All About Us, The Visit or Curtains--fave new Kander and Ebb?

#1

All About Us, The Visit or Curtains--fave new Kander and Ebb?

Posted: 4/28/07 at 5:47am

From what little I know, these shows are the three final Kander and Ebb shows (in different forms) and now all have had profesional productions.

As hard as it can be to compare one show to another has anyone seen or heard all three scores--and which is the strongest? (Just outa curiousity...)

Updated On: 4/28/07 at 05:47 AM

#2

re: All About Us, The Visitor or Curtains

Posted: 4/28/07 at 6:17am

I love love love LOVE The Visit....strong dark story, lush evocative score full of gorgeous ballads and classic K & E comedy songs and a bravura performance by its leading lady.

Updated On: 4/28/07 at 06:17 AM

#3

re: All About Us, The Visitor or Curtains

Posted: 4/28/07 at 9:42am

I haven't seen THE VISIT, but there's no comparison for me between CURTAINS and ALL ABOUT US - CURTAINS wins by a million miles.

Karen sang a beautiful song from THE VISIT at Chatterbox the other day.

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Have I ever shown you my Shattered Dreams box? It's in my Disappointment Closet. - Marge Simpson

#4

re: All About Us, The Visitor or Curtains

Posted: 4/28/07 at 10:01am

Definitely Curtains over All About Us. I haven't seen The Visitor either although everything I've heard has been good. But then its Kander-n-Ebb, what does one expect?

#5

re: All About Us, The Visitor or Curtains

Posted: 4/28/07 at 10:24am

HATED "The Visit".
LOVED "Curtains".

"The Visit" did not pull me in at all.
Maybe it didn't work because of the staging at THE GOODMAN but I remember not liking the music and hating that Chita was dancing when her character could hardly walk. I had to summon up a lot of patience to stay through Act II.

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" ...the happiness in the tune convinces me that I'm not afraid."

#6

re: All About Us, The Visitor or Curtains

Posted: 4/28/07 at 2:26pm

Thought I was crazy about Curtains.. but seeing for the fourth time I realize I'm just lusting after Debra Monk.

All About Us .. doesn't work for me. I might be wrong in the long run. I didn't like Spider Woman in Purchase. Later on Broadway, I loved it.

The Visit does work for me. Somehow K&E got the tone just right in that score. They managed to mingle their B'way sound with the dark Euro absurdism.

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What great ones do the less will prattle of

Updated On: 4/28/07 at 02:26 PM

#7

re: All About Us, The Visitor or Curtains

Posted: 4/28/07 at 6:32pm

Don't forget The Minstrel Show (I think that's what its called). I don't think its been produced yet, but its coming.

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I have several names, one is Julian2. I am also The Opps Girl. But cross me, and I become Bitch Dooku!

#8

re: All About Us, The Visitor or Curtains

Posted: 4/28/07 at 10:53pm

I can't say anything about "Curtains" but I have heard recordings of both "Skin of Our Teeth" and "The Visit". "The Visit" is definitely the stronger of the two. Not perfect, but good, especially "Love and Love Alone".


"Skin of Our Teeth" has a lot of good songs, but not for the family characters. Sabina has a few really good songs.

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"A coherent existance after so many years of muddle" - Desiree' Armfelt, A Little Night Music "Life keeps happening everyday, Say Yes" - 70, Girls, 70 "Life is what you do while you're waiting to die" - Zorba

#9

re: All About Us, The Visitor or Curtains

Posted: 4/28/07 at 10:55pm

I loved "ALL ABOUT US."
You can check out an interview I did with Joe Stein.
http://www.corinescorner.com
I did a four part interview with Joe Stein.

#10

re: All About Us, The Visitor or Curtains

Posted: 5/1/07 at 9:53pm

Thanks those interviews are GREAT!

#11

re: All About Us, The Visitor or Curtains

Posted: 5/1/07 at 10:00pm

I hate to do a big thread jack, but I have a question.

I know the basic plots of "Curtains" and "All About Us," but what goes on in "The Visit?" Thank you!

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Some people paint, some people sew, I meddle.

#12

re: All About Us, The Visitor or Curtains

Posted: 5/1/07 at 10:03pm

It's based on a quite famous, rather dark play. (I believ it's a Swiss play originally)

Wikipedia has a synopsis etc at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Visit
I'm always amazed by this little tidbit: "In 1988 a TV movie titled Bring Me The Head Of Dobie Gillis was a version of The Visit adapted to the characters and world of The Many Loves of Dobie Gillis." (for those who don't know Dobie Gillis was a sitcom that basically led to the basic teenaged characters of Scooby Doo)

Updated On: 5/1/07 at 10:03 PM

#13

re: All About Us, The Visitor or Curtains

Posted: 5/1/07 at 10:04pm

Thanks. I've heard of the play, but never took the time to research it.

