Dimanche dans le Parc avec George- Page 2

[Gaveston2]

Posted: 11/22/11 at 4:40pm

Thank you, Mr. C. I hope, if Scripps2 doesn't mind, that this will become the "French musical theater" thread.

Good point about high schools. The American musical is central to our culture, even if most people no longer attend live professional productions on a regular basis.

Even Americans who hate musical theater usually have some exposure to it in high school. (That sentence may not be an accident: maybe most American stop going to live theater in part BECAUSE of their high school exposure. LOL.)

On a TV talent show last week, a highlight was a dance performed to "Whatever Lola Wants" from DAMN YANKEES. I was struck how that simple tango is recognizable to tens of millions of Americans, even though it was written almost 60 years ago!

[EricMontreal22]

Posted: 11/22/11 at 5:45pm

""By those standards, ALNM and Sweeney have been big successes."

By what standards, Eric?

If a show is booked to play only a few weeks, and it plays out those weeks, how does that constitute a success? "

Because that's what was intended. From what I've heard from French TV interviews on youtube, neither show was expected to extend its run (in fact they made it clear that a number of the stars who came to Paris to do both shows would not have been able to do longer runs), and they played well. It's not meant to be a success the way a revival on Broadway would be. It's not exactly the same thing, but if the Paris Opera Ballet's recent expensive restagining of the long lost ballet La Source was just recently viewed as a success because it was a huge crowd pleaser for them and sold out its run, so, by similar standards, should this. I think you just like to nitpick :P

[EricMontreal22]

Posted: 11/22/11 at 5:51pm

"And just to get back on topic of French musical theater, I saw the stage version of Michel Legrand's UMBRELLAS OF CHERBOURG in Paris. Granted it was 30 years ago and I'm not the best witness since I didn't understand the language (I was given an English language synopsis at the box office), hadn't seen the film, and had never studied world theater at the time.

It was through-sung--like the film but unlike most American/British musicals in that day (EVITA had just opened in New York)--yet there was nothing about it that was so foreign to me as to make it incomprehensible. On the contrary, I very much enjoyed it. "

I am a HUGE fan of the Jacques Demy/Michel Legrand musicals (of course the most famous being Cherbourg, Demoiselles de Rochefort--with Gene Kelly!--and Donkey Skin, but I love some of his later musicals like the rather bleak Une Chambre en Ville which had songs by Michel Colombier because Legrand objected to its adult subject matter), but it should be pointed out Demy did them all in part as hommages to Hollywood and Western musicals, so I think they may play better to English audiences than some. Only Rochefort was a full on hommage to MGM musicals, but he spoke a lot about how even Cherbour was, while through sung, based on his love for those movies and music.

[After Eight]

Posted: 11/22/11 at 6:20pm

"For clarity, After Eight has carried an attitude problem towards me for several months since a difference of opinion on another thread; on that occasion a third party also intervened to my defence for which I was grateful."

Oh, for heaven's sake, now YOU'RE the injured party here? I suggest you reflect upon the insults, insolence, and arrogance you heaped upon me in that previous thread before you start talking about "attitude problems."

If you don't want to get in a fight, don't start one. But I'm perfectly ready to bury the hatchet and start anew.

It's entirely up to you.

[Gaveston2]

Posted: 11/22/11 at 9:27pm

SonofRobbieJ, I'm sorry. Even though my last post fell after yours, we were posting at the same time and I didn't see your comments on American students.

I agree. And in my experience, another problem is that often all that is available to teach are translations of texts. Translations of noh dramas are often achingly beautiful, for example, but they are mere, 7-page blueprints for the hour-long song and dance drama of a typical noh production.

Yes, I used film clips when teaching, but as you know, a clip is just a clip. And the musical part of non-Western theater is often the most difficult to capture and the most difficult for Americans to appreciate.

I'm glad you got to do the Korean mask piece; I wish I could have seen it. The university where I taught tried variations on noh, kabuki, Balinese shadow puppet plays, etc., to varying degrees of success, of course, but almost always to the betterment of everyone who attended. (It was often possible to bring in a master in the form from Asia to train young performers.)

Don't get me wrong: the American musical is still my favorite form of performance. By far. But I think I appreciate what we do even better with some knowledge of what is done elsewhere.

***

Thanks for the info on Legrand, Eric. I didn't mean to propose his work as "typical" French musical theater, just to say the French have long been capable of producing works that succeed artistically, even by American standards.

[EricMontreal22]

Posted: 11/22/11 at 9:30pm

Didn't Alan Jay KLerner do a translation of Cherbour at some point, or am I deluded? (AfterEight better not answer that last question).

And I definitely agree that more exposure to international forms of theatre--particularly Eastern, would be great.

[Kad]

Posted: 11/22/11 at 9:44pm

It's hard to expose American students, and Americans in general, that aren't in one of a few select cities to international theatre. Filming many sorts of performances do not do them justice, either. Being in NYC, I'm fortunate that I can go to the Japan Society and see something.

[Gaveston2]

Posted: 11/22/11 at 9:49pm

You're right, Kad. I taught at a university in Los Angeles, so we had all sorts of resources, including a lot of productions brought in from Asia.

[Kad]

Posted: 11/22/11 at 9:57pm

It's really a shame, since so much of it really is astounding. And so much of it has been assimilated into our theatre.

[Gaveston2]

Posted: 11/22/11 at 10:07pm

Eric, Lerner wrote a song, "Secret Places", with Legrand, but I can't find an online reference to a translation of CHERBOURG. Norman Gimbel wrote the English lyric to the pop version of the main theme, "I Will Wait for You".

