What's the word of a Rogers & Hammerstein polish/rewrite/reimagining that was being written by the fantastic Douglas Carter Beane?
This tibit was sort of hidden (towards the end of the story) in Rialto Chatter column about what sounds like an incredibly interesting new show with the tour de force that is Nathan Lane..
What new Rogers & Hammerstein Musical would it be?
Def wouldn't be for South Pacific - Is 1998 too soon for a revival of Sound Of Music? Carousel?
When I see the phrase "the ____ estate", I imagine a vast mansion in the country full of monocled men and high-collared women receiving letters about productions across the country and doing spit-takes at whatever they contain.
-Kad
We're clearly of the same mind on this one. She would be brilliant. (Although just the idea of that show staged at the Beaumont gives me chills. It would be breathtaking.)
When I see the phrase "the ____ estate", I imagine a vast mansion in the country full of monocled men and high-collared women receiving letters about productions across the country and doing spit-takes at whatever they contain.
-Kad
King and I has some terribly dated concepts but is such a perfect piece of writing (Western People Funny) it would suffer even more than the FDSong re-write. Allegro is the only piece I think could deal with some good re-writing--it's an ambitious musical with a lot going for it but unlike their other flop shows like Me and Juliet and pipe Dream, which would have to be completely re-written in tone and scope to work--could stand a good edit.
I would imagine it's "Me And Juliet", "Pipe Dream", or "Allegro". Though the script to the stage musical of Sound of Music is pretty awful, I don't think anyone will be touching that anytime soon. And I don't think they would do anything to King and I, or at least not at the moment.
I would love for the full Pipe Dream score to at least get a recording treatment like the recent Allegro. It's really wonderful and the original recording is terribly truncated.
"What can you expect from a bunch of seitan worshippers?" - Reginald Tresilian
I'm banking on Cinderella. A school I work for was going to do it as their spring musical. They inquired about it in September and were told it shouldn't be a problem. Then they submitted the request and were denied, not for the usual reasons (professional/touring production in the area and the like) but because the rights were pulled. The director was told no one can license the show right now. That to me screams rewriting the book. That doesn't prove it's connected to this Rialto column, but it's a possibility.
"Anything with Nathan Lane and Rodgers and Hammerstein is worth seeing. I might have to walk all the way to NYC if my parents won't take me."
I know the blurb reads as if Nathan Lane and R&H are one project, but the full article makes it clear they are two. Lane is starring in a Beane play called THE NANCE.
The R&H project is very hush-hush and the title hasn't been announced.
CINDERELLA is the most obvious, commercial choice. (And, man, what a score!)
PIPE DREAM might be the most artistically interesting if Beane can find a way to tell the story musically.
ME AND JULIET seems a colossal waste of everyone's time and talent to me. If Beane is inspired, ALLEGRO might be intriguing, but there's not much content there and the "experimental" stage craft is nothing new these days.
Cinderella could use the revisions. I recently directed a production using the "enchanted" script, which is a terrible mishmash stylistically, and yet the original script is even clunkier. The score redeems it, but with a solid new book it could really be a wonderful show.
the '00-04 Networks production of Cinderella was heaven and I wished It would have transfered and a Cast Recording would have been produced. sadly the RNH Library licenses it but has since gotten rid of all the updated Orchestrations and has tweaked around with Tom Briggs book
I agree with Gaveston. It seems like 2 separate projects. And to me, Bean is a comedy writer, therefore, I can't see any of the Rodgers and Hammerstein catalogue being rewritten by him, unless possibly Cinderella.