Is Piazza a "Fluff Musical" ??

[ljay889]

Posted: 6/26/05 at 10:25am

I saw people on another board consider Piazza to be a "fluff musical" - because it has a simple fairytale plot, but has serious music, and some deep moments.

Going by the score - I don't consider to be fluff. But what do you guys think> Is it a fluff show? They were saying - it's not a bad thing that it's a fluff musical - it just if.

So I wanted to ask this board.

Piazza : Fluff or Not?

[riv]

Posted: 6/26/05 at 10:35am

Well, the story is essentially that of a glorified soap opera. And talk about how it received the "Sondheim" slot at the Tony awards as the class musical nominee amused me. Sondheim's shows have so much depth under the surface they can be discussed for years. Underneath Piazza, I don't believe there's much "there" there--regardless of how enchanting some may find the score.
Updated On: 6/26/05 at 10:35 AM

[Phantom2]

Posted: 6/26/05 at 10:35am

Not. This production is beautiful in every sense of the word.

[riv]

Posted: 6/26/05 at 10:47am

I don't believe the people who may regard Piazza as "fluff" are saying it isn't beautiful in certain respects. One may consider The Sound Of Music as beautiful but still basically dismiss it as a piece of fluff.
Updated On: 6/26/05 at 10:47 AM

[Ann_Margrock]

Posted: 6/26/05 at 11:07am

Piazza has a beautiful score. It's based on a novel which in turn was filmed in the '60s. Yes, some of the storyline borders on being
soap-operaish but so do alot of other musicals. I think "fluff" in this case is in the eye of the beholder.

Sometimes a little fluff isn't a bad thing. Everything musn't always be so deep...

[Mr Roxy]

Posted: 6/26/05 at 11:12am

Fluff would bw Spamalot - It looks good but after you eat it you want more

Piazza is far from fluff but was not as crazy about it as we first thought we would be. By the way, for those of you in NYC, the movie of Piazza is on TCM Cable on 7/1 between 6 to 8 PM

[uncamark]

Posted: 6/26/05 at 11:19am

If it was Wildhorn, the guy who wrote "Scoundrels" whose last name I can't get right or even Ahrens and Flaherty writing it, "Piazza" would probably be called "fluff" by the critical elite. However, since it's written by a Baby Steve, it's then important and crucial to the survival of the art of musical theater. And there are no flashy effects, no pop songs that Lite FM would play and no synths in the pit. Of course Ben Brantley went crazy over it.

Now Lord knows that I love Sondheim as much as some people do and that I worry about jukebox shows (as entertaining as "Mamma Mia!" and even "All Shook Up" were to me). But if Frank Wildhorn had written "Piazza," does anyone really think that it would be at the Beaumont?

[Ann_Margrock]

Posted: 6/26/05 at 11:21am

If Wildhorn had written a score as beautiful as the one Guettel wrote I don't see why not.

[Mr Roxy]

Posted: 6/26/05 at 11:23am

He has but do not tell anyone. Some are The Scarlet Pimpernel, some numbers in J/H & a few in Civil War

[uncamark]

Posted: 6/26/05 at 11:28am

Yeah, but the major regional NFPs--like the Intiman in Seattle and the Goodman in Chicago in "Piazza"'s case--are more likely to give a Baby Steve a shot than someone like Wildhorn who has the "too commercial, wrote shows to get his then-wife in them, wrote Whitney Houston hit" stigma attached. And Brantley would';ve panned it no matter what (yeah, I know the Times doesn't kill shows anymore, but...).

I also realize that "Jekyll" started at a regional NFP, but Theatre Under the Stars in Houston's more of a high-class summer stock operation than a Goodman or an Intiman.

[Ann_Margrock]

Posted: 6/26/05 at 11:42am

Not that I want to threadjack but exactly what's the deal with some people's disdain for certain composers? Wildhorn, Lloyd Webber...hell, even Sondheim is reviled in some circles.
Updated On: 6/26/05 at 11:42 AM

[GovernorSlaton]

Posted: 6/26/05 at 11:47am

I would consider "fluff" musicals to be shows like Mamma Mia and Spamalot -- shows written solely to entertain. Piazza is more than that; it contains serious themes and situations, and has a lot to say about the different aspects of love, such as lost love, first love, etc. The characters are well thought out, believable, and often times, very moving. Margaret is probably one of the greatest characters in musical theatre, and her struggle to let go of her daughter resonates with many. The score, while beautiful, has many intricacies and subtleties that can only be found with repeated listens. I just think that the creative team and the cast have worked too hard at creating a meaningful piece of theatre to have their show be labeled "fluff".

