HUNCHBACK La Jolla Previews- Page 5

[sctrojan65]

Posted: 11/7/14 at 3:29am

Saw it tonight. I was quite impressed, and moved. Arden is great; he makes you want to go up and give Quasi a hug.
And Page is fantastic. What a voice.
As some have said, it can maybe use a few tweaks here and there, but overall, a great show.
No spoilers here, but I would just recommend going in with an open mind and don't expect "Aladdin." As has been mentioned, this one has a dark edge to it.
It's definitely different from the things Disney theatrical has been tied to in the past and and present, but I hope it gets accepted for its many merits
The music and performances are just great, and the sets, the chorus, it all comes together nicely.



Updated On: 11/7/14 at 03:29 AM

[Nateben2]

Posted: 11/7/14 at 4:36am

The floor is the floor of the church . . .




Floor picture Updated On: 11/7/14 at 04:36 AM

[ShakinBaconGirl]

Posted: 11/7/14 at 6:46am

Yes I realize the show is suppose to take place in a church. I just don't think it's very attractive.

[Eurotrash]

Posted: 11/7/14 at 11:12am

Gosh, this looks like everything I would've hoped it would be. Pray for good momentum on this, or we'll never get it in London...

[ShakinBaconGirl]

Posted: 11/7/14 at 11:13am

What did the UK think of the film when it was released?

[Justin D]

Posted: 11/7/14 at 11:23am

Im totally thrilled this is even happening, listened to those clips last night, one small question for someone that has seen it.

particularly in the bit of the finale, do they really need so much narrative? is it hard visually to tell what is happening that they feel the need for this?
An example would be the whole molten lead thing, everyone knows that happens in the story, is it really necessary for the singers to explain that Quasi is on the roof, he does not know what to do, then he sees the pot of lead and gets an idea?
I just find this narrative/explaining everything comes across as spoon feeding (unless it is not visually apparent what is happening in the scene due to minimal scenery, etc.

[Wildcard]

Posted: 11/7/14 at 12:40pm

The La Jolla is not a very big theater. This is big for them. I would have liked a bigger rose window but they can only fit so much.

As far as the checkerboard stage, it works in the actual church because it is surrounded by stone. When surrounded by wood, it seems out of place. The statues on the sides of the stage offset the white a little bit but maybe actually placing some stone-textured columns on stage or on the proscenium will help make it feel less out of place.

[QuasiFrollo]

Posted: 11/7/14 at 7:22pm

Indeed it has to do with ambiguity because of minimmal set stuff.

[disneybroadwayfan22]

Posted: 11/7/14 at 11:46pm

The King Academy, who did the US version first, has been asked to remove certain parts, which are also in the musical, of their productions:

"The King's Academy has been ASKED BY DISNEY representatives TO TEMPORARILY HIDE CERTAIN HUNCHBACK SCENES while Disney's new professional show is in previews. TKA values its relationship with Disney Executive Studios and has thus hidden certain videos in this playlist. The school hopes to receive permission to reveal the entire TKA amateur musical again in early 2015. Thank-you for your patience and check back for updates."

[sctrojan65]

Posted: 11/8/14 at 1:43pm

Actually, Justin, without giving too much away, the narrative starts from practically the beginning. They're telling the story from start to finish rather than totally letting the dialogue and music carry the whole show. In some places the narrative seems a little forced, I agree. Still I found something mesmerizing about it.

If and when it hits Broadway I will be interested to see how it does.

It's dark, so whether or not it appeals to the parents who are flocking with their kids to the likes of Aladdin, Mary Poppins, et. al will be interesting to see.

Will teens, twenty somethings and adult audiences be drawn enough to keep it going?

I think it's very good and with some tweaks should do well simply on its merits as a rich stage production.

I would simply go in with the expectations of seeing a provocative, richly-done, good show.

I was excited to see them doing this because it takes Disney theatrical to a slightly different place. Don't go in thinking you're going to see something similar to what Disney has done before.

In fact, as of now, their name is not even on the cover of the program.

Updated On: 11/8/14 at 01:43 PM

[sctrojan65]

Posted: 11/8/14 at 2:00pm

Interesting take, Mike. I have not read the book, but by the way you describe it, that is how Frollo is depicted in this production. In the animated version he's pure evil from start to finish.
He's much more nuanced in this play, so apparently much more in line with the original text.

And for the record, regarding Quasi's transformation, I really liked how they did it. At both the beginning and end of the show.

Updated On: 11/8/14 at 02:00 PM

[KnewItWhenIWasInFron]

Posted: 11/8/14 at 2:07pm

The Cathedral of Notre Dame is "a church?"

