Emcee visits Tribeca - SHOW BUSINESS

[luvtheEmcee]

Posted: 4/26/05 at 12:24am

Quick summary, just because - SHOW BUSINESS is a documentary film that had its world premiere tonight at the Tribeca Film Festival. It follows WICKED, AVENUE Q, TABOO and CAROLINE, OR CHANGE from the pre-Broadway rehearsal period to last year's Tonys. I highly recommend it.

I'm really not very equipped to review film, so this isn't going to be much of a review. I will say that as with any sort of documentary film, this has plenty of biases - it makes AVENUE Q very clearly out to be the hero from below, and WICKED the big, menacing mega-musical threatening to eat it up. Taboo's failure is personified in Euan Morton's personal journey with the show, eliciting quite a sad response when his interview segment (more to come on that) about the show's closure, and his forced departure from the country came on. Film probably does not exist without some bias in how certain things are portrayed, so I suppose I'd just take it with a grain of salt, and move on.

The film is pretty well-done, so far as I can tell. But, I can't tell very far, to be perfectly honest. It has a lot of heart. To watch people we see on stage or whose work we're so familiar with in such a candid, all-access sort of setting is funny, interesting and very intriguing. Your heart soars for their successes, and sinks for their failures, even when the Tony footage (stuff you've all seen before) is shown.

That's all I'm posting on the film from a "review/criticism" angle. I really do not know how to review film; I simply don't see enough of it. But, there are a few things, both personal and sort of universal that I'd like to address in pertenence to the film.

As many of you know, I'm seriously considering taking a dive into the world of theatrical criticism. Seeing that it's a self-taught skill, this board has been the majority of my practice, thusfar - a very brief, yet FAR overdue thank you to anyone who has ever read, commented on and praised what I've written, and to anyone on this board who has ever encouraged me to follow the whim. As many of you also know, I do a lot of questioning myself, my abilities, and my biases. Last night, I was working on a pretty important review, and wondering if I really would be able to do it. The review was about CHITTY CHITTY BANG BANG, and the first time I had to "really" review a person that's close to my heart. I had trouble with it, and trouble finding the right dichotomy between the love letter I knew I wanted to write, and giving the show, and its lead performer, only what it deserves and nothing more... as well as the dichotomy between true honesty, and seeming "truth" based on what's expected of you.
So. How does this all relate to the FILM?
Here's how: A pretty big part of the film is its portrayal of the critics. Several times throughout the film, there are clips of several big critics chatting around a table, many of them panning the entire season, and outwardly making fun of all sorts of things. Michael Reidel was one of them, and he's painfully bitter, cynical, and just a no-good, sarcastic gossip. When Raúl Esparza called him a "bottom-feeding pig," he was certainly right. There are several interviews with John Lahr and Ben Brantley, which are slightly less gossip-oriented and childish than these table discussions, but the film certainly puts the critics in an interesting light. It made me wonder if this was something I could really, truly do. I know I'm not "mean" enough to do what I feel like is LOOK for things to be bad. But then, Boy George said something wonderful and beautiful about the criticism Broadway is now recieving. He said that these are supposed to be people who love theatre, and who want to preserve it as a high art form that they love. Why, then, do they trash it so much? They're turning people away more than they are making people want to support theatre, in a way. Thank you, George. I take heart, and I think I know where I want to be. So, I suppose you could say this movie had a bit of a personal existential purpose. That part of it alone made for a special experience, and one that at this point, I needed to have.

Now, onto the more universal things about the movie that make it a truly worth-while experience.

The film maker had incredible access to the rehearsals, press events, recording sessions and all sorts of things you'd never get to see, really, in experiences relating all kinds of comraderies and rivalries. It certainly heightens the appreciation we have for what we love so much.

Two of the shows documented in this film are no longer with us. Seeing the footage of shows that it's been nearly a year since my encounters with was a welcome step back in time. It was also a reminder of two of the beautiful, far-too short-lived shows Broadway lost last year... Caroline, or Change and Taboo. There was some closing night footage from TABOO, reminding me just how much I miss this show, and how badly it truly deserved far more of a chance. There is a precious interview with Euan Morton, where he talks about how long he had been with the show, and the tears in his eyes about finally have to bid it farwell break your heart. CAROLINE only gets a small piece in the epilogue to portray its closure, but it is still sorely missed. Both shows got lots of applause, and deservingly so. They're beautifully preserved by this film.

