Advice to Frank Wildhorn

[rockfenris2005]

Posted: 10/16/04 at 8:34am

Get a meeting with Tim Burton, preferably next week, and make an announcement (a year from now) that SVENGALI will be made into a Hollywood motion assignment. I would LOVE to see this filmed. Not the others though. Svengali is the best thing Frank wrote, and the most cohesive and well-structured.

[bronxboundexpress]

Posted: 10/16/04 at 10:27am

No. THE CIVIL WAR is the best thing Frank ever wrote.

[Dollypop]

Posted: 10/16/04 at 10:28am

I have advice for Frank Wildhorn, too:

Stop polluting Broadway stages with your music. Your talent would be better focused on radio jingles.

[bronxboundexpress]

Posted: 10/16/04 at 10:32am

He does the radio jingles too though.

[Mr Roxy]

Posted: 10/16/04 at 10:33am

Another point of view some agree with & many do not . I would like to ask those who continually carp about how bad his music is: Have you ever written anything ? If not, how can you stand in judgment over something you no nothing about ? If you do not care for it , fine. To say he should stay off Broadway to suit your whims are a bit selfish.

Try writing a song & see how hard it is before you complain

Updated On: 10/16/04 at 10:33 AM

[The Distinctive Baritone]

Posted: 10/16/04 at 10:36am

I have to admit that I LOVE "Jekyll and Hyde." I think it's one of the coolest musicals ever written. I know it's not "good" in the sense that Sondheim is "good" or that Rogers and Hammerstein were "good," but it's fun.

That said, "Dracula" is one of the worst musicals I've ever seen. "The Scarlet Pimpernel" is OK, and definitely has its moments. I purposely avoided "The Civil War," but if the number it did on the Tony Awards is anything like the rest of the show, then it must really suck.

[Dollypop]

Posted: 10/16/04 at 10:36am

Yes, I have written music. I'm not going to brag, though.

It takes a special talent to capture "the Broadway Sound". Wildhorn doesn't have it. His music is strictly for jingles or "bubble gum pop"

[Mr Roxy]

Posted: 10/16/04 at 10:38am

Opinion noted

By the way, what have you written? I am curious

[Matt_G]

Posted: 10/16/04 at 10:41am

There are some Wildhorn songs I like, some I don't. And for some reason there are a few songs from DRACULA (a show I really did not care for) that are growing on me the more I hear them.

[bronxboundexpress]

Posted: 10/16/04 at 10:42am

Distinctive Baritone, the way you compared Wildhorn to Sondheim or Rodgers sounds like a matter of taste in style rather than the quality of music based on what it's trying to be. I think you probably just like the old fashioned classic Broadway music so as harsh as it sounds, you're opinon about Frank's music doesn't really count. You just have to pass it off as "not your kind of music." You can't really diss on it.

I'll say it again. THE CIVIL WAR, as far as strictly the music, is the best and most powerful music he ever wrote. But the prblem is that that all that's great about it is the music. Updated On: 10/16/04 at 10:42 AM

[Mr Roxy]

Posted: 10/16/04 at 10:44am

Another opinion I agree with. I think in Dracula he tried to please the critics ( waste of time) & it showed. Some songs such as the ensemble numbers didn't cut it. We want power ballads. By the way, & correct me if I am wrong , isn't "You Will Never Walk Alone" a power ballad. Which is worse : A song opening the Olympics or one closing a telethon ?

[jacobtsf]

Posted: 10/16/04 at 10:44am

Although Wildhorn is not the best composer he does have his strong points. His concept recordings idea completely revolutionized his fan base. Fans went in knowing what to expect and (almost all of them) got it. Every composer has one or two bad shows (remember he hasn't written that many yet in comparisson to others) and one or two great ones. I belive J&H is one of these. It captures an audience's attention from the moment Jekyll says "Goodnight Father". SP is another great show. It is meant to be entertaining but it also gives a message. That said some of his shows *cough*dracula*cough* are not all they are cracked up to be.

[MusicMan]

Posted: 10/16/04 at 11:12am

Memo to Frank Wildhorn:

Get out of show business.

