Heathers- Page 3
Heathers
StickIt
Featured Actor Joined: 8/29/08
#50Heathers
Posted: 7/20/14 at 9:59pm
I don't think you should take my word as gospel on what the show is either, my characterization of the show isn't really relevant. It's just one person's opinion/interpretation. I also don't really agree with your assessment of Martha's character in the movie or your assessment of what would be "too far" for Veronica to stop being sympathetic or believable. Kids do cruel **** in high school. And yes, even to their "BFFs". So, I imagine a good portion of my time would be explaining why I disagree with you point blank on Martha and Veronica as characters before I could even start in on why I think a Wikipedia summary omits important context for the plot of the show which is a ridiculous thing to even ask someone to do.
If you're curious, you can feel free to do more research on the show, listen to the recording, see it, etc.
Mr Roxy
Broadway Legend Joined: 5/17/03
#54Heathers
Posted: 7/21/14 at 3:58pmSondheim also said that It's a Plane... was the funniest musical he had ever seen. (The only other time I can remember him going on record about a show he saw and how much he loved it was the original production of Violet, though I'm certain there have been other times,) so your mileage may vary. Personally, I really really enjoy the Heathers cast album, albeit maybe half of it I enjoy in a sorta guilty pleasure way--I do understand, even from that, why some feel it misses the tone of the movie.
FishermanBob
Broadway Legend Joined: 7/9/12
#55Heathers
Posted: 7/21/14 at 4:09pm
"He is entitled to his opinion.I still did not care for it and will not change my opinion."
How about if he offered to come to your house and personally asked you to reconsider? How about if he did that AND brought fresh bagels and your favorite spread. What about then? And what if he did all that AND thanked you profusely for having the courage to say what everyone else is thinking about Brantley, called you a thought leader for the theater community and told you he's seen Rocky 15 times and it's better than any of his shows ever were. What about then?
BroadwayBryce
Chorus Member Joined: 8/1/13
#57Heathers
Posted: 7/21/14 at 4:18pmReading all these posts about the show also allowed me to take a new perspective when eveluating it. Ive seen it 4 times now (student rush is great) and when i brought someone who had never seen the show or movie to it before, the thing that was most shocking to them was how dark it turned really fast. I think that was one of the biggest struggles this show had. For the entirety of the movie, pre-killings, you always get that dark eerie feeling to the story. Its as if you always know this is gonna get weird. When it transferred to the stage, all the big bubbly numbers like candy store and big fun sort of took you out of that dark world, such that when the killing of ram and kurt occurred and they sang "our love is god", it was much more shocking and weird to the audience because it got so dark so fast. It seemed like that was the biggest pitfall of the creative team. It's like they got lost trying to write a completely new musical then remember they had to tie it back to the original material haha
broadwayguy2
Broadway Legend Joined: 5/18/03
#58Heathers
Posted: 7/21/14 at 4:44pm
Bryce,
That is the direction and design. Not the writing. I think it would have certainly helped had the director latched on to that darkness, which is definitely there in the writing, but he chose to focus heavily on comedy and humor at the beginning and did not bother to ground it with that darkness and it would be very easy to do that without changing a word. In fact, I think that would be most effective, keeping a sense of innocence with an under current of darkness and then completely turning it on its head rather than comedy comedy comedy.. SERIOUS.
#59Heathers
Posted: 7/21/14 at 4:58pm
Jordan said, why not write a musical that DOES work onstage in 2014? Because if you want to do school shootings and teen suicides AND comedy, your only viable option is to do Heathers. It gets a pass, and not even a full pass, because it's a cult classic that predates the Columbine era.
You want to tackle those topics with a new work, it's going to have to be a drama, probably even a tragedy. Look at the world today. HEATHERS the musical we have is probably the best of all possible teen murder-suicide comedies. It's not perfect, but I'm really not sure if boundaries could have been pushed much farther today. Maybe the ruthlessness and the institutionalized homophobia has been toned down, but I suspect that if they had been kept, and if the movie's tone was perfectly recreated, even pushed further, there would have been equal pushback from people saying "you can't do that anymore."
#60Heathers
Posted: 7/22/14 at 1:23pmThe problem with HEATHERS, and I only reviewed the album and have not seen it on stage, is that it makes everything seem so happy and peppy. The film was DARK and witty. The lyrics to the show are so sophomoric and witless. Nothing in them bites or cuts the way it should. You shouldn't be bouncing along and tapping your toes to HEATHERS. You should discomforted and unnerved. I probably won't be seeing it on stage unless the PR team invites me to see it and give the album another go (which is unlikely).
