PRETTYBELLE

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PRETTYBELLE

Posted: 12/15/06 at 4:11pm

My local radio station played the entire cast recording to PRETTYBELLE last night.

I've heard a complete recording of the entire show before and it had MANY problems..

....but..

does anyone think it is salvagable?

Walk on, walk on, with hope in your heart; and you'll never walk alone.

re: PRETTYBELLE

Posted: 12/16/06 at 8:10am

No. In this era of PC to the nth degree, a show about a woman's attempts to repent for her husband's horrible bigotry by allowing herself to be raped by minorities isn't funny, and the redneck group surrounding the late sheriff-husband was never an amusing group of bigots.

re: PRETTYBELLE

Posted: 12/16/06 at 9:14am

If it could not work back than where the word PC did not exist & everyone was not so thinskinned, no way it works today

Some musicals have great scores but can not make it on the stage. This is one & another is The Bakers Wife

Poster Emeritus

Updated On: 12/16/06 at 09:14 AM

re: PRETTYBELLE

Posted: 12/16/06 at 12:37pm

Wait, you have a radio station that plays cast recordings? So not fair...
Yea, the show wouldn't work, I think it's one that's just going to get put on a shelf somewhere.

http://www.youtube.com/huskcharmer

re: PRETTYBELLE

Posted: 12/16/06 at 4:54pm

I wish they would seriously re-work the book and re do this show. I love that score so much.

Some people paint, some people sew, I meddle.

re: PRETTYBELLE

Posted: 2/9/07 at 1:50am

I just listned to the OCR...how the HELL did this get produced, and why did Angie do it? I mean...really...

http://www.youtube.com/huskcharmer

re: PRETTYBELLE

Posted: 2/9/07 at 2:15am

on a meta level, this is a BRILLIANT piece of theater.

Unfortunately, most broadway theatergoers dont operate on a metalevel

"Fenchurch is correct, as usual." -Keen on Kean
"Fenchurch is correct, as usual." - muscle23ftl

re: PRETTYBELLE

Posted: 2/9/07 at 2:22am

I love the concept. Its subversive, and thumbs its nose at racial sensibilities, two things which I love. And by judging from popular comedians, a lot of americans do too, unfortunatly, they can't stomach it in the musical theatre. Which sucks. I have the cast recording, and I am listening through it. I would love to read the book or see it preformed.

Don't do re-writes! Don't do re-writes! Don't do re-writes!

I have several names, one is Julian2. I am also The Opps Girl. But cross me, and I become Bitch Dooku!

re: PRETTYBELLE

Posted: 2/9/07 at 2:41am

Its hopeless. Though, I wouldn't give up my Orignal Cast Recording for anything, I adore it. "I Met a Man" is beautiful. But the show is a complete mess.

Updated On: 2/9/07 at 02:41 AM

#10

re: PRETTYBELLE

Posted: 2/9/07 at 3:12am

I think it could be redone off broadway as a complete satire. The fact that it is so unPC already endears itself to satire and would be popular.

I wouldn't mind seeing the show tightened up bookwise and orchestrationwise and Id love to see it smaller in an experimental staging.

It could be perfect.

"Fenchurch is correct, as usual." -Keen on Kean
"Fenchurch is correct, as usual." - muscle23ftl

#11

re: PRETTYBELLE

Posted: 2/9/07 at 6:43am

Sorry, but you cant go on the synopsis on the album to really capture how darkly hysterical and amazingly subversive PRETTYBELLE is. The storyline isnt as clear cut as the notes would seem to indicate: it's not about being "un-PC" as it makes fun of those who insist on *not* being PC. Remember: ultimately PB wasnt raped by a black man. She was drunk at the time and has no idea who actually did it. That's a key point in understanding where this story's intents truly lie.

