Fame coming to the Shubert...

[KB]

Posted: 6/19/03 at 1:05pm

http://www.broadway.com/template_1.asp?CI=29255&CT=38

[AndrewClay]

Posted: 6/19/03 at 1:24pm

"Though there is no word on the creative team or casting, one of the musical's stars is already known--in a way. A part in the stage show is one of the prizes being awarded to the winner of NBC's American Idol-esque Fame television series. There are currently twelve finalists (six men and six women) vying for their shot at Fame."

Yuck!

[Amneris]

Posted: 6/19/03 at 1:37pm

the people who work at the Lshubert all think its gonna be a joke and a waste of playbills because its not the current tour running.. it's cheap american idol crap with a 26 person cast. Updated On: 6/19/03 at 01:37 PM

[broadwayguy2]

Posted: 6/19/03 at 1:50pm

::shakes head:: Oh ny Gawd! A 26 person cast and a role is being given to a reality show contestant????? i mean, it's not like Frenchie, who was a contestant on a show, then auditioned for a Broadway show, this is just....... sick. In all possible ways?? Someone take this producer out into a field and shoot it.

[Amneris]

Posted: 6/19/03 at 2:02pm

saw london cast and even i who loves cheesey shows thought it was a waste of $.

[TxTwoStep]

Posted: 6/20/03 at 6:02pm

saw the tour and the best thing I can say for it is that the chorus actually looked like high schoolers (and i mean that in the good way..they appeared AS IF they could be in high school but still belted and particularly danced very well). It was a nice relief from those "high school" shows where the "kids" look like they are at least 30. Recent NYC shows that got the look and the ability more appropriate were ZANNA and HAIRSPRAY. OF course, I also heard on the FAME tour young tyros were burning out their voices and knees so much that turnover was a real problem. So go figure. I was a big fan of the TV show, but never felt the live version had as strong a score as that series or the initial movie. I do think the concept could work, but the execution was a little heavy-handed. If they were smart, they'd hire the ZANNA team to freshen it up in connection with the TV reality show hype. It would be hilarious, for instance, if the role the TV winner took in the stage show was a character who was always putting down reality shows like Star Search and American Idol.

[BrdwyThtr]

Posted: 6/20/03 at 6:06pm

Actually, that sounds stupid.

[TxTwoStep]

Posted: 6/20/03 at 6:10pm

very constructive. Thanks for being open-minded. I hope your opinions get as much support as you offer.

[broadwayguy2]

Posted: 6/20/03 at 6:11pm

I actually asw the original 1999 tour twice, for reason other than Gavin Creel and Jennifer Gambetese. I really enjoyed them. Over all though, there is a LOT of room for improvement in the show. I agree too, that one of the good things about was a cast that actually could pass for high school students, ala Hairspray, instead of a cast where some looked like students and some looked the parents of hign school students, ala the Weissler revival of 'Grease!'. So far the only one of the finalista on the reality show that I like is the blonde singer, Alex Boyd.

Am I the only that thinks it is a bit funny that Debbie Allen has previously worked with a LOT of the contestants on that show??? Besides, the woman needs to move on. There IS life after Fame.

[Mr Roxy]

Posted: 6/20/03 at 6:15pm

The critics will roast it as they did "Urban Cowboy", "Footloose" & Saturday Night Fever" Critics do not think shows like these are worthy of Broadway. We shall see.

[broadwayguy2]

Posted: 6/20/03 at 6:17pm

I don't take most critics seriously most of the time, but yeah, this show will have to be renamed "Fried Fame".

[Mr Roxy]

Posted: 6/20/03 at 6:34pm

To Broadway Guy 2

See we finally agree on something. It wasn't that hard was it. Lets go for two in a row

[broadwayguy2]

Posted: 6/20/03 at 6:39pm

That is based on the tour reviews, which tend to be less harsh than the blood hungry New York critics. The show was consistantly panned, but Gavin and Jenn consistantly pulled in good reviews, all things considering.

One of the funnier comments that I recall is a statement where a critic sid that with Gavin's portrayal of Nick, the ending would have been more believable if Nick had turned out to be gay and he and Serena ended up as lifelong friends as opposed to him ending uop hetereo and them as lovers. One of the major plot points is Nick's sexuality. Serena believes he is gay and she has a crush on him.

[TxTwoStep]

Posted: 6/20/03 at 6:47pm

I've heard that the other tour show that might come into NYC is the Tony Curtis SOME LIKE IT HOT. Opinions?!?!

[Mr Roxy]

Posted: 6/20/03 at 7:09pm

Re Some Like It Hot

Saw the original show "Sugar" - Enjoyable but not great. Gower Champion drastically changed it out of town by cutting Johnny Desmonds Spats Palazzo (pardon my spelling)role from a singing part to a dancing part. It had a great funeral parlor in a speakeasy set in Act 1 that went. Maybe some of the better songs went because what remained was a great Jule Styne overture (you could always tell a Jule Styne Show from listening to the overture - it always got your attention), a few pleasant songs & that was it. Morse was great & Roberts was OK Elaine Joyce was agreeable from what I can remember

Updated On: 6/20/03 at 07:09 PM