#62Heathers
Posted: 7/22/14 at 1:35pmNot sure I agree with that characterization, although it makes sense from only listening to the CD. The songs are upbeat and peppy, but they are killing people... so that part didn't bother me about the production, since there is a fun disconnect. I mean, "A Little Priest" is a playful upbeat song too.
#64Heathers
Posted: 7/22/14 at 4:04pmI agree that the lyrics sometimes really let the score down, but I do think that actually for much of it you should be "tapping your toes," though if more lyrics were discomforting that would be ideal--that's the balance they should have. After all in the film you find yourself laughing and only after the laugh do you question that (well, at least I do--)
ScottK
Understudy Joined: 12/13/12
#65Heathers
Posted: 7/22/14 at 4:10pm
To DEClarke
"Sophomoric and witless"??!!
You must be kidding!--Those are GREAT lyrics--and mostly all perfectly rhymed--with inner rhymes too.
It would help you immensely to have seen the show, so you'd know how the songs fit within the context of the show.
SEVENTEEN is a great song--one of the best in the past few years. That and "Kindergarten Boyfriend" may even "come out" of the show. Will anything be done from Gentleman's Guide?
The opening number "BEAUTIFUL" shows how the word keeps changing within each segment presented during the opening.
These lyrics "smarter" than Memphis and In the Heights--and certainly better crafted than Spring Awakening (and pls dont flame me, I love the Score to SA).
Yes, call the PR team of Heathers--they must haev plenty of avail tix--and give the score the proper setting.
#66Heathers
Posted: 7/22/14 at 4:26pm
But to see 400+ people under 30 enjoy a live theatre experience is valuable to me
You can see a lot of that at Wicked, Newsies, Matilda, Book of Mormon, Aladdin, Once, If/Then, Mamma Mia, Lion King, Cinderella, Hedwig...
"What can you expect from a bunch of seitan worshippers?" - Reginald Tresilian
ScottK
Understudy Joined: 12/13/12
BroadwayBryce
Chorus Member Joined: 8/1/13
#69Heathers
Posted: 7/22/14 at 5:27pmThe rhyming of "lawyer" and "sawyer" in freeze your brain is laughable but haven't heard any terrible lyrics. I get that some songs are too playful and such, but "our love is god" and "meant to be yours" are two incredibly dark and haunting songs that i think do really well for the story
#70Heathers
Posted: 7/22/14 at 5:50pm
"we were so tiny, happy and shiny." Shiny?
"lets rub each others backs while watching porn on Cinemax."
"I don't have to stay and die like cattle. I could change my name and ride out to Seattle."
"my balls will work for you, they really need rescue. Baby you gotst to come through, teach them to smile!"
"I know God has a reason for each mountain and each flower and why he chose to let our boys get busy in the shower!"
"I never cared for homos until I reared me one."
Honestly 98% of Dead Gay Son.
"But we let go, take a deep breath and go buy some summer clothes."
Those are the ones I could remember off the top of my head. They are just lazy lyrics and like I said, I do love the show. It's ridiculously fun, it's score is infectious and most of the performances were great. That being said, the lyrics are not the strong point. They took whatever phrase would rhyme and just throw it in next, it feels awkward quite a few times. Why are you so up in arms about this anyway? So much that you need me to provide proof of the bad lyrics? Did you write them? And also, that being said, there is no song in the score that I dislike.
ScottK
Understudy Joined: 12/13/12
#71Heathers
Posted: 7/22/14 at 6:01pm
Ok--I forgot about Dead Gay Son--im not a fan of that song either--I dismiss it since I didnt enjoy one of the dad actors (so ive honestly never really "heard" the lyrics to that song"
Im up in arms because the CD reviewer said the lyrics were SOPHOMORIC and WITLESS
And they are hardly either of those.
I didnt say the score is perfect--no score is--but it is certainly well WRITTEN
And, as much, I am a "lyricist" (having been thru BMI, trunk show, as well as gotten paid to write an Industrial)--and the comment did bother me--greatly obviously.
It was SO dismissive--and he didnt even see the show.
A score usually doesnt "live" on its own--otherwise Merrily, Side Show, and Bridges would have all been successful too.
#74Heathers
Posted: 7/22/14 at 8:42pmI'm kinda with n2n on this. But I have to say--I sorta just accept that the Dead Gay Son and Blue Balls or whatever it's called well have a lot of dumb, forced lines because of the kind of songs they are. The lyric he quoted that always really irks me is the "Die like cattle" one. Is that some sort of expression that I've simply never heard before?? "We're all gonna die like cattle?" Wha??
