ADDAMS FAMILY problem- Page 2

[raker]

Posted: 11/22/09 at 1:17pm

Every one of the lines you cite would have bugged me too.

[Pgenre]

Posted: 11/22/09 at 1:32pm

Well any comparison of THE ADDAM'S FAMILY to Porter is going to cause trouble...

... but the topical jokes really don't work, at least not in the hamfisted way they appear to have been implemented into the show. The health care line, and Bebe's material in general (her big song is positively atrocious) is weak to poor and Nathan makes his material work through sheer will, but it certainly doesn't sparkle, and his big song is pretty lame as well. The only truly funny material for me were the references to what Grandmama does in the attic and her presence in general, though it's like a character from another show. The only music that truly works is the chorus material and the Squid number. I've said it before: this score sounds like bottom drawer Kander & Ebb as rewritten and supplemented by Stephen Schwartz. I hope it gets better, because the opening number is terrific.

P

[Patash]

Posted: 11/22/09 at 2:05pm

>>"Interestingly enough, Nathan Lane has adopted Raul Julia's pan-European accent, a feature he is only attributed in the movies. This is unusual since they claimed to be only based on the comics."<<

What am I not understanding here? What kind of "accent" are you suggesting the cartoon Gomez spoke with or didn't speak with? I'm confused because I never heard the cartoons speak. Did you?

[darquegk]

Posted: 11/22/09 at 3:55pm

Gomez never spoke with an accent (and was typically portrayed with a fast-talking slightly New York voice) until Raul Julia gave him one. It appears, however, that Lane's accent has transformed since opening from an untraceable pan-European accent into a campy, over-the-top Spanish one.

[allofmylife]

Posted: 11/23/09 at 12:26am

Taking lines out-of-context on this site is a disservice to the show. If they are delivered by Nathan Lane or Bebe Neuwirth (either of whom could effortlessly make the phrase "I have inoperable cancer" sound like the funniest line ever uttered by man) then they probably work within the show.)

And the Adams Family was very contenporary for its time. The classic Adams cartoon is Uncle Fester sitting in a theatre full of weeping people, and he's laughing uproariously. That cartoon came out while "Now Voyageur" was in the theaters, if I am not mistaken.

[StephanietheStar]

Posted: 11/23/09 at 1:36am

When I saw the show, the text messaging line from grandma sent myself, and the rest of the audience into a very long laugh fit. Bebe's health care line did the same.

it's funny **** and it works.

[WhoCanITurnTo]

Posted: 11/23/09 at 2:25am

Wow, there are a lot of issues here I completely disagree with - not the least being that The Addams Family cartoons were at times completely topical and political - so much so, that you look at some of them today and scratch your head. So, it seems more than fitting to throw in topical humor. As far as the musical styles, it was obvious to me that each character had an appropriate musical style that was consistent with their characters. Pop/ Rock for the kids, Vaudeville for Uncle Fester, and Spanish/tango for Gomez and Morticia. To call "Pulled" Stephen Schwartz/Wicked-esque is completely off-base. Stylistically, it's more gospel/rock, which doesn't exist at all in Wicked. Lippa's insanely clever lyrics and complicated rhyme schemes far surpass anything in the inane, prosaic lyrics of Schwartz. The orchestrations and lack of sythesized, canned pop sound was refreshing as well.
This beautiful, haunting treatise on love and the dichotomies of the human spirit, not to mention the adult themes of aging, coming of age, and parental loss - are probably too mature for most adolescent / early 20's audiences, but this 48 year old father of two was moved to tears.
This show gave me hope again for the musical - which has been watered down to dreck in recent years. And Hoffman's topical ad libs had me peeing (spoiler - hehehehe).

There are no rules in the Addams household. They're timeless and timely. Setting it in today's world makes the family all the more kooky and ooky.

[TheatreDiva90016]

Posted: 11/23/09 at 3:21am

Well written.


What do you do for the show?

[darquegk]

Posted: 11/23/09 at 8:43am

Not everyone who defends a show we don't like is a shill. If this were so, WICKED has an abnormal number of shills.

[figaroindy]

Posted: 11/23/09 at 9:14am

Seriously people, get a clue - if you don't like it, fine...but don't try to feed me your reasons when they're lame!

Gomez Addams never had any accent (New York or European) originally - he was a written cartoon...he didn't talk. Just because John Astin made a choice doesn't make it the "rule" or the only choice to be made. He was NOT the original.

Secondly, Cole Porter could be classy OR crude, depending on the situation - "Love for Sale" is about prostitution - DUH! That ain't classy! Lots of composers include "topical" references in their songs - and if the Addams Family was topical as a cartoon (and most things in the New Yorker are in some way or another), then it makes sense.

I'm not a shill - just to get that one out of the way - I'm an accountant, in the middle of Indiana....haven't yet seen the show, but am looking forward to seeing it Friday evening.

If you don't like it, I'd suggest not going again. But, do some research on the original cartoons before making sweeping generalizations based on your personal opinions, and not fact.