The film follows the shows, truly from rehearsals to the Tonys. Seeing the Tony ceremony again, nearly a year later was somehow just as exciting as watching it the first time, but there was something so incredible and heartwarming about reliving these moments, knowing I was sharing a room and an experience with the likes of: Raúl Esparza, Euan Morton, John Tartaglia, Jeff Marx, Bobby Lopez, Rick Lyon, Jennifer Barnhardt and Stephanie D'Abruzzo to name just a few. The happiness that's exuded from the screen whenever Jeff Marx and Bobby Lopez are featured is contagious, Q's win is just as electrifying, and even the frustrations of the rehearsal process has its humor.

Finally, a note on my personal man of the hour, Mr. Raúl E. Esparza (who, was looking MIGHTY fine tonight, by the way). Raúl had a pretty decent-sized bit in the film, but there's one segment that really struck me, showing how truly special this man is. The camera follows him a bit backstage, as he tracks some sort of misunderstanding about an understudy going on and an actress covering for too many roles. He took control as best he could, ran down to another dressing room trying to figure out what was going on and making sure things were okay. He wasn't just getting his makeup on and doing his job regardless of what else was going on, but he showed right then and there his level of involvement in that show, disheveled as it was. Just prior, he shows that the theatres on the same block are all interconnected, and says something about doing it all for love. He's incredibly articulate, so I'm glad he got to speak a bit for the cameras. Anyway, the backstage fiasco segues into a rehearsal of the fight scene. Seeing Raúl rehearse was very interesting - they did one run-through of the scene, and immediately following, he - while remaining as soft spoken as ever - took charge and told his fellow actors what needed to happen. He's so intriguing to watch, but he wasn't waiting to take direction from someone else. He was taking the problem and fixing it... it seems like you hear that so many actors are more like robots, and that little clip put so much more weight onto my admiration for his work, intelligence, drive and talent. It shed a bit of light on what kind of actor he is, aside from a brilliantly talented one, and even some light onto just why he had that fight with Rosie that Reidel so treasured. In any event... Rock on, Raúl, you star.

If you've stuck the post out this far, I apologize for the length and bit of emotional spillage. I forewarned, however... this was to be more like sharing time than a review.

Go check out this film, if you can. It's a fun time, only $10, and a great look into last year. I wish this sort of thing would be made every year.

Updated On: 4/26/05 at 12:24 AM

[QueenMuppet]

Posted: 4/26/05 at 12:27am

Having seen this movie tonight made me all upset about Tonya not winning the Tony last year all over again!

And you just gotta love the Avennue Q folks.

QM

[luvtheEmcee]

Posted: 4/26/05 at 12:28am

I just realized that I have absolutely no lofe left, after the size of that post.

[QueenMuppet]

Posted: 4/26/05 at 12:31am

I can't believe you forgot to mention Alan in your review, Emcee!

QM

[ShuQ]

Posted: 4/26/05 at 12:31am

Dear makers of this film, PLEASE release it on DVD...if you want to live.

[Thenardier]

Posted: 4/26/05 at 12:32am

Em, your lofe is causing me trouble.

I am going blind in my right eye and my left is burning. I wanted to read this - but it's just too long and my eyes are burning too much.

What strife!

[QueenMuppet]

Posted: 4/26/05 at 12:33am

ShuQ, they will be releasing it on DVD.

QM

[ShuQ]

Posted: 4/26/05 at 12:35am

Are you positive?

[luvtheEmcee]

Posted: 4/26/05 at 12:36am

Oh, yes. Alan Cumming was there, and I think I adore him a lot!

[QueenMuppet]

Posted: 4/26/05 at 12:36am

Yes.

[TGIF]

Posted: 4/26/05 at 12:36am

They said it will be made into DVD with extra footage (450 if they could!).

[smartpenguin78]

Posted: 4/26/05 at 12:39am

I have not seen the film Emcee, but I have some insight into the other part of your issue.

I feel the same way about my career choice, I am here at Union studing to be a pastor. I am not a preacher type or even particularly "Gody" and I see religions as all being helpful to people. But I want to help people in crisis and work through things with them and I think that I have talent and passion for the work. The problem is like the critics you talk about I keep seeing people doing this to hurt and destroy and it kills me. I want to work with all religions and accross political and economic boundaries and it often seems that is exactly what they don't want a pastor to do. I work for an Interfaith Community and get all kinds of criticism from my home church about it.

