Could London critics be giving Chocolate shade due to Matilda Tony snub?- Page 3

[tazber]

Posted: 6/27/13 at 7:45am

I'm surprised he has that much clout.

[best12bars]

Posted: 6/27/13 at 8:19am

Hodge is a rare musical performer in today's theatre world (meaning the last decade) in that he is an award-winning actor on both continents who has carried a big musical to great success.

He has the clout. He's not the biggest star you can name by any means, but he's one of the biggest who has achieved both box office and critical success on Broadway and in the West End.

Add to it that he needs to be right for the role of Willy Wonka, and you narrow the options even further.

If Pure Imagination was his "deal breaker," I'm not surprised they bent over backwards to work it out.

Updated On: 6/27/13 at 08:19 AM

[broadway guy]

Posted: 6/27/13 at 8:59am

The set looks very cinematic and like a movie set instead of a theatre set. Didn't really care for the clips of Hodge though besides the short clip of PURE IMAGINATION.

[Kad]

Posted: 6/27/13 at 9:32am

It says a lot that the only song I can remember from the trailer is "Pure Imagination." The other ... 3? are completely unmemorable and seem to be packed with indiscernible lyrics and choreography featuring people running around.

[dave1606]

Posted: 6/27/13 at 9:53am

As someone who saw the show, I can tell you that it has nothing to do with Matilda, it is simply the fact that the show isn't very good.

The score is totally unmemorable. The only song that even remotely stands out is Pure Imagination. Douglas Hodge is wonderful, but has little to do.

It looks expensive, and there are some creative sets especially in act 2, but it definitely is not ready for a transfer.

[best12bars]

Posted: 6/27/13 at 10:02am

I realize this is a huge challenge ... adapting material into a musical that has previously been adapted as a musical.

There are only a few instances I can think of where this has happened ...

Peter Pan (three times, if you count the Disney animated version).

Cinderella (Disney and Rodgers & Hammerstein)

My Sister Eileen was adapted as a musical film (of the same name, starring Janet Leigh, Betty Garrett, Jack Lemmon, and Bob Fosse), then adapted again as Wonderful Town on Broadway (starring Rosalind Russell and Edie Adams).

Two version of Phantom on stage, etc.

It's a daunting task to try to write a full original musical score for something that already has an established musical score (in the same or different medium).

Especially one with a score that so many people know and love.

With the recent film-musicals-to-stage-musicals, they have kept most of (if not all of) the previous scores and just added songs to it, rather than start over.

Like I said, I would be open to it. But these songs just don't "land." They feel right and sound fine, but the melodies don't linger. None of them. They run all around the scale and then head for the door.

Then you get Pure Imagination and go "aha!" It's not just that the song is familiar. The way it's written allows you time to enjoy the melody. The other Bricusse/Newley songs do, too. It's just a stronger construction.

I think I'm also disappointed here because Hairspray remains one of my favorite Broadway scores in recent years. Solid, simple, but clever, soaring melodies. I don't think there's a bad song in it.

[emo_geek]

Posted: 6/27/13 at 2:18pm

As someone else who has also seen the show, I completely agree with dave1606.

[Mister Matt]

Posted: 6/27/13 at 3:31pm

Honestly, the reviews of the score don't sound very different from the reviews of their score for Catch Me If You Can.

[Kad]

Posted: 6/27/13 at 10:08pm

Hairspray really does have a great score. Shaiman and Wittman were able to find real heart in their pastiche, irony, and quirkiness.

[South Fl Marc]

Posted: 6/28/13 at 12:35pm

"Cinderella (Disney and Rodgers & Hammerstein)"

There are a lot more versions than that. There is the MGM musical with Leslie Caron, there is "The Slipper and the Rose" (a great script with truly sacharine songs from the Sherman Brothers) not to mention two operatic versions - Massanet's "Cendrillon" and Rossini's "Cenerentola".

Personally I'm glad they cut all of the rest of the films songs. Hopefully the new score can be reworked when it heads to NYC.

[dave1606]

Posted: 6/28/13 at 12:44pm

This was posted on the West End board, but an excellent read about Charlie and what makes a good musical.

Also, a good explanation of why charlie isn't as sucessful.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/theatre/london-shows/10144142/That-magical-musical-touch.html

[Wilmingtom]

Posted: 6/28/13 at 5:47pm

Why would Dahl (and/or his estate) approve the songs for the movie and the Bricusse stage adaptation but not for this production? Clearly they have a stake in its success and realize how integral those songs are for their demographic audience. Is it more likely that Bricusse was bruised at not having *his* adaptation get a 1st class production and pulled his score, other than Pure Imagination, which you can bet they are paying dearly for? And MTI has not pulled the rights to the Bricusse adaptation, which we might presume the London producers would want off the market for the time being. I think maybe Bricusse has more muscle than we imagine.