I'm disappointed with some of you (Little Mermaid)- Page 2

[DG]

Posted: 1/31/07 at 3:05am

"Her chief work with Disney up until now has been directing a completely uninspired staging of ALADDIN at the California Adventure Theme Park."

Oy - I barely made it through this, and it's only 40 minutes.

[Wanna Be A Foster]

Posted: 1/31/07 at 3:26am

I always hate it when people judge a musical so harshly before it even opens. Christina Applegate in Sweet Charity was practically chastized, and the show turned out to be somewhat of a hit with an award nom for her.

The revival was a flop. Applegate received a nomination by default. Someone needed to fill the 5th slot.

[tmm_fan]

Posted: 1/31/07 at 4:33am

Well, the show lasted a lot longer than I'm sure all the critics herehad thought it would.

[blaxx]

Posted: 1/31/07 at 4:51am

Mmmmm, that's still not a good thing. Sorry, love, but you got a bad example, that revival was horrific.

[alterego]

Posted: 1/31/07 at 5:49am

I second Michael Bennett!

[SeanMartin]

Posted: 1/31/07 at 5:58am

Not only is the director an odd choice, but George Tsypin as designer? The man does highly conceptual work, with little emotion attached to it. Dont misunderstand, I love his stuff... but as a designer for a fiary tale like MERMAID, he seems a very peculiar candidate. And from what I hear within the design community, his work threatens to dwarf the rest of the production, just from sheer scale.

But all of this "negativity" you see comes from that old saying "Once burned, twice shy". Yes, LION KING was pretty cool theatre, but it had Taymor behind it. Were Bourne still on the team, I'd probably say MERMAID has a real shot at genius. But I'm less certain now, and the show will really have to rock my socks to impress me. After the debacle of TARZAN and seeing how many more "properties" Disney is in the process of slamming on the stage just so it can make a few more bucks... well, what kind of reaction do you expect? Open arms? It just isnt going to happen, not with Disney's reps and the shoddy production values it's given its shows of late.

Call me unfair in judging a show before it opens, but remember: we're talking about DisneyCo here, a company that spend millions to optically reduce the size of Lindsey Lohan's breasts in the remake of LOVE BUG. Rather than focus on story, all they cared about was the size of her mammaries. I'd say its priorities have gotten a little... hmm... screwed up.

[Smartful Dodger]

Posted: 1/31/07 at 8:20am

What Michael Bennett said, totally. And, SeanMartin.

CapN, I generally agree with your comments on recommended tone (I've been an offender at times, so I appreciate the criticism) but this isn't just a discussion place for cheerleaders.

[Princeton78]

Posted: 1/31/07 at 9:33am

Nicely said Michael Bennett.

Up until I heard the roller-skating idea, I thought that Mermaid might be Disney's biggest success to date-mainly because so many people love the movie. Because of the underwater theme of the show, the director/designers are going to have to come up with a bloody brilliant concept to pull this off though, and I don't think that roller skating is it.

[Princeton78]

Posted: 1/31/07 at 9:39am

Sorry, I just don't see it.

[songanddanceman2]

Posted: 1/31/07 at 10:02am

Im not a huge fan of disney musicals (did love lion king though) but the negative energy towards LM is a bit odd.Im sure they have been many shows where people scratched there heads at the choice of director etc and went on to be a hit.

The same thing is happening with Legally Blonde the musical,give theese shows a chance.

[Neverandy]

Posted: 1/31/07 at 10:46am

We had a discussion like this about the negative posts about High Fidelity and it was dumb then. People also got criticized about Times They Are a'Changin. This place isn't all sunshine and roses, kids. Things get announced, and we talk about them, simple as that.
If we censor ourselves we run the risk of turning into mindless automatons in thoses idiotic "man on the Street" reviews on the "other" board.

[sondhead]

Posted: 1/31/07 at 10:55am

"Ourtime- This is how I know it is not true about roller skating."

I know people in the ensemble. The heely's are most definitely true.

[Neverandy]

Posted: 1/31/07 at 11:18am

double post

Updated On: 1/31/07 at 11:18 AM

[Ourtime992]

Posted: 1/31/07 at 12:32pm

I know people in the ensemble. The heely's are most definitely true.

