"Royal Fam of Bwdy"
"Royal Fam of Bwdy"
FinnFanatic
Stand-by Joined: 6/21/04
#0"Royal Fam of Bwdy"
Posted: 7/15/04 at 9:33amDoes anyone know anything about "The Royal Family of Broadway", the show William Finn has been working on? I know he had hoped to bring it to Broadway a few years ago, but I haven't heard much about it since then (I read that he hoped to open it the season after "Seussical" opened). I can't find any information about it online, so I was hoping that there may be some out there in the vast knowledge of the message boards.
ponine24601
Broadway Legend Joined: 10/4/03
#1re: 'Royal Fam of Bwdy'
Posted: 7/15/04 at 9:41amnope nothing. sorry!
"People asking questions, lost in confusion. Well I tell them there's no problems, only solutions."
~The one and only John Lennon
#2re: 'Royal Fam of Bwdy'
Posted: 7/15/04 at 10:28amWho is the royal family of Broadway right now? The Fosters?
BSoBW2: I punched Sondheim in the face after I saw Wicked and said, "Why couldn't you write like that!?"
WOSQ
Broadway Legend Joined: 7/18/03
#3re: 'Royal Fam of Bwdy'
Posted: 7/15/04 at 12:02pm
Read the play this is based on: The Royal Family by Kaufman and Ferber. It is available in an acting edition. The family in question was suggested by the Barrymores.
It is one of those plays that is long on character and short on plot. There was a terrific if not legendary production in 1976 directed by and with Ellis Rabb and also with Eva Le Gallienne, Rosemary Harris, Sam Levene, Joseph Maher & Mary Louise Wilson among others. It was taped for PBS and shown as recently as a couple of years ago.
It does not cry out to be musicalized. It is already a wonderful PLAY and an attempt to musicalize it could reveal how sparse the such-as-it-is plot is.
There is no current 'Royal Family of Broadway'. People-in-Waiting at best.
"If my life weren't funny, it would just be true. And that would be unacceptable."
--Carrie Fisher
FinnFanatic
Stand-by Joined: 6/21/04
#4re: 'Royal Fam of Bwdy'
Posted: 7/15/04 at 12:11pm
WOSQ-
Yeah, I had heard of the play it is based on. I was going to go out and see if I could find it anywhere. I know William Finn has written at least a few songs for a musical version of it, including "I Have Found"...sung by none other than Carolee Carmello on the Infinite Joy recording. The song is amazing, and it makes me really look forward to the possibility of a complete musical. Thanks for the info!
MusicMan
Broadway Legend Joined: 5/16/03
#5re: 'Royal Fam of Bwdy'
Posted: 7/15/04 at 6:55pm
WOSQ, I'm in accord with you regarding ROYAL FAMILY's musical possibilities (zip) and the lack of royals on the present American theatre scene. Vanessa and Natasha probably come the closest but they ain't ours.
As far as the Finn "musical" is concerned, last I heard was that Elaine Stritch performed a number at a Dramatists Guild function a couple of years back. And the rest is silence.
Broadway Legend Joined: 12/31/69
#6re: 'Royal Fam of Bwdy'
Posted: 7/15/04 at 7:22pmThey just did a production of THE ROYAL FAMILY at the Ahmanson in LA. Many of the audience - including ourselves - left at intermission. Updated On: 7/15/04 at 07:22 PM
GovernorSlaton
Broadway Legend Joined: 5/14/04
#7re: 'Royal Fam of Bwdy'
Posted: 7/15/04 at 9:14pmFalsettos.net says that it still is a "work in progress".
BWayBoy88
Broadway Legend Joined: 4/23/04
#8re: 'Royal Fam of Bwdy'
Posted: 7/16/04 at 12:06amSumofallthings-You beat me to it. The Fosters really are the Royal Family of Broadway. There is just talent running through their blood.
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