ABC to Rebroadcast Chenoweth-Broderick "Music Man" July 4

Loved Kristen, hated Matthew. Kristen was the BEST Marian I've seen, but Matthew was positively bland. The guy in the production my high school did last year was more entertaining. I didn't care much for the general production, either. I read an article with the director saying he was trying to go for a more intimate, real-people kind of feel and I felt that it hurt the piece and took a lot of the humor out.

totally agree about matthew broderick... blah-and...

Updated On: 7/1/04 at 10:30 AM

didn't see it, but after having seen Rebecca Luker do it on Broadway, I can't imagine Kristin in the role. I love her, but she doesn't seem the right type. Rebecca was amazing. I will try to watch it this week though (will have to tape it, as I'm away for the day)...but I can only imagine how awful Matthew will be in the role. God, if only we had performers today who are the caliber of Robert Preston. What a wonderful all around performer he was, God rest his soul.

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They should have cast Garber in the role instead of putting him in as Shinn (and he didn't even get to sing much)

Too bad that Broderick really just wasn't the right type. He did get panned for the performance.

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I agree with all of you...The Music Man is not one of my favorite shows.

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Matthew Broderick never pulls off the charismatic charm required to hypnotize an entire town to his bidding. The original film was so good and complete (unlike the predecessors of the television remakes of Gypsy, Annie, and Bye Bye Birdie which reverted back to the original books and scores), this remake was completely unecessary and could never live up to the high standards of the original. Molly Shannon, Victor Garber and Matther Broderick were all miscast. The choreography lacked the ingenuiety and vibracy of the original film. It just seemed a lifeless imitation. Kristen was ok, but lacks the subtle coldness of Shirley Jones that made Marion a much tougher nut to crack. And the opening sequence on the train was simply dreadful. It was performed far more seriously than the original which provided much over-the-top humor that set the tone for the rest of the show. I believe The Music Man is one of the most brilliant American musicals written, but this television remake did not do the show justice.

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red,

You're right. She wasn't the right type and the movie suffered because of it (putting ALL the blame on Matthew is not fair...even though he was pretty darn bad in it). I was willing to forgive a lot for Cheno because I figured her MY WHITE NIGHT would be a remarkably sung event. HOWEVER, THEY F*CKERS LOWERED THE KEY!!! I believe someone here called it the 'Disney princess version'. That was unforgivable.

PS...I enjoyed Rebecca Luker TREMENDOUSLY.

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Go out and rent the original. Or tape it, and just fast forward to KC's scenes.

Not only is Broderick doing his usual bland aging Ferris Beuller routine, but some of the shots actually CUT OFF THE DANCERS FEET. Oh my, was this a bad show.

Almost worth watching the first 15 minutes of again, just to reaffirm it's bad-ness.

Robert Preston owned the role, although Bierko did a pretty good imitation of him.

Music Man IS one of my very favorite of all American musical comedies. It is easily the most American of all musicals, well crafted and just a little bit dark-with a happy ending. If well performed this can be a profoundly moving experience-in the "It's a Wonderful Life" mode.

All I will say is "Thank God the Preston performance was preserved with a reasonable facsimile of the Broadway production, with a dazzling supporting cast". I have seen some of this new ABC TV production and all I can say is that it is not up to its source material.

Just my opinion I may be wrong.

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Updated On: 7/1/04 at 04:18 PM

When I was cast in the show, I bought this dvd and the original one. The older one is MUCH better than the tv-movie. I did enjoy KC, but the original has Robert Preston, Shirley Jones, AND Buddy Hackett! You just can't beat that.

I warn you all... Don't watch it sober!!! After a few drinks its better J&H with Hasselhoff!!!!

I dont know why broderick has such a succesfull career. I have never seen that man do a good job of acting - ever - at all! I can think of a hundred sitcom actors that could wipe the floor with him. I suppose his singing voice is all right, but nothing to write home about. Granted, all ive seen him in is inspector gadget, Biloxi Blues, and music man. Possibley he had three off productions?

I loved kristin, as usual...

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