To all 14 to 21 year old theatre fans

Posted: 10/3/03 at 9:33am

After reading every review of "Little Shop of Horrors", a musical I don’t care for but a current production I rather liked, I cant help but thinking a good portion of the reviews on this board and in the press might be tinged with the heady afterglow of nostalgia.

Think of it this way, 25 years from now, there will be a revival of “HAIRSPRAY” and god help us, “Thoroughly Modern Millie”…..

These two shows seems to mean a great deal to many of the young theatre students and fans out there right now.

These two shows will always be wrapped up in your memories, with your youth…

No matter how great the 2025 revival of "Hairspray" may be or how exciting the new Millie may perform, they will never compare to what is in your brain…what has become a memory…. because those memories will always have this rosy shade to them…this color, that will be inescapable.

Oh sure, you may like and even admire some revivals and some new performers..

..but not always...sometimes the past will just be too hard to put aside..

blah..blah..blah..

So please, take all that is said about this show and Miss. Butler with a grain of salt…

Go…

You may like it, you may not…

But at least you’ll be able to debate the merit of the next revival in 2030….

…and hopefully your rose colored glasses will be off when watching it.!

I hope mine will!

[broadwayguy2]

Posted: 10/3/03 at 9:34am

I agree with that Voiceanth. That is VERY true.

[lass]

Posted: 10/3/03 at 10:03am

voiceanth-

Those are the most profound words I've ever seen you post. I'm not in the 14 to 21 age group, and I agree with you completely.

[PB ENT.]

Posted: 10/3/03 at 10:07am

To a great extent this holds true for those in all age groups and for all shows. Perhaps that's why many of the re-makes and revivals are under the microscope next to their originals.

Creative teams that re-stage originals truly take a leap of faith and a risk. Today's theater audiences are not just saavy, but extremely opinionated and some unfortunately aggressively attack every nuance that changes in a revival. I think it stinks! But that's not going to change.

I "truly" respect and appreciate young peoples' avid interest,opinions and pursuit in theater. I work with them via workshops and we talk about this a lot. But it's a stretch for me to say they have the experience or knowledge of people who have been in or around theater for 10-20 years. Still, they have a right to express themselves through their young opinions. Some are more mature,insightful and les critical than others in expressing themselves. It's just that, as you alluded to, people's opinions change with time.

[BrdwyThtr]

Posted: 10/3/03 at 3:26pm

I'm 15 years old, and I plan on seeing LSOH no matter what. I have loved the show since I was in 3rd Grade and I'm not gonna let the reviews stop me.

[sheekala]

Posted: 10/3/03 at 3:41pm

Yes, all you "14-21year olds" with deep pockets should love it, and just think you'll be able to enjoy it just like an MTV video, all fast and showy..it's perfect. Voice, I think when you did all that "man-scaping" on yer bod, ya shaved off some of your depended upon practical reason.

Posted: 10/3/03 at 3:50pm

Shekky...

we know, we know you did'nt like it....

we know..we know..

Ellen Greene could eat a can of cabbage and fart a better performance than Kerry Butler..

we know!!

we know you've liked some dumps better than this show...

we know...

we know

we know

[sheekala]

Posted: 10/3/03 at 3:57pm

but d oYOU know..haha, ok, I'll be good, VA, what are your thoughts on Nick?..Is he hot or whhhhaaattt, and he's a neatnick!

[TheBalladeer]

Posted: 10/3/03 at 4:00pm

sheekala, I hope you were joking. Because if you weren't I would say....."get over it."

With Love,
The Balladeer

[sheekala]

Posted: 10/3/03 at 4:01pm

Yes, I'm joking....or am I?!

[ShineOn]

Posted: 10/3/03 at 4:12pm

I hate more than anything being categorized into this age group.

Yes, I'm 19, but I couldn't care less about Hairspray, nor do I think Thoroughly Modern Millie is a work of art. I think it's fun and campy and "thoroughly" enjoyed the performances I viewed, but to consider it one of my "favorites" and to accuse me of not giving a revival cast a fair shot is absurd.

I like to think of myself as being fairly open minded. You can't expect a revival cast to give the same performance as their predeccessors... but, you CAN however expect and hope for the same caliber of performance. That is okay.

In regards to Miss Butler, I do think she's talented, however I still hold firm in my beliefs that she was miscast. I don't think her performance matches the caliber of Greene's, and whereas I give her due credit where it's deserved... it's highly admirable she's attempted to make the role her own and not copy the original... I still believe she strayed a bit TOO far from the mold formed by Ellen and thus, in the process, lost the charm and humanity that is Audrey. She turned Audrey into a replica of Penny, and sure, they may share some similarities, and kudos to her for trying to channel them, but Audrey possess a maturity that I just don't buy with Kerry.

That's just my opinion. I was open minded -- I hoped for the best. I was just let down and I don't blame Kerry or hate Kerry... I'm just extremely disappointed I didn't have the opporunity to see Alice.

