MargoChanning's Best of 2004- Page 3

[StickToPriest]

Posted: 1/4/05 at 11:37pm

"But don't take my word for it, tho--the audience has spoken."


The audience ahs also spoken that Mamma Mia deserves to earn millions and millions.

I have learned long ago not to trust the "audience"


But, if you must use the audience as your barometer of a show's worth, you might find Caroline's box office in LA quite interesting.

Posted: 1/4/05 at 11:51pm

MusicMan - I believe Priest has adequately responded to the audience response question, so I'll just address your two other points.

Dramaturgy, as I understand it, simply boils down to the theatrical conveyance of thought, meaning or expression. I, personally, had no difficulty following or interpreting the author's intentions, so I can't quite see criticizing the dramaturgy myself. Yes, it used unconventional and heretofore unseen techniques (at least by me) but I hardly think creativity and invention qualifies something as 'inept'.

As to the score, what I heard was a thrilling distillation and examination of the musical idioms of the time period represented, which also happened to match the physical and emotional lives of the characters represented. I can understand, perhaps, not personally responding to the choice of musical vocabulary, but to call it amateurish seems more of a statement on your unawareness than the product that was produced.

[Plum]

Posted: 1/5/05 at 12:35am

Pfft. The audience is speaking in California, too. And hey, don't the people who liked the show count as audience members, too? Or are we just nonentities?

Anyway, thank you for your list, Margo. I especially like the fact that you bother to explain why you love these shows- unlike lazy bums like me. :)