Marc Shaiman responds to Michael John La Chiusa — Page 12

I think Yazbeck is Humpers the Camel.

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I'm new to this thing, so let me know if I'm doing something wrong. I actually signed up just to post something about this...feud, for lack of a better word.

Am I missing something here? I didn't realize the article was a criticism of Marc Shaiman. Or anyone for that matter. An observation, yes. Criticism?: Well, one takes offense to those things one believes are insults. To put it plainly, LaChiusa never said "Hairspray is bad because..." or "Marc Shaiman is bad because..." or even "faux-musicals are bad because..." If Mr. Shaiman (or any reader, this article was not a direct attack on Mr. Shaiman or Hairspray, nor was it mostly focused on either of the two) takes offense, it is because he believes that LaChiusa's description of his work is negative. In fact, LaChiusa writes, of the "faux-musical" title, "if that label sounds disparaging, it's not meant to be."
I, personally, and this is my opinion, which you may disagree with if you like; it is something that I think, and the following thoughts were formulated in my head, and I do not presume to impose them on the heads of any reader:
I, personally, believe that LaChiusa is brilliant.
Is it wrong to believe someone is brilliant because he shares my same views?
It's wierd, I see LaChiusa as anything but pretentious, catty, envious. His music, his writing, is as real as anything. Marie Christine, The Wild Party, even the (admittedly) little I know of Hello, Again...they are anything but boring. They are eloquent, beautiful, emotional, honest, and more exciting every time I hear them. Just because they are not full of fluff does not mean they are not interesting and, yes, entertaining. Only, instead of being aware of watching a show, the audience is sucked into the story. We care about the characters. I don't give a **** what happens to Tracy Turnblad.
He just challenges everything with his music, doesn't he? Well, now he's done it with journalism.

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Well.
I think I can make the argument that the perception of those phrases as insults depend upon one's aesthetic. I read them as disparaging because, I hope, I have a similar aesthetic to Mr. LaChiusa in my theatrical taste.
I hate to nit-pick, but I do want to respond to the specific quotes you mentioned.
"No matter how mechanical or sloppy the execution may be to discerning ears" is actually preceded by a compliment. The musicals to which the phrase refers are, he is saying, not without the joy of the musical. They have not lost their exuberance or become jaded against the genre (which, for all his criticism, LaChiusa does not seem to support).
"All sense of invention and craft are abandoned" and "instead of crafted songwriting, there is tune-positioning": well, I won't pretend that's a good thing in my book. But, actually, I didn't see it as an insult in my read of the article. The aforementioned musicals are not bad because of their (as he asserts) lack of innovation. They simply aren't innovative. They are thoroughly enjoyable and pleasing to their audiences and executors alike. Not everything can be ground-breaking. If nothing ground-breaking is supported, however, there is a problem. Lack of improvement leads to stagnation leads to decay. The musicals LaChiusa mentions, I think he is saying, are not contributors to the decay, they merely do not help to cure it. I think the article is less a criticism of the musicals in question and more a criticism of the musical theatre audience.

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Blame it on the bossa nova.

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Can I be the invalid?

I play a mean gimp.

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So I don't get to limp?

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Oh no...never collapse!

I was thinking more a touch of the gout. Something subtle, but noticeable!

They don't give Tonys unless you have a game leg, ya know!

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Yes, but you have to admit, nobody ever had those ideas before. And nobody has been brave enough to write them down. I think "The theater is dead" is such a startlingly original concept that a LOT can be done with it. Sometimes, brilliantly original geniuses have to hurt a few feelings to break new ground.

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I don't know if it's just me...but I think Marc's so called "attack" on the audience at the end is DEAD ON!

Maybe it's just me....and I will no doubt bury myself with some of you with this comment, but as an actor and as an audience member....JUST FRIGGIN ENTERTAIN ME!

I mean , do it intelligently, and make me laugh yes......but it's not rocket science....while I am not a fan of The Producers...I do love that they along with Marc, Scott and Jack O'Brien seem to have kind of resurrected Broadway..or classic Broadway. Believe me I think there is always room to grow, and room for something new. But I also would like to have a career one day and want Broadway to continue to prosper, and Marc and Scott seemed to have found a way to give people what they want without a loss of intelligence or integrity. Jerry Mitchell also makes ANYONE feel like the art of dance is well within their reach but he is still giving us gorgeous and fun choreography that will continue to last for years and years! I applaud you Marc for taking a stand....basically where the HELL does anyone get off stealing your thunder???
I enjoyed MJLC's music in Wild Party.....I'll be damned if I ever am able to enjoy Marie Christine....I hope this new show he's doing with Marc Kudisch is good (because I love me some Kudisch)but I just think he's really missed the boat with his stance on what makes a great musical.
Bravo Marc!

I'm surprised La Chimichanga didn't test out his ground breaking ideas in a less widely circulated publication than the one he chose. The way he did it was like a big splashy opening on Broadway without benefit of an out of town try out, where he could have honed his originality to a laser-like intensity. Opera News is one of the biggest magazines in the country, I think I read somewhere that three out of four American households have a subscription and that there's a 120% pass along rate. That's really something for a nation that has the reputation of not liking to read.

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"Oh, I've been hearing about Broadway disappearing ever since I put on long pants. I mean, it's been the fabulous invalid. You know, but it survives, it survives."
--Illustrator Al Hirschfeld

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Updated On: 8/12/05 at 11:55 AM

hey, does anyone have a copy of the article from the new york times that was published in yesterday's paper about this? let me know, i'd love to have a copy! and on the same note, the day before yesterday, on wednesday, an article was published about Kevin Cahoon, does anyone have an extra copy? i'll pay! email me!