IMHO, it's perfect for an off-Broadway revival, where its dark, dark humour can fully blossom.

http://docandraider.com

#12

re: PRETTYBELLE

Posted: 2/9/07 at 12:20pm

Actually, I agree with SeanMartin,
I think they should punch up the racism angle and really lampoon our inherent prejudices.
Worked for Borat.
********And please don't think I am accusing any of you personally of harboring latent racism, I speak strictly in the general sense.**********

....but the world goes 'round

#13

re: PRETTYBELLE

Posted: 2/9/07 at 1:21pm

I heard that the York wanted to do it in 98, but the rumor was that Merrill couldn't locate all the rehearsal materials, but that could be just a rumor.

"Fenchurch is correct, as usual." -Keen on Kean
"Fenchurch is correct, as usual." - muscle23ftl

#14

re: PRETTYBELLE

Posted: 2/9/07 at 1:28pm

I think it might work very well in small regional productions, especially universities. It's too good to just let die.

#15

re: PRETTYBELLE

Posted: 2/9/07 at 2:11pm

I think it might work in concert format. But I've heard a recording of the entire show scenes and songs. My conclusion is tht a full production without an entirely new book would be unwise.

Walk on, walk on, with hope in your heart; and you'll never walk alone.

Updated On: 2/9/07 at 02:11 PM

#16

re: PRETTYBELLE

Posted: 2/20/07 at 7:52am

prettybelle is one of those albums that are constantly on high rotation in my iPod.

While the flopaholic in me loves the show, I gott admit it just could get produced. You have to wonder how it got even as far as it did first time around.

Question - does anybody know of the why & how the Cast Recording got around to being made? After umpteenth dozen years a flop that didn't even make it to Broadway it isn't something that would be on the top of anybody's must-make list.

Was Angie just really THAT popular in "Murder, She Wrote"?

#17

re: PRETTYBELLE

Posted: 2/20/07 at 1:28pm

I wondered that too, Urban. My guess is that Styne put in some money to preserve his score. I am probably wrong as it is only a guess.

I think it is one of Styne's livilest scores.

Walk on, walk on, with hope in your heart; and you'll never walk alone.

#18

re: PRETTYBELLE

Posted: 2/20/07 at 1:40pm

I shouldn't say this without looking it up first-- but I THINK the anticipation was that this show was going to be HUGE and the recording made in anticipation of that.

#19

re: PRETTYBELLE

Posted: 2/20/07 at 1:45pm

I would guess that too, but the recording was made something like 12 years after it closed in Boston.

Unless you mean MURDER,SHE WROTE. And even then I don't think anyone realistically thought a TV show would raise the demand of an obsure musical flop.

Walk on, walk on, with hope in your heart; and you'll never walk alone.

Updated On: 2/20/07 at 01:45 PM

#20

re: PRETTYBELLE

Posted: 2/20/07 at 1:48pm

I would like to ammend my earlier post and say, that after 4 more listens, I am loving it. I also can't help but smile at Angie's bad southern accent.

http://www.youtube.com/huskcharmer

#21

re: PRETTYBELLE

Posted: 2/20/07 at 1:55pm

The recording was made because the folks at VS wanted to (1) preserve a bit of Broadway history and (2) make a few bucks off the Lansbury name. It seems to have worked.

http://docandraider.com

#22

re: PRETTYBELLE

Posted: 2/20/07 at 1:59pm

I thought it was recorded at the time in anticipation of a hit, then put in the vault when it flopped, only to be released by Varese years later when Angela Lansbury made good. But again, I may be wrong, I will look it up when I get home!

#23

re: PRETTYBELLE

Posted: 2/20/07 at 2:03pm

Nope, Varese reassembled what was left of the cast and recorded it in the warly 1980s.

http://docandraider.com

#24

re: PRETTYBELLE

Posted: 2/20/07 at 2:08pm

SeanMartin said:

"The recording was made because the folks at VS wanted to (1) preserve a bit of Broadway history and (2) make a few bucks off the Lansbury name. It seems to have worked."

This recording was in release long before VS even existed.

#25

re: PRETTYBELLE

Posted: 2/20/07 at 2:42pm

From the Prettybelle page at Amazon:

In 1982, Varese Sarabande recruited Angela Lansbury as well as the bulk of the original cast.

Any more questions?

http://docandraider.com

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