Creating CORALINE: the musical

http://www.filminfocus.com/article/stephin_merritt_s_other__em_coraline__em_

There is a piece on this in the Village Voice.

Did anyone go to the first preview tonight?

I'm going tonight. I'll post my thoughts when I get home.

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Where can you hear music?

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They're on the MCC site.

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I just got home. Tonight was actually the first preview as last night was final dress.

I went in not really knowing what to expect at all. I read the book once I bought my preview subscription and was definitely curious as to how they were going to pull it off. And then when I heard that Jayne Houdyshell was going to play little Coraline... I was very skeptical. An adult ~ and an older one at that ~ playing a child?

Still, I had the ticket and was excited and curious to see what they were doing. I initially had a ticket for next week when I figured things would be more settled, but there was a mix-up regarding scheduling for another show a friend had bought tickets for, so I had to move it (the preview subscription is only good for the first 10 performances) and tonight worked out best.

I was thoroughly charmed by the whole thing. Let me just say that Houdyshell completely convinced me as a child. She brings a wonderment and an innocence to the performance that completely drew me in. The rest of the cast ~ January LaVoy, Francie Jue, Elliot Villar, Julian Fleisher, David Greenspan (yes, the book writer for the show), and William Youmans ~ handles their various parts (all but Greenspan playing multiple roles) extremely well, changing from people to rats to toys seamlessly.

The music is all piano and toy piano with varying uses of each ~ not always traditional. The set looks like the attic of a piano shop that also sold toy pianos ~ and it completely works.

Somewhere along the way, I thought I had read that puppets would be incorporated throughout the show, but there was only one section that used any puppets, and that was only three.

Greenspan stayed very true to Gaiman's book, which I really appreciated. And Merritt's music really added to the entire piece, setting and enhancing the mood. It was simple, but extremely effective.

It really didn't feel like a first preview (or even second if it was that...I'm basing it being the first on a tweet from mcc on twitter this morning that said something like "last night's final dress went well, now onto previews tonight" or something) ~ everyone felt settled into their roles and the action. I am curious to go back later in the run and see what if anything has changed.

Overall a nice, charming night at the theatre. It's really not a show I see working as a transfer in its current state ~ I just feel like a lot of the charm would be lost in a larger setting. Still, I suppose if it's a success anything is possible.

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The button eyes were done with goggles. They looked good from the second row. Costumes were basically regular clothes ~ Black Cat's was a black suit with lime green trimming. The character changes for those doing various roles used things to put on over the basic clothes they had on or things to take off (jackets, capes, aprons, various shirts). It's actually not hugely technical ~ any changes in location are narrated or handled by location and lighting. No set pieces are moved by anything other than human means (carrying a bench for example).

Oh, and for those concerned about such things, no gunshots, but there is a balloon pop (which is highly obvious). :)

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