What's the deal with "Amour"?
What's the deal with "Amour"?
Junior
Stand-by Joined: 4/12/06
#1What's the deal with "Amour"?
Posted: 2/3/08 at 8:51pm
(I searched, and found nothing that answered my questions)
Did ANYONE see it? I know it flopped, but I love the Cast recording and can't help but wonder why it did as badly as it did... I'm not saying I think it could have run for years, but what was so terrible about it? Was it in too large a theatre? Were there not enough advance sales? Did the problems lie in the book? (I haven't seen a production of this anywhere... or heard of any for that matter...) Casting difficulties? WHAT HAPPENED?
Mr Roxy
Broadway Legend Joined: 5/17/03
#2re: What's the deal with 'Amour'?
Posted: 2/3/08 at 8:56pm
Deemed too slight for Broadway . We saw it & throughly enjoyed it. It probably would have fared better Off Broadway
No falling chandeliers or helicopters spelled its doom.
Poster Emeritus
#2re: What's the deal with 'Amour'?
Posted: 2/3/08 at 9:00pm
A charming charming musical. The music is lovely, the cast was fantastic, Lapine's production was actually really really good.
I LOVED it. Still do. Remains one of my all-time favorite musicals.
"Picture "The View," with the wisecracking, sympathetic sweethearts of that ABC television show replaced by a panel of embittered, suffering or enraged Arab women" -the Times review of Black Eyed
RentBoy86
Broadway Legend Joined: 2/15/05
#3re: What's the deal with 'Amour'?
Posted: 2/3/08 at 9:24pmI think there just wasn't enough "umph" in it. I fell in love with the recording a couple of years ago, and I tried to get my University to do it in this season, but it was deemed to "light." I think it's beautiful, and I love the magic of the production. Sometimes some clips will surface on THAT SITE.
Yankeefan007
Broadway Legend Joined: 3/20/04
#4re: What's the deal with 'Amour'?
Posted: 2/3/08 at 9:28pmIt's an incredibly slight show that was just too little for Broadway.
BrodyFosse123
Broadway Legend Joined: 2/27/06
#5re: What's the deal with 'Amour'?
Posted: 2/3/08 at 9:29pm
A great quality full show bootleg video exists of the original Broadway cast. Seek it out and it'll help answer all your questions.
Yankeefan007
Broadway Legend Joined: 3/20/04
#6re: What's the deal with 'Amour'?
Posted: 2/3/08 at 9:30pmAnd it had an incredibly overqualified cast...Melissa Errico, Malcolm Gets, Norm Lewis...
#7re: What's the deal with 'Amour'?
Posted: 2/3/08 at 9:31pm
I don't know who thought it was right for Broadway... That was an odd move. I don't think it's quite as slight as everyone made it out to be. Certainly its fluff, but what's wrong with a little fluff? I mean, The Wedding Singer ran longer that Amour did!
The score really is just ravishing. I'm surprised more community theaters haven't done it yet,seeing as it's beautiful charming fluff and can be done very cheaply. But I suppose we need to see Oklahoma one more time...
RentBoy are the rights even available?
"Picture "The View," with the wisecracking, sympathetic sweethearts of that ABC television show replaced by a panel of embittered, suffering or enraged Arab women" -the Times review of Black Eyed
#8re: What's the deal with 'Amour'?
Posted: 2/3/08 at 9:39pm
It seemed as if the show relied too much on the viewer's previous knowledge of the original story (Le Passe-Muraille by Marcel Ayme).
As a result, the characters were either one-dimensional (the street-workers, Isabelle's husband, etc.) or no-dimensional (Isabelle). It wasn't easy for me to generate much concern for anyone except Malcolm Gets.
"Y'know, I think Bertolt Brecht was rolling in his grave."
-Nellie McKay on the 2006 Broadway production of The Threepenny Opera, in which she played Polly Peachum
-Nellie McKay on the 2006 Broadway production of The Threepenny Opera, in which she played Polly Peachum
Boq101
Broadway Legend Joined: 11/20/06
#9re: What's the deal with 'Amour'?
Posted: 2/3/08 at 9:48pmI havent heard much of the show either, but considering the credits I might look into getting a cast album. Do pictures exist of the production at least?
RentBoy86
Broadway Legend Joined: 2/15/05
#10re: What's the deal with 'Amour'?
Posted: 2/3/08 at 9:51pmOh, I don't even know. I didn't push it that hard because we don't have the singers to pull it off. It's a small show, but it still requires some creative stage magic. I wish I could find a bootleg of the show. I'd love to see it. The stuff I've seen makes the show even more beautiful.
#11re: What's the deal with 'Amour'?
Posted: 2/3/08 at 10:09pm
A lot of the problem was how to show Dusoleil actually passing through the walls. They had these strange flappy walls that looked silly from time to time. Malcolm Gets's glasses often fell off when he went through the walls.
