Disney's next Broadway venture is....(updated with more info)- Page 4

[Mister Matt]

Posted: 3/4/10 at 8:36pm

I think the crows are a non-issue. They could be any animals observing the action and rewritten with little effort. The other obstacles will be much harder to overcome. Expanding the score will help with a top-notch team capable of writing some memorable tunes. Ahrens and Flaherty immediately spring to mind. I don't care what anyone thinks of Seussical, I thought the score was strong and infectious. I literally walked out humming Oh, the Thinks You Can Think and had it on my mind for weeks before a CD was ever released. And given the setting, the show has potential to be visually spectacular (no doubt, there are plans to fill some time with traditional circus clowns and acrobats). The concept is something of a lump of coal that could potentially yield a radiant diamond, but it would need an A-list team of creative genius (including the marketing team) with a highly objective captain at the helm. As for the book, it really would have to take us on a bigger journey than the film and therein lies the biggest challenge for the show.

As for the elephant being mute, why not use a child actor and simply keep him as a mute character. Let the story unfold through the other characters who observe the tale along the way. We didn't need Dumbo's voice or to hear his inner thoughts before, so why do we need it now? Generous underscoring and intelligent staging can often replace unnecessary or bad dialogue. And speaking of dialogue...I'll probably get creamed for this...what if it was a (mostly) sung-through show?

I'm also a fan of Song of the South and I love besty's idea. But I have to agree with popular_elphie that it would be a good idea to change the name. It could be "The Tales of Uncle Remus" or something like that and the show could be Remus telling the stories to his own family. Get rid of the slave owners altogether as they are ultimately superfluous to the core of the film. But it would need an especially delicate touch when it came to the Brer characters and most notably the Tar Baby story. Though the tales are originally told in the vernacular, the PC police still consider anything in the vernacular from early African American history to be offensive, whether authentic or not (especially if a white director is involved). I remember one well-respected member of the board who lambasted the way the characters were depicted in the film version of The Color Purple, which was a pretty spot-on depiction of them in Alice Walker's novel, written in first-person vernacular from Celie's point of view (I love the book, love the movie, but wasn't a fan of the musical). I would absolutely love to hear Zip-A-Dee-Do-Dah and Everybody's Got a Laughing Place in a full-on Broadway production.

[AEA AGMA SM]

Posted: 3/4/10 at 9:47pm

I would not want to see any kind of theatrical adaptation of Fantasia, if only for the fact that I would not want to hear any of that glorious music played by anything less than a full symphony orchestra. And I would be my life that you would NEVER see anything close to that size in any kind of theatrical adaptation.

[byebyebaby12]

Posted: 3/4/10 at 10:08pm

I am wondering if some wires got crossed and some mis-information was spread.

I was at Disney World a few months ago and when I got back, I wanted to research all the rides for some reason. Anyway I read that they will be re-doing the Dumbo ride area completly. They are going to make sort of a Dumbo's Big Top, put the ride in there and expand it. They also mentioned that there would be some new attractions in the area related to Dumbo and the circus.
I am wondering if maybe they are developing a show for the re-vamped Dumbo area and people started running away with it?

I don't know, just a therory. Since I am Opposed to the idea.

[lakezurich]

Posted: 3/4/10 at 10:12pm

There was an article about the possibility of a Dumbo musical on Playbill.com a few days ago... I'm gonna see if I can find it

[zepka102]

Posted: 3/4/10 at 10:16pm

I still think Hercules could be beautiful. It's screaming for it.

[popular_elphie]

Posted: 3/4/10 at 10:28pm

byebyebaby12, Disney is moving Dumbo to another location, creating another Dumbo ride ("Dueling Dumbos", it's called), and, under the big top, is holding a bunch of carnival games to play while guests wait for their turn to ride the attraction. The Dumbo rides will be next to the Big Top, not under it. They'll be assigned a specific group and when that group is announced, they will be able to board Dumbo. Has nothing to do with a show, but it was a good deduction!

[lakezurich]

Posted: 3/4/10 at 10:30pm

zepka102, Hercules is my number one pick for Disney's next musical as well!!!

[lakezurich]

Posted: 3/4/10 at 10:39pm

Here's the link in case you missed it.
Dumbo

[byebyebaby12]

Posted: 3/5/10 at 12:33am

popular_elphie- I was kind of hoping that may be the weird explaination. I thought it was funny since I just read about the re-vamped Dumbo a month ago.

I do think it is so weird to pick a movie that was not a such a huge sucess in the first place and still isn't even much of a classic.

Out of Disney Movies though, the one that would work best in a stage translation would be Hercules since the the way the story is told is already so much like a stage musical.

Enchanted would be pretty easy to translate also.

[Trainwreck]

Posted: 3/5/10 at 1:47am

byebyebaby12, I still reckon it is a distinct possibility Disney is developing this show for one of their parks and NOT for Broadway. I can't imagine even the current heads of Disney would pick this as their first pick to send to Broadway.

Certainly I think many of the 90s cartoons would just adapt much better (as they've seen from box office results in B&tB and LK).

[purtynpynk]

Posted: 3/5/10 at 2:46am

I also think this could be better suited in one of the Disney parks rather than on Broadway. I just can't envision this. If for some reason it did get the ok for Broadway, I am curious how it would turn out, like how they would make Dumbo and how he would fly. I wasn't extremely impressed with Mary Poppins' flying, so we'll see if it does get off the ground.