[darquegk]

Posted: 11/8/14 at 2:16pm

I had always wondered about the Kings Academy video. I'd heard it called a pilot production for this version of the show, but also heard it called a knockoff production without authorization.

The minute I saw the photos of the La Jolla set, I thought "this looks exactly like that knockoff production." Now I know why.

[ShakinBaconGirl]

Posted: 11/8/14 at 2:22pm

I have a feeling the obsessive narration will be taken out if this gets to Broadway. Hopefully the set changes also.

[RW3]

Posted: 11/9/14 at 8:17pm

Top of the World sounds gorgeous. Ciara is really shining singing this score.

[disneybroadwayfan22]

Posted: 11/9/14 at 10:13pm

The last part of the finale just got posted. It sounded much better in Berlin. It sounds disappointing when the pitch is lower. And they really turned down the orchestrations here too

[Sapsorrow]

Posted: 11/9/14 at 10:48pm

Bear in mind that any audio recordings that have been released were most likely made with a phone, and therefore perhaps not the best way of judging how the music sounds when in the actual theatre. Having seen the show myself, and also listened to what's been released thus far, I can tell you conclusively that the bootlegs do not do the music justice. The orchestra and choir both sound far richer and fuller live; definitely on par with Berlin.

[Jeffrey Karasarides]

Posted: 11/9/14 at 11:07pm

Where are these audio recordings?

[RW3]

Posted: 11/9/14 at 11:18pm

Question: When the show goes to Papermill, does the choir go with them?

[AEA AGMA SM]

Posted: 11/9/14 at 11:31pm

My impression, from what I've gathered from people working on the production, is that the choir will be new in New Jersey.

[Amustar]

Posted: 11/9/14 at 11:40pm

Really? I thought they were doing auditions in July for the Papermill production choir.

I really want this show to succeed because of the amazing cast it has. But so far it does not sound as good or better than the Berlin production. I preferred the song choices and orchestration in that. The song 'Someday' now bores me when it used to hook me.

I really hope the critics see something in it to bring it to Broadway but give them [SS & Menken] a heads up on what works and what doesn't.

[sctrojan65]

Posted: 11/10/14 at 12:05am

Sounds like it's already getting panned on here before it even really gets started.

I saw it and it was pretty good in my opinion. And in those areas where it needs to be tweaked, I'm sure it will be.

My question though is if this Berlin production was so amazingly grand, why wasn't the same model used here? If it was a production based on the Disney animated feature, as well, it seems like it should have been largely replicated here for its US debut.

[Wildcard]

Posted: 11/10/14 at 2:17am

The Berlin production is expensive to put on. Disney makes more money licensing the shows than actually producing them. They wanted a production that can easily be recreated at the smallest levels.

[Sapsorrow]

Posted: 11/10/14 at 2:39am

For one thing, the Berlin version was massively expensive to produce. It was something of a passion project of Michael Eisner's back in the late 90s, and so there was a ton of money thrown at it. It did very well in Germany, but it was decided by the powers that be that American audiences (at that point in time) would not take to it, so in Germany it stayed. The current production is definitely an attempt at making the show a little easier on Disney's wallet, and therefore more likely to turn a profit (a major feat for any musical these days). That's not to say that this production feels in any way cheap, mind you; on the contrary, I felt all the design elements were gorgeous and lush. The Broadway "Hunchback" is (probably) attempting to get to today is just very different from the Broadway of fifteen years ago, and Disney is approaching things in a way that'll make it more feasible for the show to actually sustain a run.

I personally like the intimacy created by this take on the piece. It allows the emotional core of the material to really become the focus, rather than overwhelming with spectacle (and I am a gal who LOVES her some spectacle, as do most of us who were raised in the era of the 80s mega-musical). The Berlin production was indeed amazing, and I will continue to be obsessed with it forever, but that's never what we were going to be getting over here. This is an entirely different take on the show, completely valid and beautiful in its own right. There are some serious tweaks needed in the book and score, absolutely, but I think the overall production design and direction are spot on.

[CurtainPullDowner]

Posted: 11/10/14 at 4:40am

All this comparing to the Berlin production is kinda silly. Only a very few people who see LaJolla, Papermill or hopefully, Broadway will have seen, heard or even heard of that production. Also, think of the reception most of these European, large musicals get in the US, a lot of them fail and are ridiculed. Audiences are very different here and DISNEY must feel this version will appeal to our "local" senses. I think the show is getting mostly positive feedback here and other sources I hear, except for those who feel compelled to compare it to the German, which will become moot to 99% of American Theatregoers.