Alex Timbers has Departed FROZEN!- Page 3

[Mr. Musical]

Posted: 8/4/16 at 4:13pm

Jeffrey Karasarides said: "Which woman would you like? When the project was originally announced, Diane Paulus was my first choice to direct. However, considering the responses both Finding Neverland and Waitress received, she so far hasn't proven to be as successful with new musicals as she has with revivals.

 

"

I think Taymor would be great. Kristin Hanggi could also be a fun option, although less "high-profile." Casey Hushion, who has actually been Nicholaw's associate a few times and was the director of Nerds, might be a good choice as well. I'm sure there are plenty of very talented ladies that I'm not thinking of who could do a great job on it. I didn't have a particular woman in mind with my comment, just that I think it would be a good fit for the material.

Updated On: 8/4/16 at 04:13 PM

[BroadwayConcierge]

Posted: 8/4/16 at 4:17pm

What difference does it make for the show if the director is a man or a woman?

[HogansHero]

Posted: 8/4/16 at 4:25pm

neonlightsxo said: "I didn't say there was anything. I just think she'd be good. Calm down, bro."

What in what I said gave you the impression I'm not calm? And why do you think she'd be good? Because of her stellar work in such kid-friendly spectacles as Living on Love or Nice Work? Her only other original musical was Seussical, and Rob actually directed that one, not that that mattered.

[neonlightsxo]

Posted: 8/4/16 at 4:33pm

BroadwayConcierge said: "What difference does it make for the show if the director is a man or a woman?"

The point is that Frozen is a story about 2 women, and their sisterly love for each other. It'd be great to see a woman's take on that, as someone who can relate.

 

 

Hogan, why does it have to be a "kid friendly" show? I think she's a great director of musicals. The story is kid friendly, I don't think it has to be a director with "kid friendly spectacle" experience. Frozen is a musical. You of course picked out two of her lesser credits. She directed Ever After, which was not good, but the majority of the problems were not hers.

[trpguyy]

Posted: 8/4/16 at 4:34pm

It would have to be a female director who also has a sister, right?

[neonlightsxo]

Posted: 8/4/16 at 4:36pm

trpguyy said: "It would have to be a female director who also has a sister, right?"

 

You're the worst.

 

[trpguyy]

Posted: 8/4/16 at 4:39pm

"The point is that Frozen is a story about 2 women, and their sisterly love for each other. It'd be great to see a woman's take on that, as someone who can relate."

 

For that to be true, the female director would have to have a sister, or at the very least a sibling to be able to bring that to the show. 

 

EDIT: Marshall, Paulus, and Taymor all have sisters

Updated On: 8/4/16 at 04:39 PM

[BroadwayConcierge]

Posted: 8/4/16 at 4:48pm

By your logic, Hedwig should have been directed by a gay man who immigrated to a country after a botched sex change operation and who enjoys punk rock. So that he could relate.

I don't disagree that Frozen could or should be directed by a woman; I disagree with the rhetoric that only individuals who have a personal stake in a show's storyline can pull off the best possible directorial work.

[gypsy101]

Posted: 8/4/16 at 4:49pm

I think Julie Taymor could do something good with Frozen.

I agree with I hope Betsy Wolfe plays Elsa on Broadway #IStandWithCinders

[Call_me_jorge]

Posted: 8/4/16 at 5:04pm

Would Disney trust Julie? I can't really see Diane working for this. Maybe they can get Liesl Tommy, she already directed the Disneyland production and is a pretty out of the box thinker I would assume.

I think mark brokaw is a nice idea. 

[Mr. Musical]

Posted: 8/4/16 at 5:08pm

I, nor anyone else for that matter, said it HAD to be directed by a woman. Just that it would be nice if it was. A man could do a wonderful job on the show I'm sure, but I would personally enjoy seeing a what a woman would bring to the production.

[alliez92092]

Posted: 8/4/16 at 5:13pm

I think Rachel Chavkin would be an inspired choice.

[HogansHero]

Posted: 8/4/16 at 7:19pm

neonlightsxo said: "Hogan, why does it have to be a "kid friendly" show? "

It doesn't. Did I say it did?

"I think she's a great director of musicals. "

I don't. But whether she is or not, she has never delivered a new musical successfully. 

[JennH]

Posted: 8/4/16 at 8:39pm

broadwayboy223 said: "My hope is that they find a director who wants to make this show real and not so cartoony. It's so easy to make these stage Disney musicals copies of the movies  two dimensional. At least for me as an audience member, I want to care about the characters. 