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Some people paint, some people sew, I meddle.

#14

re: All About Us, The Visitor or Curtains

Posted: 5/1/07 at 10:10pm

It was also an opera, which is where the idea for the musical came from.

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Have I ever shown you my Shattered Dreams box? It's in my Disappointment Closet. - Marge Simpson

#15

re: All About Us, The Visitor or Curtains

Posted: 5/3/07 at 5:54pm

Who would not lust for Debra Monk after her performance in Curtains! She's amazing!

#16

re: All About Us, The Visitor or Curtains

Posted: 5/3/07 at 7:12pm

Curtains was a terrific musical comedy. I enjoyed it. I saw All About Us, and found much of Kander's music ambitious, but in a good way. It was another good show. I saw The Visit with Chita and was impressed with the score and cast, but not so much the production. Hopefully All About Us, The Visit and The Minstrel Show (which I know nothing about) will find their way to Broadway in the near future.

Updated On: 1/2/08 at 07:12 PM

#17

re: All About Us, The Visitor or Curtains

Posted: 1/1/08 at 10:16pm

Random question: Does anyone have a song list for "Visit" from the Goodman run?

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Some people paint, some people sew, I meddle.

#18

re: All About Us, The Visitor or Curtains

Posted: 1/2/08 at 2:32am

Was The visit recorded?

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Well I didn't want to get into it, but he's a Satanist. Every full moon he sacrifices 4 puppies to the Dark Lord and smears their blood on his paino. This should help you understand the score for Wicked a little bit more. Tazber's: Reply to Is Stephen Schwartz a Practicing Christian

#19

re: All About Us, The Visitor or Curtains

Posted: 1/2/08 at 3:06am

Not legally.

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"Some people can thrive and bloom living life in a living room, that's perfect for some people of one hundred and five. But I at least gotta try, when I think of all the sights that I gotta see, all the places I gotta play, all the things that I gotta be at"

#20

re: All About Us, The Visitor or Curtains

Posted: 1/2/08 at 3:30am

Isn't "All About Us" really "The Skin Of Our Teeth"?

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"I mean, sitting side by side with another man watching Patti LuPone play Rose in GYPSY on Broadway is essentially the equivalent of having hardcore sex." -Wanna Be A Foster. "Say 'Goody.' Say 'Bubbi.'" ... "That's it. Exactly as if it were 'Goody.' Now I know you're gonna sing 'Goody' this time, but nevertheless..."

#21

re: All About Us, The Visitor or Curtains

Posted: 1/2/08 at 3:36am

Isn't "All About Us" really "The Skin Of Our Teeth"

Yes, this show has had three titles as far as I know: THE SKIN OF OUR TEETH, OVER AND OVER, and ALL ABOUT US.

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"Some people can thrive and bloom living life in a living room, that's perfect for some people of one hundred and five. But I at least gotta try, when I think of all the sights that I gotta see, all the places I gotta play, all the things that I gotta be at"

#22

re: All About Us, The Visitor or Curtains

Posted: 1/2/08 at 3:46am

Ray, any idea where i might find a copy?

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Well I didn't want to get into it, but he's a Satanist. Every full moon he sacrifices 4 puppies to the Dark Lord and smears their blood on his paino. This should help you understand the score for Wicked a little bit more. Tazber's: Reply to Is Stephen Schwartz a Practicing Christian

#23

re: All About Us, The Visitor or Curtains

Posted: 1/2/08 at 7:09am

The Minstrel Show will never play Broadway as its subject matter will be the perfect fodder for a number of groups to protest it being produced.

I hope I am wrong but time will tell.

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Poster Emeritus

#24

re: All About Us, The Visitor or Curtains

Posted: 1/2/08 at 12:18pm

I haven't seen or heard All About Us. I have seen The Visit at Goodman and Curtains on Broadway. I feel that The Visit is the stronger score. It's a very dark musical with score to match. I loved the show and I am curious to see it this year at Signature. Curtains didn't work for me.

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timmmmmmmmmy

#25

re: All About Us, The Visitor or Curtains

Posted: 1/2/08 at 12:47pm

Reminder. THE VISIT with Chita Rivera will be produced at Signature Theatre in Arlington, VA in the spring.