Musicals that were heavily revised for their revival? — Page 2

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#26

re: Musicals that were heavily revised for their revival?

Posted: 7/11/08 at 9:20am

Not every musical has been seriously revised

look at

Chicago
Gypsy
South Pacific
etc etc etc

Some of you are naming shows that had a few line changes. I am talking serious revisions. I don't think Company and Into The Woods count. When a revival has "new book by" or "book revised by" - those are heavy revisions.

Updated On: 7/11/08 at 09:20 AM

#27

re: Musicals that were heavily revised for their revival?

Posted: 7/11/08 at 9:49am

You're a Good Man, Charlie Brown added a number of songs (by Andrew Lippa) and had a number of script revisions to incorporate them for the Broadway production. Kristin Chenoweth really benefitted.

#28

re: Musicals that were heavily revised for their revival?

Posted: 7/11/08 at 9:55am

Chicago lost huge chunks of book, not to mention any semblance of costuming or scenery.

And I know that not ALL musicals get such heavy revisions, but I'd say that it's the case more often than not.

#29

re: Musicals that were heavily revised for their revival?

Posted: 7/11/08 at 10:28am

Chicago? Huge revisions? The poker scene was cut. That's all I can think of.

#30

re: Musicals that were heavily revised for their revival?

Posted: 7/11/08 at 10:47am

boeing-boeing changed the names of the girls completely (from janet, judith, and jaqueline to gloria, gabriella, and gretchen) and the ethnicity of judith/gabriella was changed from french to italian

"Grease," the fourth revival of the season, is the worst show in the history of theater and represents an unparalleled assault on Western civilization and its values. - Michael Reidel

#31

re: Musicals that were heavily revised for their revival?

Posted: 7/11/08 at 10:53am

Chicago also lost the bit with Billy and his tailor (which would have necessitated him doing the strip tease in "All I Care About").

I think maybe a total of 7 minutes of dialoge were cut.

#32

re: Musicals that were heavily revised for their revival?

Posted: 7/11/08 at 12:18pm

As already mentioned, Flower Drum Song is up there. For the 2002 revival, R&H's original book was rewritten.

Updated On: 7/11/08 at 12:18 PM

#33

re: Musicals that were heavily revised for their revival?

Posted: 7/11/08 at 1:44pm

peter pan
Annie get your gun

#34

re: Musicals that were heavily revised for their revival?

Posted: 7/11/08 at 2:35pm

What about the oh so controversial Rent Remixed in the West End?

#35

re: Musicals that were heavily revised for their revival?

Posted: 7/11/08 at 4:41pm

Yeah. I don't think CHICAGO counts at all. The revival cut a few minutes of dialogue, but nothing was really changed book wise, and they used the original orchestrations.

#36

re: Musicals that were heavily revised for their revival?

Posted: 7/11/08 at 6:44pm

"i can't believe no one mentioned this but:
SHOW BOAT - the 1927 version is drastically different than the 1994 version Hal Prince did"

I will reinforce folkyboy's answer. Show Boat appears to have been in a constant state of revisal. The very first performance in Washington, D.C.'s National theatre started at 8:30 pm. The intermission began at 10:30 and the final curtain came down at 12:40 am. Even for the first Broadway run the musical was not that long.

Since then it has been revised several times for content, due to the changing attitudes towards racial relations in America, to the addition and deletion of songs and to changes in interpretations and scope of the story.

#37

re: Musicals that were heavily revised for their revival?

Posted: 7/13/08 at 3:05pm

"I don't think Company and Into The Woods count."

Regarding Company, I think the revisions to the book done in the mid 90s did alter the tone of the show and not for the better, whilst the things that dated the original were left unaddressed.

I also think that the rewrites for Merrily We Roll Along and Follies (technically the 1987 London production of Follies was not a revival as it was a London premiere, although it had been done in Manchester with the original Broadway book a couple of years prior to that) were completely unnecessary and also detracted from the original works.

And as for Candide, having just sat thro' the latest rewrite, the book seemed at times to have evaporated completely.

#38

re: Musicals that were heavily revised for their revival?

Posted: 7/13/08 at 3:52pm

I thought for the revival of Les Miserables they changed some of the costumes some of the direction ( I was too young to remember the original production so I can't give exact examples) and of course the orchestrations. But, I wouldn't say that the sets were changed just for the revival. The sets came off of the tour. Keep in mind that touring sets are smaller because they have to be able to fit in both big and small houses.

