Matilda on Letterman — Page 2

Spring Awakenings on Letterman, I rest my case.


Spring Wakening on Letterman

best12bars, I think it’s more the style of songs in “Matilda” that make it difficult to pick one for a short TV spot. Musicals usually showcase an upbeat song (or, if not, then an all-out ballad) and not many of the songs in “Matilda” fall directly into either of these categories. Their “ballads” are more reserved. “Loud” might be an option for an up-beat, funny number, but my guess is that they want to showcase the children for television appearances. From what I hear, “School Song” is tied in so much with the set pieces that it might be difficult to re-block the song for the shows (I haven’t seen it yet, so I don’t know if there would be a way to scale it down or not).

I think “When I Grow Up” might be the next best option – I know they have the swings, but, perhaps as they did on the Tony’s, they could use the scooters.

It seems like they know that “Revolting Children” is one of the biggest crowd pleasers and it transfers well on television, out of context, so they are sticking with it.

^^^^ TOTALY AGREE!!!!

I'm in the same camp feeling there was LOTS of Spring Awakening in what I saw in the staging of Matilda.

I also feel Matilda's score and SA's have a lot in common. For me they both set some gorgeous music to lyrics that are abstract, untraditionally rhymed, and speak in a youth-saturated, rock/punk voice which is a very different thing than conventional broadway musical lyric-writing.

To me the clincher is the kid who takes a hand mic out of his jacket (in the uniform, in the classroom full of kids). That was the "unique" concept in Spring Awakening.

I can justify the scene in the schoolroom and the uniforms and even (to some degree) the staging.

But when the kid pulls the mic out, it's a direct imitation. Then you get the choreography that is clearly more than just reminiscent.

There have been other musicals where I felt there was a number that was a "borderline ripoff" of a past success. Even the trio of girls in Sweet Charity dancing on the rooftop during There's Gotta Be Something Better Than This is clearly "too close" to West Side Story's "America." The latin-flavored musical vamp, the brightly colored costumes, and even some of Fosse's choreography seem to be lifted directly from WSS.

It happens. I guess imitation is the highest form of flattery. But it's still imitation.

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"Perhaps it will forever be known only as the show that gave Lea Michelle her start."

It was her 4th Broadway show, not her "start."

The riffing always gets me. I realize it may not be so extraordinary, but I love it. Love it.

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I wasn't a huge fan of this performance on Letterman. It may have been my phone's speakers acting weird but the sound of it felt off. The performance felt very cramped and a bit sad compared to others. The ones before felt much more fun and energetic, which I think I'm alone on that opinion.The stint on GMA was my favorite, but I won't say any of them were terrible, this one was just the worst.

The only thing I would say is they really need to start highlighting the singing in Naughty not the choreography because every time these girls start dancing they are borderline speaksing. It happens with all of them. I've only seen them on two occasions actually sing it full-on and that was at the Tonys with Oona and then the original West End four at the Oliviers. The Olivier Performance was pretty much perfect. Oona's voice cracked during hers, but besides that, it was good. I'm sure these girls can sing, but I really want to hear it live for once. They also need to put Milly or Sophia up front to sing Naughty because I've heard neither, that would make hearing the number again live in the same context worth it.

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I actually prefer Revolting Children to anything in Spring Awakening. Looks like a bit of a cute spoof in the beginning that transforms into its own number.

I guess Revolting Children is Matilda's Seasons of Love. It was rare we ever heard any other song performed from Rent on television in 1996. But I always assumed sticking with one song to promote a musical on various TV appearances was pretty much the norm.

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Wilmington, I stand corrected.

But no one knows that outside of a fan! I'm a fan and I didn't know that. SA put her on the map.

I would have to disagree with the person who says the one doesn't resemble the other in the least.

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Book of Mormon is satirical all the way through. It pays tribute to musicals and musical theatre in general all the way through.

Revolting Children isn't a parody or satirical (at least not in the 400 times I've seen this one number on every daytime and late-night TV show). It's a rebellious number where Matilda declares her independence from her own story. She's going to change it and do what she wants.

I like the number, but if their intent at the beginning of it was to "spoof" or pay a winking tribute to Spring Awakening, it's an ill-timed idea. This song isn't a joke. And the humor of it was lost on me. So yes, it comes across as a ripoff rather than a satirical tribute.

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