F!!! IT WAS AWFUL!!! THE ONLY GOOD PARTS WERE CAROL BURNETT'S COSTUMES. (THEY LOOKED LIKE BOB MACKEE, BUT HE WAS NOT CREDITED.???) ANWAY, DISNEY RUINED THIS GREAT SHOW! JUST LIKE THEY RUINED THE MUSIC MAN!
"You just can't win. Ever. Look at the bright side, at least you are not stuck in First Wives Club: The Musical. That would really suck. "
--Sueleen Gay
Well, Music Man was ALSO Kathleen Marshall, and IMO they both had the same community theatre feel to the staging and choreography. I can't say I've seen any of Kathleen's work on stage, but I'm not impressed with her abilities for the small screen.
I thought THE MUSIC MAN was awful....this one was enjoyable, and ANNIE was wonderful and CINDERELLA was dreck, so it seems to be hit or miss with this particular art form.
At least SOMEONE is producing musicals...that should count for something.
I agree, Singing. At least SOMEONE is doing it. I found it enjoyable, cute, I give it a b-. I liked Music Man, not so much Annie. Probably only liked MM for Chenoweth.
As someone told me lately: "Ev'ryone deserves the chance to fly!"...
He's there, the Phantom of the Opera!...
I dreamed a dream in time gone bye...
This is the moment! My final test!...
PS. Couldn't choose just one :-)
Let's face it, it is NOT one of the Great American Musicals -- but it's cute and it can be lots of fun. I enjoyed this new one without being blown away by it, in part because I didn't expect to be.
"Sweet summer evenings, hot wine and bread /
Sharing your supper, sharing your bed /
Simple joys have a simple voice:
It says why not go ahead?"
I think there was a lot of energy and talent in this peice, but all misplaced. I liked what they were doing with the cartoony, Fairy Tale look of he movie, but it all felt too small and confined for a castle. Even the ballroom wasn't that big and that courtyard was making me clastrephobic. It couldn't have cost THAT much more for Disney to rent a bigger soundstage! I also felt that the costumes were pretty blah, except for Bob Mackie's Queen costumes, which were quite amazing (And he was like the first person in the credits, to the person above who said otherwise).
The choreography was surprisingly bad and poorly shot, kind of a shock with kathleen Marshal at the helm. She could learn a thing or two from her brother. The dancing was quite akwardly staged and with the exception of a few numbers, not filmed to its full potential.
The biggest problem was in the casting. I while I love Tracey and Dennis, I felt they were both a tad old for their roles. I know that it makes sense for them to be older, but still. I also found that Tracey just wasn't brash enough, which ruined the whole character. I think they should have looked harder for another Winnifred.
I thought Matt and Zooey were actually quite good, and acted in that cheesy Fairy Tale format, and sung well (I LOVE Zooey's jazz voice, I have since Elf).
B+ Carol Brunette was funny. O'Hare and Ullman did very well in parts they're about 20 years too old for (although i think ullman did worlds better with the material than marissa winoker would have) Micheal Boatman was wasted. Compared to the music man this is outstanding, although the castle set (particularly scenes on the top of it looked like a middle school play). One last note, this is the first Wonderful World of Disney Musical that Victor Garber didn't play a mjor role in; (the mayor in the music man, warbucks in annie, the king in cinderella)
"Grease," the fourth revival of the season, is the worst show in the history of theater and represents an unparalleled assault on Western civilization and its values. - Michael Reidel
Link Larkin Wannabe pretty much summarized my thoughts. I would have liked to see a younger Winnifred/Dauntless, but I loved Zooey - her voice may not have fit the "conventional" Lady Larken, but I think it was a really cool twist on the role, and plus, she's gorgeous to boot.
Tracey and Dennis were both good, but I have to say, I don't see how Dauntless would have fallen in love with Ullman's Fred so quickly. Best Dennis line delivery? "..and the hawk bit daddy."
B. Kathleen Marhsall improved as the movie went on. Link Larkin, I agree about the claustrophobia in the movie, but for me it was more because of the extreme closeups then anything else. But that got better as the movie went on. I thoroughly enjoyed each cast member and adored Carol. This was the saving grace for WWD tv musicals since the dreck that was The Music Man. Off Topic: I'm surprised a lot of people didn't like Annie; I thought it was one of their best. I, personally, felt that Gypsy was their best with Annie a close second.
"Sing the words, Patti!!!!" Stephen Sondheim to Patti LuPone.
UGGG -- Zooey was flat SO MUCH of the time. I liked the quality of her voice, but didn't think it fit the part. Personlly, her vocal quality would have been a better fit for Winnefred than Lady Larken (IMO), but she doesn't seem to have the power that's needed (and that Tracey also didn't have).
I can't believe how incredibly cheap all the castle sets looked. It actually looked like the entire thing was made of cardboard. Just terrible. Also, Marshall can't direct a film for the life of her. AWFUL camerawork/choreography. But the performances were what saved it for me.