Royal Family of Broadway musical by William Finn?

[bigbelterbaby]

Posted: 7/26/23 at 5:22pm

I was looking up successful plays that have potential to be great musicals and thought of The Royal Family by George S. Kaufman and Edna Ferber. There was also a movie made in 1930 with the same title based on the play. 

Then I saw that William Finn has been workshopping a musical based on this for almost 20 years, last at Barrington Stage in 2018? I was listening to a podcast with Tovah Feldshuh who was in a workshop of it and said it’s a great show but the Kaufman Estate gave Finn trouble with the rights. Has anyone seen a production or have any more tea on it ? 

 

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[BeingAlive44Ever]

Posted: 7/26/23 at 6:10pm

I love William Finn so much and I have seen every single interview about this show but it continues to elude me

The Barrington Stage Production was actually a full premier, though, not a workshop

I thought that was where it ended, and it's hard to even find any of the songs online

However, I once heard a song from the show on the Broadway station, which was a very high quality recording, though I cannot for the life of me seem to find that recording anywhere else

I could be totally off base here, but I think it's entirely possible that something related to this show is coming, or maybe is happening right now and I'm somehow oblivious 

By the way, I believe the song I heard was called something like "Listen to the Beat". It's entirely possible and even probable that the recording I heard was simply from unpublished promotional material, as I heard a similar recording in the limited promotional clips, but I'm going to hope that there's potential for some re emergence of the show. 

[Impeach2017]

Posted: 7/26/23 at 6:14pm

It premiered in 2018 and the NYT panned it, so I doubt that it will be coming to Broadway any time soon.  There was talk of Stage Door becoming a musical, which is not a bad thought, but again, crickets.

[ErmengardeStopSniveling]

Posted: 7/26/23 at 6:15pm

I found it to be a pretty poor musical. Tonally and musically all over the place, and at some point in its development it got a whole new book. The cast was mostly strong at Barrington (not Laura M Kelly), but I cannot think there is ANY commercial appetite for producing a musical about aging 20th century theatre folk on Broadway —- and certainly not one with a middling score. 

[BeingAlive44Ever]

Posted: 7/26/23 at 6:30pm

ErmengardeStopSniveling said: "I found it to be a pretty poor musical. Tonally and musically all over the place, and at some point in its development it got a whole new book. The cast was mostly strong at Barrington (not Laura M Kelly), but I cannot think there is ANY commercial appetite for producing a musical about aging 20th century theatre folk on Broadway —- and certainly not one with a middling score."

I love William Finn's writing style and it's very much my thing, but he is a rather bizarre writer and he isn't the most grandiose composer ultimately. His stuff definitely isn't Broadway. Even some shows I adore that he made aren't really for Broadway. And even my favorite musical of all time, Falsettos, has only played on Broadway for one and a half years between both productions. 

[OuttaTowner]

Posted: 7/26/23 at 6:41pm

Saw it at Barrington and - despite a great cast - it was  a pretty turgid slog. Overlong, dreary book and forgettable score. There wasn’t much to salvage from what I witnessed. 

[KevinKlawitter]

Posted: 7/26/23 at 7:18pm

I'm not familiar with the musical, but I watched the 1930 film recently and enjoyed it. Fredric March waa absolutely hilarious - I could see someone like Chris Pine doing really well in that role in a Broadway revival.

[BeingAlive44Ever]

Posted: 7/26/23 at 7:41pm

I really hope that a new William Finn revue comes out and that it finally comes to Broadway. The one song I heard from Royal Family was great, although I don't doubt that it was largely dull. 

[RippedMan]

Posted: 7/26/23 at 8:48pm

I still wish Little Miss Sunshine had more of a life. 

[MichelleCraig]

Posted: 7/26/23 at 9:31pm

Interesting. I think both properties mentioned in this string (ROYAL FAMILY and STAGE DOOR) could potentially be musicalized. I remember seeing THE ROYAL FAMILY in Boston when I was a kid in the 70s. Eva La Gallienne was in it and it was fantastic. Leonard Frey was also in the production.

