But here, in our little village of Anatevka, you might say every one of us is a fiddler on the roof trying to scratch out a pleasant, simple tune without breaking his neck. It isn't easy. You may ask 'Why do we stay up there if it's so dangerous?' Well, we stay because Anatevka is our home. And how do we keep our balance? That I can tell you in one word: tradition! "

Don't lose any sleep over the naysayers. There were people who thought "Lawrence of Arabia" was a bloated, terminally dull waste of film."

Nothing you can say or do will make people who disliked "Kristina" based on the concert only come around to your way of thinking.

[ShadOlsen]

Posted: 9/28/09 at 3:32pm

Thank you SO much for this response! You could not have been more thorough or encouraging! Much appreciated!!

[speedjeans]

Posted: 9/28/09 at 5:08pm

Shad,

I'm not entirely a stranger to you. I saw your vid of Guldet Blev Till Sand and asked you about your Equity card.

There's a magical church here in the city on 42nd street where young actors and actresses with hearts full of hope and dreams go for comfort when the call backs don't come--or they do come.

You told me of your dream in an email. The next time I pass by, I'll stop in and light a candle for you and for all those other incredibly gifted men and women who give us the gift of theater.

I Gott Bevar :)