MTV and Broadway? What? — Page 4

Fenchurch hit the nail on the head. Who cares why people like theater or what shows they like? As long as people keep buying tickets, live theater will survive (and hopefully thrive). If you don't like the "High School Musical"'s of the genre, then don't see them. If you don't like the people who only like theater because it's trendy, then don't talk to them.

I can understand being annoyed when something or someone that you've been a fan of for a long time suddenly becomes popular. But that's not a reason to begrudge the thing or person their popularity.

I bet if we all posted the show that really got us into theater, the majority of us would name a "popular" show. Mine was RENT.

Yup, 'RENT' did it for me as well. Now I hang out here, worship Stephen Sondheim and Jason Robert Brown as gods, and can hardly move for cast recordings (which, you'll note, I call "cast recordings"). ^_^

Apart from internally feeling disgruntled that people are going to get into theatre, or claim that they're "into theatre" when they've only seen a couple of more populist shows, how does it affect anyone anything but positively? The more people into theatre - or claiming to be into theatre - the more theatre will sell, and the more theatre we'll have. Granted, there may be some issues with celeb casting, but I have a decent amount of faith in the casting directors that they won't cast anyone wildly inappropriate and terrible. Sometimes they miss their mark, but even Ashlee Simpson apparently was fine in 'Chicago' over here.

And who said High School Musical isn't a musical? Are you an idiot? Some people like to say Pokemon isn't an anime. Well, it's a cartoon, and it's made in Japan. Looks like anime to me! Just because it's kiddie ****e does *not* mean it's not what it is! HSM *is* a musical, and I really really wish people would just GET OVER the HSM hatred!

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Updated On: 1/2/07 at 03:59 PM

If you've seen even ONE of those shows, you've gone to the theater. That makes you a theater-goer.

I don't understand why you want to keep theater an exclusive hobby. Do you want it to die out? Or does it just make you feel superior? Explain it to me.

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"They say Broadway will be selling out because more and more because celebrities want to get in on the productions.

Broadway will be giving celebrities lead merely because they're "royalty" in Hollywood and they Trump the real talent out of staring roles."

Say they cast (this is only a random name) Paul Walker as male lead instead of Micheal Arden in a revival of The Last Five Years or some other musical.

In the beginning of this thread I was only fearing celebrities being cast where they wouldn't be able to give the character justice. Wheez is right, sometimes casting directors hit the nail right on the head. However, when they don't it just gets me to thinking, why was the huge pool of Broadway actors/actresses not good enough for this.

Some of you may say because of ticket sales, and I understand that. No 15 year old with a limited knowledge of theater is going to want to see a guy or girl they've never heard of in a movie singing about something.
But when they hear Beyonce, or the girl from the Disney channel, or the guy from that boy band they "loved" 3 years ago is going to be in a new movie they'll rush themselves to the box office on opening day.

I understand that.
However, I do not see it as fair to those who have busted their asses all their lives to have finally made it and then not be a part of it for the world outside of theater. Especially when they originated the role and not be offered a spot to be on film. Kind of a "Hey, I was a part of this and I'm proud of it."