Toughest Musicals To Do
Toughest Musicals To Do
#0Toughest Musicals To Do
Posted: 4/4/05 at 1:37pmIn your humble opinions, what are the top 5 musicals that are tough to do?
#1re: Toughest Musicals To Do
Posted: 4/4/05 at 1:38pmIn what context? Budget? Difficulty to perform? Toughest to get an audience to come see it?
trpguyy
Broadway Legend Joined: 2/25/05
#2re: Toughest Musicals To Do
Posted: 4/4/05 at 1:40pm
Talent-wise: West Side Story, Les Miz
Tech-wise: Beauty and the Beast, Wizard of Oz (if you want it to lok good)
Updated On: 4/4/05 at 01:40 PM
#3re: Toughest Musicals To Do
Posted: 4/4/05 at 1:40pm
Difficulty to perform and/or production
Updated On: 4/4/05 at 01:40 PM
#4re: Toughest Musicals To Do
Posted: 4/4/05 at 1:42pm
I'll add talent wise -- The whole Sondheim ouevre.
Tech wise -- PETER PAN
trpguyy
Broadway Legend Joined: 2/25/05
#5re: Toughest Musicals To Do
Posted: 4/4/05 at 1:58pm
ahh yes, how could I forget Sondheim and Peter Pan?
The good thing about Peter Pan, though, is that you have to professional companies who can take care of the technical aspects for you.
peach
Broadway Legend Joined: 3/29/05
#6re: Toughest Musicals To Do
Posted: 4/4/05 at 2:04pm
Some tough ones talent wise...
West Side Story - no explanation needed.
Most of Sondheim's work - no explanation needed.
Carousel - looks easier than it is. You need the perfect Billy Bigelow for it to work like it should (and still not my favorite show though).
jonartdesigns
Broadway Legend Joined: 5/15/04
#7re: Toughest Musicals To Do
Posted: 4/4/05 at 2:04pm
casting wise- H2$- especially in community theaters, finding all those men isn't fun.
performance wise- anything by sondheim
tech wise- damn yankees (atleast the way i invisioned it), beauty and the beast, wicked(once it goes community)
"Grease," the fourth revival of the season, is the worst show in the history of theater and represents an unparalleled assault on Western civilization and its values. - Michael Reidel
apdarcey
Broadway Legend Joined: 6/10/04
#8re: Toughest Musicals To Do
Posted: 4/4/05 at 2:04pmi think for most places it is hard to get a cast to do ragtime or miss saigon or dreamgirls.
#9re: Toughest Musicals To Do
Posted: 4/4/05 at 2:04pm"Ragtime". Large scale, large cast. Excellent singers/actors are a MUST! Updated On: 4/4/05 at 02:04 PM
#10re: Toughest Musicals To Do
Posted: 4/4/05 at 2:12pm
Dreamgirls and Ragtime are both huge shows, both cast-wise and technically, to produce. Plus, both are shows that can't really be open-cast (based on plot elements) which can make finding the talent needed tricky.
I would also think A Chorus Line would be hard to do in most community theatre groups, where it's hard to find that many trained and excellent dancer/singers.
There's always room for pathos - and jazz hands.
#11re: Toughest Musicals To Do
Posted: 4/4/05 at 2:21pmI'm not sure that WICKED is all that technically different. I mean if you were to try to reproduce the Broadway effects it might be, but there will surely be creative solutions to Glinda's bubble entrance and Elphaba's "flying". The show doesn't really rely on those thing in the same way that you really "have" to have PETER PAN fly, etc.
#12re: Toughest Musicals To Do
Posted: 4/4/05 at 2:25pm
Well, you need Elphaba to fly - which isn't that hard to do...
#13re: Toughest Musicals To Do
Posted: 4/4/05 at 2:43pmUm definitely either Les Mis or Miss Saigon.
~~**I've had a knack from way back of breaking the rules once I learned the games**~~
~~**Badger badger badger badger badger...MUSHROOM!!!**~~
#14re: Toughest Musicals To Do
Posted: 4/4/05 at 2:44pm*gasp* I just realized I moved up in rank! I'm an understudy!! yay
~~**I've had a knack from way back of breaking the rules once I learned the games**~~
~~**Badger badger badger badger badger...MUSHROOM!!!**~~
#15re: Toughest Musicals To Do
Posted: 4/4/05 at 3:08pm
Costume-wise I'd have to say "My Fair Lady".