I don't think it's fair to compare, but one deserves to see the same caliber of performance. Isn't the point of a revival to improve it? Isn't that what the changes are for? How is it being remotely improved if the leads can't deliver an equally believable performance as the first?

Updated On: 10/3/03 at 04:12 PM

Posted: 10/3/03 at 4:15pm

Daisy, you are the only 19 year old I know of who sounds like she needs metamucil!


All's I'm sayin is to go and judge yourselves..because some opinions here maybe tainted by the ghosts of Ellen Grenne past!

Posted: 10/3/03 at 4:23pm

I saw the original "A Chorus Line" when I was a kid and all I can say is no revival - if there ever will be one - could compare. Well spoken V.A.

Posted: 10/3/03 at 4:56pm

Well looking with that perspective in mind Voiceanth, I can now see why so many Sondheim Snobs hated the Into the Woods revival thinking the Original was much better when it was obviously not.

[WhatDoINeedWithLove?]

Posted: 10/3/03 at 5:01pm

Good call! Total voice of reason!

[Sister George]

Posted: 10/3/03 at 5:29pm

I have found the whole message board and critical reaction to Litte Shop of Horrors very interesting as it is one of my favourite musicals and I was witness to such a bad production in the regions of England last year of a show which had been made to seem to me as pretty indestructiable.

But I guess there must be a point in any production process, but in particular in musicals which tend to be constantly re-adjusted and rewriiten, where the creative talent begin to mould the material around the talents appointed to the production.

Hence accordingly of course Audrey in Little Shop of Horrors is particularly suited to Ellen Greene as I would wager that much of the part was not only written to accomodate her talents but also she was given the opportunity to engrave her intrepretion of the role on film.

However I think occasionaly given time and society or attitudes change so that a performer can give a new take on a role and suddenly make it look fresh and original as occured for me when Sam Mendes/Adrian Lester re-invented Company for the 90's at the Donmar.

I guess casting Kerry Butler (by the sounds of it an honest performer) was never going to be different enough nor had enough time passed for her to be found anything but wanting in the shadow of Ms Greene (a performer for whom lets face it to date, Audrey is as good as it has got).

It had never occured to me, but from what people have said a black or asian Audrey might have just made the remove from Ms Greene, to allow us to see this show anew, in the same way that I have always felt that someone should ditch that bloody ginger wig from annie and cast it with a black (Aretha Franklin-esque) girl to try and give that show some soul and sincerity.


(ahh well that teach me to stay in on a friday and hit the vodka!)

Posted: 10/3/03 at 5:44pm

I saw Little Shop done with a cast against all the Type Casting. Audrey was very R&Bish (African American). Seymour was African American as well, but overweight. The Chiffons were all white, and one of them was overweight as well. It did give a whole new outlook on the show, and I think Seymour is done better with an overweight nerd versus a skinny one because it makes it even that more shocking when him and Audrey grow closer. Dentist was played by this latino thug looking kid. It was a very interesing show to say the less.

[BwayTheatre11]

Posted: 10/3/03 at 6:21pm

#1: If a show is on Bway, it is a piece of art. #2: Kerry isn't necessarilly going to be as wonderful as Ellen Greene...get over it! #3: I would never take someone's opinion and let it influence my desicion when it comes to a show.

[sheekala]

Posted: 10/3/03 at 6:33pm

Extra Extra! This just in...a word from the Oracle, "If a show is on Broadway, it is a piece of art."...on a related note I'm going to view the costumes of Dance of the Vampires at Moma this weekend, any takers?

[BwayTheatre11]

Posted: 10/3/03 at 6:37pm

You are referring to "art" as amazing everything. That's not true, smart a$$. That is what frustrates me! Ohhh...I hate those costumes...the show is not a piece of art. Ohhh...that actress is not as good as the original...the show is not a piece of art.

[Phantom05]

Posted: 10/3/03 at 6:46pm

Voiceanth....I like what you said and agree with you. I just have to say that you are a very wise person. I am 16 --- almost 17, and consider myself to be a very open-minded person. I don't want to let anyone's review of a show sway my opinion; I'd just like to make my own decisions on the matter. I try to make it a point not to compare a performer to their predecessor, and just look at what that actor/actress has brought to whatever role they are portraying.

Phantom05

Posted: 10/3/03 at 6:58pm

You are 16 goooooing on 17....hehe

[BwayTheatre11]

Posted: 10/3/03 at 6:59pm

I thought the same thing, lol.

[DofB5]

Posted: 10/3/03 at 7:10pm

When someone so much younger than me gives such good advise to people even younger than him, it makes me feel faint. Could someone help this old lady to a chair?? Maybe get me a glass a water? A cane?

Good job, Voiceanth! I agree 100%

D

[Phantom05]

Posted: 10/3/03 at 7:10pm

I was waiting for someone to say that, hahahahahahahaha!!!!!!

Bye!!!

Phantom05