If you could change a scene from a show... — Page 2

I agree fully to the point about the endings of Annie Get Your Gun and My Fair Lady. I enjoyed Pygmalion as a play and thought the ending was fine. I felt the musical and Annie kinda coped out and made it all happy. Lets not forget though that these plays were written in times when women still were treated unfairly as compared today. So of course, they would foregeo their own happiness to please their man (hah). I felt Sweet Charity and Last 5 Years had better endings bc they did not try to make everything work out. The sad tone of the ending is much more effective then if a walking-into-the-sunset ending was written.

I saw a fascinating documentary on MY FAIR LADY last night. They discussed the ending at length. Camille Paglia also presented her feminist viewpoint on the whole thing. Really interesting. I recommend you try to catch it (cause I can't begin to make the points they were making half as well).

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Underscoring is fine... but I think silence would add to the claustrophobic feeling of that moment with Coalhouse. Since they're trapped in the library and his emotions are closing in on him. But some spare underscoring might work.

As far as Maria in WSS, the minimal underscoring they have works for this, and they don't need a claustrophobic feeling of dead silence then. In fact, this dramatic moment is bigger than the characters that are playing it, so the underscoring helps it out. But can you imagine Maria bursting into song at that point, belting out a power ballad or anthem about the injustices of the world?

(I know, now I'M hammering my point home too heavily.)

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Very very small change to MISS SAIGON (uh..spoiler alert, if you haven't seen it)...

At the end, right after Kim dies, atleast when I saw it, there was no music--she just died and the lights went out, though the entire audience could still see her get up and walk off stage...REALLY takes away from the effect.

I was seriously expecting and hoping for a huge "This Is the Hour" reprise starting RIGHT AFTER she pulls the trigger--with many many voices and would end up acapela, just like the first time you hear it. It would be so powerful and dramatic and give a better sense of FINALITY and COMPLETION to an epic tale (in true 'over-the-top British mega musical' fashion).

It would have made an almost perfect ending for me to a show that i really enjoyed! GGGRRRRR!!

Please tell me this bothered someone besides just me!

Heh, I don't think we're really even disagreeing THAT much, but just to reply...

In terms of Ragtime, yeah I like the idea of underscoring. I did just see the production at Paper Mill and have been listening to the cast recording ever since, so I could be biased in knowing the song so well and adoring it on the CD.

Now in terms of WSS...I think the difference is in the two characters personalities' and what they are discovering. Of course it would be inappropriate for Maria to sing a ballad like that, as this is the moment where she becomes strong enough to be the Juliet that lives. Her dead-on screaming w/o singing serves perfectly to oppose her at the very beginning of Act 2, singing the happy little lala of "I Feel Pretty." It is soo perfect...god...did I mention this is prob my fav and best show ever?

I wouldn't say that definitely applies to Coalhouse here. The whole show he's been struggling w/ how to approach the injustices he's faced. He started out very calm, and then turned extremely violent. I think the song serves to show he's returned more to his calm demeanor and has totally overcome the change in the personality, and this song reveals that in the character, again I find it appropriate.

But I do see your points. Maybe we shall agree to slightly disagree?

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At the end of Beauty and the Beast after the Transformation I'd have Chip run across the stage in leg braces that break off:


Chip: Mama I'm a real boy!
Mrs. Potts: Oh son you'll live to see another Christmas!

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