Riedel: Douglas Carter Beane is SISTER ACT'S new bookwriter!

[ljay889]

Posted: 10/8/10 at 2:38am

Wow!

http://www.nypost.com/p/entertainment/theater/lessons_for_twisted_sister_hpNUlySHUCh9TLOEvXLyKP

[TheatreFan4]

Posted: 10/8/10 at 2:41am

This is gonna be awesome.

[mormonophobic]

Posted: 10/8/10 at 3:53am

Holy Cabooses! This is some really great news. As if this coming season wasn't already chalk-full of wow.

[Weez]

Posted: 10/8/10 at 5:00am

"Chalk-full"?

[dramamama611]

Posted: 10/8/10 at 5:37am

Nuns THROW chalk? Maybe it was a pun.


FYI....the term is CHOCK-full.

Updated On: 10/8/10 at 05:37 AM

[fairygodmother]

Posted: 10/8/10 at 6:18am

Is this what Riedel's writing is usually like? Woah he's harsh! Ps note he never says that he himself saw the show...

[dramamama611]

Posted: 10/8/10 at 6:53am

But don't we all often rely on friends opinions? They shape what we know and what we think.

[once a month]

Posted: 10/8/10 at 8:18am

Having seen both shows concerning nuns already....RUN to The Divine Sister. What a hilarious hoot! Such an intimate show, especially when compared to Sister Act, which reminded me of Victor Victoria with its bland score and lack of real laughs.

[mormonophobic]

Posted: 10/8/10 at 9:03am

Thanks for the correction. Yet another victim of the late-night typing while drinking.

once a month, I was already considering adding The Divine Sister to my list of shows to see when I come to NY in November. What you wrote really makes me want to see it. Would you still see it even if you could only see a limited number of shows?

[Mattbrain]

Posted: 10/8/10 at 9:11am

Sure hope this isn't another Taboo in the making.

And fairygodmother, unfortunately, yes, Riedel is...how shall I put this...a douche. He doesn't care if a show is a hit. If he thinks it stinks...he'll keep reminding us. And reminding us. And reminding us. To the point where this reluctant reader says, "SHUT UP ALREADY!"

[Mister Matt]

Posted: 10/8/10 at 11:18am

Douglas Carter Beane can only improve on that dreary book, so I'm optimistic about that. Perhaps he'll fix the faux-romance in the show, or at least acknowledge it in the end. Anything but bring it up and then forget about later would be better.

But can they convince Menken to rewrite half the score, which is desperately needed? When I Find My Baby, I Could Be That Guy, Lady in the Long Black Dress, and the title number range from bland to downright embarrassing. The most impressive number, The Life I Never Led, is given to a minor character. Great song and performed beautifully, but the rest of the act is a real chore to sit through after that because the show peaks early with that number.

And while they're at it, since they reset the action firmly in 1978, I wonder if they will get rid of the 80s references and orchestrations. Fabulous, Baby is a fun number (though awkwardly staged), but the orchestrations make it sound like something Tootie is probably listening to on her new Walkman while Natalie is trying to study for her final exams.

I would love for this show to work and I do think it has potential, but what I saw in London was hugely disappointing.

[WiCkEDrOcKS]

Posted: 10/8/10 at 11:20am

This is fantastic news!

[Mattbrain]

Posted: 10/8/10 at 12:23pm

Mister Matt, I agree about When I Find My Baby and Long Black Dress. I really don't have that much of a problem with the book but if an improved book is in the cards, more power to him.

[husk_charmer]

Posted: 10/8/10 at 12:30pm

I liked "When I Find My Baby" but I always skip "Long Black Dress" on the CD.

I also really liked the score in general.

[Mattbrain]

Posted: 10/8/10 at 12:35pm

I did too, husk-charmer.

[Mister Matt]

Posted: 10/8/10 at 1:17pm

To me, the smooth Luther Vandross stylings of the men's songs seemed rather contrived and bland. And the lyrics of When I Find My Baby and Lady in the Long Black Dress came off as tasteless and tacky. I remember the reprise of When I Find My Baby being the low point in the show. It was a clock-watching moment that was met with utter silence from the audience.

