Piazza Takes the Tonys, but Will It Last? — Page 3

If Piazza's bland, then I must be a bland person. I do think I should make a correction. I think it's great for people to not like things, it's fine and I don't think opinions are wrong. However I must say that "Piazza doesn't say anything" is a wrong statement. That's not an opinion. As a matter of fact it does say a lot. Now if you don't like what it says, then that's something totally different and I respect that.

Actually nothing is really cookie cutter anymore in my opinion. Not in the Rodgers and Hammerstein, Golden age way. I mean sure there's big splashy but there are new and impressive things in lots of musicals, even if they are bad. I personally don't think you have anything to fear. Really, so what if a piece o theatre is "bland". I applaud it for at least trying something new. There's merit in that, even if it's an artistic failure. At least the artform is changing and evolving. That's called the living theatre. I don't want things to stay the same. And for things to grow, you've got to experiment with what works. Of course there really isn't a place to do that in America (there's no real national theatre) but that's a different argument.

Updated On: 6/6/05 at 12:45 PM

Oh my, what a thread.

The one thing I will say to chitown is that if you're looking for mainstream musical theatre to change the world, you're probably looking in the wrong place. I mean, this is a time when Mamma Mia is one of the highest grossing shows in town.

And while Adam's work is overcomplicated, he is taking steps in the right direction. There has always been problems with the attempts to stop political and high brow theatre from being "bourgeous"; that such attempts to bring theatre with a real message only appeals to the bourgeous, and that's why Mamma Mia will have higher ticket sales.

Piazza should be praised for its innovation, if nothing else. That show is full of emotion, amazing performances, and beautiful design. I don't think the show has such disastrous consequences as you describe them. There is much to enjoy there.

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I've not seen Piazza and I've not heard the score. But I think I know what Chi is saying. This was the "Serious" score and so it had to beat the silly scores.

My only comment is that during last night show it sure seemed like the announcement of "Piazza" as best score was greeted with the least enthusiasm.

Well, to answer the original question, personally I think it should. My friend who lives in Chicago who's pretty into broadway called me during the broadcast and was like what's up with this show Piazza taking so many Tonys I never heard of it but now she wants to see it. The past couple of weeks it's been selling at over 80% and one would hope 6 tonys would give it a bit of a boost. But I guess it depends on how much of a boost, plus what Lincoln Center is planning on putting there later.

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Damn!

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Hi all- trying to decide whether to see Piazza- any suggestions? Is it worth going to see?

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Its definitely a show I suggest people go see, Ive seen it three times and I love it. I do realize that its not everyones cup of tea though. Have you listened to the four songs on the nonesuch site? If you like those songs and enjoyed the Tony performance, then youll like the rest of the show!

"Seriously, were you able to hum even ONE tune from this production after seeing it?"

I love the songs in this Broadway musical. I think they are beautiful songs and each of the actors do a great job holding their own performances. It's such a beautiful story with great orchestrations and the CD is just terrific. I am listening to it right now [Passeggiata]. I was rooting for each of them at the Tonys yesterday night, and I was really bummed that Matthew Morrison and Kelli O'Hara didn't win. Well, quite honestly, I was rooting for Sutton Foster over Victoria Clark, but I was still satisfied and happy that Victoria won a tony.

It's a great show, such a classic show that seems to be more rare nowadays and I'm glad that it got so many Tony nominations because they deserved them all and more... --korenglish

BTW: If they do extend it, I hope they keep the OBC!

Updated On: 6/6/05 at 04:24 PM

Oy vey.

First of all, quite often Stephen Sondheim is not hummable - does that make him overcomplicated and bland? I personally think he's a bit of a genius but even if you're not a fan you can't deny that he's had a huge impact on the course of musical theatre composition. I can see Adam Guettel having a similar (albeit not as significant or large) of an impact on the genre. I think that's all people are tryin' to say here - like it or not, the show is different and has made an impact on the future of the musical theatre genre.

