Act 1 vs. Act 2 — Page 2

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#26

re: Act 1 vs. Act 2

Posted: 11/7/05 at 7:45pm

One of the theater groups in my town (not sure which one) did a production of only Act I of Into the Woods a couple years ago. What they were thinking, I have no idea. They might as well have done Cindrella (not that there's anything wrong with Cinderella, but the whole point of Into the Woods is that it's not Cinderella, Rapunzel, or any other fairytale).

"Wilkins, after all these years, are you trying to be funny?"

#27

re: Act 1 vs. Act 2

Posted: 11/8/05 at 2:05am

That sounds like INTO THE WOODS JR. which Sondheim and Lapine created for schools, mainly Jr grade schools to stage. There are similar simplified versions of a dozen other musicals. There was even a 1-hour doucumentary on PBS last year about students in Washington doing the JR version of WOODS for the 2002 Kennedy Center festival.

Cast albums are NOT "soundtracks."
Live theatre does not use a "soundtrack." If it did, it wouldn't be live theatre!

I host a weekly one-hour radio program featuring cast album selections as well as songs by cabaret, jazz and theatre artists. The program, FRONT ROW CENTRE is heard Sundays 9 to 10 am and also Saturdays from 8 to 9 am (eastern times) on www.proudfm.com

#28

re: Act 1 vs. Act 2

Posted: 11/8/05 at 6:34am

First act of The Scarlet Pimpernel is fun, swashbuckling and funny. But the second act is almost ludicrously weak, with one of the laziest, most non-sensical endings i have ever seen in theatre.

#29

re: Act 1 vs. Act 2

Posted: 11/8/05 at 8:01am

For a reverse.... I think Act 2 of "Woman in White" is stronger, on the whole, than Act 1. I know it's hard to say Act 2 is better, because often Act 1 is stuck with exposition, character development, etc... and Act 2 is designed to let that all pay off... but, really, you can have a strong first act with plenty of development that doesn't lose the audience's interest. For me, that's the main flaw with "Woman in White". It took an awfully long time to pull me in.

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Kay, the Thread-Jacking Jedi
Quando omni flunkus moritati (When all else fails, play dead...)

"... chasin' the music. Trying to get home."

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#30

re: Act 1 vs. Act 2

Posted: 11/8/05 at 10:19am

I love the first act of the Lion King, but as far as I'm concerned the only things worth watching in the second act is the Madness of King Scar and the Finale. Too bad they can't just eliminate everything in-between. Oh, well, it's a good time for a nap. LOL

So much of me is made of what I learned from you. You'll be with me like a handprint on my heart and now whatever way our stories end I know you have re-written mine because I knew you.

Updated On: 11/9/05 at 10:19 AM

#31

re: Act 1 vs. Act 2

Posted: 11/9/05 at 4:30pm

I Love the first act of Pirates but hate the second

#32

re: Act 1 vs. Act 2

Posted: 11/9/05 at 4:39pm

I've always thought that Cabaret was a very unbalanced show. It seems like everything is packed into a long Act 1 and then Act 2 has to speed up to complete the show in a respectable amount of time.

I think it would be interesting to do just Act 1 of Cabaret.

If anyone ever tells you that you put too much Parmesan cheese on your pasta, stop talking to them. You don't need that kind of negativity in your life.

#33

re: Act 1 vs. Act 2

Posted: 11/9/05 at 5:18pm

Hrmm..I would have to say Godspells 2nd act is SO much better then the 1st act. I mean.. all of the good songs in Act 2, like All good Gifts, By my Side, We Beesech thee, and Beautful City, just to mention a few and I dont find and intresting songs in the first ace. And South pacific, the first act was a lot better, due to the ensemble mostly being in the first act and that the show itself is so long. But yeah.

#34

re: Act 1 vs. Act 2

Posted: 11/9/05 at 5:47pm

To get back to the Sondheim issue, namely ITW, some of his best songs, he puts in his second acts, so I usually enjoy his 2nd acts better.

~And let us try, before we die, to make some sense of life~

#35

re: Act 1 vs. Act 2

Posted: 11/9/05 at 6:20pm

Dreamgirls Act I - WOW.

First of all I LOVE the entire show, but each song in Act I tops the previous song. I especially love the moments from HEAVY until And I'm tellin' You....

When Lorell screams Youuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuu're Impossible.......Wow. You Go Heather!!!!

#36

re: Act 1 vs. Act 2

Posted: 11/9/05 at 7:01pm

To the poster who said Assassins has no chance to lose steam, since it's only one act, I would argue Something Just Broke completely stops the momentum leading into the finale. I think Sunday's second act, though problematic book-wise, is great -- it needs to be there. The first act ends with the completion of the painting, but people tend to forget that George and Dot's storyline really is not ended. Move On is needed to complete their arc.

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