Talent-wise I'd say most things Sondheim.
Technically I'd agree with "Peter Pan".
I'm sure there are tons more, but I'm at work and my brain is fried! :-
~Joshua
My lip gloss is poppin'...
#16re: Toughest Musicals To Do
Posted: 4/4/05 at 3:16pm
Chorus - Sweeney Todd (most difficult chorus music)
Singing - Tapestry: The Music of Carole King (two solid hours of singing involving most of the cast in almost every song)
Physical - A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum/A Day in Hollywood A Night in the Ukraine
Dancing - A Chorus Line
Acting - Hello Again (very difficult to get both characters right and then play the chorus characters and learn the difficult music)
Singing/Acting/Dancing - West Side Story
"What can you expect from a bunch of seitan worshippers?" - Reginald Tresilian
Elizabeth_DeBris
Broadway Star Joined: 1/29/05
#17re: Toughest Musicals To Do
Posted: 4/4/05 at 3:24pmAlong with the ones listed, I would think Gypsy would be fairly hard to do, talent-wise, because Momma Rose IS the show, and that part requires a powerhouse actress and singer. I'd think that would make it difficult to do.
#18re: Toughest Musicals To Do
Posted: 4/4/05 at 3:28pmI know this is not "able to be" produced by anyone besides Broadway and National Touring casts, as of yet. But I think Movin Out is probally the toughest dance musical to do. BATB, though it looks better with large sets and costumes it can be done on a much smaller budget and production time.
#19re: Toughest Musicals To Do
Posted: 4/4/05 at 3:30pm
West Side Story and A Chorus Line would both be really hard talent wise.
It seems like Peter Pan would actually be less difficult than Wicked, tech wise, because as far as I know (which, granted, isnt a lot), all peter pan needs is strings and harnesses to fly. wicked, however seems like it would be a lot harder, even if you dont try to emulate all the biroadway stuff. isnt there like a platform thing that elphaba has to stand on at the end of defying gravity, while shes connected to a harness and strings?
#20re: Toughest Musicals To Do
Posted: 4/4/05 at 3:34pmIF you want to stay true to the effects Wicked would be really hard to do community theatre wise. Miss Siagon would be hard too.
"All the while making faces like a baby platypus who forget to take some Beano before eating a chimichanga." FindingNamo in reference to Jessica Simpson's singing.
sassypanz
Broadway Star Joined: 1/20/05
#21re: Toughest Musicals To Do
Posted: 4/4/05 at 3:37pmPeter pan, Phantom of Opera, Aida, Gypsy sorta
Gothampc
Broadway Legend Joined: 5/20/03
#22re: Toughest Musicals To Do
Posted: 4/4/05 at 3:51pmOh! Calcutta! Do you know how tough it is to perform bad material in the nude?
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.
#23re: Toughest Musicals To Do
Posted: 4/4/05 at 3:54pmIn My career, the two most difficult scores to learn were Sweeney Todd and Sunday in the Park with George - but once I had them down, I got more enjoyment out of performing those roles than almost any others I had done, with the exception of Cervantes in Man of La Mancha - that one will always be my favorite.
"I don't really get the ending,all i can go with is when after several months,Judith saw Pat sang,and later she kissed him on the toilet,after that the story back to where Pat went down from the stage after he'd sung,and he went to the italian lady.I just don't get it,what Judith exatcly meant when he kissed Pat that she had seen,and did Pat end up together with The Italian Lady?Please help me,thank u very much!"
Quote from someone on IMDB in reference to a movie he/she didn't understand. Such grammar!
#24re: Toughest Musicals To Do
Posted: 4/4/05 at 4:39pmI'm gonna have to say CATS really for all production aspects. I'm dreading this show finally being available for regional. all the set pieces have to either be made specific for the show or rented. the lights too. the theatre either has to have a killer lighting system or rent them. the set, even though it's made up of crap we throw out every day, has to be made to scale so you can't just go to a theatrical supply store and pick these things up. special effects wise, if you want it to look good, is going to need a lot of attention with smoke machines, dry ice and some kind of assent for Grizabella has to be achieved. as well as all the costumes, make-up and wigs. it's really easy to make it look bad. it takes a bit of effort to make it look good.
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