"Nine" Plot

[Maxids]

Posted: 2/13/07 at 8:26pm

I've been looking for a thorough plot synopsis of "Nine." Can anyone help me find one?

[Yankeefan007]

Posted: 2/13/07 at 8:58pm

In a nutshell:

Guido Contini is a film director going through a midlife crisis. His muse, Claudia, has left him, his wife, Louisa, is fed up that he's still with his mistress, Carla, and his producer, Lillianne, a former Follies Bergeres performer, wants to know the plot of his new movie, a musical. And then there's his mother, who haunts his present with memories of an encounter with a prostitute when he was nine.

Guido's movie makes fun of his relationships with everyone and they all leave him. He is confronted by his 9-year old self and of course, his wife "forgives" him.

[Link Larkin Wanabe]

Posted: 2/13/07 at 11:07pm

To read an in depth and insightful synopsis, I suggest reading David Leveaux's:

http://www.psclassics.com/nine/recording2.html

Akiva

[RentBoy86]

Posted: 2/13/07 at 11:50pm

Would the play work with a non-Latino lead? Or have they done it before? The only two I know of are John Stamos and Antonio.

[ray-andallthatjazz86]

Posted: 2/13/07 at 11:58pm

There's been plenty of non-Latino Continis: Jonathan Pryce, Bert Convy (from the original cast of Cabaret), and John Diedrich are a few that come to mind.
EDIT: I forgot to add that Tommy Tune has stated many times that no one has been able to play Contini as effectively as Julia, though he did enjoy the recent revival.

Updated On: 2/14/07 at 11:58 PM

[tazber]

Posted: 2/14/07 at 11:00am

Rent 8 1/2 by Fellini. It's the source material. And a really good movie.

[Yankeefan007]

Posted: 2/14/07 at 11:06am

Though Raul Julia played the role in the original incarnation, the character of Guido is Italian.

As proven by Stamos (Greek-American) and Jon Pryce (Welsh), you don't need to be Hispanic or Italian to successfully portray the character....though the accent makes the role sexier.

[Danielm]

Posted: 2/14/07 at 1:23pm

Although, as Tommy Tune has said, there's really not much "plot" to this show. It's a wonderful show when done well but it's not about the story.

[mallardo]

Posted: 2/14/07 at 1:28pm

I don't know how John Stamos's portrayal of Guido Contini can be called "successful". Frankly, he sucked.

[sing_dance_love]

Posted: 2/14/07 at 1:37pm

http://www.libretto.musicals.ru/letter.php?language=1

go to "nine (complete)"

It has the complete libretto with all the lyrics and dialogue from the original production

[RentBoy86]

Posted: 2/14/07 at 1:42pm

I figured. It seems like a great show. I got the revival CD a couple weeks ago and I have yet to listen to it all the way through. I just can't seem to get into the score, but, it seems like it takes a while for things to grow on me. I got the "My Life with Albertine" score a year ago and I'm just now starting to listen to it more.

[ray-andallthatjazz86]

Posted: 2/14/07 at 1:53pm

I think the Nine score is one of the best I've ever listened to, I think Ken Mandelbaum once described as a series of showstoppers and he also said that it had enough good songs for two musicals, and he's right, what other cast album has such songs as: "My Husband Makes Movies," "Guido's Song," "A Call From the Vatican," "Only With You," " Be On Your Own," "Simple," "Nine," "Bells of St.Sebastian," "Be Italian," "Germans at the Spa" (not in the revival), "I Can't Make This Movie," and of course "Unusual Way" ALL in the same show.
While I prefer the OBCR (both in terms of the material included and the performances), the revival probably assembled the best possible cast after the OBC. Give it a chance, it'll grow on you.

[Mandi Moo]

Posted: 2/14/07 at 1:54pm

I'd just like to say that I thought Jonathan Pryce was was very good Guido, which I think puts me in the extreme minority since most people I've talked to can't stand that recording.

[Danielm]

Posted: 2/14/07 at 3:18pm

I didn't see Jonathan Pryce do the role so I won't judge his performance. You can't judge a performance by the OCR though, Tyne Daly is dreadful on the OCR but she was amazing in performance. I know there are other shows I loved that the OCR is unlistenable. I'm sure the reverse could be true as well.