I have officially given up on Broadway — Page 4

What in the hell did you want him to say--"MY SHOW STINKS! THE PUBLIC ARE MANIPULATED SHEEP! LONG LIVE GUETTEL AND DELLA CHIUSA!" Do you even know where the money is today for an actor?

And "Jersey Boys" was a much higher level of "jukebox musical," because it had an actual story to tell and told it effectively. "Mamma Mia!" didn't have that. And it was a story where breaking into song would've been ridiculously out of place, so they handled the music in natural, legitimate ways.

And, as I have to say on these boards a million times, Broadway theater is mass entertainment. Always has, always will be. Why is it a crime to put on Broadway music that the mass public is familiar with and will respond to, like they responded to the music during the "Golden Age," when Broadway did provide America's hit songs? Once again--you want art, you go to the Public. You want entertainment, you go to Broadway.

To justify: I meant that I don't necessarily think LaChanze deserved the award for this performance. I think the role won her the award. The fact that someone played the iconic role of Celie live, I think gave her an edge.

This is not to say that LaChanze isn't talented, or that she didn't do a great job in the role, because she did.

But the role was not too terribly well written, and LaChanze did her best, but still didn't make the role work, which is not her fault.

Perhaps I'm just bitter and biased because the source material is so powerful and the show did not nearly live up to Alice Walker book or Spielberg's adaptation.

I was happy for LaChanze's first Tony win, but I don't she deserved to win over Patti for this particular performance. Just my opinion.

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LaChanze didn't DESERVE to win, but Patti did? Who decides this? What makes one deserve it more than the other?

I think that there isn't one person who "deserves" the award over the other. Both women are amazingly talented, and they're both leads in Broadway shows. That alone makes them pretty deserving.

(And for the record, I'm happy that LaChanze won.)

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If I didn't think I could fix it some day, I would be right with you buddy.
There are so many young people (including myself) who aren't Wicked freaks and want to see a good musical performed...a good NEW musical. One day it'll change.

I thought I'd chime in on this thread.

I totally respect your right to your opinion. Just a couple of thoughts for you:

Oprah's money has given work and jobs to MANY people in the Broadway community - both in front and behind the scenes. So has Disney's money. Without that money, shows tend to die quickly because Mr. and Mrs. Joe America don't know what they are or why they should spend $110 a ticket on it (except for those rare cases where there is SO much buzz about it that they HAVE heard about it). Even Rent had a BOATLOAD of corporate money pumped into it once it became a cult hit downtown. In a perfect world, creative endeavors, no matter how much or how little money has been invested, would find success if they're worthy of it. But without the money, how DO you fill a theater night after night after night at $110 a seat? And yet without that kind of ticket price, we'd never see the lavish productions that people want to see when they come to New York. They get to see all kinds of "painted flats" productions in their home towns. Broadway SHOULD have that wow factor when the curtain opens. Not everyone sitting in those seats are "theater" people like we are. They are husbands or wives or kids or boyfriends or girlfriends, etc. that have been dragged to theater, not understanding why someone has to start singing in the middle of a discussion. Yet, without their money for the ticket, that's one less seat that is filled and one day closer a production might be to closing.

Like or hate Oprah and her millions of investment money, she did allow for a new production to be mounted and to bring a lot of joy to the many many people who loved the show and were moved by it. In terms of LaChanze - all I have to say is if you haven't seen it yet, don't discount the tremendous achievement of taking a character from childhood up through about 50+ years of a life. This isn't a slice of a person's life - it's the whole shebang. Oprah's money or not, it takes an accomplished and seasoned and talented performer to pull that kind of thing off, and pull it off well. I could go on and on about the subtle nuances of her performances and why she deserved to be a front-runner and winner, but you really need to see it for yourself to fully get it. And I think if you go in the door already hating Oprah and her money, then you'll have already closed yourself off to what might have been a very moving experience for you. Even if you're not a fan of the music, you can't blame a performer for your feelings about the music. Every one of us in this industry goes out and auditions and works hard to get where they are and hopes to put their best into each character they are lucky enough to get. It's not like LaChanze was genetically created by Oprah to go and win a Tony. She's a very real human being who happened to have the luck to be in the right place at the right time and get a role of a lifetime.

In terms of the Jersey Boys critique, I just wanted to point out that at the core of it, it is a biography of the lives of 4 men who achieved a level of success and fame. The fact that they achieved it in the music industry and that it's a musical re-telling of their story, only stands to reason that they would USE the music that made them famous. I'm not sure what impact it would have to tell the life story of someone who was in the music industry and not actually include the music that defined their lives and success.

I too thought it was just a glorified concert/review and almost didn't go see it because of that perception. I'm glad I didn't cut myself off that way, because I was really happily surprised that I walked out of the theater knowing about these men and what was really behind the music. I'm not a Four Seasons fan, but I recognize the music of course. But I found it interesting to know their history and watch their journey. If you ask me, ANYONE who made it in the music industry before the "dress-em-up-make-em-dance" Brittney Spears days has got to have an interesting story to tell. I'm good friends with a number of hugely successful legendary rock bands and pop stars, and let me tell you that none of their successes have been flukes. Blood, sweat and tears in every way shape and form. Any one of their stories would make an interesting subject for a Broadway show or a biographical film.

So I would suggest not looking at Jersey Boys as a concert. Yes, they DO incorporate many of the Four Seasons and Frankie Valli performances into the show, but how can they skip that stuff when telling a biographical story. And if we're going to shoot down biographies on stage, that would mean we also have to shoot down Evita, Gypsy, A Chorus Line (because all of those stories are based on the dancers that Bennett brought in for the original concept show) and Funny Girl - after all, isn't Funny Girl pretty much a concert/review of Fanny Brice? "My Man" was her signature hit back in the day. Maybe that one didn't deserve to be made either.

Anyway, like the show or not, don't discount the fact that many audiences will find the life story of a legendary group like the Four Seasons to be very interesting, and would find it off-putting if their music had been left out.

And don't give up on Broadway - instead go out and WRITE the next Broadway hit that YOU would truly want to see.

I thought you elitists gave up on Tesori when she "sold out" and wrote "Millie."

Brava September Kel!!!

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Don't give up Broadway!
Remember the days when there were good musicals.
Yup. The Wedding Singer made me sick, too.

Yeah, Oprah bought LaChanze the award... so, what happened... she had no money left to buy "TCP" the Best Musical award?

Come on !!!

I don't know where this "Team LaChanze" crap came from. I've said nothing bad about Patti--I love Patti and have for years. I just happened to think that LaChanze deserved the award this year--FOR HER PERFORMANCE, not for the roll FOR HER PERFORMANCE IN THE ROLL. And while we're at it, the "Patti Pals" or whatever we're going to call them have not been kind to LaChanze. The Tony voters got it right on this, just like they got it right when Patti won hers.

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I mean: "I'm like dat bunny on TV wit da batteries; I jus' keep goin' an' goin' an' goin'" is NOT award-calibre writing.

What? Did you want him to talk with a British accent while wearing a monicle?

He's from Belleville, NJ! That's how a large majority of people from there talked back then and still today.

It may not be award-winning writing...but it's TRUTHFUL writing.

JERSEY BOYS isn't scared to be what it is. It isn't snooty. It doesn't think it's better than anyone else. It's a true story about regular guys who go through an amazing life journey to become mega stars. It's what's in the heart of every person who has life goal's and ambition. People can relate to it.

THAT'S what makes it the BEST MUSICAL.

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Well....not particularly. Jersey didn't win book which suggests that it wasn't the writing that won the award for that show.

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