Lose the damn baseball cap and grow up. Updated On: 10/16/04 at 11:12 AM

[wickedfan]

Posted: 10/16/04 at 11:27am

I am not the biggest fan of Frank Wildhorn. The only show I liked of his was "Jekyll and Hyde" and no, not the Broadway version. The ORIGINAL version. The one with "LAdies of the Night" and "Bitch Bitch Bitch". In my opinion, it's much better, not as poppy. The only change I liked from the original to Broadway was the whole evil and good song that Lucy sang at the club or bar or whatever it was. I think he tries more on writing songs that stick in your mind, whether yo ulike them or not. And he doesn't really focus on the whole feel of the moment with his song. The way Sondheim does with his songs. Sondheim makes them not so much about the music but about what they are supposed to represent. Wildhorn is more about getting his songs popular.

[Mr Roxy]

Posted: 10/16/04 at 11:29am

Looks like the hatred is not confined to politics & the off topic board. If some one does not like your music, you should stop writing it. Sounds like a very sound position but this is a free country

Oh well

Posted: 10/16/04 at 12:38pm

I love Frank's music! And yes it is a bit poppy, but would you rather have original music compared to recycled 'Mamma Mia' crap? Frank just has a different sound than other composers and that is what makes him unique and interesting, THANK GOD FOR FRANK WILDHORN!! Without him then every show would sound exactly the same with that wonderful whimsical "Broadway Sound" many of you seem to enjoy. I preferably like variety and something more new and fresh. Not to say Frank is a Sondheim or anything, but if you start comparing someone to the greatest composer ever to come across Broadway then I would suspect him to be trampled on.

...But, he is not Sondheim.

Thanks! I'm out!

[PB ENT.]

Posted: 10/16/04 at 1:35pm

Yes, only talentless people like Whitney Houston, Sammy Davis Jr. Liza Minelli etc. etc sing this crap! And of course those loser Olympic skaters Christy Yama-whatever and Katerina Vitt(Witt) must have been paid off to skate to "Gold". Imagine a song like "Gold" in the Olympic Games.

Furthermore Frank, who give you the right to mount three shows that even appeared on Broadway..not to mention some still continue to tour. Some nerve.

By all means, call Sondheim and learn a thing or too. Better yet call some of the famous people on this board to learn what quality work is all about. And, get a wig!... but keep the teeth, that charming smile and soft voice.

THERE... now I feel better. You guys really know this business. I think I will let Frank know it's time to ask the theater chat board experts. LOL!

Updated On: 10/17/04 at 01:35 PM

[bronxboundexpress]

Posted: 10/16/04 at 1:45pm

We've got some assholes on this thread today.

[B.B. Wolf]

Posted: 10/16/04 at 2:29pm

Alright, back on topic:
Mr. Wildhorn, you seem to be afflicted with a problem that SOOO many modern composers have. You don't know who to get to write the librettos/books for your musicals. You have written some damn fine enchanting tunes that indeed I love. You've also written some ****. Focus on the lyrics. Focus on the story. Let them be your guide to how the music should sound. Remember, in the end, it is ALWAYS about telling a good story.

[B.B. Wolf]

Posted: 10/16/04 at 3:05pm

sorry, should I have said something bitchy instead?

[PB ENT.]

Posted: 10/16/04 at 3:22pm

Absolutely not! No one minds constructive criticism. AND I'm the first to agree that Frank's "cakes are missing some ingredients" on most of his projects. But flatly rejecting his music as crap is a matter of personal opinion...certaintly not based on fact or history in the industry.

It's the opinionated flying poop that make's this place an arena for fools at times. DUCK!

[Mr Roxy]

Posted: 10/16/04 at 8:31pm

His music is melodic. having seen all 4 of his Broadway offerings, I think he is quite talented. His score from Civil War was great. " The Glory" ( Civil War finale) was mindblowing

[JohnPopa]

Posted: 10/16/04 at 10:47pm

Because when I think of compatible I think of songs suited for Whitney Houston and ... Tim Burton.

Maybe Barry Manilow and Terry Gilliam should go to lunch too.

[Rathnait62]

Posted: 10/16/04 at 10:54pm

Once again, there are two N's in MinNelli.

And why do we have to actually be composers in order to understand what is good and what isn't? If that were the case, only actors, directors, scenic designers, composers, musicians, costume and lighting designers would be allowed to attend shows.

[Dollypop]

Posted: 10/17/04 at 12:55am

My, oh my, doesn't PatiB get testy when she's defending one of her "theater pals"? One would think that Frank W. has joined Pati on Philadelphia's c0cktail circuit. Hmmmm....maybe that's why Linda left him.