Another problem was the translation from the French to the English. The lyrics were often silly, or inappropriate, and were not up to par with the music.
The musical also billed itself as a musical comedy, and while the show was quite funny in some parts, it was not a musical comedy like those that had recently opened (The Producers, or urinetown as examples). Many of the jokes were sex jokes, or equivalent to "potty humor." Some were funny, others were not.
The size of the theater was also a problem as even a smallish theater like the music box seemed to swallow up a small, dainty musical such as this one.
That being said, the music by Legrand was, for the most part, marvelous. Melissa Erico had some beautiful music to sing, and she sang it beautifuly. Malcolm Gets also had some fun things to sing. The supporting cast was wonderful..Norm Lewis had a wonderful song in "The Painter's Song."
It was most certainly a fun time at the theater. Some great moments, and some not so great moments. The court room scene was a great show-stopper, but the scene with the judge and his "sick ways" with the prostitutes was just odd. I still listen to the cast recording which recorded the show beautifully. The music and the actors were most certainly the best things going for the show, and the CD is a joy to listen to. Hope that helps a tiny bit.
-There's the muddle in the middle. There's the puddle where the poodle did the piddle."
Yankeefan007
Broadway Legend Joined: 3/20/04
#12re: What's the deal with 'Amour'?
Posted: 2/3/08 at 10:14pmI think the ending was also largely inappropriate. I mean, it's a nice, charming musical comedy...and then he gets stuck in the wall.
#13re: What's the deal with 'Amour'?
Posted: 2/3/08 at 10:27pmLeave it to the french...
"Picture "The View," with the wisecracking, sympathetic sweethearts of that ABC television show replaced by a panel of embittered, suffering or enraged Arab women" -the Times review of Black Eyed
Mythus
Broadway Legend Joined: 8/16/04
#14re: What's the deal with 'Amour'?
Posted: 2/3/08 at 10:36pm
The ending is a little...sudden...but I like it.
On of the things on my "list of things to do when I build a time machine" is to go back in time and see this show the one night that Christian Borle went on for Malcolm Gets.
shesamarshmallow
Broadway Legend Joined: 3/23/06
#15re: What's the deal with 'Amour'?
Posted: 2/4/08 at 9:35amHe actually went on? I was under the impression that he never did.
broadwayunderstudies.com - most underrated performers on broadway
twogaab2
Broadway Star Joined: 5/19/03
#16re: What's the deal with 'Amour'?
Posted: 2/4/08 at 10:00am
One of the most perfect shows I have ever seen. Period-end of discussion.
Just my opinion-yadda, yadda, yadda.....
TWOGAAB
"A Class Act" will never die!
RentBoy86
Broadway Legend Joined: 2/15/05
#17re: What's the deal with 'Amour'?
Posted: 2/4/08 at 12:01pmNorm Lewis during "The Painter's Song" is like butter.
Mythus
Broadway Legend Joined: 8/16/04
#18re: What's the deal with 'Amour'?
Posted: 2/4/08 at 12:17pm
He actually went on? I was under the impression that he never did.
I have absolutely no idea where I got this from, but I seem to remember reading that he went on once...during previews?
#19re: What's the deal with 'Amour'?
Posted: 2/4/08 at 12:20pmI love the cast recording as well and would love to see this done regionally... Goodspeed or Long Wharf? So much fun!
East Village
Leading Actor Joined: 9/23/07
#20re: What's the deal with 'Amour'?
Posted: 2/4/08 at 12:25pmThere was also a lot of french bashing going on that year -- yes, more than usual -- which didn't help it find an audience. I remember Howard Stern going on the air pleading folks to stop boycotting french restaurants.
MrsSallyAdams
Broadway Star Joined: 11/12/13
#21re: What's the deal with 'Amour'?
Posted: 9/1/16 at 1:00pm
The rights to Amour have finally been made available through Tams Witmark. Does anyone know why it took so long? Were there royalty battles over the English translation? I imagine the show will do better in black box productions than it did on Broadway.
threepanelmusicals.blogspot.com
#22re: What's the deal with 'Amour'?
Posted: 9/1/16 at 1:40pm
I saw the original production and enjoyed it. I do agree with others, that it probably would've done better Off-Broadway.
#23re: What's the deal with 'Amour'?
Posted: 9/2/16 at 9:00am
I also saw this show and enjoyed it. Leaving the theatre that evening, people were just underwhelmed. More than once I heard...It sure isn't Hairspray! As much as I liked it, I felt other smaller shows such as Once on this Island and Urinetown were much more entertaining, and at that performance Malcolm had trouble getting through the wall so he merely sidestepped it, lol.
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#24re: What's the deal with 'Amour'?
Posted: 9/2/16 at 9:11am
I also saw the original production and fell in love. I'm so happy the rights are available now. Time to start convincing all the local theater people I know that Amour is a great choice for their next season. I dream of MDing that show. The score is just magnificent.
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