Boyle's Olympic Opening to Broadway — Page 2

"Although i did wonder how other countries would receive it as many parts would not of been funny or impressive to those with no experience of English culture, which i suppose for a global event wasn't the best way to open the games but it was pretty to look at i suppose"

Bob, I am one of the biggest Anglophiles around. For several years, when Thanksgiving weekend came around, I was on a plane headed for London. I still hold my belief, despite much criticism, that Great Britain turns out better actors than the USA. My Netflix is jammed with British shows, I'm such a British show nerd that I just watched the show "Nighty Night" which only has something ike 12 episodes.

If anybody wanted this production to be interesting and successful, it was me. I understand that the emphasis was to display Great Britain's history, but so many questions come up.

Where was the nod to Shakespeare, one of GB's greatest artists?

What about a nod to Queen Elizabeth I or Queen Victoria, two very interesting monarchs that are recognized by the world.

Why was there no mention of World War 2, a period in time that really evokes Great Britain? Was the director afraid that someone might give praise to Winston Churchill? Did the budget not stretch to build bluebirds over the White Cliffs of Dover?

What about British tv? We Americans love "Downton Abbey", we laugh ourselves silly at "Ab Fab". We solve mysteries with Agatha Christie or Poirot. Yet we're given an unfunny Mr. Bean.

And what about the 20 minutes of the girl losing her phone, dancing around and then the boy finding it. Is Vodaphone that important to GB? I felt sorry for that girl because she's really talented and shouldn't have to be working with such insipid material.

Finally, that NHS portion of the show was obviously propoganda. Thousands of years of British history and the director decides to highlight a broken healthcare system? I didn't read the credits, but was Michael Moore an advisor to the director?

Oh, and that baby was just creepy. And Matt Lauer should have had the cajones to say so.

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Where was the nod to Shakespeare, one of GB's greatest artists?

Seriously, Goth? What did you think Branagh was reciting? Ernest Hemingway?

Branaugh recited lines from Shakespeare's the Tempest to open the ceremony. Winston Churchill tipped his hat to the queen as she flew over. There was indeed a moment of silence as a tribune to soldiers lost in WW I and WW II- and all wars. It's good to know that Goth's ignorance knows no borders

Updated On: 7/31/12 at 10:33 AM

Right, and the modern age was a part of a timeline that encompassed the ceremony. It's okay, Goth. It must have gone over your head, just like Shakespeare.

Updated On: 7/31/12 at 10:38 AM

Nothing against the Beatles, but why choose someone who looks and sounds like he's a hundred years old? McCartney looked like death and sounded horrible. If they insisted on having someone old, a better choice would have been Elton John who can probably still sing.

I know that the Beatles are gods to some, but can you imagine the 1984 Olympics being headlined by Perry Como and Dinah Shore? They were quite big forty years earlier.

As far as the tableau of English history goes, I quite liked it. I thought it was inventive and in keeping with the tradition whereby opening ceremonies highlight the host country's culture. I loved how Salt Lake City had the 5 tribes of Utah sitting around 5 drums/Olympic rings. I wish Boyle had created all 5 rings out of "molten iron" onstage (rather than just one and then have the other four fly in from the side).

I also remember the bizarre Dr Suess/Cirq du Soleil opening of Albertville that left me saying, "Huhhh?" or the inflatable dinosaurs from Calgary which left my Canadian companion just plain embarrassed.

I didn't see Beijing because my wife and I boycotted the broadcast but London was way better than Atlanta. Barcelona had the best cauldron lighting.

My biggest complaint was in the choice of cauldron lighter this year. I get the thing about kids being the future, but this should be an honor to be earned. For all we know every one of these kids could be a complete bust in the future. But, hey, they got to light the cauldron. It should have been reserved for one or more athletes who earned it.

I was underwhelmed so I'm not going to defend it too much, other than to address a few points above.

Regarding the history, it was curious for what they chose to leave out as much as for what went in (no Magna Carta, no abolition of the slave trade). But there is so much British history that is worthy of mention that you couldn't get it all in, and still have room to portray Britain as a modern nation in an unfamiliar way.

And the NHS is our history too. Ofcourse that segment was propaganda - it was a nation saying to the rest of the world we provide free healthcare to all our citizens. We are not one of those nations that develops nuclear weapons at the expense of health and education systems for their people nor are we a nation that crosses the road to avoid the inconvenient sick. And I certainly don't accept that the NHS is broken - imperfect yes, broken no.

And there were other political points in there too, even in the contemporary dance-music section, but they will have been far more noticeable to people in non-democratic nations and the developing world.

As for Mr Bean, the global audience is precisely why he was there: he is infinitely bigger in the non-English speaking world than he ever has been in the Anglo-sphere.

It could also have been a hell of a lot worse - at least Andrew Lloyd Webber had been kept well and truly locked out of the stadium.

Yes. he did. He said "Is that cute? Or Creepy?"

and folks I am a solid Elton John fan from way way back- but seriously, Paul McCartney (author of Hey Jude) is easily the biggest British musical star of ALL TIME. You can bitch he's old, but NO ONE comes near him in terms of a pop music career.

That's idiotic...and just an opinion. An idiotic one.

I thought McCartney was fine, and a legend, and he truly seemed emotional over it all.

Everything else, especially that whole star crossed lovers crap, was awful. Worst Opening in recent memory for me.

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Did you guys see this?

A German member of the IOC greets his team with a wave reminiscent of a certain discredited 1930s political movement. Behind him the Mayor of London watches, convulsed with nervous laughter and the Duchess of Cornwall seems to be mouthing "wtf".

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/olympics/9436019/German-anger-as-dignitary-accused-of-performing-Nazi-salute-at-opening-ceremony.html

Once they broke up, John and Paul didn't have the magic they had when they were together. As individual performers, Elton John beats both John and Paul.

Imagine there's no post-Beatle magic.
It's easy if you try.
Just borrow Gothampc's brain.
Returnable, so don't cry.

John definitely should have been there. I wonder what he's up to anyway.

1980? Well, that's just unacceptable.