Marc Shaiman's on the board! — Page 7

Too many hot dates! HAHA

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Marc ... I had a few questions for you.

Now that you are THEATRE PROFESSIONAL ... how do you take criticism from your peers, NOT the critics who are in a genre of their own, but the actual people who you work with or see on the streets every day?

In the theatre community, how often is someone so honest that either it comes across as EXTREMELY constructive or EXTREMELY ball busting?

Also, now that the creative team has moved out of the theatre, how often do you and Scott go back to the theatre to see the show, tweak it a bit, give notes, etc. And, how much of a say do you have in casting changes? Are actors cast in the show and then maybe you aren't pleased with their performance or something?

And, if you have any stories ... DO DISH! We'll eat every bit of it up!

I hope your all caps on THEATRE PROFESSIONAL don't imply sarcasm! Are you BestOfBroadway in disguise?? ah well...here's my answers...

Well, there's no difference if one is in the theatre or a professional, I think. In life, one reacts to and takes criticism differently by the way it is presented and by your own opinion of the taste and perspective of the person giving it. When a person like Jack O'Brien offers a suggestion, he says it so eloquently, one must listen.

Uh oh, I feel another name-dropping story coming on that best sums up the best way to "critique"

ready?

Ok, so, I worked on this Rob Reiner film "THE STORY OF US". Rob had gotten Eric Clapton to write and perform a song that served as the score for most of the picure. For the end credits I was able to orchestrate the "big" version of the song. I did a thing with the strings at one point that I thought was FABULOUS, but Rob & Eric thought not. Eric came out to me on the podium and whispered "Marc, the strings at measure 32...I wonder if they're just too... attractive".

I stopped the orchestra and said "I was just told my string part was too busy in the classiest way". It was "attracting" attention away from the vocal (and by the way, I still loved that string part, but was HAPPY to oblige). I will always think of Eric Clapton as a gentleman for the way he handled that.


How often do you and Scott go back to the theatre to see the show, tweak it a bit, give notes, etc. And, how much of a say do you have in casting changes? Are actors cast in the show and then maybe you aren't pleased with their performance or something?

Scott and I go as much as we can, and offer our notes to the proper people and hopefully always our encouregement and thanks to these thoroughbreds who do this show 8 times a week.


And, if you have any stories ... DO DISH! We'll eat every bit of it up!

Hey you, I guess ya ain't read my other posts! A public forum is no place to spread dish. Believe me, I'M NO ANGEL, and I gossip on the phone to friends, but there has to be a distintion between close friends and strangers "cloaked" in anonymity. If I was perfect, I'd even stop dishing with friends, but hey, I may resemble Buddha, but I gotta have SOME FUN!

In closing, my thoughts on all this are no more valid than anyone else's. My good fortune in no way makes me a teacher, but I DO have a lot of experience under my belt (not to mention flab) and I am happy to share it.

Cheers!

Updated On: 1/30/04 at 07:16 PM

This is so cool.....I have been really sick and in bed, so unfortunately I missed the first 7 pages of this thread, hahaha! This is so awesome! Welcome Mr. Shaiman! I am going to see Hairspray on tour pretty soon, and am so excited! When you get a chance, I was just wondering if you could tell me a how "Catch Me If You Can" is coming along?!? I love the story, and thought that it was just screaming for musicalization....And who better to do it than you! Also if you don't mind, you mentioned that you wrote four musicals a while back that you couldn't find any backer's for..(I thought I remembered seeing that somewhere)..Anyhoo, what were they about? ENJOY BWAYWORLD.COM!!!

Thanks So Much!

Phantom05

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not being sarcastic MARC ... I'm a very "Caps Lock" Kinda Gem!

WHy can't I find a specific seating chart for th Neil Simon theater?

TE III Overture Rocks! And don't hate me because I'm cartoonishly beautiful....

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Robbiej, Just WHAT are you kissing?!

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My ex-boyfriend, Roger.

Some might say he was a shark...but I thought he was very kind.

A little plastic, maybe, but really a good heart.

OK...it's just bizarre...and it's a long bizarre story. The plastic shark was once a prop I was supposed to carry in a show...but it got cut, after I grew very attached to it...and named it Pam.

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I have dated Sharks (and Jets!)




...sorry could not reisit