Bullets over Broadway-what about the Score?

[Trish2]

Posted: 6/18/13 at 9:26am

I think Bullets over Broadway has the makings of a big, lush new musical considering the creative team and the wonderful film as it's source material. My question is the lack of an original score. Woody has been a genius at interpolating pre-existing songs from specific eras for his films, and here's hoping that same method will translate seamlessly to the stage. Thoughts?
Woody Allen Musical Bullets Over Broadway Will Test Legs in Fall Lab

[henrikegerman]

Posted: 6/18/13 at 9:30am

I'd much prefer to see an original pastiche score notwithstanding Allen's well-earned reputation for expert use of classic songs in his movies. If he does interpolate period music, I would hope he would use one composer rather than several..

[tazber]

Posted: 6/18/13 at 9:39am

^^^
Ditto.

I can't help thinking what a great score this material could produce with a good songwriter or songwriting team.

[best12bars]

Posted: 6/18/13 at 9:45am

In this particular case, I'm not worried about the score at all.

Woody is a genius at knowing how to pick established vintage music that not only fits a scene, but often comments on it and embellishes it.

And Susan Stroman is a master stager of musical sequences. She will know how to incorporate the songs visually into the plot.

No worries at all from me. If it were anybody else leading the creative team, I might have doubts. But Woody and Stro will probably set the bar for all future attempts at a "patchwork quilt" jukebox show.

[Mister Matt]

Posted: 6/18/13 at 9:48am

And Susan Stroman is a master stager of musical sequences.

You'd never know it from Big Fish. Or Thou Shalt Not.

[best12bars]

Posted: 6/18/13 at 9:54am

Okay, "the Stro I used to know."

Eeek. Has she lost her touch? Or were those isolated cases?

Every genius has their flops. All of them.

[Trish2]

Posted: 6/18/13 at 9:57am

True, but the subject matter ( Broadway/chorines/mobsters) is right up her alley. I can already imagine how she'd flesh out some of those scenes with production numbers !

[Jane2]

Posted: 6/18/13 at 9:58am

"Every genius has their flops. All of them."


Even Woody Allen. anyway, I can' t wait for this to happen. LOVED the film.

[best12bars]

Posted: 6/18/13 at 10:06am

Woody has definitely had his share, absolutely.

This isn't a guaranteed hit, by any means. I'm just not all that worried that Woody and Stro will be able to take vintage songs and weave them into a musical plot (and probably better than anybody else previously).

They stand just as much of a chance as anybody writing an original score to make this work.

But will the overall show work? That remains to be seen. And casting will be critical.

[Jane2]

Posted: 6/18/13 at 10:58am

personally, I think the film is perfect for the stage. After all, much of it takes place on the stage. It's ABOUT the stage, lol. I say again, I just LOVED it!

[Someone in a Tree2]

Posted: 6/18/13 at 11:17am

And I love that they've got Santo Loquasto revisiting his own movie set designs to come up with the sets for the Broadway stage. Perfect design casting.

I wonder if a film-to-stage transfer has reused the same designer before? (I know Tony Walton got to revisit his stage designs for FORUM onscreen, but can't think of another screen-to-stage matchup.)

[jnb9872]

Posted: 6/18/13 at 11:32am

PRISCILLA's Costume team did both, and won both Oscar and Tony awards for it.

[Someone in a Tree2]

Posted: 6/18/13 at 11:33am

Nice, jnb, full marks.

[best12bars]

Posted: 6/18/13 at 11:34am

One of the obvious (and fairly easy) changes would be to have the author writing a musical rather than a straight play. That opens up all sorts of possibilities with musical numbers.

[John Adams]

Posted: 6/18/13 at 11:39am

>> In this particular case, I'm not worried about the score at all.

Woody is a genius at knowing how to pick established vintage music that not only fits a scene, but often comments on it and embellishes it.

I agree with that completely. Still, as a matter of personal preference, I'd rather hear an original score. So many scenes and dialog examples seem rife for setting to music (the "ad-libbing" scene, Helen Sinclair's monologue at the first rehearsal, "this church so replete with memories . . . each curtain a death.").

If no score is to be written, I'd rather (personal preference, again) the show be treated as a play with incidental music.

