While Dreamgirls were going through multiple workshops (I think nine), the whole story was different than what we know today. The whole story line was basically just focused on Effie. After Effie is told or "sung" by the new girl that she's fired (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qy1ps7lZw1Y), the other girls continue to sing for the next five years. When they were close to calling it quits, the girls all decided that they were going their separate ways. One girl wanted to go solo, another girl wanted to get married, and the other wanted to start acting.
Updated On: 8/18/13 at 10:28 PM
Re: Dreamgirls
After Holiday left for the first time, Effie was rewritten to have died at the end of Act I. When Holiday returned, she was upset at the demise of her role and demanded it be rewritten lest she leave again.
Really? That's interesting. I actually like the beginning of "I'm The New Girl", but the rest of the song is boring and bland. I wonder when a revival of Dreamgirls will take place on Broadway.
Betty Blue Eyes cut the plotline whereby the Meat Inspector's landlady has sex with the butcher.
Stand-by Joined: 7/11/12
Oh, duh, Carrie makes perfect sense! Thanks GlindatheGood! :)
Stand-by Joined: 3/26/06
In the 1939 Movie THE WIZARD OF OZ - Miss Gulch was originally to be Mrs Gulch and have a son. In Oz the Wicked Witch of the West was to have a son named Bulbo whom she planned to seat on the throne after using the ruby slippers to overthrowi the Wizard.
Hickory (Tin Woodman's alter ego) was originally building a sort of anti-cyclone machine. This story line got cut but the Aunt Em says something about him 'tinkering with that contraption' and he responds that 'someday they will erect a statue to me in this town!'
The most famous cut is 'The Jitterbug' number from the haunted forest (insect bites the companions which makes them dance until exhaustion, whereby the winged monkeys can scoop them up sans fight) and again there is a line left in the movie that references it, this time by the Witch 'I sent a little insect on ahead to take the fight out of them'
There are actually loads of things cut from this movie, quite an interesting google.
Broadway Legend Joined: 6/5/09
In its Boston tryout, Noel Coward's Sail Away featured a romance between Verity Craig, played by Jean Fenn, and Johnny, played by James Hurst. Coward felt it wasn't working, so he wrote out Fenn's part entirely, and let Elaine Stritch's character of Mimi Paragon have the romance with Johnny, and sing one of the show's best songs, "Something Very Strange."
What's that bit about Rent? Real-estate plot line in act two? Can anyone elaborate?
Anything Goes lost its book and major plot points a few weeks before it was set to open. Wikipedia sums the story up more neatly than I probably could:
"The original plot involved a bomb threat, a shipwreck, and hijinks on a desert island,[3] but, just a few weeks before the show was due to open, a fire on board the passenger ship SS Morro Castle caused the deaths of 138 passengers and crew members. According to one version,[4] Freedley judged that to proceed with a show on a similar subject would be in dubious taste, and he insisted on changes to the script. However, theatre historian Lee Davis maintains that Freedley wanted the script changing because it was "a hopeless mess."[5] Bolton and Wodehouse were in England at the time and were thus no longer available, so Freedley turned to his director, Howard Lindsay, to write a new book.[3] Lindsay recruited press agent Russel Crouse as his collaborator, beginning a lifelong writing partnership."
Anything Goes at Wikipedia
Updated On: 8/19/13 at 10:32 AM
What's that bit about Rent? Real-estate plot line in act two? Can anyone elaborate?
Benny was originally trying to convince Mark to "grow up," make the "intelligent" decision to give up filmmaking and move into the real estate business with him. The character that later became Alexi Darling was a Blockbuster Video rep enlisted by Benny to show Mark what he was risking if he stayed in cinema who sang a country-inflected bit about how "there ain't no money in documentary films."
Wicked is the most drastic I know.
1. Elphaba's fathers evangelizing tour
2. Elphaba in hiding in OZ and stalking and trying to kill Madame Morrible.
3. Elphaba's cross country trek and time in the mountains with another family.
You can't compare Wicked: The Novel with Wicked: The Musical. Two completely different stories.
Things dropped from novel to make the musical: Everything that makes it good.
Broadway Legend Joined: 5/20/03
Was there a female character cut from Spamalot? I can't remember.
Also, did they cut a plotline from Fiddler On The Roof with Yenta? I thought her role was originally bigger. Or maybe they just cut extra material?
Broadway Legend Joined: 5/20/03
I actually like the beginning of "I'm The New Girl", but the rest of the song is boring and bland.
The song has a great hook. But the song never would have made it in the show because I doubt any actress would want to be referred to as "the old girl". Plus the song seems a bit on the mean spirited side.
^She said that there was nothing personal she was about to say...(lol)
Broadway Legend Joined: 5/20/03
She said that there was nothing personal she was about to say
That's like when Southern women can say anything they want as long as they add "Bless her heart." "Mary Sue looks fat in that dress, bless her heart."
If Michelle sang this song, the audience would have immediately disliked her. The song really only could have come from Deena. But I guess "She's the new girl..." just isn't as interesting.
But I'm glad I heard it. I do like parts of it.
Stand-by Joined: 11/28/11
In Spamalot, pre-Broadway they did the scene with the Witch and had a song. I believe the Diva was the witch.
Stand-by Joined: 3/26/06
NoName - apparently Ethel Merman, who was a speed typist, was typing up copies of the new script in the rehearsal room! Take that Equity...
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