Disney Rant

[NickHyper]

Posted: 5/27/06 at 1:12am

I understand where a lot of you are coming from when you say things like "Disney should stay away from Broadway." Why should anyone stay away from Broadway? If someone has the money and creative resources to put on an amazing show from an original idea or an amazing story, for example Mary Poppins, I think they should put it out there. I know the mixed reviews (from fans, not critics as those were mostly bad) about Tarzan, but their past shows were/are pretty well loved (I know not by everyone, but it seems to be the general concensus). I think people should be excited about anyone who wants to contribute to a new broadway show. If it bombs then it bombs, but a new contribution to this artistic community is always a good thing. And sure, you can say what you want about Disney just doing it for prestige and money, but you can't say that about the people actually creating the show. The writers, the composers, the actors, the directors, the creative team, and most everyone else is here in this business because they love it. I'm sorry if you disagree with me, and I'm not a Disney fanboy or anything, I'm just trying to get my point across that a new contribution to the wonder that is Broadway is always a good one somehow.

Now let the disagreements begin! :)

(Note - I didn't proofread, so no one hate on any grammar mistakes. It's an internet message board, not a term paper)

[ZONEACE]

Posted: 5/27/06 at 1:13am

whatever, fanboy...

[NickHyper]

Posted: 5/27/06 at 1:14am

Lol, thanks for the hate :)

[LumBabsFan]

Posted: 5/27/06 at 1:17am

Amen, one of the few things this company is doing RIGHT is Broadway and theater. Unfortunately you have those big wigs that screwed up the company's good name. But it's true, many of those involved with a production on the day to day level do LOVE what they do.

Fans are few but we stick together.

[RentBoy86]

Posted: 5/27/06 at 1:25am

I don't mind them being on Broadway, I just wish they would take more time to create things. I think they rely too much on the spectacle aspect. Lion King is a great show visually, but the rest of the show is a mess. Aida showed signs of being great, but it just didn't work. If they want credibility, they should work on developing new shows for Broadway. If they wanted to help the theater community, they'd find these new composers and give them the resources to create their shows. They should open an off-Broadway theater to show off more experimental works or something.

[gingerlemon]

Posted: 5/27/06 at 1:27am

I agree in an idealistic way. I used to think the same thing about the music business. When Britney Spears makes millions off of an album her record company is able to use some of that money to take a risk on a smaller unknow artist. Unfortunatly I haven't heard many "risks" on the radio lately so I don't know how much water that argument holds.

My fear is that the big Disney shows might some day take over Broadway the way Clear Channel has taken over music.

[icantbelive]

Posted: 5/27/06 at 9:16am

I hate disney because its shows are pointless! You can rent the movie and get the same story and everything fo about a few dollars or less. Than the hundred dollars that you would spend seeing actors doing it. It is always great to see live theatre, but never great to see live theatre that you already know how its gonna end. Like Wicked had a good ending. Rent had a good ending. Sweeney had a great ending...

[acrocksyo]

Posted: 5/27/06 at 1:32pm

Wicked had a stupid ending! It would have been better had it followed the book.

As for Disney, they need to relax a bit with putting so much stuff on Broadway. Tarzan was not ready, I really don't know why they rushed the show so much, it's not one of their best movies, Phil Collins score is awful. Disney needs to just wait a couple years before they launch another show.

[RentBoy86]

Posted: 5/27/06 at 6:33pm

Yeah, Tarzan wasn't a great movie. They didn't sing in the movie. I don't see why they wanted to greenlight this for a musical.

I thought Wicked had a good ending. It works with the show. It would be sort of depressing to just end with her dying and then people singing "No one worns the Wicked" - for me, it worked.

[acrocksyo]

Posted: 5/27/06 at 7:17pm

I like in the book how she died, misunderstood and alone, it was befitting to the story. When she popped up from the trap door at the end of the show, I almost puked, it was so corny and lame. Not everything has to have a happy ending.

[LumBabsFan]

Posted: 5/27/06 at 8:22pm

"I hate disney because its shows are pointless! You can rent the movie and get the same story and everything fo about a few dollars or less. Than the hundred dollars that you would spend seeing actors doing it. It is always great to see live theatre, but never great to see live theatre that you already know how its gonna end."

I respectfully disagree. Whether you know what's going to happen or not, the live theater experience is much different than just popping in the DVD at home. DVD is cheaper, definitely, even with discounts and TKTS, but paying $60/%$70/full price for a ticket to the show is worth it than getting up off the couch and turning on the DVD.

Yes, the story is always the same, but what happens at the show in particular will change, unlike the movie where it's exactly the same every time. I've seen B&B on Bway almost 60 times now (go ahead and finish laughing at me, everyone; I'm used to it and it's ok =)), and each time, I have a fond memory of something that made it distinctly different from the rest: a cast change, a different take on a scene/song, a mishap, etc.

Much as I love the film, I would personally take seeing the live musical over that any time, anywhere, fan or not. All JMO, of course.

