The American Musical. New broadway vs. old broadway- Page 2

[PitPro2004]

Posted: 7/13/08 at 9:54pm

"Well you brought up Madonna. I was just trying to inform you that she was attacked for the exact same reasons you cite: She paid no dues."

A. Go back and re-read my post, you are taking my mention of her out of context. She's earned her level of stardom...not that I agree with celebs acting like gods, but Taylor Hicks is hardly one to demand a table and have his a$$ kissed. Madonna is...well....Madonna!

B. She most certainly *did* pay her dues, but lucked out; she came along when MTV hit it's stride. Good for her. And may I also say she's been in the business for YEARS. She didn't get the induction into the hall after 2-3 years and one major win. She has created a dance music legacy which Carrie has not. Neither has Clay...or Frenchie...and so on.

" She went from completely inexperienced unknown to household name in a matter of days, due to her appearance on TV."

I think that's a matter of opinion. I wouldn't say "days" but yes...she developed a following over a rather short period of time.

"And for someone who brags they've not watched a minute of American Idol you sure do know a lot about it."

How is it possible NOT to know about A.I. especially when a sizable portion of them parade thru Broadway? Or I don't suppose you've heard of something called newspapers or magazines? And for the record, I'm not bragging, I'm simply stating that I have better ways to entertain myself than watch the population of Planet Earth make fools of themselves for their own sakes.

" Since I know nothing about you, I'll generalze like you did and say you are a frustrated musician who thinks you could set the world on fire if you could just get a goddamn break like that horrible Taylor Hicks who's making so much in that awful awful show while you slave away in some show that mean old producers won't even bring to broadway!"

Generalize away, my schedule couldn't be fuller! I've been in this business for decades and I will keep working which is something I bet many A.I. winners won't be doing once they aren't popular anymore. Then again, I'm not demanding tables like Taylor Hicks, or being pissy over my lack of record sales like Clay. Oh Poor Mr. Aiken! You aren't a member of Bon Jovi, but you think you should should get the same treatment!

" It's not you it's those dopey producers who only want to produce shows they think will make money! Damn them!"

You said it! Those dopey producers only bring shows to Broadway that will make money. Forget that Broadway was once the epitome of artistry and talent. Now it's the "happiest corpse I've ever seen"!! Hallelujah!! No point in arguing over this...it's all been talked about before.

I have a right to be bummed about original material and I am sure I'm not the only person who ever felt dejected about a project not taking off. But I have damned well earned every credit on my resume; I didn't hit the reality show lottery to do it either. :)

[trinaaron]

Posted: 7/13/08 at 9:57pm

"The average theater goer will come and see a show that's based on a movie, book or tv show, but the chances of them coming to see an original plot with original music sung by legit singers is becoming a thing of the past. Now they come to see American Idols....shows based on movies...and so on."

And yet In The Heights is doing very well. Ok, it doesn't really have legit singers (Thank God), but it certainly is original. It has been mentioned several times that in the past shows were written for certain performers. How is that any different than using a familiar story, or even stunt casting. Either way it is all about selling tickets and always has been.

Articles like this always come across as sour grapes. People who are upset that Broadway (or music, film, literature, etc.) has moved on from their comfort zone and in a direction that they don't like. Stagnation isn't a good thing.

[NCGuy]

Posted: 7/13/08 at 10:32pm

I know this isn’t the original topic of the thread, but PitPro, you’ve brought this up twice...

The country music equivalent of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame is the Country Music Hall of Fame, not the Grand Ole Opry. Opry membership isn’t based on career achievement as much as it is popularity, so Underwood’s induction is not at all surprising. And for what it’s worth, you mentioned Dolly Parton and Johnny Cash; both became Opry members very early in their careers.

Sorry to threadjack...

[LePetiteFromage]

Posted: 7/14/08 at 3:22am

Updated On: 5/2/09 at 03:22 AM

[PitPro2004]

Posted: 7/14/08 at 7:34am

"The country music equivalent of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame is the Country Music Hall of Fame, not the Grand Ole Opry. Opry membership isn’t based on career achievement as much as it is popularity, so Underwood’s induction is not at all surprising. And for what it’s worth, you mentioned Dolly Parton and Johnny Cash; both became Opry members very early in their careers. "

Agreed. But once again, my point being; they didn't win a game show as springboard to their success leading to an induction. Their careers manifested a bit differently than that.

And as for Broadway being the pinnacle, I still stand by my comments. I think it's far from being that today, because commercialisms reign supreme.

[erineloise]

Posted: 7/14/08 at 2:10pm

Alright, while yes this article is a few years old, I still completely agree with it, if not more so, today. Shows today seem to be written for "fame" not for artistry. And while I will acknowledge that not all shows in the past few years have been like that, its certainly a majority. Broadway (as a majority) is a commercial and I'm going to have to agree with PitPro2004.

Because of this change in broadway we have now split the theatre world almost completely in half. Straight plays and Musicals. I think its funny because now there is this category of "musical theatre acting" that is driving me INSANE! Broadway, because it has become a belt contest, seems to not care if their actors can really be what they are calling them still "ACTORS". Why is it that acting in a musical has to be so completely over the top, annoying, and untruthful? There is no artistry in that, and I guess that's why it makes people easy to replace.