I feel like we can say that about a lot of Disney musicals - spectacle disguised as a musical, like Aladdin for this year. I enjoyed it (more than Lion King) but not worth the hype.
Eh. I was not a fan of the score. Probably because I just don't like that kind of music. And I took a dance master class for that show. Didn't like that style of dance either.
KINKY BOOTS for Score (over MATILDA) and Orchestrations (over CINDERELLA)
Words don't deserve that kind of malarkey. They're innocent, neutral, precise, standing for this, describing that, meaning the other, so if you look after them you can build bridges across incomprehension and chaos. But when they get their corners knocked off, they're no good anymore…I don't think writers are sacred, but words are. They deserve respect. If you get the right ones in the right order, you can nudge the world a little.
Meanwhile, for this year's awards, there are some heavy hitters.
Worst Play BRONX BOMBERS and THE SNOW GEESE are a big one-two punch in this category.
Worst Musical SOUL DOCTOR has this one sown up. FIRST DATE is lucky to have such stellar competition, and BIG FISH almost doesn't even deserve mention here (almost.)
Worst Revival of a Play In a year with such great Shakespeare, ROMEO & JULIET and MACBETH lead the charge in this particular category.
Worst Actor in a Play Orlando Bloom, for giving the age-inappropriate performance we all were worried Denzel would be giving.
Words don't deserve that kind of malarkey. They're innocent, neutral, precise, standing for this, describing that, meaning the other, so if you look after them you can build bridges across incomprehension and chaos. But when they get their corners knocked off, they're no good anymore…I don't think writers are sacred, but words are. They deserve respect. If you get the right ones in the right order, you can nudge the world a little.
Worst Casting of a Musical: STATE FAIR. It killed the show. Ben Wright and Scott Wise were the only ones well cast. The show actually could have been done with that cast, but not in those roles. Donna McKechine, who was John Davidson's age, playing the band singer his 21-year-old son takes up with? Icky. If you had to cast her, she should have played John's wife. Kathryn Crosby as the wife, 10 years older than John, could have played the old bitty who's the wife's rival at the fair. Andrea McArdle was way past playing a girl who had just graduated from high school, but could have played the band singer. But of course Donna is too glamorous for the farm wife, Kathryn wouldn't play a bit part, and Andrea isn't innately glamorous and sophisticated enough for the band singer. Then there was poor, hardworking John Davidson, Mr. Sunshine in a role that seemed written for a curmudgeon like Wilfred Brimley. I've seen a couple other productions since that were well cast and it's really an effective, well-written show with a sterling score.