 

"

THAT. I don't mind them keeping their 'Disney feel' but PLEASE I want to care a lot about them. I barely care about anyone as they are, the film's problems keep us from doing so, and that's a writing issue (plus a 'mediocre film being overhyped and overrated' issue). I still believe with my whole heart that this can work on stage, but for that to happen, it NEEDS to be some pretty big overhauling with the story and writing, as well as structure. The film had SO MUCH untapped potential to be epically amazing (and obviously fell flat) that can still be realized in this adaptation.

I never thought Timbers was a terrible choice, but certainly not an inspired one. What I want is a director, whoever it is, who can see this potential it still has, and realize it needs to...MUST BE...majorly reworked for it to read on stage well. YOU CANNOT just throw this movie on stage. Of course every film needs reworking, they always do, but this one needs MAJOR reworking on the story and writing to make this not only actable for the performers but also for good stage flow. Awkward writing and Awkward staging go hand in hand many times, and awkward staging KILLS a show faster than we can blink. The DCA production proves this. Ironically enough, though the film was written with 'stage musical' in mind, it certainly doesn't read on stage as it currently exists. The problems the film has are made even more obvious by just throwing it on stage without adapting it to work on stage the way DCA did. 

 I've said even before Timbers was announced that Taymor should be doing this, and it could be her comeback if she did this right. Obviously, others here think so too. As for would Disney trust her? I know there's a not so good history there, but I think they would need to just let her do her thing. I actually catered the TDF gala earlier this year which honored Schumacher, Taymor was there AND sitting by him, so I can't imagine this bad blood still being there. If it were she wouldn't have been there...I think. 

HOWEVER I'm not so attached to Taymor that I don't think anyone else could do it. Marshall I think could, and whoever said that Ever After's problems were mostly not hers, you are SO right. I saw that show, and it was mostly the writing. She was merely working with the pretty bad material she had. I'm still waiting on a change of costume designer, I've said Ivey Long needs to be doing this. He didn't win the Tony for Cinderella for no reason, he obviously has a great grasp on the fairy tale, Disney-esque, style, plus we all know he is more than capable of doing something truly special and innovative with Elsa's costume change. Those DCA production costumes are TRASH, look so damn cheap and ill designed, and come off as 'cosplay that missed the mark pretty badly" they are not flattering those actors at all. I can only hope this one and the cruise line show do better.

Here's also something to think about. Some shows are better staged certain ways. I can't imagine Beauty and the Beast being anything but the traditionally presentational style staging it had. To direct that show any way else, it comes off as odd and not pleasing. I just saw a 'modern steamapunk-ish' production of it, and another just recently used 'Muppet style' puppets, and was very minimalist. Just no. It's MEANT be to be bigger and more presentational. You don't need to break the mold design wise with B and the B. Nor do audiences want that with it. Lion King and Frozen on the other hand due to the nature of their films being a little less traditional than your normal Disney for many reasons, lend themselves well to being staged and designed in the abstract/representational. I do like the DCA production for seeing that and using it. I've been saying since day one, Frozen needs to be more 'abstract' and less traditionally staged and possibly on the minimalist side, there's no way the 'magic' is going to come from utilizing too many sets or 'practical effects', it would be too cumbersome for a show of a story in which someone's magic is major plot player. Lighting shenanigans everywhere is how I see it, firstly.  Taymor obviously saw that going into Lion King, hence why I think she's currently the best choice for Frozen right now. 

And lord in heaven, keep Nicholaw as far away from this as possible. His style of 'cartoony and campy' with his other shows will obviously bleed in to this, and I want 'cartoony and campy' styles as FAR AWAY from this as humanely possible. His style is fine for those shows, but NOT for this. Remember Disney stories are meant to be in earnest and completely honest in their delivery. Aladdin, being the exception of his, that show is flat as can be, relies WAY too much on nonsensical comedy, and is the definition of lazily conceived 'tourist trap' show. I love the Disney musicals, but that doesn't mean laziness should take hold just because you know people will see it. You might as well make them good at the same time. Hence why I still think to this day B and B and LK are still the best Disney musicals. They were not ill conceived, and because they already screamed 'stage' all they needed was expounding all already working material, not CHANGING...just expounding. Frozen needs CHANGING all over, and for heaven's nail that theme down. There's too many themes they tried to tell all at once, and that's just one of many things needed. And make it a truly timeless and compelling one, because that will seep into writing character arcs and make them better.

As for the idea of Tommy reprising her role as director...whoever said that, bite your damn tongue. She's half the reason the DCA show is crappy and ill thought out as it is, she's someone else to keep far away from this. I get that theme park isn't for 'great art' but even as theme park shows go, it's pretty bad. Her style niche is high drama-ed political pieces...and not only that, she had never even seen the film before she was straight up offered the job, so what was Disney thinking hiring her??? And what was she thinking actually taking it when she is perfectly self aware of what her niche is?? She has no sense of that style, nor had any sense of what it needed to work on stage in any form, it was the least out of the box thinking I could ever think of. Frankly some shows need out of the box thinking, others don't. Frozen needs out of the box. Tommy ain't it.

