New Annie Tour Will Be Helmed By Charnin; Lapine's Production Shelved- Page 2
New Annie Tour Will Be Helmed By Charnin; Lapine's Production Shelved
New Annie Tour Will Be Helmed By Charnin; Lapine's Production Shelved#25
Posted: 2/24/14 at 8:57pmThe most recent revival was the okayest thing I've ever seen. Miss Hannigan had great costumes and the sets were inventive, but I was just bored. The things that irked me the most were the bizarre accent Lily St Regis took on, and the fact that Brynn O'Malley was directed to play Grace as a prissy bitch.
Broadway Star Joined: 5/17/07
New Annie Tour Will Be Helmed By Charnin; Lapine's Production Shelved#26
Posted: 2/24/14 at 9:09pm
"I say we bury them all:
Annie, Oliver and Matilda."
Throw in Grease and I'm on board.
New Annie Tour Will Be Helmed By Charnin; Lapine's Production Shelved#27
Posted: 2/24/14 at 9:28pmPah-lease don't throw Matilda into the same boat as Grease and especially Annie. Matilda is Shakespeare. Annie is the scraps of notes Arthur Laurents wrote when he 'directed' West Side Story.
New Annie Tour Will Be Helmed By Charnin; Lapine's Production Shelved#28
Posted: 2/24/14 at 9:41pm
When done well, Annie is brilliant musical comedy, qolbinau. When done poorly, it's dreadful.
I didn't see this revival, so I have no opinion as to which category Lapine's production falls into.
New Annie Tour Will Be Helmed By Charnin; Lapine's Production Shelved#29
Posted: 2/24/14 at 10:22pmI do find it amazing the way this show just seems to have ample room in peoples heart to warrant so many productions! Do we even know for sure what the deal is regarding Lapine? Maybe he was offered the tour & he didn't WANT it? I found the most recent revival much more enjoyable later on when Faith Prince went into it. Sure miss the treadmills though - esp. for N.Y.C.
New Annie Tour Will Be Helmed By Charnin; Lapine's Production Shelved#30
Posted: 2/25/14 at 12:08am
Is it Equity or non-Equity?
Broadway Legend Joined: 2/25/05
New Annie Tour Will Be Helmed By Charnin; Lapine's Production Shelved#32
Posted: 2/25/14 at 1:56amIt's non-Equity. It was supposed to be an Equity tour of the recent Broadway revival, but the main backers dropped out, and Troika (who is trying to transition to just GM-img shows) turned from the GM into the producer/GM.
Broadway Legend Joined: 5/18/03
New Annie Tour Will Be Helmed By Charnin; Lapine's Production Shelveduent #33
Posted: 2/25/14 at 4:22am
The scenic design of the original production made inventive and extensive use of treadmills built into the deck. Subsequent productions helmed by Charnin have cut the treadmills, which have compromised the original staging in several places.
Updated On: 2/25/14 at 04:22 AM
Broadway Legend Joined: 4/10/04
New Annie Tour Will Be Helmed By Charnin; Lapine's Production Shelveduent #34
Posted: 2/25/14 at 6:53am
"I say we bury them all:
Annie, Oliver and Matilda.
Throw in Grease and I'm on board."
Add Joseph ATATDC, and King and I to that.
New Annie Tour Will Be Helmed By Charnin; Lapine's Production Shelveduent #36
Posted: 2/25/14 at 3:50pmSo Marty's directing a non-Eq tour?
New Annie Tour Will Be Helmed By Charnin; Lapine's Production Shelveduent #37
Posted: 2/25/14 at 4:14pmI thought he has directed several of the previous non-Equity tours, or did he hand those off to assistants to take care of?
Broadway Legend Joined: 5/18/03
New Annie Tour Will Be Helmed By Charnin; Lapine's Production Shelveduent #38
Posted: 2/25/14 at 5:10pm
Charnin DID direct the previous tour, which began as an Equity tour (Kathie Lee Gifford did a stint as Hannigan) before going non-union, also under his direction. I assume he would check in regularly as well as use his assistants.
Bwayto, you could check out old press reels, archive video, etc. treadmills were a common devoce to use for scene changes in the 70s and 80s. Directors often worked them into blocking as well - "Hello, Little Girl" in the original Into the Woods comes to mind first. In Annie, they were used to great effect, particularly in "N.Y.C." Production photos from the original staging can show you were they were in the deck.
Lapine was in a lose-lose here.. If they show did not get good Notices, Charnin would - and has now - said that only HE understands Annie. Had the show reveived raves, Charnin's jealousy would have taken over and he'd grab the reigns.
It is a great show when done well. If you want a winning Annie, you need someone with the style of Jerry Zaks at the helm with a choreographer like Josh Bergasse.
