The Official Adam Pascal Love Thread, part three- Page 414

[Chloe]

Posted: 12/22/05 at 10:29pm

...and look how that turned out

But isn't Freddy in Chess an antihero also? I'd like to see all that energy and stage presence aimed in that direction.

[luvtheEmcee]

Posted: 12/22/05 at 10:31pm

Sort of, I guess.

And his acting in that movie was pretty impressive, even if the movie wasn't.

[luvtheEmcee]

Posted: 12/22/05 at 10:44pm

Anyone know if nia is coming back tonight?

[Chloe]

Posted: 12/22/05 at 10:45pm

I'm glad to hear it. You're one of the few who would know.

I noticed Billboard Girl was quoting from one of Adam's appearances on the American Theater Wing discussions. I was just looking at that myself, as it happens. His most interesting comment was about how difficult it is to really listen on stage, how after doing a show night after night it was easy to just act as if you are listening rather than reallly listen.

[luvtheEmcee]

Posted: 12/22/05 at 10:47pm

Don't you need to listen for your cues?

[Chloe]

Posted: 12/22/05 at 10:51pm

Of course, but what he was saying was that after a while he knew what everyone would be saying and would be sort of anticipating the lines in his head rather than actually listening to the other actor. I was kind of surprised at how much he had thought about it back then at the start of Aida.
Updated On: 12/22/05 at 10:51 PM

[luvtheEmcee]

Posted: 12/22/05 at 10:59pm

Instinct, maybe -- the whole crazy amounts of natural talent thing.

I have a huge headache, but I want to milk my computer time. After tonight, my brother won't have to go to bed early because he doesn't have school.

[Billboard Girl]

Posted: 12/22/05 at 11:22pm

Grrr, my mom just came in to give me the whole going-to-bed-early speech, so goodnight everyone. I guess I can't complain too much though, since my parents did agree to let me bring my laptop with me on vacation as long as I let my brother use it to work on his assignments.

[Chloe]

Posted: 12/22/05 at 11:24pm

Good night!

Sorry, I just had a long emotional phone call to deal with. I have a headache right now too. Someone suggested that the weather was making everyone achey right now.

Where is everybod anyway.. way...way?

[luvtheEmcee]

Posted: 12/22/05 at 11:26pm

This weather is so bad for my allergies; definitely headache-inducing.

[insomniak]

Posted: 12/22/05 at 11:30pm

I'm here!

I'm sorry, you two.

How are your holiday plans coming?

[luvtheEmcee]

Posted: 12/22/05 at 11:32pm

*hugs*

[Chloe]

Posted: 12/22/05 at 11:33pm

Yeah, I think I need to take a hot bath. Have a good night and I hope your computer behaves itself.

[luvtheEmcee]

Posted: 12/22/05 at 11:34pm

'night!

[insomniak]

Posted: 12/22/05 at 11:40pm

'night, Billboard.

I couldn't finish Lestat; I got it for Christmas last year. It was too boring.

I have a feeling that the show will flop horribly. Maybe it's just that I associate it with Dracula because of the vampires, but I don't see it working out well. It'd be terribly difficult to pull off atmospherically and book-wise.

[luvtheEmcee]

Posted: 12/22/05 at 11:43pm

It very well could...

[insomniak]

Posted: 12/22/05 at 11:49pm

Just read a bit about it. Elton John is writing the music.

It's sunk.

This needs to be hardcore gothic. There is NO room for pop.

Posted: 12/22/05 at 11:59pm

Chloe, I definitely didn't think that you were implying that he wasn't smart. Even if, hypothetically, someone were to say something less than flattering about him, I'm really not one to get worked up. I mean, how many times have people said that he can't act on these boards? Perhaps some have stronger attachments to their favorite performers, but I usually just let stuff like that roll off my back anyway. That said, I never took your question as such a comment!

Am I the only person who doesn't think of Freddie as an anti-hero? I think I've never felt he was the antagonist because the character of Anatoly is so f*cking unlikable (at least in my mind). I always thought that Freddie was an ass but one with flavor! He's fun.

IMO, there's no clear hero/heroine in that play.

[insomniak]

Posted: 12/23/05 at 12:03am

Agreed, Siamese. I like that there's no real hero or bad guy- they all have conflicts, hopes, flaws. I want to see the book rewritten with an indepth look at the characters. There is so much potential.

Posted: 12/23/05 at 12:07am

It's funny because the character that was *probably* written to be the most likable actually, for me, turns out to be the guy I can't stand.

[insomniak]

Posted: 12/23/05 at 12:17am

You think? I don't find him likeable at all, just very interesting.

Someone posted a while back that Anatoly is actually a reflection of Tim Rice's personal life. He was having an affair with Elaine Paige (which later went public after he divorced his wife) that resembled Anatoly's and Florence's romance.

The character is obviously written in sympathy of Anatoly's plight, but the writing is not entirely blind to his faults as a person.

Someone once told me that every piece of art you create is a self portrait, and I think the same is true of writing, more or less. This is a literal interpretation, but if you know enough about the writer and then read their work, you can draw parallels. It makes sense- you can only write what you know, and the thing you know best is yourself.

Posted: 12/23/05 at 12:30am

"The character is obviously written in sympathy of Anatoly's plight, but the writing is not entirely blind to his faults as a person."

I agree. However, I think the musical ultimately tries to garner more sympathy for Anatoly than it really can or that most people feel for him. I've always thought of his character as both unlikable and pathetic, in a way -- not only does he embody a lot of poor qualities, but also falls flat in getting the intended sympathy.

Of course, I have no way of knowing how much Rice actually wanted the audience to sympathize with him. Personally, I feel that he wanted more sympathy for the character than he could really muster with the set of values Anatoly has. That's definitely a "JMO" statement as I know many list him as their favorite character!

I definitely agree with you on the "interesting" bit. He's definitely an intriguing character, but he bothers the hell outta me. I guess it also depends on what version of the musical one is discussing.

[iheartcheyenne123]

Posted: 12/23/05 at 12:11pm

Happy Christmas eve eve!

[Chloe]

Posted: 12/23/05 at 2:43pm

Same to you, cheyenne, and also Happy Hannukah Eve.

Nia, sorrry to have just missed you last night. I'm not so sure Lestat is sunk. What little I've seen of the audience reviews have been pretty good so far, saying it needs work but is in better shape than Wicked was when it opened in SF. Most have said that the music is good, and I know Elton explicitly said this would not be a pop/rock score, but more of a traditional Broadway sound with no electronic instruments. I think he's quite capable of writing something like that, since he had classical trianing at the Royal Academy of Music.

Everyone seems to agree that the sets and projections are wonderful, with some criticism of individual scenes. The biggest complaint I've seen so far is that there's a lack of sexual tension, which casting Adam would solve immediately, of course.
Updated On: 12/23/05 at 02:43 PM

[luvtheEmcee]

Posted: 12/23/05 at 3:39pm

ha! Well, he CAN fix that.

*hugs thread*