broadwayboy223 said: "My hope is that they find a director who wants to make this show real and not so cartoony. It's so easy to make these stage Disney musicals copies of the movies two dimensional. At least for me as an audience member, I want to care about the characters.
"
THAT. I don't mind them keeping their 'Disney feel' but PLEASE I want to care a lot about them. I barely care about anyone as they are, the film's problems keep us from doing so, and that's a writing issue (plus a 'mediocre film being overhyped and overrated' issue). I still believe with my whole heart that this can work on stage, but for that to happen, it NEEDS to be some pretty big overhauling with the story and writing, as well as structure. The film had SO MUCH untapped potential to be epically amazing (and obviously fell flat) that can still be realized in this adaptation.
I never thought Timbers was a terrible choice, but certainly not an inspired one. What I want is a director, whoever it is, who can see this potential it still has, and realize it needs to...MUST BE...majorly reworked for it to read on stage well. YOU CANNOT just throw this movie on stage. Of course every film needs reworking, they always do, but this one needs MAJOR reworking on the story and writing to make this not only actable for the performers but also for good stage flow. Awkward writing and Awkward staging go hand in hand many times, and awkward staging KILLS a show faster than we can blink. The DCA production proves this. Ironically enough, though the film was written with 'stage musical' in mind, it certainly doesn't read on stage as it currently exists. The problems the film has are made even more obvious by just throwing it on stage without adapting it to work on stage the way DCA did.
I've said even before Timbers was announced that Taymor should be doing this, and it could be her comeback if she did this right. Obviously, others here think so too. As for would Disney trust her? I know there's a not so good history there, but I think they would need to just let her do her thing. I actually catered the TDF gala earlier this year which honored Schumacher, Taymor was there AND sitting by him, so I can't imagine this bad blood still being there. If it were she wouldn't have been there...I think.
HOWEVER I'm not so attached to Taymor that I don't think anyone else could do it. Marshall I think could, and whoever said that Ever After's problems were mostly not hers, you are SO right. I saw that show, and it was mostly the writing. She was merely working with the pretty bad material she had. I'm still waiting on a change of costume designer, I've said Ivey Long needs to be doing this. He didn't win the Tony for Cinderella for no reason, he obviously has a great grasp on the fairy tale, Disney-esque, style, plus we all know he is more than capable of doing something truly special and innovative with Elsa's costume change. Those DCA production costumes are TRASH, look so damn cheap and ill designed, and come off as 'cosplay that missed the mark pretty badly" they are not flattering those actors at all. I can only hope this one and the cruise line show do better.
Here's also something to think about. Some shows are better staged certain ways. I can't imagine Beauty and the Beast being anything but the traditionally presentational style staging it had. To direct that show any way else, it comes off as odd and not pleasing. I just saw a 'modern steamapunk-ish' production of it, and another just recently used 'Muppet style' puppets, and was very minimalist. Just no. It's MEANT be to be bigger and more presentational. You don't need to break the mold design wise with B and the B. Nor do audiences want that with it. Lion King and Frozen on the other hand due to the nature of their films being a little less traditional than your normal Disney for many reasons, lend themselves well to being staged and designed in the abstract/representational. I do like the DCA production for seeing that and using it. I've been saying since day one, Frozen needs to be more 'abstract' and less traditionally staged and possibly on the minimalist side, there's no way the 'magic' is going to come from utilizing too many sets or 'practical effects', it would be too cumbersome for a show of a story in which someone's magic is major plot player. Lighting shenanigans everywhere is how I see it, firstly. Taymor obviously saw that going into Lion King, hence why I think she's currently the best choice for Frozen right now.
And lord in heaven, keep Nicholaw as far away from this as possible. His style of 'cartoony and campy' with his other shows will obviously bleed in to this, and I want 'cartoony and campy' styles as FAR AWAY from this as humanely possible. His style is fine for those shows, but NOT for this. Remember Disney stories are meant to be in earnest and completely honest in their delivery. Aladdin, being the exception of his, that show is flat as can be, relies WAY too much on nonsensical comedy, and is the definition of lazily conceived 'tourist trap' show. I love the Disney musicals, but that doesn't mean laziness should take hold just because you know people will see it. You might as well make them good at the same time. Hence why I still think to this day B and B and LK are still the best Disney musicals. They were not ill conceived, and because they already screamed 'stage' all they needed was expounding all already working material, not CHANGING...just expounding. Frozen needs CHANGING all over, and for heaven's nail that theme down. There's too many themes they tried to tell all at once, and that's just one of many things needed. And make it a truly timeless and compelling one, because that will seep into writing character arcs and make them better.
As for the idea of Tommy reprising her role as director...whoever said that, bite your damn tongue. She's half the reason the DCA show is crappy and ill thought out as it is, she's someone else to keep far away from this. I get that theme park isn't for 'great art' but even as theme park shows go, it's pretty bad. Her style niche is high drama-ed political pieces...and not only that, she had never even seen the film before she was straight up offered the job, so what was Disney thinking hiring her??? And what was she thinking actually taking it when she is perfectly self aware of what her niche is?? She has no sense of that style, nor had any sense of what it needed to work on stage in any form, it was the least out of the box thinking I could ever think of. Frankly some shows need out of the box thinking, others don't. Frozen needs out of the box. Tommy ain't it.
Brokaw? Since his Cinderella was pretty damn decent, I can get behind that idea. So get Brokaw and Ivey Long together again, and I think magic could be made again, the likes of what hasn't been seen in a Disney musical since LK premiered.
Some of the Disney films totally can work on stage, others can't. Need I remind us all of the near travesty that was Little Mermaid and the ACTUAL travesty that was Tarzan? There's only one or two songs for the LM musical I care to listen to, and NONE of the new songs for Tarzan were memorable to worked in any way. There was nothing that could be done to make those shows work on stage, because those movies had no stage essence about them to begin with. Source material has to have an essence about it for the stage. LM BARELY had it, I even remember thinking years ago how LM would be on stage...and three months later the announcement of LM on Broadway came. I kid you not. But in the end, it doesn't work. I'm still waiting on Hercules, and also for a complete reworking of the tragic misconception that was Hunchback. There is NO Disney movie of the 90's that SCREAMED to be on stage in epic and sweeping, grandiose fashion than that one. Disney just got scared that people wouldn't take their darkest property too well to being on stage. They were VERY wrong I daresay.
I know I must sound like a nutter,rambling like this, but I'm just over lazy directing and conception of musicals in general. I know they live in their own world due their just being musicals, but that doesn't mean that can't be smartly done.