[tazber]

Posted: 3/5/10 at 7:25am

There is some more info about it today from Riedel:

BECAUSE I have ears as large as Dumbo's, here are some more tidbits on Disney's new show:

* The team that designed the life-size horse puppets in "War Horse" at the National Theatre in London may do the elephants for the new "Dumbo" musical.

* Stevie Wonder has been approached to write additional songs, although he has reservations because of the "racist" aspects of the old movie.

* Peter Darling ("Billy Elliot") will choreograph.

I reported that Stephen Daldry had not yet closed his deal on the show. But Pat Healy was quick to point out in yesterday's Times that, in fact, Daldry is on board.

Thanks for calling attention to my error, Pat. You've clearly got better sources on this one than I do.

So I'll leave it to you to announce that Dumbo will be played by Bobby Steggert.

Read more: http://www.nypost.com/p/entertainment/theater/whole_lotta_lawyerin_goin_on_8LW5AK1jk4ZHC3m30oMW2M#ixzz0hIvmLSSV

At the end of the column

[best12bars]

Posted: 3/5/10 at 9:26am

Because those puppets say Disney's Dumbo to me, too ...




And when I hear Baby Mine, When I See An Elephant Fly, and Casey Junior, I immediately think of Stevie Wonder to augment the score.

This is beginning to sound more and more like an April Fool's joke.

[tazber]

Posted: 3/5/10 at 10:23am

Stevie Wonder is such a totally off the wall choice for this project.

[Dre2387]

Posted: 3/5/10 at 10:45am

ok, I seriously thought that they couldn't do Newsies, and now they say there will be a reading in Spring of 2010?? awesome!!!!

don't like the idea of Dumbo. Mainly cause I never liked the movie.

But Newsies would be awesome!!!

[Mister Matt]

Posted: 3/5/10 at 10:53am

War Horse team - ok
Peter Darling - ok
Stevie Wonder - WTF?

I guess they are trying to bank on another pop name in the music industry for the score, but it certainly didn't help Tarzan on Broadway. I wonder if they even approached any Broadway composers about the project.

[CurtainPullDowner]

Posted: 3/5/10 at 11:50am

There was a reading of NEWSIES last week, Harvey was very pleased with it.

[StephanietheStar]

Posted: 3/5/10 at 12:23pm

I would go see Newsies in a SECOND!! and I know my boyfriend would...that's one of his favorites.



P.S. I'm pretty sure part of the reason they're moving the Dumbo ride at Disney World is because they are putting in a much larger Little Mermaid section in fantasyland and they're getting a little mermaid attraction in that part....it was in the D23 (disney 'insider' fan club thing) months back. and I used to work there and that was the word.....I miss it! sorry off topic!

[beautywickedlover]

Posted: 3/5/10 at 12:51pm

"She falls under some silly spell and just HAS to touch that spindle."

Exactly. She was hyponotized to touch the spindle.

[Yero my Hero]

Posted: 3/5/10 at 1:10pm

I know. That part was a joke. My point is that the entire movie, her fate is in the hands of other people and she never questions it or does anything to try to change it.

[Scarywarhol]

Posted: 3/5/10 at 1:13pm

The Stevie Wonder thing is clearly just so they can do the crows without looking racist.

[Trainwreck]

Posted: 3/5/10 at 1:15pm

Actually Scarywarhol may very well be right. Trying to change the face of the show...


I still say Mulan and Aladdin would translate the best as stage musicals. I'd fly out to NYC just to see them.

[Mister Matt]

Posted: 3/5/10 at 1:31pm

Yeah, Aurora was the most passive codependent ditz of the Disney princesses. They could have changed all her lines to, "Oh, ok."

"You live with three old ladies in the middle of the forest because they found you in the forest when you were a baby."
"Oh, ok."

"I'm not a prince. I'm an owl"
"Oh, ok."

"You're hot. Wanna go out?"
"Oh, ok."

"You can never speak to that man again."
"Oh, ok."

"Actually, you're really a princess and you're going to be reunited with your royal parents today."
"Oh, ok."

"And your name isn't Briar Rose. It's Aurora."
"Oh, ok."

"And we're magical fairies."
"Oh, ok.

"TOUCH THE SPINDLE, BITCH!"
"Oh, ok."

"Wake up, it's time to get married."
"Oh, ok."

"Your dress is changing colors."
"Oh, ok."

That's Aurora in a nutshell.

Updated On: 3/5/10 at 01:31 PM

[popular_elphie]

Posted: 3/5/10 at 2:14pm

So, according to stitchkingdom.com, Disney has registered the following domain names:

Registered yesterday, we have: NEWSIESBROADWAY.COM, NEWSIESMUSICAL.COM, NEWSIESONTOUR.COM, NEWSIESTHEMUSICAL.COM and NEWSIESTICKETS.COM. On the Dumbo front, Disney has now registered the following domain names: DUMBOMUSICAL.COM, DUMBOONTOUR.COM DUMBOTHEMUSICAL.COM and DUMBOTICKETS.COM.

It seems like IF Disney is planning Dumbo, it will be a tour, while Newsies will be developed for Broadway. Dumbo on tour actually seems more logical, in a Disney On Ice!/Disney Live! sort of way.

I feel like I'm the only person in the world who doesn't like Newsies. I thought it was boring.

Edited because I spelled "developed" with an i. Seriously.

Updated On: 3/5/10 at 02:14 PM

[Trainwreck]

Posted: 3/5/10 at 2:25pm

I came back to this thread just now to suggest maybe Dumbo would be done in a Disney on Ice tour fashion. Glad to see popular_elphie beat me to it.