A community theater FOLLIES....- Page 6

[Phyllis Rogers Stone]

Posted: 10/2/10 at 5:34pm

I guess.

[Dollypop]

Posted: 10/2/10 at 5:51pm

It's also possible that MTI will authorize one of us to do an audiotape of CITY OF ANGELS, or they may actually send out their own spies. I've been to playhouses that were shut down without notice--cops and everything--because of this sort of thing. The audiences showed up and there was police tape across the front doors.

[Phyllis Rogers Stone]

Posted: 10/2/10 at 6:00pm

I would venture to guess 85% of what you post is BS.

[Dollypop]

Posted: 10/2/10 at 6:05pm

Think what you want. I don't live to impress you.

[Starlight5]

Posted: 10/2/10 at 7:41pm

Oh there are tapes, trust me. They tape all thier shows.

[husk_charmer]

Posted: 10/2/10 at 7:42pm

PRS-
I don't actually know about cops and tape, but I have heard about MTI sending people out to do things like that.

R&H is even worse about it.

[SondheimFan5]

Posted: 10/2/10 at 7:49pm

Also, on a somewhat unrelated note:

in "Too Many Mornings", the actor/wannabe pop singer who playsBen makes a pretty significant line flub:
"SPENDING time with you" (which is what he said) is far different from "WASTING time with you" (which is Sondheim's original lyric).

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HLg8-_oKAjI

[AEA AGMA SM]

Posted: 10/2/10 at 7:58pm

"It's also possible that MTI will authorize one of us to do an audiotape of CITY OF ANGELS, or they may actually send out their own spies."

MTI will do no such thing, not a chance in the world. Mainly because MTI does not control the licensing for City of Angels, Tams-Witmark does .

[Starlight5]

Posted: 10/2/10 at 8:00pm

I guess we'll never know what happens.

[mattywhits]

Posted: 10/2/10 at 8:12pm

A director at my college made some line changes and cut a number from "Company", and it was reported to MTI. There was no legal action- it was a student-directed black box theatre production, which I guess doesn't count high on MTI's list of priorities (even though it was NYU, so it is slightly more reputable than community theatre)-- so I can't imagine the James Street Players will be facing much. They may send someone to see City of Angels, but they didn't do that at NYU either. The only thing that did happen was that the director actually received a LETTER from Stephen Sondheim (which despite its tone is now framed for posterity) to the effect of "Dear So-and-so, In the future, please reconsider before taking artistic license with the work of an author. If we had meant for the show to be done that way, it would have been written that way. Sincerely, Stephen Sondheim" and then he was asked to send a formal letter of apology to MTI.

So, James Street- you should probably think again before making any "corrections" or "improvements" on the libretto to City of Angels (if you could call adding a narrator to Loveland either a correction or an improvement...I would not)...but I don't think they're going to sue the pants off of you or anything,

[husk_charmer]

Posted: 10/2/10 at 10:08pm

^
R&H shut down a Dallas production of Oklahoma for making changes.

Sondheim nearly shut down a production of Company in Australia b/c it cut a character.

A few line cuts, that happens, and I don't think the liscencing companies care that much. The addition of lines, or songs, or characters is what they care about.

[PalJoey]

Posted: 10/3/10 at 12:20am

This thread was interesting for a time, but I'm beginning to believe what some people are saying: that the whole thing was as real and Brendan Stryker's death.

[Starlight5]

Posted: 10/3/10 at 12:41pm

Maybe we’re looking at this all wrong. James Street Players may be made up of special people. You can’t have that many people in one acting group and not think that they aren't special. Let’s give them a break. They meant well and did the best they could with what they had.

Updated On: 10/3/10 at 12:41 PM

[Boq101]

Posted: 10/3/10 at 12:55pm

Im curious as to what NYU cut from Company.

[husk_charmer]

Posted: 10/4/10 at 10:15pm

They took the videos down

[Dollypop]

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

According to You Tube, it was MTI that took the videos off. How can that be, when I've been told (in this thread) that Tams-Witmark controls the rights to FOLLIES?

Updated On: 10/4/10 at 10:16 PM

[husk_charmer]

Posted: 10/5/10 at 7:56am

^ MTI does control Follies. Tams controls City of Angels.

[newintown]

Posted: 10/5/10 at 10:29am

The currently licensed version of Company is already such a bastardization of the original piece, I can't imagine why anyone would care what is done to it now. The book has major changes, the orchestrations and vocal arrangements have major changes, and the insertion of "Marry Me A Little" at the end of Act I just makes no sense.

[SondheimFan5]

Posted: 10/5/10 at 9:54pm

hmmm...interesting. Did someone on here actually tell MTI or Sondheim, or maybe MTI watches message boards like this? Oh well, the world is a better place now that that damage is off the internet.

Now back to wondering about the Kennedy Center production...I sure hope this guy from James Street takes over directing it and brings along his Buddy, conductor, and musicians!

[bk]

Posted: 10/5/10 at 11:39pm

Have you read the posts in this thread - yes, someone told Sondheim (me) and he did something about it.

[ljay889]

Posted: 10/5/10 at 11:43pm

I would love to know the outcome of this.

[Phyllis Rogers Stone]

Posted: 10/5/10 at 11:45pm

The outcome is that people are gonna stop posting their shows on YouTube. It's common sense, but a loss for the masses.

[PalJoey]

Posted: 10/6/10 at 12:28am

Or at least they'll stop posting badly performed shows that brag about altering the writers' intent.

There's a lot of material on YouTube that violates copyright yet serves as a positive advertisement for more valuable uses of the copyrighted material.

The producers of Wicked were the first to realize all those YouTube videos of little girls shrieking through "Popular" and "Defying Gravity" were the best free commercials they could ever get.

Once the director of this one (or the sock puppet claiming to be the director) bragged about altering the script and score, legal action was simple and swift.

And, no, that does not MEAN that Sondheim's evil lawyers will be pulling down every Sondheim video on YouTube. You only have to look at the use of YouTubes in Sondheim on Sondheim during "Send in the Clown" to see his tacit (and bemused) approval.

Updated On: 10/6/10 at 12:28 AM

[bk]

Posted: 10/6/10 at 2:02am

Pal Joey: Exactly right. Steve hates this sort of thing, was grateful I brought it to his attention, asked for as much detail as I could give him, including the director's name, and then he obviously acted swiftly.

[ljay889]

Posted: 10/6/10 at 2:45am

I wish the director and DrDemento would come back and post now!