Admit it--you know nothing about ____ show- Page 3

[hushpuppy]

Posted: 2/6/06 at 10:57am

Sorry, Wickedrentq, but if you've only watched the movie version of all those shows and not read the book or even listened to the OCR, you're only familiar with the movie version and not the show.

Each of the movies you named differs from the stage version. Some differ greatly (Grease, Finian's Rainbow, Birdie) some less so (My Fair Lady, King & I) but all are different.

And what in the world is so difficult about sitting down and listening to an OBC recording? If you can't just sit there and listen, play it while you're cleaning house or making dinner.

[wickedrentq]

Posted: 2/6/06 at 3:21pm

Hushpuppy, the point of this thread and what I was saying was not that I'm an expert on any one of these stage versions, just seeing the movies have at least gotten me familliar w/ the stories and songs. A lot of the ones I mentioned I actually saw productions of the stage show later but was just making a point--Grease, Sound of Music, King and I, Finian's Rainbow, Oliver!...and own the cast recordings, not soundtracks of My Fair Lady, Jesus Christ Superstar, Hair, Evita and I watched the Bette Midler version of Gypsy, don't know if put that, and own the Revival OBC, and am in the process of buying Finian's Rainbow OBC...but having seen a recent production of it at Westport, I didn't think the movie differed THAT much, I actually saw the production first.

And many of the others I have different songs from them spread thoughout ultimate broadway and other CDs, unnecessary to name. But for me if there is a movie available, I'd rather get a sense of the story and such, and also that allows me to see how I like the songs, and I understand sometimes there was dubbing and just bad vocals inferior to Broadway...well most movies were I think...so I don't judge on that as I do the songs themselves...if I see a movie of a show, think it was okay but enjoyed it but the songs did nothing for me, why get the CD? I do make efforts to see productions of them as I realize they are quite different. Some movies I was very disappointed in and would love to see it on the stage--Birdie, South Pacific, Carousel, A Chorus Line--and though I was told of some differences, it's not the same as seeing it on stage. I always make sure to say I didn't love the movies, acknowledging they may be quite different from the show.

I don't understand what your problem with this is...

[MissElphie]

Posted: 2/6/06 at 9:34pm

I have to say Sweeney Todd...and I do feel bad about it...

[wonderfulwizard11]

Posted: 2/6/06 at 9:51pm

Ragtime
SITPWG

[way_to_spend_the_day]

Posted: 2/6/06 at 10:29pm

Please...anyone who knows nothing about Miss Saigon, Les Mis, or Tick Tick Boom...PLEASE PM me! I can't stand that you don't know anything about these (there are others that you should absolutely know about but these three I consider myself an expert on...)

[Magical_Ms._Mistoffeles_72]

Posted: 2/6/06 at 10:40pm

Chrysanthemum- Im sorry dont hate me, the only reason I dont know it is because I cant find it, recordings or anything, believe me I have looked. Sweeny Todd.
Light in the piazza
Woman in White

[elphatine]

Posted: 2/6/06 at 10:42pm

-Sweeney Todd (also some learned from Jersey Girls, and I'm ashamed of it)
-Company
-SitPwG
-Cats, except, well... what the title gives away
-Ragtime
-Merrily We Roll Along
-A Little Night Music
-Finian's Rainbow
-Wild Party
-Threepenny Opera
-Bare
-Caroline, or Change (grrr... wish I had gotten to see this)

There's more. I know there's more. *blushes*

[iliketheater]

Posted: 2/7/06 at 2:07am

nownow... let's everyone calm down.

To those who haven't seen many of the classics: There are some shows everyone claiming to be a theater-lover should be familiar with. I think you know which shows i'm talking about. A lot of us live in or near NYC, and to those people i say: The New York Public Library is our friend. Go to the one at Lincoln Center, and you can get anything you want to help you learn about these shows for free. For those who don't, there are pleanty web-sites that are dedicated to sharing information on popular shows.

That said,

To the more experienced: be nice! A lot of people here are young. For everyone born after 1980, it's hard to keep track of so many shows that were done before they were born or during their early childhood. The great thing about theater is that it's always being discovered (& rediscovered). Soon someone here will discover a classic, and fall in love with it like so have before them. It's part of the magic of theater.

[iliketheater]

Posted: 2/7/06 at 2:07am

*double post* Updated On: 2/7/06 at 02:07 AM

[frontrowcentre2]

Posted: 2/7/06 at 5:12am

While I don't expect someone born in 1980 to instantly know every show from 1927 through 1980, what I resent are the declarations "I know Nothing about ______" and how proud some people are when they mention classic musicals - especially those from the golden age that were faithfully filmed (MUSIC MAN, OKLAHOMA!, KING AND I etc). Some people wear their ignorance as a badge of honour!

Anyone actively seeking help and guidance as to which shows they should tackle first are welcome to PM me or any of the others who offered help. I can't guarantee you will like the same shows I do, but at least you will understand why these shows are important.