But per Wiki, Lerner was asked to write the English translation of LES MIZ, and also began work on PHANTOM until memory problems forced him to withdraw. Reportedly, "Masquerade" is Lerner's lyric. I didn't know any of this.

[EricMontreal22]

Posted: 11/25/11 at 11:36pm

Ugh I wish anyone but Kretzmer had been asked to translate Les Miz (the fact he translated Marguerite and Kristina among others, too, seems to make me think continental Europeans think he's a good translator/lyricist but he's not--the French Miz lyrics are actually pretty great). I had no idea Lerner was approached--it wouldn't be the type of story I'd peg for him. I did know about Phantom, it's well documented in one of those Phantom books and is why they had some trouble finding a lyricist after--with Stilgoe (i think that's his name, the hack who did Starlight Express) starting and then ALW "discovering" Hart and hiring him. Lerner probably could have done some at least interesting work, especially with things like Notes/Prima Donna, but I had never heard Masquerade was his lyric--it's fairly banal IMHO...

[Scripps2]

Posted: 11/26/11 at 5:15am

I'm struggling to believe that Masquerade is Lerner's lyric as well.

[Gaveston2]

Posted: 11/26/11 at 11:09pm

Just to be clear, I was merely quoting Wiki (and we know that can be problematic).

I have no independent knowledge of who wrote what parts of POTO.

[Scripps2]

Posted: 12/1/11 at 5:22am

"if Scripps2 doesn't mind, that this will become the "French musical theater" thread."

I've no objections to that.

In fact it looks as though Follies will also be getting it's French premiere in 2013 by the opera company in Toulon.

The prospect of an opera company doing Follies didn't initially excite me but I understand David Charles Abell will be conducting and that does.

http://www.musicalavenue.fr/Actualite/France/20111128/Follies-de-Stephen-Sondheim-a-lOpera-de-Toulon-en-2013

[Scripps2]

Posted: 3/12/12 at 6:29pm

I hear that Act I will be performed in French and Act II in English.

Apparently Sondheim and Lapine are working on the translation.

Expected April 2013.

[henrikegerman]

Posted: 3/14/12 at 7:35pm

"PHANTOM and LES MIZ are no less operettas than THE MERRY WIDOW. STREET SCENE and PORGY AND BESS are operas or just "musicals" largely depending on where they are performed, etc. "

Time out, everyone!

Gaveston, ironically you've mentioned Les Miz.

More ironically, everyone seems to be forgetting that Boulbil and Schonberg, among the most successful authors of musical theater - by any definition of that phrase - of our time, are.... ok, all together now...

FRENCH!!!!

And I think we are all forgetting the famous words of Lilliane LaFleur "Contini, I want a musical........ FOLIES BERGERE!"





Updated On: 3/14/12 at 07:35 PM

[EricMontreal22]

Posted: 3/14/12 at 7:47pm

Ha. Although it should be pointed out their original staging of Les Miz, shortly after the concept album, was done in a rather different, tableux vivant style.

[lemiz3001]

Posted: 2/16/13 at 5:31am

Hey guys-
Just noticed the Theatre du Chatelet posted some design mockups from their production-looks interesting! (scroll down to see)

They are usually pretty good about broadcasting their productions, seriously cannot wait to hear Julian Ovendon sing this score
Dimanche dans le Parc avec George

[devonian.t]

Posted: 2/16/13 at 11:32am

Scrippsy the Follies cast has musical theatre people in it- it should be fab!

[MarkBearSF]

Posted: 2/16/13 at 9:51pm

We have tickets for April. A couple of questions...

1) I heard that the book in the first act will be in French. Do you know if there will be supertitles for the original English?

2) We have aisle seats. The one on the end looks like it's some sort of fold down seat - F18 is noted as "strapontin" (They're every 2 rows in the center orch) - Has anybody here sat in one and can you report on comfort?

[After Eight]

Posted: 2/16/13 at 10:29pm

"The one on the end looks like it's some sort of fold down seat - F18 is noted as "strapontin" (They're every 2 rows in the center orch) - Has anybody here sat in one and can you report on comfort?"

I have sat in them. They are indeed fold down seats, and, I'm sorry to say, I found them very uncomfortable.

Hopefully, you'll be so transported by what's on stage you won't notice any discomfort.

[Scripps2]

Posted: 2/17/13 at 1:54pm

"Scrippsy the Follies cast has musical theatre people in it- it should be fab!"

Julia Sutton is always excellent so casting her as Hattie Walker is inspired. There are other good names in the cast as well. Interesting that Jérôme Pradon is Buddy - I would have cast him as Ben.

The image they have chosen is very evocative too. They seem to be echoing the Gloria-Swanson-in-the-cinema-ruins photograph that Hal Prince used as inspiration:

http://www.operadetoulon.fr/spectacles/lyrique-follies/6.htm Updated On: 2/17/13 at 01:54 PM

[Scripps2]

Posted: 2/17/13 at 2:03pm

"Do you know if there will be supertitles for the original English?"

I don't know about this production but for the production for A Little Night Music, done at the same theatre with the same director a couple of years ago, they had surtitles in French whilst the actors used English.

[devonian.t]

Posted: 2/17/13 at 3:16pm

the guys I know don't speak French!

[EricMontreal22]

Posted: 2/18/13 at 1:42am

The thing about Act I being in French was talked about when this was announced--but I have the feeling it's been dropped--at least it hasn't been talked about since.

Interesting--that link for Follies says it will be done as it should be, in *one* act