Message Board Celebrity Of The Day (Part I) - papalovesmambo — Page 116

I think I'm going to have to add seeing Margo perform to my "Things I Wish I'd Seen List".

Hooray for MARGO!!! Congratulations -- I've been waiting for it to be announced that you were MBCotD since this thread started. :)

Hmmmmmm....... I'd probably head out of the country. Probably London -- for the theatre scene if nothing else. I also adore Paris and several German and Italian cities, but would need fluency first.

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Thank you, Margo, for your wit and your erudition. You really class up the joint.

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Well, I wanted an avatar that reflected my screen name -- FYI, Margo Channing is the diva star theatre actress from the film "All About Eve" portrayed in a legendary Oscar-nominated turn by Bette Davis -- so initially I had various pictures of of Davis from the film for my avatar. I came across this Davis caricature that I thought was wonderful and so I used that for a couple of months. Then, I got bored one day and changed it to another Bette Davis picture and several people complained so I switched it back and have left it alone ever since. Not to mention, I'm just too lazy to change my avatar and signature over and over like some people here (not to suggest that there's anything wrong with doing that, though it gets confusing at times).

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Updated On: 2/2/06 at 08:03 PM

I think overall it's been a good thing. They spent tens of millions of dollars bringing the New Amsterdam back to life (and did a beautiful job). They're the primary reason for the transformation of 42nd into one of the hottest commercial real estate zones in the world (though part of me still misses the old 42nd Street) and their presence is primary reason that we now have The Duke, The New Victory, The AA Theatre, The Little Shubert, and brand new spaces for Signature, Playwrights and Theatre Row.

While their shows have not been favorites of mine, they've brought several quality family-friendly entertainments to the table and those (abetted by their marketing genius) have attracted millions of people around the world to Broadway. This has benefited not only their shows, but the entire theatrical community. They take care of their shows and, because of their bottomless resources, spare no expense in terms of design.

Do I wish the actual content of their shows was better? Very much so, but they're still new at this and hopefully in time, they'll learn how to assemble teams of first rate, innovative theatrical talents and perhaps in the coming decades will produce a few shows that will be worthy additions to the canon of theatre.

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Updated On: 2/3/06 at 08:21 PM

I'll have to think about that one and respond another time, because I'm about to run out the door for a few hours. Talk to you later.

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Once again, I'm arriving late, but just wanted to say thanks, Margo for all the benefit of your knowledge and willingness to share. I've learned a tremendous amount from you and your thoughtful and insightful posts have given me much to think about.
Lifts a glass to salute Margo.

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Moi aussi, I worship @ the shrine of Margo. Very few (here or in the real world) have your intelligence, sophistication and breadth of understanding of the performing world. Nor the words to express. A tip of the hat to ya!

So how do u feel about jukebox musicals and can we look to see an end anytime soon? ( oops, is my bias showing?)

Updated On: 2/2/06 at 11:19 PM

"What plays and/or playwrights from the last few years do you think will stand the test of time? "

I think that in 50 years, theatres will still be interested in producing the better plays of Albee (who's plays are timeless), Pinter (ditto), Caryl Churchill (ditto), Stoppard, Shepard, August Wilson, Mamet, Simon, and Horton Foote.

Kushner's plays may be seen as period pieces at that point, but the poetry, humor, richness, craft and humanity in the writing pretty much guarantees his plays will always have an audience. He strikes me as similar to Shaw -- while the political and social issues in Shaw may not always be as specifically relevant to a contemporary audience, the overarching societal concerns he dealt with still very much resonate.

I think there are several plays by Durang, McNally, Frayn, Fugard, Richard Greenberg, Lonergan, Margulies and Friel will still be done. Not sure about McDonagh, Vogel (though How I Learned to Drive might still be done), Wasserstein (RIP), and Rabe.

I think Hare, Cruz, Rudnick, Henley, Baitz and Marsha Norman will be largely forgotten.

Plus I think that Doubt, Wit, and Proof will be done.

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Updated On: 2/3/06 at 01:55 AM

Margo, what is your favorite candy?

(I KNOW you eat candy!)

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"So how do u feel about jukebox musicals and can we look to see an end anytime soon?"

I think that affixing a plot with characters to a catalogue of random pop songs by a given artist which were never meant to have a narrative function is not the best way to create a musical. At least since Oklahoma (though there are several instances of integrated musicals prior to it), music and lyrics ideally serve a function of advancing plot, developing character and expressing emotions that are inexpressable through mere words. Taking a collection of unrelated pop songs and shoehorning them into a context in which they were never intended will probably never lead to the creation of a truly first rate musical.

Mind you, in the case of Mamma Mia!, audiences don't seem to care. And in the case of Movin Out, it sort of works where the songs are used to create mood and generally comment on the action -- the dance takes on the responsibility of establishing and giving dimension to the characters, telling the story and advancing the plot. While it's technically a jukebox musical, I guess, it's really just the kind of long form quasi-narrative modern dance piece that Tharp (and many of her fellow choreographers) have been creating for years and that you can see nearly every week at the Joyce (for less than half of a Broadway ticket price). It's only a "musical" because it played in a Broadway house instead of City Center.

I haven't seen Jersey Boys yet (next week), but it's already looking like a huge hit. I don't think jukebox musicals are going anywhere just yet. While there have been far more flops than hits thus far, the hits have done well (and in the case of Mamma Mia, extraordinarily so), are far easier to put together than creating a hit show from scratch and there are a lot of major pop catalogues that haven't been adapted yet. I have a feeling that while it's just a trend now, it'll never totally go away. But if several more end up flopping (at $10+ million a piece) they may end up being fewer and farther between.

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Updated On: 2/3/06 at 02:26 AM