Tony Awards Shake-up: GLORY DAYS Arrives to Broadway THIS Season — Page 3

Saw the show at the Signature. Bland. Pedestrian writing and pedestrian acting. I'm in no way bashing the show, though some will disagree, but the whole concept of 'life was better back then' - gets old.

To add my thoughts on the comment about wanting new original shows on Broadway - just because a show is original does not warrant any awards or praises 'just because'. It might very well be that Show X was based off of a movie and scored rave reviews all around, but Show Y, which was completely original, had weaker writing all around and wasn't as good of a show overall. Does that make those who like Show X people who hate original shows? Absolutely not.

Best Musical is such an interesting category if you think about it. While it could, and has in the past, gone to truly unique and outstanding shows that deserve it, it sometimes does go to the show that needs it politically for when it goes to tour and what not. While only 3? 4? shows have really received outstanding reviews this season, both officially and unofficially (boards, word of mouth, etc), a number of other shows that have received less-than-outstanding reviews have one or two factors in them that truly deserve recognition. An excellent example is the lighting design for 'Little Mermaid' or the scenic design.

Speaking of which, I personally applaud George Tsypin for creating a truly unique take on 'Mermaid'. While it would have been interesting to have seen other scenic designers take on that rather monumental challenge, Mr. Tsypin really created, in partnership with the rest of the creative team, a feast for the eyes that didn't give in to commercialism. The LiveDesign article that was posted on this board a day or two ago about the design process was especially fascinating to read, one- because I'm a scenic designer and two- because it made everything click, for me at least, in terms of the overall design. Suddenly, choices that I didn't necessarily agree with came across rather clever. And I personally find the 'Storm at Sea' sequence to be visually magnificent, even if other parts of the show are lacking.

To get back on topic - even though 'Glory Days' is an original musical, it does not mean it deserves any awards 'just because'. If that is how the Tony Awards worked, 'Curtains' most likely wouldn't be closing at the end of June.

In conclusion, new material can be great, but so can material based off of past works. Why not look at the actual substance to the show you're discussing rather than making an argument based off of its originality?

Updated On: 3/20/08 at 12:20 AM

Stageishome - I would most definitely agree with your posting....completely new shows should not automatically be praised and given awards. They should only if they are actually great. I don't think that people were recommending that.

I think, rather, many of us were saying that we should be glad to see completely original shows making it to Broadway, and that this might encourage producers to take chances on new writers, rather than ONLY considering musicals based on other material. Don't get me wrong, those shows have their place and some of them (Hairspray, Jersey Boys, Producers etc.) are great. I think some just fear that the trend is leaning toward only producing shows that audiences are familiar with.

In a time when we are not seeing as many original shows as say the Sondheim golden years, it is great to see new writers being given a shot.


On Glory Days itself, I would add that I did not think the concept of the show was "life was better back then". Rather, the show is about those transitional phases we all face in life. Graduting from high school is the first major transition that many people experience. The show is about learning to move on and accept the change. I found it to be very relevant. You, however, are indeed entitled to your own opinion, and I thank you for sharing it with us!

Updated On: 3/20/08 at 03:50 PM

I agree that the show could be reworked some...however, there is nothing saying more changes won't be made during the preview period (however short it may be).

Also, perhaps since the writers are young, they figure they can just rework it for the Broadway revival in fifteen years :)

huh?

Updated On: 5/7/08 at 02:29 PM