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

[eslgr8]

Posted: 6/26/05 at 4:10pm

In an email to his fans, Jason Robert Brown wrote (obviously referring to the Reidel column, "Lastly, and most importantly, here's the thing: I really care about my
fans, and I want you to feel like we have a special relationship. So
if something really significant is happening in my career, like say if
I got asked to rewrite a big Broadway musical, I want you to hear it
from me, and that way you'll know it's for real. Because sometimes
newspapers get things wrong, and I don't need some snot-nosed ****at
the New York Post telling my wonderful fans some crap that he heard
from a drunken chorus boy at Angus McIndoe's, particularly when it's
not true."
So...despite what Rob posted, it seems that JRB's participation is not a done deal.

[BroadwayBaby6]

Posted: 6/26/05 at 7:00pm

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

[MusicMan]

Posted: 6/26/05 at 7:07pm

"It has way too much negative buzz around it to succeed."

Sounds like a Jason Robert Brown show to me.

[eslgr8]

Posted: 6/26/05 at 7:28pm

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.

[apdarcey]

Posted: 6/26/05 at 7:43pm

this is good news. jrb is too talented to waste his time on mambo kings.

[JohnPopa]

Posted: 6/26/05 at 9:14pm

Good shot, Music Man!

[LaVieBoheme2]

Posted: 6/26/05 at 9:28pm

I agree with apdarcy and broadwaybaby, JRB is too talented to bother with crap like that. Explanation MusicMan?

[MusicMan]

Posted: 6/26/05 at 9:58pm

The shows and their scores are self-explanatory.

[roquat]

Posted: 6/26/05 at 11:38pm

get bent, MusicMan

[CATSNYrevival]

Posted: 6/26/05 at 11:51pm

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

[CurtainPullDowner]

Posted: 6/27/05 at 12:52am

I agree JRB and mambo are a bad match
but was that a put down of hard Working Bway chorus boys?
They can all do better than Rediel
though he will smooze anyone up at Anquish for dirt

[eslgr8]

Posted: 6/27/05 at 2:26am

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.

[tagiunagi]

Posted: 6/27/05 at 4:03am

I also think that David Ives & Jerry Mitchell are too good to be working on the crap a la Mambo.

[kidmanboy]

Posted: 6/27/05 at 6:19am

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

[Ourtime992]

Posted: 6/27/05 at 11:14am

JRB has written some fantastic stuff, but do remember than none of it has been particularly "successful." Parade received pretty mixed reviews, and despite the Tony JRB received for it or Hal Prince's excellent direction, it didn't play long or turn a profit and the tour didn't do any better. The Last Five Years never made it to a Broadway house, and even the off-Broadway production closed prematurely, especially for a show that should have been very cheap to run. Songs For a New World would be almost completely unknown if it weren't for the cast album, and Urban Cowboy didn't seem to benefit from his contributions very much.

So I guess what I'm saying is, snarky as the remark was, negative buzz and a lack of success do seem to have marked most of JRB's outings. On the other hand, I believe him to be amazingly talented and likely to hit the jackpot soon.

[bwaysinger]

Posted: 6/27/05 at 11:21am

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.

[DAME]

Posted: 6/27/05 at 11:31am

eslgr8,
I am glad you had a wonderful time in NY. I love Mr Brown. I saw Parade 3 times and spent a lot of money at a actors fund silent auction getting the framed poster that was signed by the entire company. I have also loved his other work. But Parade holds a very special place in my heart.

[Tesse]

Posted: 6/27/05 at 12:39pm

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...

[roquat]

Posted: 7/3/05 at 3:51am

Jason himself disowned "Urban Cowboy." Almost every composer, or composing team, has gotten lured into doomed projects. That doesn't mean that truly talented people should be cheaply denigrated, as MusicMan and CATSINNYrevival chose to do. Once again, both you guys, get bent.

[dancingthrulife04]

Posted: 7/3/05 at 9:59am

MusicMan - Harsh.

[thisdude]

Posted: 7/14/05 at 5:02am

Those of you calling Mambo Kings a piece of crap: Did you see it? I did see it, and it was good. It got harsh reviews from critics. So what. Like Jason Robert Brown says, "Don't believe everything you read."