As for Rent remix don't get me sttarted on that. To call it bad would be an understatement.

"If you try to shag my husband while I am still alive, I will shove the art of motorcycle maintenance up your rancid little Cu**. That's a good dear" Tom Stoppard's Rock N Roll

#39

re: Musicals that were heavily revised for their revival?

Posted: 7/13/08 at 4:06pm

Side Show, as others have said, will be very different if it ends up having a full production. A lot of cut numbers, new songs, changes to characters etc.

"Why do you care what people might say? Why try to fit into their design?" (Side Show)

#40

re: Musicals that were heavily revised for their revival?

Posted: 7/13/08 at 4:14pm

Mea culpa. I saw a regional production of Chicago a few years ago that used the original book, and I thought the changes were more significant. Maybe I was just dazzled by costumes and settings that actually evoked the 20s. And vaudeville. And didn't evoke a leather bar on Mars.

#41

re: Musicals that were heavily revised for their revival?

Posted: 7/13/08 at 4:38pm

I agree that The Pajama Game revival does count as two songs were added that were cut from the original.

#42

re: Musicals that were heavily revised for their revival?

Posted: 7/13/08 at 7:19pm

I have to disagree with Kiss Me, Kate.
I would say the book was "tightened" than heavily revised. I've read both versions of the script, and the change that stood out most to me was the incorporating the overture into Another Openin', Another Show.

<-----Bernadette Peters and Alexander Hanson in A LITTLE NIGHT MUSIC.

Send in the clowns...Send in the crowds!

"I prefer neurotic people. I like to hear rumblings beneath the surface."-Stephen Sondheim

#43

re: Musicals that were heavily revised for their revival?

Posted: 7/13/08 at 10:08pm

The only think that was changed for the revival of kiss me kate were the orchestrations.

#44

re: Musicals that were heavily revised for their revival?

Posted: 7/13/08 at 10:12pm

IBDB lists "Uncredited contributions by John Guare" for KMK.

#45

re: Musicals that were heavily revised for their revival?

Posted: 7/13/08 at 10:27pm

They added a song and changed the Senator in act two to a Colonel. A few of the jokes in the beginning were also added.

"So in Love" was reprised with Mr.Graham singing it after Lilli leaves.

#46

re: Musicals that were heavily revised for their revival?

Posted: 7/13/08 at 10:34pm

IRENE - the 1973 revival got a complete overhaul.

#47

re: Musicals that were heavily revised for their revival?

Posted: 7/14/08 at 3:37am

I don't know why people keep saying the Les Mis revival had smaller sets. I've seen the 'revival' once, the original Broadway production 6 times, the 3rd national tour many times, and the 1st and 2nd national tours once, and between them, nothing changed scenically. The scale and set designs were identical in all of them. True, the 3rd national tour had the capability to have its set adjusted to fit slightly smaller venues, but it was generally a carbon copy of the original Broadway production, as was the recent revival (which used the 3rd national tour's sets). It was never really scaled down or simplified dramatically, even in smaller venues. In fact, the revival actually extended the set all the way out into the Broadhurst's first two set of box seats, and the proscenium was much larger.

The biggest change in the revival were the crap orchestrations, which made me cringe in my seat. UGH.

Recreation of original John Cameron orchestration to "On My Own" by yours truly. Click player below to hear.

Updated On: 7/14/08 at 03:37 AM

#48

re: Musicals that were heavily revised for their revival?

Posted: 7/14/08 at 3:42am

A lot of the original Showboat's songs were cut, but what was left in the 1994 revival was basically the same as the 1927 version. The biggest changes were the set, which was enormous when I saw the tour in 1996, the adaptation of the cheesy "Why Do I Love You?" into a beautiful ballad sung by Parthy to her newborn granddaughter Kim ( a very wise choice by Mr. Prince, imo), and an added Charleston dance in the finale. The 1994 orchestrations were very true to the originals as was the storyline. It's my favorite overall adaptation of the original 1927 version.

Recreation of original John Cameron orchestration to "On My Own" by yours truly. Click player below to hear.

Updated On: 7/14/08 at 03:42 AM

#49

Posted: 7/14/08 at 3:48am

Updated On: 5/2/09 at 03:48 AM

#50

re: Musicals that were heavily revised for their revival?

Posted: 7/14/08 at 10:09am

LITTLE ME has been revived twice (1981 and 1997?) and both times the show was re-jigged.

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