Michael John LaChiusa

[Corine2]

Posted: 11/29/05 at 10:50am

I have a beef with Michael John LaChiusa. He slammed Hairspray one of my favorite shows. Did anyone see his show at the PUBLIC?
It is a snoozefest, even with the wonderful Testa and Kudisch.
SNOOZEFEST!
I love the Public theater but that man has a lot of nerve.

(I also hated "The Wild Party")
They should rename it Snore when I want to snore.
Note to Gerard: A Snore When I Want To Snore number would be very nice.

Spelling Bee: Mr. Barfee please spell BORING.
Barfee: Can you use it in a sentence please.
I went to "See What I Want To See and it was boring"


Updated On: 11/29/05 at 10:50 AM

[BSoBW2]

Posted: 11/29/05 at 10:54am

I loved See What I Wanna See...and I LOVE The Wild Party.

Next time you want to 'try' to slam someone - better to use the name of the actual show.

SWIWS has more intelligent entertainment in one rock of the set than Hairspray has in its entirety.
Updated On: 11/29/05 at 10:54 AM

[Corine2]

Posted: 11/29/05 at 10:58am

You have a right to your opinion but when I saw it, half the audience slept. I loved Testa and Kudisch but even they could not save it for me.

[melissa errico fan]

Posted: 11/29/05 at 11:02am

Can I ask...did Mr. LaChiusa's discouraging remarks towards your favorite show play a part in your forming an opinion about his current work?

[orangeskittles]

Posted: 11/29/05 at 11:03am

By slamming his show like he did your beloved Hairspray, that makes you no better than you claim him to be.

Updated On: 11/29/05 at 11:03 AM

[Corine2]

Posted: 11/29/05 at 11:05am

Nope. But, if he didn't slam Hairspray, I would not have written this thread.
And believe me, I adore Marc Kudisch, I even sat through Chitty to see him (I liked Chitty, not great love, but I loved his performance with Jan Maxwell)
I also adore Raul, but Raul was miscast in the show.

Updated On: 11/29/05 at 11:05 AM

[BSoBW2]

Posted: 11/29/05 at 11:06am

When I saw it, most of the audience was enthusiastic about it. During intermission I heard quite a few people say how surprised they were by it that it WAS entertaining.

By the end of Act 2 most of the audience was in tears from the emotional intensity.

Some audiences get it, some don't.

But I don't think he slammed Hairspray as much as what Hairspray stands for.

Fluff belongs on ice cream, not on Broadway.

(Though I will be seeing Hairspray soon for a third time - as mindless entertainment. (Hypocritical - not quite.) Sometimes I like to think, sometimes I like to play braindead.)

P.S. I agree - orange.

P.P.S. Maybe I have a problem with Marc calling Marie Christine boring...

Updated On: 11/29/05 at 11:06 AM

[BobbyBubby]

Posted: 11/29/05 at 11:06am

I think he was more commenting on the trend Hairspray represents rather than the quality of the show itself. His article was about the serious musical vs the tongue-in-cheek musicals that have attacked Broadway over the last few years. I think he was simply commenting on how these musicals make it difficult for those writers who want to tackle serious subjects. I think he has a valid point.

I like Hairspray and Avenue Q, but musicals like Caroline or Change, The Light in the Piazza, The WIld Party, Parade, Passion, and the like, have all had a more lasting affect on me as a person. I love a good night of fluff, but I can't deny the power that more serious musicals have over me. They make my mind think, they can change your life, and they can, when done correctly, change and transport an entire audience.

Updated On: 11/29/05 at 11:06 AM

[smartpenguin78]

Posted: 11/29/05 at 11:08am

Right, SWIWS is boring and HAIRSPRAY is fluff.

It is great for those of us who are boring and fluffy.

Marc Shaiman and Michael John LaChiusa are both great for musical theatre.

[orangeskittles]

Posted: 11/29/05 at 11:08am

When I saw it, the audience gave it a standing ovation. So maybe Corine's audience was the rare exception.

[Corine2]

Posted: 11/29/05 at 11:10am

Hairspray is not mindless. It has a great message.
It is also Campy, fun and a crowd pleaser.
Go see Hairspray!
PS: I loved Caroline or Change. Liked Piazza. Loved Violet.
Updated On: 11/29/05 at 11:10 AM

[smartpenguin78]

Posted: 11/29/05 at 11:12am

The audience loved it when I saw it as well, there was a woman who fell asleep, or at least closed her eyes, but she was 600 years old, and still gave the show a standing ovation. (Most of the audience did not that night though.)

I personally would rather see a serious show that tackles complex material, but I think bringing in masses of people with fluffier fare is also important. More producers need to take the movie route and make both types.

[orangeskittles]

Posted: 11/29/05 at 11:12am

I personally like both Hairspray and LaChiusa's work, so they don't have to be mutually exclusive like you claim. I just happen to like them for different reasons.

[Menken Fan]

Posted: 11/29/05 at 11:14am

I liked SWIWS...and I liked Hairspray. Both for different reasons. I liked SWIWS for the emotion, thought-provoking story, soaring music and especially Mary Testa. Her song "The Greatest Practical Joke" was amazing. I liked Hairspray for the energy, the bouncy numbers, the bright colors, the drag campiness and Jackie Hoffman. There's room for all kinds of shows. You kind of know what you're getting into when you go to a Hairspray, and you also kind of know what you're getting into when you see a LaChiusa show.
Updated On: 11/29/05 at 11:14 AM

[buffyactsing]

Posted: 11/29/05 at 11:15am

Hairspray is cute enough, but the thing is, it's not really challenging to the majority of America. It's reinforcing positive messages, yes, but it doesn't really have any new ideas or new things to think about.