Updated On: 2/7/06 at 05:12 AM

[Enjolras77]

Posted: 2/7/06 at 10:30am

I agree with Frontrowcentre. I was born in 1977 and didn't actually see my first show on Broadway (not counting tours) until Sunset Blvd in 1995. However, I didn't let my age stop me from being aquainted with earlier shows. I did a lot of reading of biographies (Jolson, Merrick, etc), online articles and several histories of the musical. I also found ways to see productions or watch the movie/video versions. Yes, I taught theatre arts for 5 years so I guess I could say that a lot of my studying was job-related--although I enjoyed every second of it! I feel like I am pretty well versed in pretty much all of the important shows throughout history on at least some level. I agree it is hard to get information on some of the flops of yesteryear because of a lack of recordings, articles, or movies--but not key shows like the Music Man or Oklahoma!.

A couple suggestions to broaden your knowledge (and ones that maybe are a bit less expensive):

1) Go to your local libraries. I know here in Charlotte, NC the main public library has tons of musicals that you can rent for A LOT cheaper than at a normal video store. There are also many great books to check out as well. There are biographies that will clue you in to a lot of the shows (read the David Merrick biography and you will learn a lot about the late 1950's-early 1980's shows and important people) as well as other books on musicals. There are several anthology books that go show by show and give you a brief synopsis of each show and the major songs.

2) Read reviews online. The New York Times has every review from the past 100 years archived online. The cost is really minimal to purchase an article and you will learn alot.

3) Go and see shows at local high schools or community theatres. Yes, the quality of the performance and the production values won't be as high (nor the price!) but you will be able to experience a show you normally wouldn't. The only time I have seen Sweeney Todd, Gypsy, and Camelot were in community theatre productions--and I loved them.

Updated On: 2/7/06 at 10:30 AM

[ihearttheatre]

Posted: 2/7/06 at 10:38am

-Ragtime
-Miss Saigon
-A Little Night Music
-Caroline, Or Change
-Oklahoma!(I know the music, but not the story)

there are tons more..

[peggyandvelma]

Posted: 2/7/06 at 11:29am

"Some people wear their ignorance as a badge of honour!"

Well, this seems true, but for me, I see it as a chance to say "Excuse me, could you tell me what Sweeney Todd is about?" Then, perhaps, we'll have less people arguing with invalid points. How can you say that Wicked is better than Sweeney if you don't know a single thing about Sweeney? Does that make sense?

Also, because of my growing interest in musical theatre, I have been trying to discover old and new shows that are considered the best. I recently bought the highlights from Ragtime OBCR and I'm totally in love. I just want to improve on my knowledge of Broadway musicals. So, that being said, thanks to the people who responded with something like "PM me for some info." You give us "ignorant" people a chance to learn and possibly wind up enjoying what we're missing.

[children&art]

Posted: 2/7/06 at 11:33am

- kismet (other than "stranger in paradise")
- annie get your gun
- promises, promises
- she loves me
- the most happy fella
- pipe dream
- starlight express
- two gentlemen of verona
- grind
- big deal
- dancin'
- redhead

[Feathah]

Posted: 2/7/06 at 12:16pm

Not too familiar with Merrily, either.

A few more...
Kismet
Carousel (I know the songs)
The Pajama Game
Jacques Brel

I don't think it should be an embarassment not to know shows. As people grow to love theater it takes time and investment to go back and familiarize yourself with shows further back in theater history while trying to stay current as well. I had the good fortune of growing up in a family that is obsessed with all thing music. Everything from Leadbelly to Mozart to Janis Joplin to The Monkees to The Ramones to Sondheim to Cy Coleman.

So find the stuff you'd like to know about and start there.

Updated On: 2/7/06 at 12:16 PM

[BreakingTheCircle07]

Posted: 2/7/06 at 12:35pm

Follies
Drood!
Anyone Can Whistle

Those are the ones I know songs from and have a VAUGE idea of the plot, but I'm pretty much clueless.

[MagicToDo82]

Posted: 2/7/06 at 12:36pm

Mame.
There, I said it.

Posted: 2/7/06 at 12:47pm

I know nothing about Light in the Piazza. All I know is that it takes place in Italy, and starred Victoria and Kelli O'Hara. I forgot Victoria's last name.

[peggyandvelma]

Posted: 2/7/06 at 2:25pm

I also only know one song from Mame, but I'm seeing a production of it on Sunday and I'm very excited! Yay!

[javero]

Posted: 2/7/06 at 2:31pm

It took me two sittings of 'Rent' to get it.

[frontrowcentre2]

Posted: 2/7/06 at 2:32pm

As someone else mentioned, the hit shows are well documented both on recordings and film/video. Where more than one recording are available the rule of thumb is to always start with the original cast from the show's premiere. Though later versions may offer better sound or more complete performances, the original cast members are the ones who spent weeks developing the characters under the supervision of the authors.

