Naked Boys Singing on DVD Tuesday!

[CATSNYrevival]

Posted: 12/1/07 at 10:24pm

Is anyone else excited?




Naked Boys

[Dollypop]

Posted: 12/1/07 at 10:36pm

I've heard the movie is a disappointment. (Most movies are!)

[bschneid76]

Posted: 12/1/07 at 11:07pm

The movie is very disappointing. I'd wish I had paid to see it live, than watch the movie. It definitely could have been so much better than it was.

[DG]

Posted: 12/1/07 at 11:29pm

Cats - aren't you at least old enough to buy porn? You shouldn't have to be lusting after stuff like . . . this.

[CATSNYrevival]

Posted: 12/2/07 at 12:15am

I am. But porn doesn't have musical numbers. Now my two favorite things are on one DVD. I'm excited to get to see Joseph.

[Dollypop]

Posted: 12/2/07 at 11:02am

The show's still running in NYC...and George Livengood has returned to the cast.

Since when is there an age limit for admission to theatrical events? When I was a teen I saw THE WORLD OF SUZIE WONG and WHO'S AFRAID OF VIRGINIA WOOLF? and no one batted an eye.

[nealb1]

Posted: 12/2/07 at 11:39am

Now, granted, I've never seen the show, but, I'm just thinking logically here. If you have to get the audience in the theatre with the gimmick that the cast will be naked............doesn't that tell you something about the actual show itself??

Why do the cast members have to be naked? Why? What's the point? Shouldn't the material stand on it's own? How is singing the songs going to be different naked vs. fully clothed?

[Dollypop]

Posted: 12/2/07 at 11:44am

The show is actually quite enjoyable. There's some really witty lyrics and the performers have great charm. Do they have to be naked? That's a debatable point, but I've seen the NY version several times and have enjoyed it very much.

[nealb1]

Posted: 12/2/07 at 12:02pm

Oh, I'm sure that the cast is very enjoyable and that they are very talented. Will be interesting to see how the dvd sells.

[Luscious]

Posted: 12/2/07 at 1:47pm

Ya gotta have a gimmick.


PS. The movie is abysmal.

[everythingtaboo]

Posted: 12/2/07 at 1:52pm

I'll rent it only because Kevin Stea is in it, and I think he's just an amazing dancer and genetically flawless.

[Bettyboy72]

Posted: 12/4/07 at 11:28am

Just saw the DVD! The cast is SO tremendously talented. Great voices and great dancers. It is however, a literal, translation. The choreography looks the same as the show.

I was hoping for some re-invention. I mean how fun would it have been to see the naked maid actually cleaning a house. I mean they could have put all the guys in prison and had them daydreaming or something. I guess Rob Marshall wasn't available.

The documentary on the DVD alludes to the fact that the old dude who conceived the show was kinda married to not changing his concepts of the show. Therefore, I think re-invention of the material was out of the question from the get-go.

I also don't really understand why the actors had to do it in front of a live audience. That had to be daunting with all of the re-takes, close-ups, etc. It wasn't just filming a straight run-through of the show. From the documentary one of the actors almost walked when he found out that was the case. I think that was pushing the limits of respecting the actors and their bodies.

All that said, the talent is top notch and I support the production for that alone. Those guys deserve mad props for having the guts to make the film. The singing is great, the songs sweet and worth a look.

[bschneid76]

Posted: 12/4/07 at 11:36am

I said I wouldn't buy the DVD, but I got an offer to get something for free with it, so I thought, why not.

The stage version is really good, although I saw it in Chicago 3 times and was way better than NYC, as it was more inventive with choreography and direction.

[Elphaba]

Posted: 12/4/07 at 11:42am

"But porn doesn't have musical numbers."

oh honey, there are some places where showtunes just are not appropriate! ;oP

[The Boy From Ohio]

Posted: 12/4/07 at 7:46pm

I won't buy it, but feel I need to see it. Much like Oh, Calcutta (spelling?) Thank you NetFlix!

[Glebb]

Posted: 12/4/07 at 10:45pm

I've seen it live and can't imagine how the DVD could be any worse than the stage show.

[CATSNYrevival]

Posted: 12/5/07 at 12:53am

It's better. You can pause the DVD.

