Boycott YOU'RE THE ONE THAT I WANT- Page 2

[lildogs]

Posted: 1/10/07 at 1:22pm

What was it? Was she really just Mercedes McCambridge in drag?

[Rathnait62]

Posted: 1/10/07 at 1:23pm

Yep.

[allofmylife]

Posted: 1/10/07 at 1:25pm

I watched all the episodes of "How Do You Solve A Problem Named Maria" the show these producers did with Lord Lloyd Webber n the BBC. Same gimick. I could see in the very first show that Connie Fisher was going to be the winner. She now stars in the show which is, I understand, doing boffo business at The Palladium. his thing will have a life of its own and not really harm Broadway.

[allofmylife]

Posted: 1/10/07 at 1:31pm

Update. I just read Reidel's column in which he says those pompous bastards who are producing Grease seem to be saying they expect to get The Palace if and when "Legally Blond" tanks. They can burn in that special place for that.

[AnythingCanHappen]

Posted: 1/10/07 at 1:39pm

I fully intend on watching the show, and then, if I am in NYC, I would probably go see it even. Gasp. Off with my head!

[Smartful Dodger]

Posted: 1/10/07 at 2:11pm

This is a very funny thread. Anything that takes theatre (let alone an audition process) into the homes along Main Street, U.S.A. -- well, it just can't be all that bad.

Would you rather have this? Or, Simon Cowell using "you really belong on Broadway, not here" as an insult to AMERICAN IDOL contestants? Which do you think does more damage?

[shesamarshmallow]

Posted: 1/10/07 at 2:14pm

allofmylife, I pegged Connie as the winner from the first episode too, but they never even showed her face until the competition episodes. In fact, hardly any of the people they spotlighted in the audition episodes made it through. So I'm not really worried about Grease yet. PS: I love your icon!

[Danielm]

Posted: 1/10/07 at 2:18pm

Raith--I didn't say I hated Linda Blair--I said she was weird casting and I stand by that statement. She and Rosie and most of the other people brought into that show were miscast whether they were enjoyable to watch or not.

[Rathnait62]

Posted: 1/10/07 at 2:21pm

Gotcha.

[Danielm]

Posted: 1/10/07 at 2:27pm

"By the way, the reason she was fired by the Weisslers had nothing to do with her performance."

But then, the reason she was hired by the Weisslers had nothing to do with her performance either.

[Rathnait62]

Posted: 1/10/07 at 2:29pm

Of course not. Same for most of them. But she did work very hard and do a very good job as a result.

When her name didn't sell tickets, they got rid of her and moved on. A good performance wasn't their first priority.

[JohnBoy2]

Posted: 1/10/07 at 2:30pm

Well, we're a Nielsen family, and I'm not watching it again, because the show stinks. I see nothing wrong with casting a show this way, though. What's the difference where they find their talent? Plus, how else can you sell GREASE, again, unless you make it a reality show, giving potential customers some reason to want to see it!

[Princeton78]

Posted: 1/10/07 at 2:32pm

Again,
If the show sells well, and tickets are hard to come by, the tourists or (gasp), even the New Yorkers might take a chance on something like Company, Grey Gardens or everyone's precious Spring Awakening.

And yeah, if the 200 people on this board stop watching YTOTIW, that'll show 'em.

[jrb_actor]

Posted: 1/10/07 at 2:35pm

I think this show is excellent for theatre. It is going to do a lot to help cultivate new audiences and artisans of the theatre, particularly as I imagine a huge chunk of the audience will be kids.

Is the show a fairly lame American Idol wanna be? Is Billy Bush so annoying I could puke? Yes and yes. But, I think it's great that musical theatre is getting such a huge spotlight. And maybe if this show is a hit, other musicals will be given a chance. Maybe a show like Chicago can cast their next Roxie and Billy Flynn from the show. Or Wicked. Or A Chorus Line. Or whatever.

I respect Kathleen Marshall greatly and I saw in the previews for next week that a friend from high school is in the NYC audition along with others I know from NYC. So, I will be watching for that reason.

[WalkOn]

Posted: 1/10/07 at 2:52pm

I wouldn't support this boycott. I won't watch the show because it is pretty dull... but I do support the idea of new ways of promoting and expanding awareness of live theatre.

Live theatre still hasn't grasped how to best exploit itself on televsion, film and radio. I think YTOTIW is a step - albeit a poorly executed one - in the right direction.

Theatre has got to merge with other media to make itself more available to a broader audience.

[jrb_actor]

Posted: 1/10/07 at 3:28pm

RightOn, WalkOn!

[DottieD'Luscia]

Posted: 1/10/07 at 3:29pm

Was I the only one who saw Jon Secada when he was in the revival of "Grease"? I thought he was good (and the only reason I went to see it after Rosie had left).

[mejusthavingfun]

Posted: 1/10/07 at 3:30pm

I think it's getting better ratings than the Tony's. LOL I love in that article it says if "Legally Blonde goes the way of High Fidelity." This is exactly what Broadway needs. At least it's not based on a movie!

[Jane2]

Posted: 1/10/07 at 4:55pm

The young folks I work with were all up in arms when this show was announced. They resent it because they said it's a slap in the face to all those actors who are training hard to hone their skills. Why should an untrained person get the roles in the show, was their attitude. I'm not sure how I feel about this aspect.

I don't mind the show even though it is a strategy to make money. I don't blame them for trying anything they can to create a hit.

[MargoChanning]

Posted: 1/10/07 at 5:48pm

Great point, WalkOn. While I personally may not have the stomach to watch too much more of this particular series (I've never been a fan of GREASE anyway), I think that live theatre has to do a better job of promoting itself in this complex media savvy 21st Century culture, and perhaps shows like this might help to increase the profile of Broadway to the general public. If it means that more people across the country will want to come to New York and see a show, then what's really to complain about?

[theminutepast]

Posted: 1/10/07 at 6:04pm

I'm not that up on the Grease revival news, but I agree with the OP that not watching the show at least does something. It's easy enough not to watch the show and read about it later if you're really interested.

I also disagree with the logic that because people will do what they want, we shouldn't tell them to do otherwise. If we applied that logic to important issues like, I don't know, Darfur, slavery, or women's rights, do you really think we should let people die, be enslaved, or be discriminated against just because people will do it anyway? I just had to comment on that, because I hate that "This is a free country, I can do what I want" crap.

[keeka]

Posted: 1/10/07 at 6:09pm

I don't think it's right to compare slavery, women's rights and the like to a reality TV to cast the next revival of Grease. I mean even if it was half-baked revival of King Lear that people were up in arms about it still isn't on par with the issues mentioned above....

[keeka]

Posted: 1/10/07 at 6:19pm

Broadway is a business. People produce and invest in shows so they can make money. David Ian thought of a way to make more money on a time tested product. This isn't a moral issue!

[colleen_lee]

Posted: 1/10/07 at 6:24pm

"The young folks I work with were all up in arms when this show was announced. They resent it because they said it's a slap in the face to all those actors who are training hard to hone their skills. Why should an untrained person get the roles in the show, was their attitude. I'm not sure how I feel about this aspect."

Who says the winners will be untrained? They held Equity auditions. I personally know one young lady who is in the Top 12 and she was already working professionally in musical theater. Odds are probably very, very good that the winners have a pretty decent musical theater background either via education, experience or both.

[JohnBoy2]

Posted: 1/10/07 at 6:26pm

This is exactly what Broadway needs. At least it's not based on a movie!

Well, since "You're The One That I Want" is from the film, and not the original Broadway show, it kind of is.