THANK YOU. I thought sure that something to that effect had been said. neddyfrank's comments seemed to be something he was surmising by reading between the lines, while I was sure someone with a connection had confirmed this.

For what it's worth, I've been watching kids in heelies all week, and it really is a smooth way to move. My concern still stems from the way it limits all action to a single plane on the stage. Then again, I've not seen any stage designs that might create multiple levels or the illusion of such. I'm a bit guarded about it, but I'll wait to see it before damning it outright.

[MisterRussell]

Posted: 1/31/07 at 1:43pm

Despite the good Cap'n's best intentions, I find it a little bit presumptuous to lecture us on message-board etiquette. Show-bashing is what we do here. If a show merits a mea culpa from somebody who has maligned it, that person or persons usually comes clean.

Speaking for myself, I've seen the lyrics alone to the new songs in LM. They are abysmal. They could cast God, Jesus and the Virgin Mary in this production and it would still smell like crap. They might as well start calling it TARZAN II: ANOTHER SHODDY PIECE OR DRECK THAT WILL RUN FOR TWO SEASONS.
Updated On: 1/31/07 at 01:43 PM

[allofmylife]

Posted: 1/31/07 at 1:54pm

"Show bashing is what we do on this board"

Bashing a show you haven't seen yet is petty and cowardly. As well as uninformed.

Luckily, that's not all we do on this board.

[SporkGoddess]

Posted: 1/31/07 at 2:07pm

What's this about Sherie Renee Scott? I haven't been following the show's casting all that closely.

[CapnHook]

Posted: 1/31/07 at 2:26pm

Be skeptical all you want. Like I said, even the people behind LION KING at the time were skeptical. But there is a difference between being skeptical and hate. I use the word hate, others might use "bashing." The tone that comes off of those posts are creating a negative buzz for the show when there should be a NEUTRAL buzz.

To whomever remarked about having this same discussion for HIGH FIDELITY - it's NOT the same. HIGH FIDELITY was open. People SAW and REVIEWED the show. THE LITTLE MERMAID hasn't even begun it's out-of-town tryout yet.

"I find it a little bit presumptuous to lecture us on message-board etiquette. Show-bashing is what we do here."

Bash all you want. I didn't create this post for people to stop have opinions. I created this post because people had opinions on things they hadn't seen yet. NO ONE here has seen THE LITTLE MERMAID. They haven't built the sets! They haven't begun rehearsals! Why judge something you know nothing about?

Someone PM'd me and said "we are supposed to be a fanbase" thanking me for creating this thread. I think both sides just don't get it.

I'm not defending THE LITTLE MERMAID because I think it's a good idea for a show on stage and I love Disney and I love the music in the show, yatta yatta yatta. I'm defending A show - ANY show - that hasn't seen the light of day yet. Yes, we are a fanbase. A fanbase of THEATRE. That doesn't mean we have to be "fans" of ALL shows and forms of theatre. How the hell can you call yourself a "fan" of LEGALLY BLONDE or LITTLE MERMAID if you haven't seen it yet? You might like the IDEA of it, but you don't have a clue how it will be executed.

I am for anyone producing what they want on Broadway as long as the story comes before spectacle. If you tell the story well, I couldn't care less if it was on a bare stage or with special effects flashing every second.

Updated On: 1/31/07 at 02:26 PM

[SeanMartin]

Posted: 1/31/07 at 3:53pm

Way back in the Dark Ages, before most of you were born, I was living in a dingy little studio apartment on West 46th and 9th Avenue. I (and my s/o) saw a lot of theatre in those days, and we went into *everything* -- from Sondheim to LaMama -- with skepticsm. Our philosophy was that if it was really bad, we could reassure ourselves with the whole "I told you so" attitude. If it wasnt, we would be pleasantly surprised.

Maybe that's what will happen with MERMAID, Capn. Maybe the creative team's work will go beyond the score and the simple-minded plotline and find -- as Taymor did -- something of extraordinary beauty. Hiring people with long associations in opera seems, IMHO, a little much for Broadway, but hey, anything's possible.

