Well I thought it was cute, not the greatest thing I've ever seen but I knew nothing about the show other than it was based on Princess and the Pea though from what you're all saying I perhaps wish I did know more...I enjoyed it.
"If there was a Mount Rushmore for Broadway scores, "West Side Story" would be front and center. It snaps, it crackles it pops! It surges with a roar, its energy and sheer life undiminished by the years" - NYPost reviewer Elisabeth Vincentelli
So, I'm getting to watch this out here on the 'other' coast, and have read through the thread. Let's see if I have everything straight as to what to expect:
Carol is amazing and wonderful as usual, but she's completely overdone and inappropriate for the camera. Dennis is funny, huggable and great, but entirely miscast. Tracy is wonderful, funny and sings well, but she has no energy or comic timing and is too old. Some songs that are the best have been cut, but it makes sense because they aren't needed - but the show is ruined since they aren't there.
I was dissapointed about cutting the minstrel and a lot of the Jester's material, but let's face it, all of the action with the Minstrel and the Jester just pull attention and focus away from the characters that actually move the story forward.
I mean, the Minstrel and the Jester, on stage, sing the same amount of songs as Fred, more tha Dauntless, Aggravain, HArry, or Larken, and the story is about those characters. "Very Soft Shoes", "The Minstrel The Jester and I ", and "Normandy" as it's presesnted in the stage show only distract from the actual story at hand, although they are great songs.
Performance-wise, I thought everyone was great. Tracy was really fantastic, her "Shy" was terrific. Zoey Deschanel's Larken was a highlight for me. Carol Burnett was pretty good, I thought she could have played it a bit bigger, but was delightful nonetheless, and I loved her new song. Matthew was hot and sang well.
My biggest complaint? THE WIZARD. OH MY GOD. SO ANNOYING. He just drove me crazy. And why the heck did they dress him as the nightingale? and his costumes were HIDEOUS.
Other complaints? Big boo to cutting "An Opening for a Princess". Other bad cuts were half of "Song of Love" and "Yesterday I Loved You" (however, I like "Normandy" better and I like that they kept it.) Also, "The Swamps of Home" was weirdly staged.
The movie wasn't fantastic, but I didn't think it was awful, was quite entertaining, and rather adorable.
Did anyone else completely missed Sarah Jessica Parker? I could not stand Tracey's sight or voice.
"Some people can thrive and bloom living life in a living room, that's perfect for some people of one hundred and five. But I at least gotta try, when I think of all the sights that I gotta see, all the places I gotta play, all the things that I gotta be at"
I don't think ANY production could make me miss SJP. Listening to her Winnifred is, in my opinion, the equivalent of slowly pulling my brain out through my eyeballs.
"It's not for sissies, contrary to popular belief." - Tommy Tune, on musical theatre.
I thought it was cheesy fun, if not what it could have been. I don't think Mattress exactly needs a realistic setting, so I was fine with the Styrofoam Castle- but I could have done with a director or DP who knew something about filming musical numbers. But you can't say that's a problem unique to this movie- no one seems to know how to film a musical anymore.
My dad of course had to remind me of that episode of Law & Order in which Denis O'Hare played some sort of creepy religious fanatic.
"WHEN is the winter of our discontent?"
"NOW is the winter of our discontent!"
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How was Dennis miscast? I thought he was perfect. I suppose The movie has sort of this creepy vibe to it, because all the protagonists are older than the age their characters act. But it gave it a funny edge for me.
I liked it. It didn't take itself too seriously. I thought the cast was divine, and the general product to be enjoyable. I'll be buying the DVD. Glad to see a fun musical that is just out for pure fun.
It was fluffy, made by Disney, so expected. It also seemed to be redone for a younger audience. All in all, not terrible.... But, a let down for all the wait... -elli- Chanukah @ Don't Tell Mama!!!
-elli-
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"They say that life is 'Tit for Tat' and thats the way I live, so I deserve a lot of 'TAT' for what I've got to give!!!"
I thought so too,BobbyBubby. I viewed it the same way. I also found it very refreshing after the absolutely dreadful Music Man. Just shows that if you don't cast something correctly, no matter how good the material may be, the final product will NOT be enjoyable. Thankfully, I felt they casted this one correctly. I loved Carol Burnett, but mostly everyone enjoyed her. I liked Tracy Ullman a lot. And I liked everyone else a lot, too. Even Zooey Deschannel (that would be Lady Larken, most of you posters forget that the actress playing her has a name besides "Lady Larken chick" or something to that extent). I found her VERY lovely. My only real reservations were the beginning which I found cute, but a bit too "Disney-esque", and the framing (too many close-ups) in the beginning was a bit awkwardly done. But as it went on I felt Kathleen Marshall's direction improved.
"Sing the words, Patti!!!!" Stephen Sondheim to Patti LuPone.
Okay, my thoughts: "Once Upon a Mattress" is an over-the-top musical. It harkens back to fairy tales and make believe. This is Disney we are talking about. This was the kids' version of the musical. With that said... Tracy, not the best singer... but she has comedic timing up the ying-yang. Just look into her roots. She and Carol come from the same type of back ground. And the age issue. I don't think she and Dennis were too old. IMO, that is what makes it funny. He is kept from marrying till his forties. Forty-Year-Old Virgin... Dennis has a great quality to his acting. I saw his work in Assassins. I don't know his Oscar portrayal, but to me he fit perfectly. The subtle nuances are what make him likable and fun to watch. Carol, she is know for her wackiness, especially in the facial area. She is a comedic genius in my book. And maybe her Queen wasn't bitchy, but she portrayed it like she thought fit. I will say that I was disappointed in the cut songs. That is except "Very Soft Shoes". I love that song, but really in the show it doesn't fit. It does nothing to further the plot. It does further the jester's character, but why do we need to know? I agree with the direction. Really I do. It was sloppy. I will mention that I think that this show can be really dirty. HEHE. That is what appeals to the older audience. The whole underlying theme, is sex and marriage. It depends on the director and how far they want to push that theme.