The key for me though is I love the ability to do what you can do when its done right. And like a friend of mine said, "we need a good liberal preacher out there to fight for us."
That's what I see for you Emcee, bringing the heart back to criticism. Art is important, art is special and people can gain so much from it. We need to be pointed in the direction where art is on display, not constantly mocked.

I go back and forth on continuing and its true I'm doing my internship for a Jewish group and likely to join the Unitarian Universalist church, but most of the time I just think "I need to do this, and there will be a place for me because others need it too."
All the best of broken legs to you Emcee.

[luvtheEmcee]

Posted: 4/26/05 at 12:41am

Thank you, dearest penguin.

[Thenardier]

Posted: 4/26/05 at 1:09am

OK I read it.

My throat hurts, so I want talk long:

"[Wicked]...menacing mega-musical threatening to eat it up" - I think you floored me with laughter...I was laughing and was floored because of you...well what you wrote...nevermind...funny!

It sounds very interesting. I don't know if you have seen it, but was it at all similar to the Wicked Special on the American Musical DVD from PBS (but featuring that same aspect of 4 different shows)?

I agree, if it is as good as you say, and I will believe you for the moment, they should do this every year for the Best Musical nominations.

Do we know yet how to buy it on DVD? From Amazon or some secret alleyway in the heart of Chinatown? Either way, I'll buy it (or die trying in the event of the latter).

{This is where I completely lost my train of thought due to my approaching blindness, and the lump in my throat (lump of phlegm or something)}

Caroline, or Change, I admit, was a show I skipped due to Miss Pinkins' (or Mrs...whatever) performance at the Tony's. After hearing her on The Wild Party CD, I wish I had not skipped it. Oh well. Life goes on.

I wonder if they put any clips in of the (quote/unquote) "creative process" that they showed during the commercial breaks at the Tony's. Some of these were amazingly hilarious. Including Avenue Q's tribute to Broadway. There was also footage of a group of composers (I forget which show) sitting at the piano, unable to write anything. One composer turned to the other and said, "Maybe we should ask the guys at Avenue Q for help." (Or something like that.)

In any case - I am glad you enjoyed the movie and hope to see it someday.

Keep up the reviewing!

Updated On: 4/26/05 at 01:09 AM

[Luckydave14]

Posted: 4/26/05 at 1:10am

May I ask how Wicked is portrayed in the film? Like, what do they show in the segments that include it. Updated On: 4/26/05 at 01:10 AM

[luvtheEmcee]

Posted: 4/26/05 at 1:15am

LOL, BSo!

Wicked wasn't really portrayed badly, it was just shown in the sense that we all knew it wasn't going to beat out Q in the long-run, at least in terms of the Tony race. Critics kept saying "oh, it'll win Best Musical," etc, and you just KNEW they were wrong. They show segments of the show's rehearsals, the recording session, lots of Idina interview footage about creating the character. The Tony part of the film, obviously, is very much about Wicked vs. Q.

[Thenardier]

Posted: 4/26/05 at 1:18am

Did they record and show all the booing from the audience when they announce Q the winner?

Talk about rudeness in the audience...

[luvtheEmcee]

Posted: 4/26/05 at 1:20am

They showed the exact thing that was on TV... John's reaction and all.

[Thenardier]

Posted: 4/26/05 at 1:22am

Ah, so not the real thing...because he may have been smiling...but the audience, for the most part, was NOT.

[smartpenguin78]

Posted: 4/26/05 at 1:27am

Did people really boo? I can't recall that from TV, how tacky.
I just reread your review Emcee, it is very strong still.

[luvtheEmcee]

Posted: 4/26/05 at 1:53am

The 6 page monstrosity? I took that on the subway today, and met QM and TGIF with it, reading and editing and re-reading and re-editing. Oy.

[smartpenguin78]

Posted: 4/26/05 at 1:56am

My 18 page latest monstrosity needs that treatment, the good short six pager was nice and succient to me. 8o)

[luvtheEmcee]

Posted: 4/26/05 at 1:56am

Well, this was only supposed to be like... two.

[smartpenguin78]

Posted: 4/26/05 at 1:58am

'well that's the horse of a different color we hear so much about'*
*paraphrased Wizard of OZ

[Chrysanthemum62001]

Posted: 4/26/05 at 3:20am

Okay, I am so kicking myself for not going tonight, now. ALAN CUMMING! I should have known...