Updated On: 5/27/06 at 08:22 PM

[Elphaba984]

Posted: 5/28/06 at 12:24am

Hey I saw this thread and had to comment. Ok. I've seen everything that Disney has put on Broadway so far, all of which I enjoyed... yes even Tarzan. I'm looking forward to mary Poppins in the fall. But coming from a theatre major's perspective, it's gonna suck if every other theatre has a "Disney" show in it. Producers shouldd take a chance on original works. There are more original shows off broadway than on broadway. Now I'm not saying Beauty and the Beast, Lion King, etc. aren't original, they are but take a chance on something that isn't based off of a movie or a "jukebox" musical.

[woman_in_white]

Posted: 5/28/06 at 12:29am

I don't like shows that are marketing toward a child or "family" audience. And although I see that happen with Beauty and the Beast for example, there wasn't too much of it in Aida. So it's actually difficult to generalize ALL Disney shows. I think that if they can put a show on Broadway but do it right, then no harm done. But I fear the day when shows on Broadway are just like those Disney-on-Ice shows I used to see when I was 5!

And I feel a rant of my own coming on, sorry. But I could see why some shows would be marketing toward families in order to get young people into theatre. That'd be great. But when I went to see Beauty and the Beast, the family atmosphere seemed to promote rude audience behavior from the kiddies. But then again, I think the parents are the ones to blame for that...

K, I'm done. :)


And acrocksyo: Doesn't it seem like a lot of shows are being rushed these days? Not just Tarzan, but lots of other new shows as well? What gives? Updated On: 5/28/06 at 12:29 AM

[CurtainPullDowner]

Posted: 5/28/06 at 12:36am

With the price of producing a Musical on Bway these days.
DISNEY takes the properties it owns and tries to do them Theatrically.
Too many shows on Bway for a producer is nothing new.
Merrick would produce 9 or 10 shows a year.
DISNEY should not "take a break"
Expand a bit, sure,
Puttin Money into an Off Broadway venue is a great idea, but not really what they are about.
Doing Workshops in South America and London saves them Money but uses actors as pawns
maybe there is a Happy medium.
They have given some people like Taymor and Crowley a chance to expand and sometimes it works and sometimes it does not.

[Feathah]

Posted: 5/28/06 at 8:23am

Ok I'm tired and don't have my glasses so at first I read the title of this thread as "Disney *Rent*." I thought - huh? Mickey as Roger? Minnie as Mimi?

Oy I need some coffee. :)

[tophertilson]

Posted: 5/28/06 at 10:51am

In a few months, Disney will have FOUR shows on Broadway, only one of which offers its audience a truly theatrical experience (as opposed to spectacle for spectacle's sake and/or a drearily literal take on the film source). This glut of corporate product is watering down the diversity of Broadway, and the notion of true theatre (which has survived since ancient Greece and will hopefully survive this era, too).

More and more of the Broadway audience is NOT a theatre audience. They don't know how to react. They don't know how to behave. The have no appreciation for the art. They don't want to respond or be a part of a shared experience. They just want to watch a replication of the familiar.

This is the moment when Broadway becomes a theme park. This is how it happens. Give the audience what they NEED and the arts will flourish. Give them what they say they WANT, and the real audience will dwindle away...even as the profits continue to grow.

TT

[allofmylife]

Posted: 5/28/06 at 2:34pm

I find it sad, misguided and, frankly hilarious to read some of the comments on this thread. People are bemoaning Disney, the one company in America that invests a visable amount of their bottom line on Broadway year after year (sure, it's an infinitesimal amount, but hey, let's see GM or Ford do that). And they are not even basically IN the theater business. They saw an opportunity to make a buck and they grabbed it. I believe that's what all you Americans call "The American Dream", isn't it? Sure, their actions in some areas are reprehensible, but let's get serious for a moment. Our industry was BUILT by cretans. The most successful producers were bullies. David Merrick produced half of the most successful shows of the past half-century and he was, I understand, almost universally reviled. The theater business was founded by guys like Klaw and Erlanger and Flo Ziegfeld and Jed Harris and the Shuberts. Would YOU want to get in these guys bad books?

Disney had the guts to put their money into the 42nd Street renovation and look at what has been done. Some say it's a theme park, well guess what folks, 42nd Street was called "a wonderland of neon and sex and degredation" IN THE 1930'S AND 40's." It was a theme park back then, except the theme then was good theater, cheap eats, all night movies and hookers nearby. Good, as they say, for the whole family.

The New Amsterdam is a wonderful reno. The street surrounding it is safe to take the kids to. The property values are through the roof, the Lion King is an amazing theater experience, Aida was better than a lot of shows I've had to sit through, Beauty and the Beast is adored by kids, Tarzan was a daring wager of millions of dollars on an untested mix of theater and spectacle and THEY'VE NEVER DONE A VAMPIRE MUSICAL.

For that last thing alone, they deserve a lifetime Tony.

