Musicals that use music not written for theatre OR by those who conceived it.- Page 2
Musicals that use music not written for theatre OR by those who conceived it.
Unknown User
Joined: 12/31/69
#25Musicals that use music not written for theatre OR by those who conceived it.
Posted: 7/21/11 at 10:29pm
Does American Idiot count, or is it more a case similar to Tommy and Jesus Christ Superstar?
As to the original poster, I can guarantee a lot of people on here are, overall, sick of jukebox musicals, but I admit, sometimes they work. The trouble is, too often it just strikes me as lazy, and done without much thought or invention.
#26Musicals that use music not written for theatre OR by those who conceived it.
Posted: 7/22/11 at 9:47am
How could I forget this one, from 20 years ago:
RETURN TO FORBIDDEN PLANET described as Shakespeare's forgotton rock and roll masterpiece which featured some pop classics in twisted situations.
(You didn't know that Great Balls of Fire was about asteroids????)
#27Musicals that use music not written for theatre OR by those who conceived it.
Posted: 7/22/11 at 1:48pm
Does American Idiot count, or is it more a case similar to Tommy and Jesus Christ Superstar?
I think American Idiot would have fallen into that latter category if it used only the songs from that CD, without interposing so much material from elsewhere in the Green Day catalog. As things stand, I'd be hard pressed to deny that it fits the definition of jukebox musical. (My very favorite jukebox musical, by the way!)
#28Musicals that use music not written for theatre OR by those who conceived it.
Posted: 7/22/11 at 3:13pmAnd then there's "Paradise Found", Hal Prince's strange Viennese concoction starring Mandy Patinkin and Kate Baldwin and featuring the waltzes (mainly) of Johann Strauss that played the Chocolate Factory in London last year. I think it's safe to say it will never be seen again.
jimmycurry01
Broadway Legend Joined: 5/28/05
#29Musicals that use music not written for theatre OR by those who conceived it.
Posted: 7/22/11 at 3:18pmI see American Idiot as being in the same class as Tommy and JCS. It started its life as a concept recording and eventually it got staged. It didn't really spring forth from a catalog of songs, but rather one concept album that already had a loose story to it. It is true that a few preexisting Green Day songs were added to the show rather than writing new ones; so an argument can surely be made against that theory.
#30Musicals that use music not written for theatre OR by those who conceived it.
Posted: 7/22/11 at 9:13pmI have NEVER felt that Crazy For You deserved the tony the year IT won. Yet everyone acts like it was a ground breaking musical.
#31Musicals that use music not written for theatre OR by those who conceived it.
Posted: 7/22/11 at 11:16pmI do like revues like A...My Name is Alice and Working where various artists submit to the score.
#32Musicals that use music not written for theatre OR by those who conceived it.
Posted: 7/23/11 at 12:55am
The fact that Crazy for You beat Falsettos still irks me.
"Jukebox musicals are fun, but I feel like they shouldn't be considered for Tony's that much. I didn't see American Idiot (cause I hate Green Day) but when you put it up against an ORIGINAL concept like Memphis, then it shouldn't have a shot. Granted, it didn't win, but my point is that it shouldn't have a shot at anything when put up against an original concept"
I think that is excessive. What was going on onstage at American Idiot was, in my opinion, far more inventive than anything in Memphis- which was cliche and derivative in many ways. Sure, it has original music. But it did nothing and said nothing that other shows haven't done and more effectively. There are plenty of "original concepts" that have come and gone that suck in comparison to the more successful jukebox musicals.
I have no problem with jukebox musicals provided they at least attempt to be something other than a pandering cash cow. Look at Baby, It's You!- it proudly quotes a review that says you'll know the songs. Great.
#33Musicals that use music not written for theatre OR by those who conceived it.
Posted: 7/23/11 at 1:17amA friend of mine was in the original cast of Falsettos and said she felt like her heart was ripped out when they announced the winner. But it at least got best book and best score.
lemongello
Swing Joined: 5/6/11
#34Musicals that use music not written for theatre OR by those who conceived it.
Posted: 7/25/11 at 12:18pmI am not a huge fan of jukebox musicals, but I do go and there are some that I have enjoyed. I think when the play has a decent and almost real story to tell, it makes it all the better. I love Jersey Boys, and I enjoyed Baby It's You and Million Dollar Quartet. There were good stories to tell and they have some substance to them. While I enjoyed Mamma Mia prior to its arrival in NY (I saw it in Canada 11 years ago) I really did not like it when it got here. I have seen other juke box musicals stringing together songs with a thin thread and no story and I sit there thinking why did they do this? You need the substance with the songs or the theme - whatever it may be.
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