Do theater snobs who hate shows like Legally Blonde love Next to Normal?

[don logan]

Posted: 5/14/09 at 10:50am

Just curious. It seems like they should.

[WithoutATrace]

Posted: 5/14/09 at 10:50am

not necessarily true. adamgreer loves both shows.

[luvtheEmcee]

Posted: 5/14/09 at 10:51am

Please tell me in what way they're even remotely similar.

[don logan]

Posted: 5/14/09 at 10:53am

They aren't similar that is my point. I assume if they hate a show like Blonde or 9 to 5 then they would love N2N for being artistic, deep and challenging.

[LeaGirl]

Posted: 5/14/09 at 10:54am

I don't really understand how the two are related.

I love Next to Normal.

I enjoyed myself at Legally Blonde.

Obviously they're two very different kinds of shows... but I enjoy serious fare and occasional fluff. Variety is the spice of life.

[tazber]

Posted: 5/14/09 at 10:54am

You're trying to qualify opinions as fact.

People like what they like. what difference does it make?

[luvtheEmcee]

Posted: 5/14/09 at 10:56am

Oh, sorry. I thought you were saying they're similar, so why are "theater snobs" who hate Legally Blonde all over Next to Normal?

[don logan]

Posted: 5/14/09 at 10:58am

I just was amazed at some of the vitriol against Blonde. Most of the criticism seemed to be that B'way has gotten so shallow. Lot's of talk about being sick of movie musicals, and along come N2N which is a dark original work, so I'm curious if the theater snobs are grateful for that or are just as critical of it.

[tazber]

Posted: 5/14/09 at 11:03am

Well, I suppose this thread is intended to be yet another pre-school taunt to incite a useless debate about individual tastes, so I'll leave you to it.

For the record I like both very much.

[adamgreer]

Posted: 5/14/09 at 11:10am

I love Next to Normal. I had a great time and enjoyed myself immensely each time I saw Legally Blonde. I'm not exactly sure what the point is.

Posted: 5/14/09 at 11:14am

I think the REAL question is, Do those of us who HATED TOS fanatics like N2N freaks any better?

[sgv123]

Posted: 5/14/09 at 11:15am

I like both shows.

[tazber]

Posted: 5/14/09 at 11:27am

I think enthusiasm for a show is a great thing.

Saying everyone who disagrees with you is "wrong" is more or less what happens on here though.

[songanddanceman2]

Posted: 5/14/09 at 11:28am

I love N2N and LB

[mormonophobic]

Posted: 5/14/09 at 11:32am

While I have still yet to see Next to Normal, I like what I have heard/seen so far. And I also happened to enjoy Legally Blonde. I don't really see what this means, but I think tastes are a personal matter. It's not as if all snobs like only one type of show and I am sure it's not as black-and-white on the other end of the spectrum. What I really don't understand, however, is the amount of hate people had over Legally Blonde. I can understand disliking it or it not being some people's cup of tea, but people seemed to equate it with Broadway lowering itself. While I do think the MTV airing and MTV reality show kind of helped with this perception, I just can't swallow the whole movie-to-stage is bad for Broadway pill.

Look, I enjoy an original musical just as much as everyone else. I really do. I loved the crap out of [title of show], In the Heights, Drowsy, Parade, Urinetown, etc. and although I thought it was flawed I thoroughly enjoyed Happiness (which I think is actually one of the most original musicals in spite of its plot device). That being said, adaptation is adaptation. What makes something like South Pacific, which was based off a book, so much better than something like Legally Blonde? I mean both star an adorable blonde girl finding her way and showing us all that being true to yourself never goes out of styl...oh wait...no, that..that doesn't work.

But really the difference is in the execution. You can either have shows that are adapted brilliantly like Billy Elliot or you can have Shrek. I just think the idea that Legally Blonde and other shows like it are bad for Broadway simply BECAUSE they are in the movie-to-stage or "unoriginal"category is silly. The same category produced West Side Story, Kiss of the Spider Woman, Rent, Les Misérables, Carousel, Phantom, Gypsy, and countless other shows that were still considered pretty original when they came out.

Posted: 5/14/09 at 11:36am

Taz, I suppose that is true for some people. But, as my close personal friend Steve once said "Some people ain't me."

[ColorTheHours048]

Posted: 5/14/09 at 11:38am

I love both shows for what they are. I need a good, cheesy smile? I listen to or watch LEGALLY BLONDE. I need to cry? I see N2N. Sure, you can be in favor of heavier, more challenging works like N2N and hate BLONDE and vice versa, but it all comes down to personal taste. It's not a universal thing that you can only like one and not the other. This board is a very SMALL group of theatregoers, so any "vitriol" noticed towards BLONDE is not necessarily the consensus.

[Elphaba3]

Posted: 5/14/09 at 12:11pm

I haven't seen Legally Blonde live, but I liked the MTV broadcast. I loved 9 to 5. I'm currently obsessed with Next to Normal. It's possible.

[SporkGoddess]

Posted: 5/14/09 at 12:26pm

I think it depends on how you feel about "rock musicals."

[orangeskittles]

Posted: 5/14/09 at 1:55pm

I hate both, for reasons that have nothing to do with the style of the show. What generalizations would you like to make about people like me?

[DottieD'Luscia]

Posted: 5/14/09 at 1:58pm

I didn't particularly care for both either.

[legally_popular]

Posted: 5/14/09 at 6:23pm

I love both, just for different reasons.

[BrianIdol]

Posted: 5/14/09 at 8:06pm

mormon -

I think the difference with the shows you named (phantom, les mis, etc...) and the movie-to-musical shows (9-5, legally blonde, shrek, etc) is that the ones you named were created to cash in on the fact that they are considered 'classics'. They weren't trying to necessarily cash in on the fact that they were a major hollywood blockbuster movie.

At least that's how i see it.

[dramamama611]

Posted: 5/14/09 at 8:12pm

I liked LB....thought it was pure fluff...but really well done and I really had fun.

I loved N2N, for being everything that LB is not.


So.....another one to shoot a hole in your theory.

[WishingOnlyWounds2]

Posted: 5/14/09 at 8:19pm

I absolutely loved Legally Blonde! Saw it 5 times...
I loved 9 to 5....
I loved next to normal...