[DG]

Posted: 12/5/07 at 12:54am

"It's better. You can pause the DVD."

Full circle - back to porn.

[Mister Matt]

Posted: 12/5/07 at 10:56am

The stage version is really good, although I saw it in Chicago 3 times and was way better than NYC, as it was more inventive with choreography and direction.

Yeah, I was in that production a while back. Most of the Chicago production improved on the NYC staging like Jack's Song. Though it sort of ripped off a bit of Tommy Tune choreography, it was far more interesting and fun to watch. And there was the addition of the song Pizza Boy, written specifically for the Chicago production. I was asked to perform in the Houston production (though I couldn't do it at the time) and I believe they also had a new song written for them called Everything's Bigger in Texas or something like that. But Chicago also added that awful Pas de Deux during Window to the Soul, which was unnecessary and elicited nothing but nervous giggles from the audience. It was always performed way too seriously and was rather embarrassing to watch. I think it was strictly a vanity choice and I thank God I had nothing to do with it. My only real compaint about the show in general is the song Kris, Look What You Missed. Not only is it extremely dated, but it is totally depressing and completely out of place in the show. It's that self-discriminating ideology that anything gay has to mention AIDS. But other than that, the show is clever unique and loads of fun. And yes, the nudity is actually important, not only to the songs, but the show in general. The nudity is like another character and without it, the show would be just another gay musical revue. Not to mention the fact that the opening number would cease to exist if the actors were fully clothed.

And yes, I will toot my own horn for a moment. One of the show's creators told me I performed the best Robert Mitchum he'd ever seen. I just wish I had gotten it in writing. LOL

[Borstalboy]

Posted: 12/5/07 at 10:59am

A gay and his girlfriend once stopped and asked me if I was in NAKED BOYS SINGING in a gay bar. I could have kissed them both!

[Calvin]

Posted: 12/5/07 at 11:04am

Borstal, I don't remember if I told you this, but when I saw it for the first time about last January, there was a guy in it who is a dead ringer for you. I had to check the program to make sure.

I actually already have the DVD and have had it for several weeks. My roommate got a copy somehow. But I haven't watched it yet.

[Borstalboy]

Posted: 12/5/07 at 11:21am

Hmmmmm....would I pay that kind of money to ogle a fit, singing version of myself?

Pondering, pondering...

[Calvin]

Posted: 12/5/07 at 1:49pm

Whatever his name was, it was the one who sang the Robert Mitchum song.

[CATSNYrevival]

Posted: 12/6/07 at 4:40pm

I think the DVD is pretty good for the low budget they had. It could have been better. There are moments that don't quite work on film and are very awkward and I feel like the choreography could have been spruced up for film as it was often very simple, but I guess if they didn't want to change anything... whatever. Some of the songs are out of order from what's on the LA CD. Is that new? I was confused.

The cast is pretty good though vocally they were a bit lacking in some respects compared to the original LA cast recording, but only solo wise. The harmonies were a vast improvement in most cases. I agree about "Kirs, Look What You've Missed". It's slightly insulting, boring and out of place. Though, now I understand why they call it Naked BOYS Singing and not Naked Men Singing as some of the guys were a little petite, but maybe it was cold. There is one very tall, small guy who's not a very good dancer, doesn't have any solos and doesn't seem to ever quite know what he's doing. That was an odd choice to put him in the film version. Joseph Keane the "Perky Little Porn Star" is the one to watch. He steals the show for me. He's adorable.

Technically, the audio quality is very poor, not during the solos, but whenever someone else chimes in. Most notably during "The Bliss of a Bris". I'm guessing therefor that they did not go into a studio and prerecorded the vocals, but sometimes it seems as if they did because the guys seem to be lip-synching. The editing is very rushed and spastic looking. If that's what they wanted, great, but it looks very poor at times.

All of that aside though, the performances are pretty good. The material holds up pretty well and it's nice to have a documentation of the show on DVD finally for people to see who are not able to attend the show live.

[BudFrump23]

Posted: 12/6/07 at 5:00pm

"But porn doesn't have musical numbers."

Lest we forget the wonderful 1970's version of Alice In Wonderland - an X-Rated Musical Romp.

(Starring Kristine De Bell, who ironically is my friend from High School's mother...)