I loathe the term and hatred toward "JUKE BOX Musicals"- Page 2

[robbiej]

Posted: 9/21/05 at 11:15am

The problem is that with all those shows you listed, the scores were written to tell that specific story. Any theatre 101 student knows that the more specific and detailed a piece is, the more universal, and, in the end, the more affecting it is. 'Can't Help Falling In Love' is a lovely ballad...but also quite generic, which is why is has such widespread appeal. But it could never have the impact of something like the bench scene from Carousel because of how the creators used dialogue, lyrics and music to create two very specific characters about whom we care a great deal and, therefor, are moved when they kiss as the score overwhelms the moment.

[smartpenguin78]

Posted: 9/21/05 at 11:17am

Well that won't happen, for reasons that are obvious but a more appropriate analogy does happen.

Musicals based on popular movies, that have an original score, are often seen in a similar negative light. There is a large possibility that if say the musical based on "The Wedding Singer" flops many will say "They need to stop making that tyoe of show."

The problem in both cases (and with Disney shows) is that many people feel they are purely comercial endeavors, trying to make money at the expense of the art.

My personal veiw is that any type of show can be great, or can be awful. I don't want to see a bad one, I love to see the good ones. It is hard to make the music in a "jukebox" or "catalogue" show fit the stage though, if it was not originally intended for that medium.

[cathywellerstein]

Posted: 9/21/05 at 11:19am

i agree smartpenguin.

i want to see good shows too, regardless of what their origin is.

[Phantom2]

Posted: 9/21/05 at 11:23am

Jukebox musicals are supposed to be fun and fun is all they're supposed to be. How profound, huh?
Plus, they allow you to hear lots of tunes from the greats of the past. Is anything wrong with that?

Updated On: 9/21/05 at 11:23 AM

[The Distinctive Baritone]

Posted: 9/21/05 at 11:24am

Can anyone here confirm my IN MY LIFE question? Original score or no?

[robbiej]

Posted: 9/21/05 at 11:27am

In My Life...original score...yes. One week and two days...the anticipation is killing me.

And Phanty, can't something be fun and artistically valid at the same time? Does it really have to be one or the other?

[smartpenguin78]

Posted: 9/21/05 at 11:27am

In My Life has an original score, which Mackie was trying to use it as a rhetorical example of why if it flops all original shows should stop being made.

Phantom2, that is not the case. LENNON in particular had much more of a effect it was trying to make and themes it wanted to contirbute than simple "fun."

[Phantom2]

Posted: 9/21/05 at 11:30am

Well, robbiej, I guess you got your answer.

[best12bars]

Posted: 9/21/05 at 11:33am

Just to clarify to all, "Crazy For You" is definitely a jukebox musical. There have been recent threads to discuss this as well.

The songs for "Crazy For You" were not written for this plot, and they weren't all written for the theatre, either. In fact half the songs were written for various movies the Gershwins worked on ("Damsel In Distress" and others), and there were a couple of stand alone songs as well. Its plot was loosely based on "Girl Crazy" an original '30s Gershwin musical, but it was changed and overhauled quite a bit.

[robbiej]

Posted: 9/21/05 at 11:33am

I did?

[smartpenguin78]

Posted: 9/21/05 at 11:37am

robbie J, I think Phantom was referring to my response posted at the same time as yours, about LENNON's attempt to be artistic.

[Sant]

Posted: 9/21/05 at 11:37am

"but weren't a bunch of Elvis' songs written for his movies as part of the plot?"

Yes, Elvis did have songs in his movies simply because he was expected to sing in them. But did the song really move the story onwards? No. It was just the 'obligatory Elvis song', that was their only function and purpose. The lyrics didn't tell anything about any of the characters or move the story onwards.

The same thing happened with Marilyn Monroe: she was EXPECTED to have a song in a movie, so it didn't matter what the song was about as long as she sung SOMETHING.

[orangeskittles]

Posted: 9/21/05 at 11:38am

"Someone tell me what the difference is between writing an original Book and using a preexistig catalogue of music for the score (All Shook Up, Good Vibrations, Mamma Mia)... and writing a new score and using a pre-existing book (Hairspray, Producers, Spamelot.. etc)."

Certain types of stories are consistent through all cultures and can have thousands of different tones, translations and interpretations. The stories are versatile; the story of Aida can be a classic opera, as well as a Disney musical. The shows you used as an example were not just cases of throwing songs at books, they were stories that had the versatility to work as either a movie or a musical.

Preexisting scores do not have that same versatility, because regardless of the story, it is the music that sets the tone. And I don't care who's singing it, Mamma Mia will always be an Abba song, All Shook Up will always be an Elvis song, and Good Vibrations will always be a Beach Boys song. These shows aren't about artistry, they're about making money from people who want to hear ABBA songs and could care less about the book.

Updated On: 9/21/05 at 11:38 AM

[Phantom2]

Posted: 9/21/05 at 11:45am

"These shows aren't about artistry, they're about making money from people who want to hear ABBA songs and could care less about the book."

While this is mostly true, I don't agree 100% with your statement. They tend to be "lighter" shows which allow you to have fun by dancing in the aisles or getting hit in the head by a beach ball. Tell me that's not fun?

Updated On: 9/21/05 at 11:45 AM

[Borstalboy]

Posted: 9/21/05 at 11:46am

I don't like jukebox musicals of any sort because they teach theater going audiences to expect the expected...it's the musical form moving backwards.

[cathywellerstein]

Posted: 9/21/05 at 11:47am

does every musical have to be completely original, totally serious, and ground breaking in it's themes?
what's wrong with a little light-hearted fun now and then? if you don't want that...there's plenty of other shows you can go see.

[Phantom2]

Posted: 9/21/05 at 11:48am

With all the crap going on in the world, who wouldn't want to be a Dancing Queen for a day?

Updated On: 9/21/05 at 11:48 AM

[orangeskittles]

Posted: 9/21/05 at 11:48am

Shows can be fun and artistic without shoe-horning Beach Boys songs into them.

[robbiej]

Posted: 9/21/05 at 11:49am

I refer you to my original question (which has not, in fact, been answered):

'...can't something be fun and artistically valid at the same time? Does it really have to be one or the other?'

[cathywellerstein]

Posted: 9/21/05 at 11:51am

in my opinion, lennon is a musical that is fun because of the great songs and performers, but also artistically significant because of it's messages.

[Phantom2]

Posted: 9/21/05 at 11:51am

If one person walks out of the theatre smiling and feeling better than before they came in, then the musical has done what it was supposed to do.

[Sant]

Posted: 9/21/05 at 11:52am

"if you don't want that...there's plenty of other shows you can go see"

Sorry to say this but:

Yes, but when we do go and see some other show, then we have these "please go and see this show!!", "please, please give this show a chance!!" posts here. You can't have both, sweetie.

[cathywellerstein]

Posted: 9/21/05 at 11:57am

can you re-word that last statement? i'm sorry, it may be my problem, but i can't understand it.

[Borstalboy]

Posted: 9/21/05 at 12:04pm

Of course, a show can be light hearted and fun, but if the ONLY selling point of a show is to listen to f**king ABBA or Elvis or Beach Boys songs, it teaches the audience to be complacent and not accepting of new stuff. Besides, the jukebox concept is becoming more and more about marketing and less and less about creativity, it's reeealy getting out of hand.

[Phantom2]

Posted: 9/21/05 at 12:08pm

It gives people the chance to hear songs of the past or the new kids an opportunity to get into these tunes for the first time. And don't tell me to go buy the CD, because it's not a Broadway experience.