Also, Adam, I think you need to give more info than just asking if people would reccommend it or not. It is clear by this post that this show is for some people and not for others, which is fine - the amazing thing about this season is that I truly feel that there was so much great, varying material that there was something for everyone - and I hate that it's turning into "because I don't like it, that means it's wrong" or that something is no good because you didn't like it. I personally didn't care for Spamalot or Brooklyn to name a few, but I can understand and respect why someone else would enjoy it. My personal taste, I didn't care for them but that doesn't mean that someone else is lesser than me in taste or intelligence or whatever because they disagree with me - different strokes for different folks.

That said, Adam, what shows do you enjoy - what are some of your faves? Do you prefer to see shows that are high in production value? Big? Funny? Dramatic? Touching? That make you really think or something that you can relax and be entertained? Based on your preferences then someone can tell you whether or not you'd enjoy this show and whether or not you should spend your hard earned money on it.

Even if I like it doesn't mean that you will and I wouldn't tell you to shell out $100 a ticket for something that you may not appreciate or enjoy as much as another show that might be right up your alley.

and in closing, can't we all just get along and agree to disagree?

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I just don't get the "it's pretentious" argument. It's a sweet, simple, sentimental old-fashioned story about a girl with an over-protective mother who falls in love in Italy. What's pretentious about that? There's nothing "arty" about its structure or content.

The score is all lush old school romanticism which is, if anything, a throwback to a style of writing common in musical theatre and opera decades ago. While some of the harmonics Guettel employs are occasionally modernist in influence, it's a good deal less "difficult" than some of what Weill, Blitzstein et al were writing for the musical theatre back in the 30s. Has basic music appreciation and education regressed so much in the past 70 years that anything more complicated than Mel Brooks' score for "The Producers" is automatically labeled "pretentious?"

I don't know. I actually did walk out of the theatre humming "Dividing Day" and "Let's Walk" and "Say It Somehow" and the title song. These are complicated melodies? They sound very simple and melodic and beautiful to my ear -- although I do have a bit of a music background.

But I find it interesting that my parents, upon hearing a few clips of the score that I sent them are now, based on the music alone, dying to see the show. Neither has ANY musical training of any kind. My mother said that she thought it was some of the most beautiful music she'd heard from Broadway in many years and that it reminded her of shows she used to see back in the 50s. She's not saying that because she's pretentious or elitist -- in fact she doesn't care for most of the "new composers" -- just the opposite. She loves the strings and the beautiful voices and loved the movie and book so she likes the story too.

She doesn't know one thing about music theory or harmonics or anything like that -- she's responding to an old-fashioned type of musical theatre sound that nobody writes anymore and she misses (her favorites are shows like SOUTH PACIFIC, MOST HAPPY FELLA, SHOWBOAT, KISS ME KATE etc...). She hates most of the rock-influenced musicals of the past few decades and all the screaming people do on stage. PIAZZA for her is MUCH more her speed (and I've heard from other friends that their parents had the same reaction).

So see, rather than PIAZZA taking musical theatre in the wrong direction as you argue, perhaps it has the power to attract back some of these older, veteran theatregoers who have been turned off by the overloud (to them) shows like MAMMA MIA and WICKED and RENT and want more "traditional" string-laden, old-fashioned, legit-sung musicals that populated Broadway once upon a time.

There will probably never again be a time with LOTS of shows like PIAZZA on the boards, mainly because not a lot of composers are interested in writing pure romantic music anymore (most are writing song parodies and simple little ditties). But I'm not sure why when one does show up on Broadway (albeit as a limited run at a not-for-profit theatre) it gets dismissed as "pretentious" or "arty." For some, it's a modern day equivalent to the kind of music Rodgers and Bernstein and Loesser and Loewe used to write that's now gone out of style and some audiences miss that and are happy to support it.

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Wait, Sondheim isn't hummable? To whom?

Send In The Clowns
Broadway Baby
Comedy Tonight
Johanna
Not A Day Goes By
Being Alive
Children Will Listen
Not While I'm Around
Old Friends
EVerybody's Got A Right
I'm Still Here
A Weekend In The Country
Losing My Mind
Side By Side
Everybody Ought to Have A Maid

Those aren't hummable?

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No the hummable post wasn't directed at you, Chitown.

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I'm laying here sick in my bed reading this post and getting quite frusterated when suddenly

*poof* Margo makes another brilliant statement.

All i have to say is Margo rocks my world. I love reading your responses!!!---bravo!