Brokaw? Since his Cinderella was pretty damn decent, I can get behind that idea. So get Brokaw and Ivey Long together again, and I think magic could be made again, the likes of what hasn't been seen in a Disney musical since LK premiered. 

Some of the Disney films totally can work on stage, others can't. Need I remind us all of the near travesty that was Little Mermaid and the ACTUAL travesty that was Tarzan? There's only one or two songs for the LM musical I care to listen to, and NONE of the new songs for Tarzan were memorable to worked in any way. There was nothing that could be done to make those shows work on stage, because those movies had no stage essence about them to begin with. Source material has to have an essence about it for the stage. LM BARELY had it, I even remember thinking years ago how LM would be on stage...and three months later the announcement of LM on Broadway came. I kid you not. But in the end, it doesn't work. I'm still waiting on Hercules, and also for a complete reworking of the tragic misconception that was Hunchback. There is NO Disney movie of the 90's that SCREAMED to be on stage in epic and sweeping, grandiose fashion than that one. Disney just got scared that people wouldn't take their darkest property too well to being on stage. They were VERY wrong I daresay. 

I know I must sound like a nutter,rambling like this, but I'm just over lazy directing and conception of musicals in general. I know they live in their own world due their just being musicals, but that doesn't mean that can't be smartly done.

 

 

[Tag]

Posted: 8/4/16 at 8:56pm

It's pretty simple to figure out that Timbers wanted to reinvent the wheel (as usual), Disney doesn't want that risk (they don't have the balls of The Lion King days, and they're still recovering from trying that on Mermaid).  So they showed him the door, and will probably hire someone like Liesl Tommy to recreate the film onstage (as she's done at Disneyland) and the fans will be happy, and Disney will get richer.  The end.

[AnnieBlack]

Posted: 8/4/16 at 9:08pm

but Timbers isn't a very good director... i think we are seeing Disney make a smart decision after a bad decision. end of story. its not about being conservative, its about being smart. 

[VintageSnarker]

Posted: 8/4/16 at 9:42pm

I was thinking Joe Mantello since I feel like the best case scenario for Disney is that this turns into another Wicked.

When the female director conversation came up, I thought Rachel Chavkin too but while she's proven to be versatile, I don't think they would trust her with a big project like this given that her usual style isn't a clear fit with the material. But it would be nice to have a female director because I think a large part of Frozen's success were the statements it was making (which started with The Princess and the Frog, which sadly not a lot of people saw, but whatever). I've liked the Liesl Tommy plays I've seen but has she ever directed a musical?

[HogansHero]

Posted: 8/4/16 at 10:26pm

AnnieBlack said: "but Timbers isn't a very good director... i think we are seeing Disney make a smart decision after a bad decision. end of story. its not about being conservative, its about being smart. "

Timbers is a great director but not for Broadway and certainly not for Disney.

I think Tommy wants a Tommy but not Liesl. And I seriously doubt Mantello has the slightest interest

[trpguyy]

Posted: 8/4/16 at 11:23pm

HogansHero said: " And I seriously doubt Mantello has the slightest interest"

While probably not interested artistically, I think most directors who can compute 1% of an estimated weekly would at least be slightly interested. 

Updated On: 8/4/16 at 11:23 PM

[HogansHero]

Posted: 8/5/16 at 12:50am

trpguyy said: "HogansHero said: " And I seriously doubt Mantello has the slightest interest"

While probably not interested artistically, I think most directors who can compute 1% of an estimated weekly would at least be slightly interested. "

most directors maybe, but Wicked worldwide revenue has deprived Joe of he ability to care about money.

[trpguyy]

Posted: 8/5/16 at 1:03am

Fair point, though the same cannot be said about another notable Wicked creative. 

[RippedMan]

Posted: 8/5/16 at 4:20am

I thought Timbers was a great choice. His design aesthetic is beautiful and I'd be super curious to know what his design/direction would be. I think Olaf would prove to be the hardest decision. 

[pupscotch]

Posted: 8/5/16 at 8:04am

https://www.broadwayworld.com/article/Julie-Taymor-Reveals-Shell-Return-to-Broadway-Next-Season-Im-Coming-Back-20160805

Could this mean that Taymor is directing Frozen? People have been bringing her up on this thread and I think she'd be great.

[Mr Roxy]

Posted: 8/5/16 at 8:13am

Do I see another Spiderman fiasco if she does it? Time will tell. 

[neonlightsxo]

Posted: 8/5/16 at 9:11am

Julie Taymor is not directing Frozen.