Getting to Know.../Broadway Jr. Productions

[fashionguru_23]

Posted: 5/30/18 at 9:08am

Has anyone on the boards either directed or seen one of the Rodgers and Hammerstein productions under the "Getting to Know..." banner or Broadway Jr.?

I know that they are like the Broadway Jr. versions of MTI shows, but I don't know much about it, and am curious for opinions.

[dramamama611]

Posted: 5/30/18 at 9:22am

I haven't done or seen one in quite some time, but at the time the R&H versions were NO where as well planned or edited as the Junior series, which I found to be superior in every way.

[DramaTeach]

Posted: 5/30/18 at 9:52am

It’s been a little while since I’ve used a G2K show, but my last one was a positive experience. MTI’s Junior shows are the best produced, but I find their selection a bit too childish. There are some great classics on their, but Magic Treehouse and Madagascar aren’t ones I’m planning on doing.

There are also a few other companies who are branching into the shows for young people. Tams-Witmark has Young Performer’s Editions which is essentially the same thing as the others. They have Bye Bye Birdie, Anything Goes, and a few others. I just didn’t find their company as easy to deal with. My most positive experience recently was Theatrical Rights Worldwide on their Young@Part Addams Family. Easy to deal with and helpful. The instrumental tracks were a bit complicated, but with practice, one of my stage managers had it figured out. And people loved the shortened version - very funny! They also have All Shook Up and one or two others.

Let me know if you have any other questions.

[Jakeevan942]

Posted: 5/30/18 at 10:57am

With the exception of the Theatrical Rights Worldwide Young@Part shows, Tim MacDonald's iTheatrics, itself a spin-off of the MTI Jr series, has done the current adaptation/packages for MTI, Sam French, Tams, and R and H, so your experience working with any of these should be similar. For reference, iTheatrics took over the Getting to Know series in 2012, and from there redesigned the kits.

[DramaTeach]

Posted: 5/30/18 at 12:47pm

The reason that I didn't love Tams-Witmark was because since I was used to working with MTI, I didn't realize that I had to return the CDs and a couple of other things from my Bye Bye Birdie package. They charged a late fee on top of the returned items.  Just something to keep in mind.

[fashionguru_23]

Posted: 5/30/18 at 2:08pm

I have dealt with Tams-Witmark in the past, and I know how uneasy they can be. I mean, are that many people hounding fort the script of "Wildcat"? I don't think so. 

[Ado Annie D'Ysquith]

Posted: 5/30/18 at 2:25pm

Then of course you've got the strange case of Seussical Jr., which many folks think is actually a much better show than the full-fledged version.

I do dread the day when MTI announces the release of A Little Night Music, Jr. Hahaha!

[ggersten]

Posted: 5/30/18 at 2:52pm

My daughter was in a junior version of The King And I for middle school kids.  The cut down script is dramatically different.  Tuptim has every song cut, other than Small House of Uncle Thomas.  Basically, the entire Tuptim story line is so cut down that it barely makes sense.  Which of course makes the whole King's breakdown even less understandable.  And the show is now narrated by Princess Yaowlak.