Nevertheless, allow me my skepticsm. If I wish to pontificate that this is a trainwreck based on the reputation of the producing company's recent work and the singularly odd choices it has made for those to helm this work, so be it. If it comes up magnificent, I will certainly apologize for my unallayed fears with all due speed on these boards. At the same time, if, after seeing it, I find it's as much a debacle as Doyle's COMPANY, I will say that as well, and I will gleefully add "I told you so."

[blaxx]

Posted: 1/31/07 at 4:09pm

And there are other aspects to consider.
The Little Mermaid is one Disney's favorite classics of their so-called "new era" when they got that new boom that seems now to be over (just like Aladdin, Beauty and the Beast, and TLK).

As opposed to the Tarzan movie, for example, which looked like they put it together in two seconds, and that's why it was so strange when they decided to put the Tarzan part of the franchise on stage before other better known and better loved classics.

The Mermaid already has a lot on her side. There are very few people who would not have it on their list of Disney's favorites.
Everyone can identify the songs right away.
So, they pretty much have a hit on their side. It is in the concept where they would have to screw up majorly to end up being panned by critics. And that is because the company already has everyone used to the idea of a major re-thinking when translating animations to the stage.

But, at least financially, I'm sure that if Tarzan will soon become a hit, Little (Mermaid with roller skates or not) already pretty much has it too.

[theaterdude87]

Posted: 1/31/07 at 4:19pm

I have to agree with the origianl poster so much. It has started to really annoy me how people have treated not only Little Mermaid, but other shows that are starting to open. Out of all the Disney movies, LM is one of the marjor ones I would love to see as a musical...they have a very strong production team. I hope it turns out great. It just annoys me how people can be so outright rude, when the bway community does come on this board. How would you feel if you were working your ass off on a show for months and heard all these negative comments. There is a line btwn an opinion and a rude comment.

[dented146]

Posted: 1/31/07 at 4:41pm

Sean, way back in the dark ages, there were hundreds of young people out there getting their start in junior theatre, school theatre, regional theatre etc. In most cases it took years to learn their craft and surpass others who had the same dream, to make it to Broadway.

And whether one ends up doing the sound for Wicked or the lighting for Lestat, the time and emotional investment is enormous.

Anyone can speculate about or bash a show; and they have every right to do it. Some like MB have a vast knowledge of theatre and can make reasonable judgements based on history. Others don't. Period. I don't have that knowledge so,like Capn I try to remember that Broadway is the people. And the artists on Broadway leave themselves wide open to criticism and deserve a certain amount of fairness

[allofmylife]

Posted: 1/31/07 at 4:51pm

Captn, I agree with you totally. Review a show you have seen, don't bash a show that hasn't been seen by anyone yet. (That is your point, n'est ce pas?)

[Dibbledl01]

Posted: 1/31/07 at 5:00pm

I despise it when people bash and hate shows and performances, not only before they open, but in general. My philosophy, no one can give criticism except the director.

But, we do not live in a perfect world, and so we have to make peace with that. People will continue to hate, bash, support, love, etc. There are too many threads on here about "you are so cruel", "this is wrong", "why are you guys like this"? I respect that, but it's not going to stop.

Directors, actors, producers, they live with this everyday. They know what they are getting themselves into when bashing and terrible reviews are involved. That's the business, and that's the game. So, although I personally hate it when people do not have the patience to hold their comments before they view something, and I may not believe it is right, I can't stop it, and neither can the people involved with that particular production. It's just the way it is.

p.s. I'm sure being able to comment the way these boards allows you to keeps many people from visiting their therapists.

[Ourtime992]

Posted: 1/31/07 at 5:33pm

Commenters like MB and SeanMartin aren't dismissing this production outright or without arguments behind them. Neither has said anything to the effect of "this looks crappy" or "Sherie Rene Scott is all wrong for Ursula." Rather, both have brought up legitimate points based on the history and track records of those involved with this production. SeanMartin's concerns about Tyspin's design style and Zambello's directorial style are valid. Based on their previous work, he is able to make some inferences about what this production is likely to look and feel like -- just as those familiar with Julie Taymor were able to do the moment Disney hired her. These are genuine question marks that don't bode well for the show in his mind.

You can disagree, and that's fine, but to call that sort of argument and discussion "bashing" is ridiculous.