Jason Robert Brown says: Don't believe everything you read about Mambo Kings

JRB is too smart to get involved with this show....It has way too much negative buzz around it to succeed.

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What's with this seemingly nasty remark, MusicMan? Jason Robert Brown has nothing to apologize for in his brilliant work in Parade (Tony winning), Songs for a New World, The Last 5 Years, etc. If you're going to say something like that, at least please explain yourself.

Good shot, Music Man!

The shows and their scores are self-explanatory.

I'm gonna have to agree with MusicMan on this one. sorry guys...

I'm really sorry that people like Musicman and others like him feel the need to be catty and disrespectful on this site. It would have been sufficient to say that he felt Mr. Brown was overrated, or that he didn't like Mr. Brown's music, or that he didn't think that Mr. Brown was particularly talented. Many, if not most of us, would disagree, but Musicman and CatsNYRevival certainly have a right to their opinions. The way that Musicman expressed his, however, was snide and says more about him than it does about Mr. Brown.

I too am a huge JRB fan, but how quickly y'all forget Urban Cowboy.

intriguing that you guys keep calliung Mambo crap and beneath them. Perhaps Jason just couldn't do it because he has other things on his plate? Perhaps Ives et al couldn't do it because they, too, are too busy to spend time doctoring a book?
That said, why anyone would say Mambo Kings is beneath these people is beyond me. ISn't it also possible that the producers, thinking they might need help, turned to people who could make the show really great? A lot of people recognize the inherent difficulty in helping a show in trouble get better and maybe they just don't feel up to it. But to say these people are above it is just odd.

Interesting. I specifically went to see Urban Cowboy because of Mr. Brown's contributions to the score, and while I didn't enjoy the show, I did enjoy many of the original songs. (To be fair, I'm not a fan of the movie on which the show is based, so I went in with some pretty negative feelings already. I mean-- "That there's a weddin' ring. That means we're married! She's MINE!" And I'm supposed to feel sympathy for a guy who thinks like that?!? Right.)

But I digress.

Mr. Brown's songs are rarely the light, easy-listening numbers the general public enjoys, and that works against him in commercial venues. (Sondheim has the same problem, I would say.) However, because the songs are so original, engaging, and challenging, they have earned him a devoted following from those who want more from music. There are productions of L5Y, Parade, and SFANW all over the world, and it's a rare cabaret that doesn't feature at least one of his songs these days.

And in a way, I'm rather disappointed that he won't be contributing to Mambo Kings. His songs would have been a blast, as usual, and it would have been great to see what he could bring to the project.

Guess I'll just have to wait for Thirteen and Honeymoon in Vegas...

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MusicMan - Harsh.

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