#1
Posted: 6/6/06 at 12:30pm
So after seeing Lestat, I was feeling the same frustrations that a lot of people had felt.
When I heard that it was being made into a musical initially, I was really excited, then instantly apprehensive. If it were to go the same route as Dracula and Dance of the Vampires (both of which I'm sure the critics remember vividly), then I knew the show would be in trouble. Lestat needed to have a clear and distinct voice and vision in the world of vampire musicals if it were to be successful.
Well, it wasn't.
But, after seeing it, I think I see where the show could have been a little bit better.
People, myself included, had a hard time with the overt incestous undertones that existed between Gabrielle and Lestat. They also didn't think the plot between Nicolas and Lestat was strong enough. After seeing the show, I had an interesting idea.
Switch the storylines.
Make Nicolas the best friend who Lestat "makes" in order to be with him forever. Let Nicolas sing the song "Make Me As You Are" and then "Crimson Kiss". Having Nicolas then become corrupted by that power and leave Lestat. It satisfies the lackluster emotional romantic storyline that the current story provides, and also gives an explanation for why Lestat would shift his interest to Louis; ultimately this would give more depth to the Louis/Lestat relationship, and give a firmer understanding of Lestat's character (something I thought was very lacking). Allowing Nicolas to then return at the end of the show and will Lestat to walk again after his fall brings the story full-circle, something they tried to do with the character of Gabrielle that turned the audience (and critics) off.
Make Gabrielle the sick mother that Lestat "makes" to save her life. But after she is made, allow her to suffer the fate that Nicolas suffers in the current version. Too pure of heart to handle the "turn" of becoming a vampire, she would be left broken and near-crazy. This would eliminate the incestuous storyline as well.
The only re-writing that would have to be done would be small things here and there, and I think you'd have to add a song for Gabrielle in order to fill out her character a bit more. Working with an actress and singer like Carolee Carmello, you had better give her a song.
Now I'm not saying that these changes alone would save the show, especially when looking at the sub-standard Elton John pop-reliant score. I think, though, that changing the storyline in this way would give a bit more depth into characters who certainly lacked it, eliminate a lot of the discomfort that the critics and audience felt, and provide an easier flow through the course of a dense and sometimes over-inflated Anne Rice-driven storyline.
Anyone who has seen the show have an opinion here?
When I heard that it was being made into a musical initially, I was really excited, then instantly apprehensive. If it were to go the same route as Dracula and Dance of the Vampires (both of which I'm sure the critics remember vividly), then I knew the show would be in trouble. Lestat needed to have a clear and distinct voice and vision in the world of vampire musicals if it were to be successful.
Well, it wasn't.
But, after seeing it, I think I see where the show could have been a little bit better.
People, myself included, had a hard time with the overt incestous undertones that existed between Gabrielle and Lestat. They also didn't think the plot between Nicolas and Lestat was strong enough. After seeing the show, I had an interesting idea.
Switch the storylines.
Make Nicolas the best friend who Lestat "makes" in order to be with him forever. Let Nicolas sing the song "Make Me As You Are" and then "Crimson Kiss". Having Nicolas then become corrupted by that power and leave Lestat. It satisfies the lackluster emotional romantic storyline that the current story provides, and also gives an explanation for why Lestat would shift his interest to Louis; ultimately this would give more depth to the Louis/Lestat relationship, and give a firmer understanding of Lestat's character (something I thought was very lacking). Allowing Nicolas to then return at the end of the show and will Lestat to walk again after his fall brings the story full-circle, something they tried to do with the character of Gabrielle that turned the audience (and critics) off.
Make Gabrielle the sick mother that Lestat "makes" to save her life. But after she is made, allow her to suffer the fate that Nicolas suffers in the current version. Too pure of heart to handle the "turn" of becoming a vampire, she would be left broken and near-crazy. This would eliminate the incestuous storyline as well.
The only re-writing that would have to be done would be small things here and there, and I think you'd have to add a song for Gabrielle in order to fill out her character a bit more. Working with an actress and singer like Carolee Carmello, you had better give her a song.
Now I'm not saying that these changes alone would save the show, especially when looking at the sub-standard Elton John pop-reliant score. I think, though, that changing the storyline in this way would give a bit more depth into characters who certainly lacked it, eliminate a lot of the discomfort that the critics and audience felt, and provide an easier flow through the course of a dense and sometimes over-inflated Anne Rice-driven storyline.
Anyone who has seen the show have an opinion here?