[uncamark]

Posted: 6/26/05 at 11:49am

If everyone liked everything, it'd be a pretty dull world. :)

No one will ever hold a tag day for Sondheim, but he's never had the mass appeal megahits that Webber has had or is as filthy rich as Webber. Thus, Steve's spot on the NFP food chain is higher than Webber's--you're never going to see a Goodman or Mark Taper or Guthrie doing a revival of "JC Superstar" or "Evita" in our lifetimes. (The fact that Really Useful would probably not give them the rights is also true.) You are going to see revivals of "Sunday in the Park" or "Night Music" in venues of similar reknown.

Wildhorn simply went up through the wrong end of the theater biz and remains steadfastly, unapologetically popullist and mass appeal in outlook, even if his shows haven't been that big on Broadway. His shows may play at NFPs that specialize in musical theater, but not at the big regional houses.

[kjklo]

Posted: 6/26/05 at 11:52am

I love Piazza, but just to set the record straight, Ben Brantley gave it an extremely mixed review. He acknowledged its ambition and intentions, but also noted many aspects that he considered unsuccessful or flawed. He most definitely did not love it or give it a rave.

[zoran912]

Posted: 6/26/05 at 11:56am

It doesn't fall under my definition of "fluff." "Fluff" is All Shook Up. "Fluff" is Good Vibrations. "Fluff" is, for the most part, devoid of artistic merit, or an underlying message.

[Mister Matt]

Posted: 6/26/05 at 12:02pm

No.

[Mr Roxy]

Posted: 6/26/05 at 12:05pm

Fluff is ASU which is very entertaining

[Elizabeth_DeBris]

Posted: 6/26/05 at 12:38pm

Not. "Piazza" doesn't have the most intricate story, or complex characters ever written, but there is substance behind the gorgeous score. Its characters have motivations and challenges, that aren't always apparent. "Fluff" would be Spamalot or Dirty Rotten Scoundrels: amusing, yes, but you don't see too many debates about the underlying characters of King Arthur or Lawrence Jameson.

[grizzabella]

Posted: 6/26/05 at 1:13pm

Thanks, Mr. Roxy, for the heads-up about TCM tonight. I'm going to catch it. While I'm more familiar with "Piazza" because of its score (I haven't seen it yet), I wouldn't consider it fluff. Even if the story is a bit "soapy" it still tries to examine and explore the nature of various types of love. It looks at human relationships when love happens and relationships, by necessity, change because of it. All right, it's been done before, but so has virtually every other plot.
After it's over, there is still room for thought.

[Thenardier]

Posted: 6/26/05 at 1:18pm

Hairspray is fluff.

But so is ASU.


Wildhorn doesn't write "fluff."

Fluff, to me, is usually a show that is funny, leaves you feeling happy and giddy.

[Elizadoolittle6]

Posted: 6/26/05 at 1:53pm

Ave Q is the ULTIMATE FLUFF!!!!!!!!

Posted: 6/26/05 at 2:06pm

Is the sky green?

[redhotinnyc2]

Posted: 6/26/05 at 9:29pm

I find it offensive that someone would refer to the plot of Piazza as a "fairytale"...how ridiculous. It's a beautifully touching and honest story - best thing on Broadway today.

[CurtainUp]

Posted: 6/26/05 at 9:33pm

Althouggh not subtle, I think Avenue Q is a bit more than fluff.

[Plum]

Posted: 6/26/05 at 9:40pm

What's wrong with a fairy tale? Or fluff, for that matter? If they're well-executed, fluffy shows can be a great night at the theater.

And in fact, I can see where the "fluff" argument for Piazza comes from. It's a serious and well-crafted show, but it seems to be a lot of effort expended on not quite enough material.

ETA- In the end, I don't think the show is fluff, however. I can just see where the impression comes from.
Updated On: 6/26/05 at 09:40 PM