[tophertilson]

Posted: 5/28/06 at 2:59pm

By your logic, allmylife, AMERICAN IDOL is the best thing to ever happen to television. It's increased revenue (for FOX). It's increased viewership (for FOX). And it's increased buzz (for FOX). But it hasn't done ANYTHING for television in general. And it certainly hasn't done anything for the *art* of television (and yes, TV can be an art - watch HBO on any Sunday night to see how).

I don't care how much $$$ Disney brings in or how many people flock to see their shows. They are degrading the art form. They are creating a dumbed-down audience; an audience that with repeated exposure to this crap will come to expect to be spoon-fed in all their future theatrical experiences.

LION KING is the exception. Whether one likes it or not, this is THEATRE. It demands that the audience be enagaged, that they work, that they join in the communal experience. BEAUTY AND THE BEAST, AIDA and TARZAN all might as well be video tapes. Wretched and non-theatrical and soul-damaging.

TT

[riv]

Posted: 5/28/06 at 5:36pm

Oh, knock it off...please.

There's always been tripe on Broadway and there always will. Broadway is commercial theater, in case you never noticed. Disney is simply the latest effigy the holier-that-thou types out there will burn to prove how pure they are.

The fact is Disney on Broadway does NOT stop Sondheim or anyone else from doing a show there.

Period.

[tophertilson]

Posted: 5/28/06 at 5:50pm

The difference is that the truly horrible tripe of yesteryear didn't last long; it had no lasting effect. TARZAN will be a hit (I suspect) and will become part of the public conciousness because Disney has the money to force it down our collective throats. As Hollywood has taught us, you can indeed buy a hit.

Breathe easy, riv, my ranting is at an end. :)

TT

P.S. - Oh, and trust me when I say, I am holier than no one. lol

[showbiz287]

Posted: 5/28/06 at 6:23pm

I think what Disney is doing is great. Especially for young kids Introducing kids to LIVE theatre with decent shows! Parents know they can trust the Disney name and will take them to see shows. Especially parents who don't follow up or read anything about theatre Granted...Disney seems to be spitting out more and more shows, but when time comes for Little Mermaid and Hunchback of Notre Dame to be on Broadway...you bet I'll already have tickets!

However I do 100% agree there should be more Orginal Musicals instead of these Jukebox and Movie turned Musicals...

[WickedGeek28]

Posted: 5/28/06 at 6:46pm

wicked the novel and wicked the musical are totally different. Therefore, you can't have one story with another ending.

[ILoveMyDictionary]

Posted: 5/28/06 at 7:19pm

I personally hate Disney Broadway shows, but I know they're not going away, and other people love them, so I've learned to except it. As long as I'm not being forced to see the show I'm fine.

[directorkid]

Posted: 5/28/06 at 7:19pm

i hate this anti-disney for a couple of reasons.

one, if disney has the money why not let it experiment. you can't deny that lion king, B and B, aida, and tarzan have changed the way things are presented on broadway.

two, disney shows tend to jump start the carears of young actors (remember, disney discovered sherie rene scott, heather headly, jason raize, susan egan, chester gregory II, ashley brown, etc.) and catipulted them into the spotlight.

three, if disney has the power to bring people into musical theatre so be it. how many kids go to a disney musical to see their first broadway show? i'm sorry there needs to be something out there for the families (love sweeny todd to death but i wouldn't take a 6 year old to see it). disney allows kids to be introduced to the magical thing that is live theatre through stories and characters that they know and love

so please remember disney isn't aiming to please to the old critics or the anti-succesful message board memembers. disney is aiming to please the family audiences and introduced children to live theatre and that's ok with me.

[COOOOLkid]

Posted: 5/28/06 at 8:18pm

Disney sucks. I don't think they should be occupying any houses on Broadway... They should close up all the shows, and start sending them elsewhere, but NOT BROADWAY!!! Disney started the beginning of movie-into-a-musical/jukebox musical/pop musical era, and it's really bugging me.

"one, if disney has the money why not let it experiment. you can't deny that lion king, B and B, aida, and tarzan have changed the way things are presented on broadway. "

How did Broadway change [in a good way]? Humans in animal costumes have already been done, so have princess stories. Aida is not at all revolutionary, and Tarzan is just a big mess and no one would ever want to copy that...


"two, disney shows tend to jump start the carears of young actors (remember, disney discovered sherie rene scott, heather headly, jason raize, susan egan, chester gregory II, ashley brown, etc.) and catipulted them into the spotlight."

Yeah, because they could have NEVER started their career in other musicals...

three, if disney has the power to bring people into musical theatre so be it. how many kids go to a disney musical to see their first broadway show? i'm sorry there needs to be something out there for the families (love sweeny todd to death but i wouldn't take a 6 year old to see it). disney allows kids to be introduced to the magical thing that is live theatre through stories and characters that they know and love

Why would you even consider taking children to Broadway?



Anyways, like I said, Disney theatricals should stay on the road (tour) or somewhere else.

Updated On: 5/28/06 at 08:18 PM