Film versions that are faithful are harder to come by and sometimes ruined by Hollywood casting. (CAMELOT, though faithful is a disater!) PAJAMA GAME, DAMN YANKEES, GYPSY and MUSIC MAN (all from Warner Bros) are fairly straight stage-screen transfers.

A good overview of the first century of Broadway musicals can be found in BROADWAY MUSICALS: THE 101 GREATEST SHOWS OF ALL TIME by Ken Bloom and Frank Vlastnik. While some of their choices are questionable (any list has some) - the colour pictures from classic shws are to die for!!!

Harder to track are the flops. Get Ken Madelbaum's book NON SINCE CARRIE for a tour through 50 or so fabulous flops. The ones that left behind cast albums you can seek out.

As for cast albums, to borrow a song from a recent "fabulous flop": This is the Moment.

Over the past 10 years or so just about every musical ever recorded has been reissued on Cd and most can easily be found in stors. Don't wait too long though, some of the more obscure titles will go out-of-print once the serious collectors have bought them up and you will end up having to pay $50-250 to get some of the weirder titles.

DRG has recently brought back several long o/p Capitol shows: NO STRINGS, OF THEE I SING, THE GAY LIFE, PLAIN AND FANCY, and FLAHOOLEY (which, if you haven't heard - get it!)

DRG has also been raiding the Columbia vaults and given us the excellent studio cast of BRIGADOON (even better than the OCR), KEAN, THE HAPPIEST GIRL IN TEH WORLD and OH! CAPTAIN!

SONY has remastered most of the great Columbia Records classic cast albums (MY FAIR LADY, WEST SIDE STORY, CHORUS LINE, ANNIE, COMPANY, A LITTLE NIGHT MUSIC and NINE) but also they have given us beautiful Cd's of HOUSE OF FLOWERS, LI'L ABNER, CANDIDE, BARNUM, BALLROOM, THE APPLE TREE and OVER HERE.

Decca has redone almost all of its cast albums the big hits (OKLAHOMA!, CAROSUEL, ANNIE GET YOUR GUN) and some treasurable flops (SEVENTH HEAVEN, LOOK MA I'M DANCIN', the revival of ON YOUR TOES) and some absolute trash (ANKLES AWEIGH, DESTRY RIDES AGAIN)

RCA Victor did almost all their cast albums before the division was shut down a few years ago. Some of their discs are now deleted (FANNY, HAPPY HUNTING, MILK AND HONEY, WILDCAT, DO RE MI, JENNIE) and these will require a hunt but the big hits have been given deluxe remasters: HELLO DOLLY, OLIVER, HAIR, HOW TO SUCCEED and FIDDLER.

A couple of fun flops to watch out for: SUBWAYS ARE FOR SLEEPING (on Fynsworth Alley) and WHOOP-UP (Polydor.) No one would ever mistake these for classic musicals but both are just so much fun.

[Weez]

Posted: 2/7/06 at 2:34pm

Personally, I'd really like detailed synopses of 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee (I really can't read the CD insert XP), Cabaret, The Light In The Piazza, and You're A Good Man Charlie Brown. There are many shows I don't really know, but I can always learn about them. The shows I've listed here are ones I know the songs from but know very little else.

[wickedrentq]

Posted: 2/7/06 at 4:40pm

I too will offer a PM me for advice, info on how to learn more about shows in general or a specific show. Being born in the mid-80s myself, I had to go about a lot of this stuff w/ the materials that one would have now, and also I think w/ a bit more of a "modern" taste I could at least give my opinion on shows that can be loved now and those that perhaps were more important historically to Broadway and more enjoyable for their time than they would be in present day(like Music Man IMO), but w/ that, of course everyone has different tastes.

Frontrowcentre, I've stated it before, and I agree the films often don't live up to the stage show, especially w/ the casting. W/ Camelot I was pleased w/ Richard Harris, but Vanessa's singing was bad, and Lancelot was awful! But the point for me was I was curious to learn more about it, and it is faithful and introduced me to the stories and songs, making me perhaps want to buy the OBC or know in the future if the chance to see it live on stage comes, to not pass it up! (I wish I saw it in Jersey a couple of years ago so much). Understanding it's not the same and often worse, it's still a good base to start w/ learning/understanding a show.

Weez, I haven't checked for the recent shows but I know at least Cabaret and most likely the others if you go to google and write something like...Broadway cabaret detailed synopsis, I did that and got the whole story. I would guess you'd be able to do that for the others.

[frontrowcentre2]

Posted: 2/7/06 at 7:11pm

Weez... (Weez???)

The synopsis in the booklet for SPEELING BEE is VERY hard to read. So is the one printed in the booklet for DIRTY RTTEN SCOUNDRELS. It's the one failing in the otherwise fine packaging of Ghostlight's cast albums. (Maybe they have these available on their website? I will have to check.)

[sweetestsiren]

Posted: 2/8/06 at 10:26am

Two that have been bugging me:

Miss Saigon (which seems very wrong, but somehow I know absolutely nothing about it)
Follies (haven't gotten around to it yet)