Info on Flaherty/Ahrens' "Rocky" starts to seep out- Page 2

[Gaveston2]

Posted: 11/25/11 at 6:53am

b12b is right, I suppose. It does make sense to make a musical out of ROCKY.

After all, the basic story is not all that far from 42ND STREET, except that Peggy Sawyer becomes an over-the-hill boxer. Both Peggy and Rocky triumph in spite of the odds and at the expense of the established "star". (I know Rocky doesn't win the fight if they follow the first movie, but it's established that "winning" for him is going the distance.)

The difference is I cared about Peggy Sawyer in the original and never gave a damn about Rocky. I realize that's a matter of personal taste: as I said, b12b is right that ROCKY has a small story at its center. But what appears to be "heart" to some, just strikes me as shameful manipulation.

And if we're fair to Ahrens, I doubt there's any musical that doesn't have 3 and 4-line sections we could mock. Nonetheless, as someone who loves the team's work, this is not the new project for which I would hope.

[Donthatecongratulate]

Posted: 11/25/11 at 12:03pm

this would be so much better as a play

[EricMontreal22]

Posted: 11/25/11 at 9:05pm

I actually didn't think the choreographed boxing in that preview looked all that bad *ducks* although if it's done ons tage for more than five minutes, as I suspect it would be, it would get old fast. But it is hard to pull off things like him confiding to his turtles which is meant to be kinda funny but not "WTF?" funny.

And yes, while the idea of a musical Rocky at first does sound funny--that could be said of many musicals, hits and flops. I do firmly believe nearly anything *can* be made into a successful musical, and Rocky isn't that far out of the question (I admit I'm not a huge fan of the movie--and actually I think I remember the more over the top Rocky III which I saw in theatres as a small kid a lot more than the original).

And yes Ahrens has had several clunkers (in some shows more than others--I think she doesn't handle attempts of modern vernacular as well as period pieces--most glarringly when she has a few modern sounding lines sticking out, like she did in the score for Anastasia, which I assume was done because she wanted some cute/funny lines in a family cartoon). I get that those lines are her attempt to show how poorly Rocky expresses himself, but they still will be impossible for any negative reviews to resist pulling out and quoting.

"I don't think it's a bad idea to attempt a musical adaptation of Rocky. I think THIS approach that we see here is terrible. The minute they say they want to add in the cheesy, dated soundtrack songs from the "franchise," they lose me instantly. That shows the desperation in the name recognition. This is another "ice show" adaptation, as I said before. "Let's try to do Rocky on stage by throwing a few songs into it and making it as much like the movies as possible." Instant fail. "

Exactly. Don't get me wrong--Eye of the Tiger is a guilty pleasure (I bopped along to the Mini Pops singing it as a kid), but I think it's just too dificult to want to use those nostalgic, cheese power pop anthems and also have a more integrated musical theatre approach to the show at the same time. I've never known it to work.

[Owen22]

Posted: 11/25/11 at 10:25pm

Alex Timbers and Stephen Hoggett too??? Wow...How much are these Germans paying??? Though, I have heard, Germans LOVE American and Brit musicals, there are opera houses in every town, big or small, that are easy to fill.

I also agree Rocky isn't a terrible idea for a musical, but the shoehorning in of the movie songs cheapens it, but people want the familiar (to this day, I'm unsure how Alan Menken was able to convince the producers of Sister Act he didn't need My God, Hail Holy Queen and I Will Follow Him in his score).

As for the original Ahrens/Flaherty numbers...he's always been more talented than she...and that is once again reflected.

[EricMontreal22]

Posted: 11/25/11 at 10:49pm

Remember Germany is where (a bit like Japan's Cats theatre where the whole theatre turns), they made a built *just for the show* theatre for Starlight Express with by far the most detailed set and staging, and it seems to have run eternally and is still a massive hit (my friend from there says that on reality tv shows kids and adults alike often most wish to win a chance to perform with the cast, etc), so, no comment...

[Gaveston2]

Posted: 11/26/11 at 11:22pm

Ever since somebody wrote a brilliant musical about a barber and a shopkeeper who turn people into meat pies, I have refrained from saying any piece CAN'T be turned into a musical.

Suffice it to say, a musical ROCKY holds no interest for me personally.

[TheLadyoftheWood]

Posted: 11/27/11 at 11:14pm

I believe Flaherty and Ahrens are seriously underrated. I fell in love with them after Ragtime. My love grew deeper with Something Funny's Going On and then I was head over heels ready for marriage after Dessa Rose...four words (Lachanze and Rachel York)!!!

[SueleenGay]

Posted: 11/27/11 at 11:36pm

Somewhere Joe Brooks is kicking himself and saying, "Why the F didn't I think of this?"

[gypsy4]

Posted: 11/28/11 at 1:02am

I wonder if Alan Menken was ever offered this Project?