It’s a shame to read that the Finn musicalization was sub-par. Hopefully this property will be revisited…there’s a great musical in there somewhere! Same with STAGE DOOR.

Updated On: 7/26/23 at 09:31 PM

[CoffeeBreak]

Posted: 7/26/23 at 10:00pm

Updated On: 7/27/23 at 10:00 PM

[BeingAlive44Ever]

Posted: 7/26/23 at 11:07pm

CoffeeBreak said: "There's a reason it's been workshopping for 20 years. Not great. With new material, William Finn hasn't had much luck since "Spelling Bee". ("New Brain" being a non-success in NYC). The slowing Barrington is the only real producer anymore due to proximity and any interest. Would like to hear more but fear his good shows may be limited to Falsettos, Spelling Bee and a mix bag of songs."

I'm one of the few people who adores A New Brain and Elegies is also excellent, but neither of those were very successful at all

I think that it's probably safe to say William Finn will never get another show on Broadway, but that's just so sad to me because I adore him. 

I guess there just aren't that many people who adore him like I do. Oh, and his shows are very hard to market. I mean, Spelling Bee is very successful, mostly outside of Broadway. But I struggle to explain to people why they should be interested in Falsettos, even though it's my favorite musical. "You see, it's a two and a half hour sung through musical in which the main character is a huge asshole for the whole first two thirds and he beats his wife and makes his neurodivergent son develop a variety of mental illnesses. There's also a stereotype of a Jewish therapist as a character, and it's also kind of like an opera in its structure and many of its lyrical concepts. Oh, and also the second act is about the AIDS crisis and is completely different in tone and musically from the first act because they were actually written nine years apart."

[Sebastian]

Posted: 7/26/23 at 11:56pm

I also feel obliged to adore William Finn due to him also making my favorite musical, in my case being Spelling Bee, Falsettos is also good.

[Owen22]

Posted: 7/27/23 at 10:51am

It has always surprised me that William Finn, the most original, edgy and melodious composer/lyricists of the post-Sondheim era would be as obsessed with The Royal Family which is about as old fashioned as you can get.  I missed the Barrington production but have heard songs form it and it's dull and missing that wonderful Finn feel, that even some of his less successful shows still maintain. American Kicks Up It's Heels/Romance In Hard Times was fascinating, and musical and weird and funny and devastating. THAT is the William Finn I want to remember. 

Incidentally, I have seen two other productions of Little Miss Sunshine since it's debut. It is not the bomb it seemed at Second Stage. One was a professional production in London and then a semi-prof in Sydney and they both worked. I think off-Broadway it was James Lapine's direction.  It seemed his heart wasn't in it.  But these other two international productions, you really root for that family, as you do in the film, unlike you did with the Stephanie J Block and Will Swenson brood. Both other productions, the audience cheered for them. I would very much like to see an invested director take this show on again in New York.

[BeingAlive44Ever]

Posted: 7/27/23 at 11:32am

Owen22 said: "It has always surprised me that William Finn, the most original, edgy and melodious composer/lyricists of the post-Sondheim era would be as obsessed with The Royal Family which is about as old fashioned as you can get. I missed the Barrington production but have heard songs form it and it's dull and missing that wonderful Finn feel, that even some of his less successful shows still maintain. American Kicks Up It's Heels/Romance In Hard Times was fascinating, and musical and weird and funny and devastating. THAT is the William Finn I want to remember.

Incidentally, I have seen two other productions of Little Miss Sunshine since it's debut. It is not the bomb it seemed at Second Stage. One was a professional production in London and then a semi-prof in Sydney and they both worked. I think off-Broadway it was James Lapine's direction. It seemed his heart wasn't in it. But these other two international productions, you really root for that family, as you do in the film, unlike you did with the Stephanie J Block and Will Swenson brood. Both other productions, the audience cheered for them. I would very much like to see an invested director take this show on again in New York."

I adore William Finn as well, and I can basically agree with everything you just said. 

That being said, I feel like I want to defend William Finn for making a musical that is apparently dull. 

Again, I haven't really heard Royal Family. However, I think it's probably a fair assumption that... Um... Actually I don't really know, I guess sometimes people make really dull stuff.