[BSoBW2]

Posted: 11/29/05 at 11:15am

"I personally like both Hairspray and LaChiusa's work, so they don't have to be mutually exclusive like you claim. I just happen to like them for different reasons."

I agree. But if I had to choose - I'd choose LaChiusa.

Anyway, this debate will ALWAYS exist. Fluff vs. complex...And yeah, everything has a message if you look for it.

[SamIAm]

Posted: 11/29/05 at 11:19am

First of all, this story about LaChiusa's comment on Hairspray is really old news...the article was printed a very long time ago. Secondly, Shaiman defended himself by addressing the comment in the press, so I don't think you have to come to the defense of the show. Lastly, I believe that others who have posted on this thread are correct. The comment was a general remark about the fluffy trend on Broadway and as an artist and a composer, LaChiusa is entitled to his opinion whether you agree with it or not. Doesn't mean you have to hate him and his productions.

Lastly, I saw the Wild Party and thought it was a good production, though I knew that the dark subject matter and characters would not appeal to most tourist audiences looking for something light and fluffy like Hairspray. You can't compare the two genres, nor SHOULD you compare them. If you like Hairspray...that's wonderful...but don't put down other productions because they are deep and true to their source material. LaChiusa painted on a canvas that had been prepared by the author of the poem and he did it faithfully. There were some great performances in that show and some good music.

I think it is possible to like both productions, even if you will forever hate Michael John for dissing your beloved Hairspray :)

[Corine2]

Posted: 11/29/05 at 11:20am

I'd choose Wittman. (I don't want to give someone else a big ego)
Updated On: 11/30/05 at 11:20 AM

[BobbyBubby]

Posted: 11/29/05 at 11:32am

In 20-30 years, LaChiusa's work will be getting the praise that Sondheim is getting today. He is simply the best working composer around, and his work, due to the subjects he chooses, is going to be challenged. But in 20-30 years, I imagine all the tributes will be for his compositions. Just saying...
Updated On: 11/29/05 at 11:32 AM

[munkustrap178]

Posted: 11/29/05 at 11:50am

Does it frighten anyone that this thread was created by a grown woman?

[BSoBW2]

Posted: 11/29/05 at 11:52am

Munk - it's called the "Rosie Generation"

What frightens me is that she is a "writer"

[Borstalboy]

Posted: 11/29/05 at 12:24pm

Did anyone actually read LaChiusa's article? He included HAIRSPRAY in a cadre of musicals that he felt were not pushing the musical form forward--a hardly outrageous idea that he is not the originator of. He didn't go out of his way to "slam" HAIRSPRAY singularly....although Shaiman's rather gloating, petty, heavy-on-the-name-dropping response on BWW and other boards would have you think so.

[Sumofallthings]

Posted: 11/29/05 at 3:55pm

Corine2, I have a lot of respect for you but this is just a childish thread, even by my standards. What is this proving? I've corresponded with both Mr. Shaiman and Mr. LaChiusa and they have been nothing but complete gentlemen and I love both of their shows respectively. I've seen Hairspray twice and I had to buy another copy of The Wild Party because I wore out my first copy. I've even begun to grasp Marie Christine as what it truly is.

Hairspray is a show that has a message and whether it chooses to express that message with 60's pop music doesn't change the fact that the message still resonates with us. Similarly, The Wild Party has a message that resonates just as powerfully with darker tones and period jazz music

There is something to learn from both shows and because something is a smash hit with audiences like Hairspray is, doesn't mean it isn't offering anything artistically. Just because something is an artistic home run doesn't mean it isn't offering anything to its audience.

Maybe you need to learn how to hear the message in LaChiusas work. You say you liked Caroline or Change so I know you're capable of it. There is something to experience in every musical from Sondheim to Herman to Webber. Try See What I Wanna See again with a different mindset, maybe you'll feel differently. There's gotta be something there for you. There was something for me in Hairspray.

Yours Sincerely,

Charlie

[BroadwayGirl107]

Posted: 11/29/05 at 4:24pm

LaChiusa is brilliant, and I echo that his work will be praised years from now the way Sondheim's is today.

Frankly, I think most people just don't "get" LaChiusa's work, and for that, he will be dismissed by many. I wish some people would say "You know, I see his brilliance, but in general, his work is just not my thing." I, personally, walked out of See What I Wanna See hoping that more shows like this were in the future of musical theatre, not more of the same fluff.

You may have found a snoozefest, Corine, but I, for one, won't allow myself to miss any of his future shows if I can do anything about it.

And Mr. LaChiusa happens to be a perfect gentleman. You have "beef" with him because he holds a different opinion than you do? Childish.

[ashley0139]

Posted: 11/29/05 at 4:32pm

I don't see why they're mutually exclusive. I loved both. Hairspray was a ton of fun. SWIWS was thought provoking and had gorgeous music. Why do you have to like one and not the other. Personally, I like to see more musicals like SWIWS because they are so complex, you can keep thinking about them after you leave the theatre. But I'm just echoing what everyone else was saying.