Lady in the Long Black Dress was just pointless all around. I get what they were going for. It was sort of a goofy bad-guy comedic number not unlike Brush Up Your Shakespeare, but unlike its predecessor, it attempted to move the plot forward as they discuss their plans for infiltrating the convent. But the song is more desperate than funny and they inexplicably go in an entirely different direction. Why not a fun number that has to do with the plan they ultimately use? An upbeat number where they try to think like nuns could be funny. A soul number where they discuss seducing nuns is just sort of gross and the punchline is delivered from the beginning, leaving the audience with nothing clever to be revealed for the entirety of the song.

I Could Be That Guy isn't terrible and the clever use of quick costume changes beefed up the staging, but the concocted relationship seems like it was tacked on at the last minute to add the required romantic subplot of musical comedy, never developes, and ultimately abandoned. By the end of the show, the number can only be looked back upon for its costuming. It contributes nothing else to the show.

Honestly, we saw Legally Blonde the night before with Sheridan Smith (which we really enjoyed and found better than the Broadway production) and compared to Sister Act, Legally Blonde looked like a masterpiece of musical comedy. While we constantly felt joyous surprise in a musical we had already seen (Legally Blonde), we were simply bored with Sister Act. The herculean effort to pull it off is evident on stage, but the material fails it. The numbers for the nuns were the only elements of the show that kept us from walking out.

Updated On: 10/8/10 at 01:17 PM

[mallardo]

Posted: 10/8/10 at 1:35pm

Mister Matt, I get the feeling you lie in wait for Sister Act threads so you can trash it once again for, what is it now, the 77th time? Really, we get it, you didn't like it. Move on already.

[Borstalboy]

Posted: 10/8/10 at 2:10pm

Yes. We must worship SISTER ACT.

Did you know that that movie was originally conceived as a remake of Almodovar's film DARK HABITS? In fact, it was being kicked around as Almodovar's American debut. However, DARK HABITS was too...dark for Hollywood and it got watered down again and again until it turned into the bland hit SISTER ACT.

Maybe they should have gone back to that original idea for the musical instead of churning out what sounds like a typically uninspired Hollywood-to-musical job.

Who knows? Writing songs for nuns on heroin could perhaps galvanize Menken whose work has been oh-so boring lately.

[Mister Matt]

Posted: 10/8/10 at 2:12pm

Um, no. I get the feeling you simply don't want someone to articulate a negative point of view. I'm not "trashing" the show. I recently posted in TWO threads on the subject. There is NOTHING malicious about my posts and I enjoy intelligent discussions be it pro or con. When I want to move on, I will, but the subject of this particular thread seems to hint that there were problems with the show, so it's not just me. I'm sorry you don't like what I have to say, but if you look at my history on this site, I think you'll find I don't really have a track record of exhibiting the sort of behavior you're describing.

Honestly, I'm thrilled there are people who enjoy it and I hope they are as open to an interesting discussion on the subject as me. I like to evaluate why a show doesn't work for me and how I feel it could improve and this happens to be the one show in recent years of which I was most disappointed. Sorry there haven't been a multitude of Spring Awakening threads for which to compensate, but I'm just responding to the subjects at hand. Again, I'm sorry you don't like my opinion, but as Sister Act approaches a Broadway opening, I'm afraid you may encounter more if the subject is continually brought up. Maybe you can rally a few fans to counteract my posts. God knows positive responses to a musical have such a poor showing on this board. Wicked was all but ignored when it opened.

Updated On: 10/8/10 at 02:12 PM

[CurtainPullDowner]

Posted: 10/8/10 at 4:09pm

Unfortunately this could lead to the retooling and recasting the lead, also a big name might be needed to fill this large house.
Jennifer Hudson, maybe?

But the TABOO comparision also comes to mind: Oh I loved this show so much in London, let's move it to New York, but first let's completely rewrite it and change everything.

[choitoy]

Posted: 10/8/10 at 5:56pm

Ugh, you hit the nail on the head there CurtainPullDowner. I was not very excited about this show (after listening to the passable, but underwhelming London cast album). But as soon as you mentioned Jennifer Hudson, my interest perked up again (though I don't know if J Hud would want to step into a Broadway show right now, as I think she's out promoting a movie or her music or something, and I think she said she already has one or the other lined up in the wings.) I'm so shallow like that...

Still, it sounds promising that they are at least choosing some decent show docs to work on it.

[songanddanceman2]

Posted: 10/8/10 at 9:10pm

I also was a not a fan of Sister Act and found myself bored for much of it, it needs all the help it can get.

More thrilled that The Divine Sister was offered a Broadway Transfer, sensible staying put though. It looks like Busch has another hit on his hands.