And the number-one way to ruin a Sondheim show?

Yes, it's illegal. I guarantee you their not doing that with either the writers or DreamWorks' permission. You should report them.

It's the equivalent of drawing a mustache on an artist's portrait. It's "musical graffiti."

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Someone needs to get in touch with MTI, at the very least I think....

You're in a tough spot there -- yes, it's illegal, but how to deal with the issue without blacklisting yourself? You COULD call MTI anonymously...but the guilt of that would kill me. I'm assuming this is at school - could you talk to the principal maybe and tell him or her that it's illegal to do this and the director needs to be TOLD that it can't be done?

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There should be no guilt here at all. The director knows it's illegal, unless he/she's a complete idiot. (I guess that's always possible too.) But they shouldn't NEED to be told. It's written on all of the materials they received to produce the show. Lawyers make sure of that.

Yes, you should do it anonymously. There is no need to "sacrifice" yourself in the process. Actually, if I were you I'd feel more guilty if I DIDN'T report them.

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Updated On: 12/4/05 at 07:12 PM

Why would you feel guilty? Contact MTI anonymously -- they deal with this issue every day. MTI won't shut down the show, they'll simply contact the principal and inform him that the offending character additions are in violation of contract and must be removed immediately. The principal will contact the director and that will be that -- no more Shrek and the other characters and you won't get blacklisted or whatever.

What's to feel guilty about?

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Updated On: 12/4/05 at 07:14 PM

New characters:

Hen
Golden Harp
The Woodsprites (chorus ensemble & dancers, will lead the actors through the woods)
Thumbelina
Hansel
Gretel
Little Bo Peep
Goldilocks
Beauty
Fairy Godmother
Jack
Jill
Pied Piper
Shrek
Cinderella's Birds
Flowers
Ladybugs
Fireflies
Dragonflies

And the thing with all the new fairytale characters, these are some of our best kids, so I'm pretty sure the director is going to write new scenes in order to actually give them some material to work with.

Why don't they just write their own musical?

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That show's script is chaos to begin with. I think it demands to be altered, although none of the changes in this production seem valid. I say too bad we're required to endure the flaws.

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I'm going to second that WHAT?

*I* think the book is brilliant...

lol GClef2. I want to see a musicalized Dokey! I really think you should report this. It won't be a big deal-just a phone call and a warning.

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wow...

thats,,, umm.... hmmm...

another vote for contacting MTI anonymously.
definitely.

i mean you can have as many non-speaking little dancers dance around the stage as you want- wood sprites, etc, that would be cute if its kids that are in the show. In High school (way back when, oy) we had a first grader be the cow and a nursery schooler as our hen. they didnt say anything, but it was soooo adorable. but adding extra speaking roles, not cool. might as well write a new musical.

and as a former bakers wife, i must say without that hot lovin, the show is just not what it should be!! hehe. seriously though Moments is one of the greatest songs in that show. i mean, joanna gleason won a tony for that performance. if the director is going in that "censoring all the dark stuff" direction, might as well get the rights to the junior version. its cheaper anyway. and its just the first act. "happy ever after" the end.

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I'll contact MTI for you if you want. This is horrible because people might think that is the way the show was actually written.

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