Broadway Star Joined: 7/25/11
New Annie Tour Will Be Helmed By Charnin; Lapine's Production Shelveduent #39
Posted: 2/25/14 at 8:40pm
And Charles Strouse and Thomas Meehan issue a counter statement stating that they admired the James Lapine production:
"Neither of us were interviewed for the article in which Martin Charnin speaks for the three original creators of Annie. Contrary to Martin, we admired James Lapine’s vision for the Broadway revival. Did we miss some moments from the past? Of course, but the production held many new and inspired surprises, including the big tap-dancing number that made for an exciting finale. Our stars, Katie Finneran, Anthony Warlow, Jane Lynch, Faith Prince and the rest of the cast, including those adorable orphans, wowed happy audiences at the Palace Theatre for nearly a year and a half. Producer Arielle Tepper Madover and her partners, as well as her entire creative team, were attentive to every detail and approached the revival with the utmost integrity. We are deeply grateful to the hard-working and brilliant Arielle, a woman of extraordinary dedication and sweetness, and to her first-class team for introducing another generation to our beloved musical."
Annie Co-Authors Issue Counter Statement Regarding National Tour
New Annie Tour Will Be Helmed By Charnin; Lapine's Production Shelveduent #40
Posted: 2/25/14 at 9:02pmIsn't Charnin kind of a monster to work with in the first place? I've heard some horror stories about him in the past.
Broadway Legend Joined: 4/15/04
New Annie Tour Will Be Helmed By Charnin; Lapine's Production Shelveduent #41
Posted: 2/25/14 at 9:23pmbroadwayguy2 how about some links?
Broadway Legend Joined: 5/18/03
New Annie Tour Will Be Helmed By Charnin; Lapine's Production Shelveduent #42
Posted: 2/25/14 at 11:26pmI dont have any handy, but can try to look. I believe there were a few shots in the "Lofe After Tomorrow" documentary.
Broadway Legend Joined: 4/15/04
New Annie Tour Will Be Helmed By Charnin; Lapine's Production Shelveduent #43
Posted: 2/25/14 at 11:46pmI would love to see a clip or a pic of the set and staging for the original NYC number.
Broadway Legend Joined: 9/26/05
New Annie Tour Will Be Helmed By Charnin; Lapine's Production Shelveduent #44
Posted: 2/26/14 at 12:03am
Here you are. It was all state of the art at the time of the original production, though I confess, I think it feels a little glacial now. There was a fun moment when the Times Square billboards came alive (on "the city's bright as a penny arcade"), which you won't see here.
"NYC"
New Annie Tour Will Be Helmed By Charnin; Lapine's Production Shelveduent #45
Posted: 2/26/14 at 12:13am
"Neither of us were interviewed for the article in which Martin Charnin speaks for the three original creators of Annie. Contrary to Martin, we admired James Lapine’s vision for the Broadway revival."
in other words, Charnin, keep your damn mouth shut and don't speak for the group.
Broadway Legend Joined: 2/20/04
New Annie Tour Will Be Helmed By Charnin; Lapine's Production Shelveduent #46
Posted: 2/26/14 at 3:45pmThe treadmill in the original Into the Woods also provided a simple solution to the problem of moving the cow, the prince's horse, the hen, and the coach that carries Cinderella's family in the opening.
Broadway Legend Joined: 4/15/04
New Annie Tour Will Be Helmed By Charnin; Lapine's Production Shelveduent #47
Posted: 2/26/14 at 3:48pmThanks for the pic! Would love to see something that captures the spirit of that number and how effective the treadmills were.
Broadway Legend Joined: 4/15/04
New Annie Tour Will Be Helmed By Charnin; Lapine's Production Shelveduent #48
Posted: 2/26/14 at 3:48pmDouble Post. Sorry.
New Annie Tour Will Be Helmed By Charnin; Lapine's Production Shelveduent #49
Posted: 2/26/14 at 4:12pmThe treadmills were very effective as well during the opening of Act 2 with half of the stage for Bert Healy and the radio station, and the other half of the stage featuring the orphans listening to the radio program. Once the radio program was over, the treadmills moved (with the radio set) and on came the rest of the orphanage for "You're Never Fully Dressed...."
Broadway Legend Joined: 9/26/05
New Annie Tour Will Be Helmed By Charnin; Lapine's Production Shelveduent #50
Posted: 2/26/14 at 4:16pmDAME, look at the "NYC" link in my post above. There's footage of the number from the original Broadway production, in 1980 with Allison Smith as Annie. You can see the treadmills in action.
Broadway Legend Joined: 4/15/04
New Annie Tour Will Be Helmed By Charnin; Lapine's Production Shelveduent #51
Posted: 2/26/14 at 4:57pmOMG. THANK YOU SO MUCH!
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