Any News on Sister Act?

[Rentaholic2]

Posted: 4/15/07 at 3:22am

What's the latest? It seems like it has been playing out of town for a very long time - is it still running? If it goes to Broadway, could we see it happen anytime soon?

[B3TA07]

Posted: 4/15/07 at 3:28am

For those who saw it in Pasadena: Was the idea and placement of the title song bad, or was it just the song that was bad? Could a new song with different music/lyrics fit in that moment? I'm curious.

[sondhead]

Posted: 4/15/07 at 3:34am

The song was horrible. It was a play on words. Something along the lines of "I don't trust you or this sister act"

It was a good show, but it was good for a first production. It needed work.

[MrBundles]

Posted: 4/15/07 at 3:44am

yep, the song was absolutely horrible

[DG]

Posted: 4/15/07 at 4:24am

I was HORRIBLY disappointed by this production, and hope that if they are carrying it forward, there are LOTS of adjustments.

[tazber]

Posted: 4/15/07 at 4:58am

I'm hoping Menken spends his time on Leap Of Faith. That score is 100 times better! Some of his best work, at least from what I've heard of it.

[bobby_luvs_bway]

Posted: 4/15/07 at 5:03am

I saw the show in Pasadena and really liked it. It needs work, but aren't they still working on things in Atlanta? I do hope they re-cast Dawnn Lewis. She has trouble with the score and I don't think she is aware that this is a comedy. Lillias White would be a suitable replacement, imho.

[erikaamato]

Posted: 4/15/07 at 12:11pm

Just fyi for the person who asked, it ended its run at the Alliance back on 2/25.

[husk_charmer]

Posted: 4/15/07 at 1:53pm

What I've been told (So take this with a grain of salt), is that it doesn't really work without the films songs or time period.

[giddyup]

Posted: 4/15/07 at 3:16pm

Sister Act has to be reworked totally, for many of the reasons already stated: not using the movie songs, needing a better lead, and also many of the reasons stated in Peter Filicia's review of the show. Search for that online. Quite an eye opener.

Menken went back to Leap of Faith and Slater on to Hudsucker Proxy with music by Steve Weiner, which is, by far, Slater's most brilliant work. With Menken, he is writing songs; with Weiner, he is writing character, scene, the most brilliant internal/external, double triple rhymes -- you understand where I'm going. Hudsucker is a wonderful contemporary piece.

[thevolleyballer]

Posted: 4/15/07 at 3:40pm

I saw it and loved it, but at the same time, there were definitely some notable flaws. The book needs to speed up a bit, and the nuns just need more to do. They're the highlight of the show, and the time spent without them is time spent snoozing. "How I Got The Calling", "Raise Your Voice", "Goin To Hell", "Sunday Morning Fever", and "The Life I Never Led" were the only notable songs for me, to be honest. Everything else faded away -- and, by the way, "Mirror Ball" was terrible. But I wish this production good luck in the future!

[neddyfrank2]

Posted: 4/15/07 at 4:11pm

If we are talking about the same Sister Act piece of **** that I saw in Pasedena there is no chance in hell it will/should ever make it to Broadway.

[The_Jackal2]

Posted: 4/15/07 at 5:13pm

Personally, when I saw the show in Pasadena, I thought it could use some work, but it was a really fun show. There were flaws, but if they worked on them I little bit, the show could be great. There was a lot of potential there, in my opinion.

[sondhead]

Posted: 4/15/07 at 5:26pm

*Most* of the people that actually saw it in Pasadena had around this to say:

It was good, but only for a first production. It needed work but definitely showed potential. It's definitely how I felt about it. It's one of Menken's best score is years. He is best when writing a certain style. I find his "general" style is a little blah.

It needed lots of book work and several new songs, but it definitely showed promise. It will, however, be a while before we see it in New York if we ever do.

[Fruffy]

Posted: 5/14/07 at 8:01pm

Bump.

[sondhead]

Posted: 5/14/07 at 8:04pm

I noticed they filmed the Atlanta production for the Lincoln Center archive yesterday. You have to receive permission, though.

[[e-mail]]

Posted: 5/14/07 at 8:30pm

What scores do you think show Menken's "General" style. It seems to me all of his scores are quite stylized for better or worse.

[birdboy164]

Posted: 5/14/07 at 9:18pm

I'd like to know what's going on with it as well. I was going to go see the show when it was in Pasadena, but shows conflicted. I suppose we'll just see then...

And Anthony, your right, it's hard to place anything specific, so generally:

Menken "Musical Theatery": Beauty and the Beast
Menken Pop: Weird Romance
Menken Soul/R&B/ '70's Rock: Little Shop

Though, I agree, as a whole, his scores are VERY stylized, each having a different twist.

[clarkstallings]

Posted: 5/15/07 at 12:38am

I think many composers find it easier to write stylized music because there are "how to" ways to go about copying a style.

[dramarama2]

Posted: 5/15/07 at 6:28am

"Though, I agree, as a whole, his scores are VERY stylized, each having a different twist."

Are you kidding me?

All his scores, with the exception of LSOH, sound exactly the same. I can always tell when he's written the score because most of his songs sound very "disney-ish", which still makes sense seeing he has written tonnes of disney music. And he must be obsessed with ending his songs with a faint "plonk" noise.

Although, I didn't mind the Sister Act score, you must admit some of the music he has written is absolutely SHOCKING. Beauty and The Beast anyone?

[JBSinger]

Posted: 5/15/07 at 8:31am

In response to the previous post - Menken sounds like Menken (just like Sondheim sounds like Sondheim, Rodgers - Rodgers, Kander - Kander etc...) Every major composer has a signature "flavor" about them even when writing in different pastiche styles. Menken has the ability to channel a style of music (doo-wop, gospel, pop, French church music, music hall, sea chanty, caribbean, et al) through his own sensibility. We say now that it has a "Disney" sound, but that's only because his sound defined the Disney movie musical for a decade creating the most treasured scores in recent memory.
I can't wait to hear what he's done with Sister Act, Leap of Faith, Snow Queen and Little Mermaid (though some of that is not that strong). Just be thankful he's back to doing more stage work.

[sondhead]

Posted: 5/15/07 at 9:21am

Okay, well then when Menken is sounding like Menken it's really bland. Think Christmas Carol, the new material in Beauty and the Beast, Newsies etc. etc.

It sucks because when he's good he's pretty fantastic, but Sister Act was the first exciting score I'd heard out of him in a long time.

[Candleshoe2]

Posted: 8/11/07 at 11:50am

I hate bringing this post up, but does anyone know any updates on the show? I know it's no where near perfect, but with some major reworking, I think it could be a hit! And I would love to see Queen Latifah in it!

[me2]

Posted: 8/11/07 at 2:18pm

I'm sorry to hear it wasn't a smashing show. There was an article on it in the Tales from the Laughing Place magazine that was very interesting. But all shows have to start somewhere. There's no way to go but up.

I love Menken's work. He would qualify as a genius in my book. How else would you explain the vast success he'd had?
Broadway Blog: Merle Dandridge and (look down) Miss Saigon 16 Years Later

[B3TA07]

Posted: 8/11/07 at 2:23pm

"How else would you explain the vast success he'd had?"


Disney and his partnership with Ashman.










GO BLOG ABOUT IT.