[henrikegerman]

Posted: 6/18/13 at 2:42pm

Perhaps it's a done deal that this will be a recycled score. Assuming they go with a single 30s (ish) songwriter/team, the question is who? Arlen? Kern? DaSylva, Brown and Henderson? Schwartz and Dietz? Ellington? Rodgers & Hart or Porter seem unlikely as overdone. (and it's hard to believe it would be yet another neo-Gershwin musical, much less yet another Harry Warren redux about the creation of a Broadway production).

If they go with one of the titans, Berlin might be too obvious a choice; still his easy, witty ebullience would best suit the material.

It might work with songs by more than one composer. But John Simon's contempt for those kinds of scores was, I hate to say it, persuasive.

Another question: will the play within a play become a musical within a musical? I have mixed feelings about that. It's certainly logical but the bitingly and specifically captured milieu of the movie is the legit stage of that period.





Updated On: 6/18/13 at 02:42 PM

[jnb9872]

Posted: 6/18/13 at 2:49pm

If they do make the playwrights composers, I'd love to hear what Rob Reiner's character's music sounds like.

My plays are art. They're written specifically to go unproduced!

[Dessie]

Posted: 6/18/13 at 3:04pm

Why wouldn't they use the same sngs from the movie?

[best12bars]

Posted: 6/18/13 at 4:00pm

I'm pretty sure these questions about the score have been answered already in press announcements.

It's a score of existing songs from the period, '20s-'30s. It's not all coming from a single songwriter's catalogue ... which, to me, sounds like a licensing nightmare for a stage show, because these songs have to be negotiated now, in advance for "all rights in perpetuity" for every incarnation of the stage show: Broadway, tours, professional and amateur rights, etc. ALL of that has to be mapped out in advance. Otherwise it will be one of those rare shows that is done on Broadway in its initial run, and never again anywhere else. (Think of the "Live From Lincoln Center broadcasts, which air a few times and then are gone forever.)

As songs get older (and older and older), it gets easier in some cases and (hopefully) cheaper to license the "Great American Songbook" titles from the estates.

I would also guess that some of the 1920s material has gone into public domain, meaning it's free for use.

I don't envy them in their task, but I still look forward to seeing what they come up with.

OH! And one other huge thing ... many of these estates are already used to having Woody Allen's "people" knock at their door for licensing songs in movies. When you have an existing business relationship like that, the trust factor is already in place, and precedents have been set (at least for films). This might make them more willing to cooperate and work out "deals," etc.

If anybody can do it, with decades of previous works having scores just like this, Woody can.

[newintown]

Posted: 6/18/13 at 4:12pm

"Woody is a genius at knowing how to pick established vintage music that not only fits a scene, but often comments on it and embellishes it."

In a movie. As background to dialogue and action. Not as the center action in a stage musical. The two have practically nothing in common.

I love the film, but I would rather see a new creation, a true adaptation, with more integrity; for me, interpolating existing tunes (with little more than a vague and tenuous connection to the action) is never as satisfying as a good, new score.

Unfortunately, many audiences don't seem to want good, new scores, but wildly prefer hearing something they already know - probably because it excuses then from actually listening. And they can hum along.

[dreaming]

Posted: 6/18/13 at 4:35pm

They need to use "Up the Lazy River". The song is integral to the story.

[RaisedOnMusicals]

Posted: 6/18/13 at 4:40pm

So what would the dream cast be?

David Shayne? (an idealistic young playwright, played by John Cusack)

Olive Neal? (the 30 something ditzy girlfriend of Cheech, played by Jennifer Tilly)

Cheech? (the gangster who provides financing in return for the casting of Olive, played by Chaz Palminteri)

Helen Sinclair? (the alcoholic leading lady, played by Mary-Louise Parker)

Let's hear it from all you casting directors.

[Playbilly]

Posted: 6/18/13 at 4:42pm

Didn't Victor/Victoria use many of the same creative teams?

[dreaming]

Posted: 6/18/13 at 4:57pm

Raised on Musicals-Olive was not Cheech's girlfriend, she's Nick Valenti's (Cheech is her bodyguard)
And Helen Sinclair was played by Dianne Wiest, who won an Academy Award for her performance.
Mary Louise Parker played David's girlfriend, Ellen.
Other major roles:

David's agent, Julian Marx, and Helen's agent played by Harvey Fierstein, as well as Nick Valenti.

[jnb9872]

Posted: 6/18/13 at 4:59pm

Cheech is not who you said he is. Cheech is Olive's bodyguard and for those who have yet to see the wonderful movie I will save the particular genius of his character for their discovery.