[once a month]

Posted: 11/23/09 at 10:03am

Too much info, too soon. If someone feels they MUST see a preview, go expecting the worst. Personally, I can't wait to see this in five months, but being that I've got a lot of living to do, I'm certainly not going to lament the choices the creative staff made just yet. Much may be mute by opening night. Why waste the energy and emotion? I did just that when Miss Saigon was opening, then not opening, then opening. All needless drama about a show not ready for the Broadway masses.

[Patash]

Posted: 11/23/09 at 4:29pm

darquegk, did you miss my point about the accent used by Gomez? I was referring to the comment that he didn't have one in the comic strip. Huh? I'm still confused how anyone would know if he did or did not have one in the comic strip. Wouldn't it have been up to the reader to "hear" it in his own mind the way he wanted to? The point wasn't about a comparison of accents to the TV show, but rather to the comic strip.

[Pgenre]

Posted: 11/23/09 at 4:36pm

"This beautiful, haunting treatise on love and the dichotomies of the human spirit, not to mention the adult themes of aging, coming of age, and parental loss - are probably too mature for most adolescent / early 20's audiences, but this 48 year old father of two was moved to tears."

1) This is THE ADDAM'S FAMILY: THE MUSICAL we're talking about here, right?! You seem to be describing INTO THE WOODS...

2) You must be the obnoxious guy who laughs at EVERY SINGLE LINE on my audio.

And BTW "Pulled" sounds like a WICKED cut song, there is no such genre as gospel/rock (do you even know what gospel is? Seems not) and Lippa wishes he had the career OR the success Schwartz has had. Comparing the two is being KIND to Lippa. JOHN & JEN ain't no BAKER'S WIFE, I'll tell ya that!

And this score is no INTO THE WOODS. Hope the set/performances save it cause the score as it stands certainly won't.

P

Posted: 11/23/09 at 4:37pm

This coming from someone who tried to tout the superiority of Legally Blond over Ragtime.

[Pgenre]

Posted: 11/23/09 at 4:41pm

And this coming from someone who can't spell "blonde".

You can keep RAGTIME, btw. But with joekv it's ALWAYS rag-time, if you get my drift,

P

[Phyllis Rogers Stone]

Posted: 11/23/09 at 4:51pm

It still sounds like You Can't Take It With You.

[Patash]

Posted: 11/23/09 at 4:56pm

No such genre as Gospel Rock? Or are you just being picky as it is usually called Rock Gospel?

From Wikpedia:
"The Grammy Award for Best Rock Gospel Album has been awarded since 1991. From 1991 to 1993 it was awarded as Best Rock/Contemporary Gospel Album."

Posted: 11/23/09 at 4:58pm

Blond, blonde, what the hell is the difference anyway?

[Pgenre]

Posted: 11/23/09 at 5:01pm

A penis.

P

[Pgenre]

Posted: 11/23/09 at 5:13pm

From Wikpedia:
"The Grammy Award for Best Rock Gospel Album has been awarded since 1991. From 1991 to 1993 it was awarded as Best Rock/Contemporary Gospel Album."

Did you even read what you just posted? ROCK is a genre and CONTEMPORARY GOSPEL is a genre. They are two different, distinct things. The award is combined for whatever reason the Grammy committee decided, probably to keep the TV broadcast shorter.

A "/" in the English language denotes a separation of the two terms. The CATEGORY is shortened to "rock/gospel" for the purposes of the Grammys as they do not give out separate gospel and rock awards.

Gospel has NOTHING to do with rock music except, perhaps, the roots of all rock n roll deriving from a combination of bluegrass, pop, gospel and early r&b.

There is no such thing as Gospel Rock. Not in the score of THE ADDAM'S FAMILY or anywhere else besides the category at the Grammy's where they combine the two genres for award distribution.

P

[ABB2357]

Posted: 11/23/09 at 5:34pm

You know what I would pay to see? A rock gospel interpretation of the FIRST WIVES CLUB score. I bet Holland-Dozier-Holland could make the genre-bending happen.

(And yes, I do have to drag this show into every post I write. At least it's one thing THE ADDAMS FAMILY is not, whether intentionally or unintentionally: a good time).

[Pgenre]

Posted: 11/23/09 at 5:37pm

YES!

FWC is ROCK GOSPEL if anything is! LOL.

BOOK THE BROADWAY! FWC IS RED-DAY!

WEDDING BELLES UNITE!

P

[winston89]

Posted: 11/23/09 at 5:56pm

Pgenre, keep in mind the fact that while most people spell blonde the way I wrote it out. However, spelling it blond, although technically incorrect, is often used to the point that it has become an acceptable second choice. So to be exact JoKv was not incorrect.

[Pgenre]

Posted: 11/23/09 at 5:59pm

The title of the show is LEGALLY BLONDE with an E. Period.

He was wrong and so are you.

P

Posted: 11/23/09 at 6:02pm

Thanks Winston- I've since found out that "Blond" is used for a man and "Blonde" for a woman- although my old spell check always tells me Blonde is incorrect. Like Barbara Bush, my beautiful mind is too precious to waste on worrying about how to spell the name of that piece of crap any longer.