The Goodbye Girl Discussion — Page 2

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#26

re: The Goodbye Girl Discussion

Posted: 2/27/07 at 6:20pm

Does the version available for licensing feature the lyrics by Zippel or the ones by Black? Because if the original version was a tad slow, the revision is positively agonizing.

#27

re: The Goodbye Girl Discussion

Posted: 3/1/07 at 12:48am

It really was just too big of a treatment. The movie is basically about the guy, the woman, and her daughter. If you really think about it, you can list about ten characters from the movie who were actually involved in the plot. The musical brought in too many people.

It should have been a small show like "They're Playing Our Song."

Zippel's lyrics are good, but, coming after "City of Angels", they come off as a disappointment. Jokes about things that will be out of date before the show even closes. (Don't get me started on his lyrics to "Woman In White.")

"A coherent existance after so many years of muddle" - Desiree' Armfelt, A Little Night Music "Life keeps happening everyday, Say Yes" - 70, Girls, 70 "Life is what you do while you're waiting to die" - Zorba

#28

re: The Goodbye Girl Discussion

Posted: 3/1/07 at 5:50am

I was just listening to the cast recording the other day. There are quite a few nice songs, but I think the score, as a whole, doesn't seem to work. Even on CD it feels like it drags on about 3-4 tunes MORE than it should. Perhaps Hamlisch was trying to go for too many numbers with high impact, which destroyed the arc of the score. I never got to see The Goodbye Girl, but it is a CR that I pull out periodically because I love some individual numbers.

". . . POP . . ."

#29

re: The Goodbye Girl Discussion

Posted: 3/1/07 at 12:27pm

The show had the most hideous sets I have ever seen. Peters didn't even seem to be in the building.

#30

re: The Goodbye Girl Discussion

Posted: 3/1/07 at 12:48pm

It also had one of the ugliest show posters I have ever seen.

I remember seeing an ad in Playbill before the show opened and thinking "I hope the show is better than the poster."

Cast albums are NOT "soundtracks."
Live theatre does not use a "soundtrack." If it did, it wouldn't be live theatre!

I host a weekly one-hour radio program featuring cast album selections as well as songs by cabaret, jazz and theatre artists. The program, FRONT ROW CENTRE is heard Sundays 9 to 10 am and also Saturdays from 8 to 9 am (eastern times) on www.proudfm.com

#31

re: The Goodbye Girl Discussion

Posted: 3/1/07 at 12:53pm

I saw the show and agree with what many of the others have said. The thing I remember was that the choreography was bad. The show overall never captured the strengths of the movie.

If anyone ever tells you that you put too much Parmesan cheese on your pasta, stop talking to them. You don't need that kind of negativity in your life.

#32

re: The Goodbye Girl Discussion

Posted: 3/1/07 at 3:57pm

frontrow, I was thinking the same thing. I saw the CD at the library and I thought I'd try it, and I was like "hm...judging by the poster, the show probably came out in the 70s..." Nope, early 90s. It just look incredibly dated, and it sounded dated.

#33

re: The Goodbye Girl Discussion

Posted: 3/1/07 at 3:58pm

And the strengths of the movie were...

Have I ever shown you my Shattered Dreams box? It's in my Disappointment Closet. - Marge Simpson

#34

re: The Goodbye Girl Discussion

Posted: 3/1/07 at 3:59pm

The score is great. It's hardly done in community theaters.

I remember that when Short and Peters were leaving, they announced Sheryl Lee Ralph and Tony Danza as replacements.

#35

re: The Goodbye Girl Discussion

Posted: 3/2/07 at 8:47am

I never saw this on Broadway, but I too played Paula a few years ago locally. I found this show to be a total blast. We did use the version with the Hamlisch/Zippel music, and I was constantly kept on my toes by the witty lyrics and quick dialogue. Our sets were minimal and I think it allowed the audience to focus more on the storyline. The whole show was just alot of fun. Having not seen Bernadette do the part, I didn't take a whiny character approach to Paula. I think Paula is more of a woman who continues to make bad choices, and then finally gets a break in love. She's going through a rough spot, and doesn't take herself too seriously. More theatres should do this show- it's a gem!

#36

re: The Goodbye Girl Discussion

Posted: 3/2/07 at 11:55am

This is such a great show. Maybe Encore will do a revival.

#37

re: The Goodbye Girl Discussion

Posted: 3/6/07 at 10:01pm

I always thought of The Goodbye Girl as one of those situations where some industry friends rifled around their past work to figure out something to make some money.

Simon and Hamlisch had a green ($) light go on over their heads. The movie is a 60's Simon style idea, that was showhorned into the 70's. After 18 years, they thought that the luck they had with the original movie could be repeated.

The reality is that the movie was successful because Richard Dreyfuss, Marsha Mason and Quinn Cummings were perfect and winning in their roles. And they made creaky sitcom material seem plausible at the time. If you watch the movie today, you can see the mechanics pushing it along.

There was no reason for the musical to exist, as the style that Simon utilized for the movie had become irrelevent.

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