John Doyle Is At It Again - Page 2

[RippedMan]

Posted: 5/23/14 at 6:10pm

I started this thread as a discussion. Personally, I enjoy it. I thought Sweeney was great.

And judging by the posting, the instruments that are being sought are more along the strings/banjo/etc side. So it could make for some beautiful music.

[South Fl Marc]

Posted: 5/23/14 at 6:22pm

Maybe he should stick with the instrument theme. I saw his "Peter Grimes" at the Met which didn't have the singers playing instruments. It was one of the worst things I have ever seen, especially compared with the amazing production it replaced. On second thought, maybe he should just give up directing.

[best12bars]

Posted: 5/23/14 at 6:37pm

I think it would be funny if other past directors kept repeating their former glories on stage.

Michael Bennett directs "A Little Night Music," where the cast is on a bare stage, wearing leotards, and one by one, they come forward to this line on the floor and play their scenes.

Micheal Bennett directs "Hello, Dolly!" where the cast is on a bare stage, wearing leotards, and one by one, they come forward to this line on the floor and play their scenes.

Michael Bennet directs "Oklahoma!" where the cast is on a bare stage, wearing leotards, and one by one, they come forward to this line on the floor and play their scenes.

[Kad]

Posted: 5/23/14 at 7:02pm

Or if Fosse had his dancers wear black and move in stylistically slinky and sensual choreography in more than one show.

Or if Hal Prince used large, spectacular metaphors on more than one show.

[Mr Roxy]

Posted: 5/23/14 at 7:38pm

Imagine asking someone like Merman to play an instrument. That would have been a Kodak moment.

[GavestonPS]

Posted: 5/23/14 at 8:30pm

I think Eric makes a good point that the high concept of ALLEGRO already tends to overwhelm the thin story. It remains to be seen if the imbalance can be rectified by making the concept even more complicated, but it does seem counterintuitive.

[Jungle Red]

Posted: 5/23/14 at 9:12pm

I wanted to throw in my .02 on A Catered Affair. I saw it in San Diego and it was a beautiful production.

[goldenboy]

Posted: 5/24/14 at 4:00pm

I have to laugh. I saw the casting notice for this the other day and it said
actor should play one of the following intruments FOR EVERY ROLE! I said to myself
is it John Doyle directing? And sure enough it was. And I laughed.

Perhaps the man is not able to stage anything without actors hiding behind instruments. His work on Irma La Douce was substandard and there were no instruments to hide behind. Catered Affair (although I didn't see it) was reportedly a big turkey.
Too bad.. the cast could have played a Klezmer Band.



Every time Mr Doyle doesn't use actors playing with instruments...his shows are dull and flop. Catered Affair, Irma La Douce,

Doesn't Mr Doyle realize that this is becoming " a joke" "a cliche" " a one trick pony"

Please. Give me choreography and let the musicians play the music.

[EricMontreal22]

Posted: 5/24/14 at 4:26pm

I am not a big Doyle fan by any means, but to be fair, didn't his Passion revival get pretty good reviews, and word of mouth? *Everytime* may be overstating it.

[WhizzerMarvin]

Posted: 5/24/14 at 4:33pm

Personally I thought he did great work with A Catered Affair. It was an underrated show and has a lovely score (and cast recording).

[Brick]

Posted: 5/24/14 at 6:45pm

PASSION got a love letter from the Times and was a hit, even spawning a new recording.

Just because you don't like his work doesn't mean you can make things up.

[Broadwaywest]

Posted: 5/25/14 at 2:44pm

I am a huge fan of Mr. Doyle's staging. His Sweeney Todd was pretty revolutionary, how he managed to take a massive show and scale it down and giving us what I believe to be the scariest sweeney in recent memory. I enjoyed his version of company as well. I was even lucky to see his Color Purple in London. That production felt more authentic to the time period with just a wooden stage and some chairs then either the original broadway production, or the film. And Cytnthea's Ervico "I'm Here" was one of the most heartbreaking numbers I have witnessed in all my 23 years of theater going.

[trentsketch]

Posted: 5/25/14 at 3:09pm

I really liked his Sweeney because the conceit worked. It wasn't just about the instruments onstage. It was a production of Sweeney Todd being put on at a mental hospital centered around Toby. It made sense for the characters to play their own instruments and for there to be so few set pieces onstage. I loved the dead characters joining the ever-growing onstage band, as well.

I did not like his Company at all because it felt like there was no real reason for the actors to have their own instruments onstage. I'll reserve judgment (beyond the initial snark) on Applause until he explains why it's happening.

[wonkit]

Posted: 5/25/14 at 4:23pm

The producers may save money but they still have to pay the equivalent of double dues for the actors/musicians to both Equity and the orchestral equivalent.

[RippedMan]

Posted: 5/25/14 at 7:32pm

Watching clips of his Passion I was very underwhelmed. The "I Read" section was incredibly dull to me. She stood and then she sat. Maybe it's different without having been in the actual theater, but I felt it lost some, well, passion.

[EricMontreal22]

Posted: 5/25/14 at 7:42pm

I suspect it did play better live. It was such a small, sparse, intimate staging, that the filmed clips just kinda look like people walking around each other. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vmrKH_V6fkc

Updated On: 5/25/14 at 07:42 PM

[JoeKeegan]

Posted: 5/26/14 at 2:32am

Aren't we bored to death can't it just die the concept its now BORING Updated On: 5/26/14 at 02:32 AM

[Scarywarhol]

Posted: 5/26/14 at 11:17am

Anyone who thinks Doyle is a one-trick pony is being willfully ignorant at this point. You don't have to like the things he's done, but the instrument jokes are like hearing geezers making "Woah-ho-ho...you're on Twitter? What, are you posting about what you ate for lunch?" jokes. I can't roll my eyes far enough into the back of my skull.

[GavestonPS]

Posted: 5/26/14 at 10:23pm

The poster who wrote APPLAUSE meant ALLEGRO, I hope.

It's intrusive enough when Buzz plays the ukelele! I just don't see Margo Channing on the synthesizer!