Which Musicals Do You Want to See the British/Menier "Minimalist" Take On?
Which Musicals Do You Want to See the British/Menier "Minimalist" Take On?
Which Musicals Do You Want to See the British/Menier "Minimalist" Take On?#1
Posted: 5/10/10 at 9:41pm
CATS
Carrie
[title of show] (one chair, two stools, one tree stump and a Fisher-Price My First Keyboard)
Which Musicals Do You Want to See the British/Menier 'Minimalist' Take On?#2
Posted: 5/10/10 at 9:45pmI would like to seem them do a really sleek and stripped down version of the Chicago revival.
Broadway Legend Joined: 6/5/03
Which Musicals Do You Want to See the British/Menier 'Minimalist' Take On?#2
Posted: 5/10/10 at 9:48pmSWEENEY TODD with finger puppets and a kazoo.
Which Musicals Do You Want to See the British/Menier 'Minimalist' Take On?#3
Posted: 5/10/10 at 10:14pmPhantom of the Opera
Which Musicals Do You Want to See the British/Menier 'Minimalist' Take On?#4
Posted: 5/10/10 at 10:15pm
1776.
HA!
Which Musicals Do You Want to See the British/Menier 'Minimalist' Take On?#5
Posted: 5/10/10 at 10:19pmor On the Twentieth Century with a Lionel train set.
Which Musicals Do You Want to See the British/Menier 'Minimalist' Take On?#6
Posted: 5/10/10 at 10:43pm
Why don't they pick on musicals from their own side of the Atlantic and leave ours alone?
Why don't they minimalize some of the great BRITISH musicals, like...
Like...
Like...
(Wait! Gimme a minute...)
Like Starlight Express!
Which Musicals Do You Want to See the British/Menier 'Minimalist' Take On?#7
Posted: 5/10/10 at 10:46pmBecause their two big ones ("phantom of the opera" and "les miserables") are still running in London.
Which Musicals Do You Want to See the British/Menier 'Minimalist' Take On?#8
Posted: 5/10/10 at 10:47pm42nd Street and GLEE!
Which Musicals Do You Want to See the British/Menier 'Minimalist' Take On?#9
Posted: 5/10/10 at 10:57pm
They're already planning Aspects of Love with Michael Arden as Alex. I'd definitely see that.
And there are many great British musicals that were not popular with American audiences just like there are many great American musicals that were not popular with British audiences. And of course, there are the British musicals that have been successful all over the world. I'm assuming "great" is a relative term based on the popularity of one country versus another? Or it could just be personal opinion?
I say, let them produce what they want, let Broadway producers bring over what they want, and let the audiences and critics make up their own minds what they'd like to see.
Broadway Legend Joined: 10/30/05
Which Musicals Do You Want to See the British/Menier 'Minimalist' Take On?#10
Posted: 5/10/10 at 10:58pmI think Pippin would be absolutely fantastic.
Broadway Legend Joined: 6/5/03
Which Musicals Do You Want to See the British/Menier 'Minimalist' Take On?#11
Posted: 5/10/10 at 11:07pmI DO! I DO!
Which Musicals Do You Want to See the British/Menier 'Minimalist' Take On?#12
Posted: 5/10/10 at 11:11pmHow about CHU CHIN CHOW?
Which Musicals Do You Want to See the British/Menier 'Minimalist' Take On?#13
Posted: 5/10/10 at 11:39pm
A John Doyle version of "The Story of My Life" starring Raul Esparza and some unknown Shakespearean actor who did it at the Chocolate Shoppe and having no equal Stateside, simply couldn't be replaced.
One actor will play accordion, the other, an electric guitar and a pair of cymbals between his knees. The one playing the accordion will be wearing a headset so he can call the lighting cues, the guitar guy will wear a portable sound board to mix the show. The set: a Conran bookcase, or, if Trevor Nunn directs it, one pretentious, meaningless, solitary, empty chair in a spotlight. (Spotlight holder to be determined by joint decision of AEA/IATSE.)
Which Musicals Do You Want to See the British/Menier 'Minimalist' Take On?#14
Posted: 5/10/10 at 11:57pm
In order, and in all seriousness:
FIDDLER ON THE ROOF
NINE
OLIVER
--Aristotle
Which Musicals Do You Want to See the British/Menier 'Minimalist' Take On?#15
Posted: 5/11/10 at 12:08amKiss Me, Kate, Oklahoma and Thoroughly Modern Millie.
Which Musicals Do You Want to See the British/Menier 'Minimalist' Take On?#16
Posted: 5/11/10 at 12:36am
INTO THE WOODS
MAME
I second the KISS ME KATE suggestion
CAROUSEL
Which Musicals Do You Want to See the British/Menier 'Minimalist' Take On?#17
Posted: 5/11/10 at 12:59amSPIDERMAN
Which Musicals Do You Want to See the British/Menier 'Minimalist' Take On?#18
Posted: 5/11/10 at 1:50pmInteresting to see Carousel mentioned. It reminds me of the Court Theatre in Chicago (affiliated with the University of Chicago), which often stages minimalist productions of big American musicals including recent productions of Carousel, My Fair Lady and Guys and Dolls. I don't know if they are taking the two-piano approach to the upcoming Porgy and Bess (they didn't with their acclaimed Caroline or Change last season), but it's not a large theatre. While UK productions have transferred to Broadway, some successful and others not, US regional (including Roundabout) have been producing scaled-down musicals for years.
Which Musicals Do You Want to See the British/Menier 'Minimalist' Take On?#19
Posted: 5/11/10 at 2:06pm
Mame is one they keep talking about doing! :/
Personally, I would like them to do Rent and maybe something abit more modern like Spring Awakening???
Although, I would love to see there take on Barnum!
Unfortunatley, they have already done everything I would really like them to do, Little Shop and Tick Tick Boom, which to date are still my two favourite productions of there, even with how much I ADORE La Cage!!
Which Musicals Do You Want to See the British/Menier 'Minimalist' Take On?#20
Posted: 5/11/10 at 2:20pm
Wicked.
for real though :camelot
Broadway Star Joined: 1/23/06
Which Musicals Do You Want to See the British/Menier 'Minimalist' Take On?#21
Posted: 5/11/10 at 2:46pmThey won't be doing Wicked. We've still got the **** Broadway production running!
Which Musicals Do You Want to See the British/Menier 'Minimalist' Take On?#22
Posted: 5/11/10 at 3:38pm
slmlbl, I saw a very stripped-down, small-cast version of Camelot at a little theater in upstate NY many years ago. I don't recall the actors' performances, but the idea, which included some doubling in secondary roles, worked surprisingly well. What made it clever was what they accomplished with minimal resources. For a tiny theater in a restored old church it was pretty wonderful.
As in the case of the Menier productions, the roots of the concept were economic not artistic. A 10-person Camelot on a Broadway stage with a five-piece band in Arthurian garb, two thrones, a bench and a faux stone wall with a tapestry on it, suddenly doesn't look as clever as it looks cheap. Minimalism, even on a big stage, is great, if it's making an artistic point.
But I do love it when a little-theater production makes it's lack of funds its greatest asset, and that Camelot did.
Which Musicals Do You Want to See the British/Menier 'Minimalist' Take On?#23
Posted: 5/11/10 at 5:06pmI don't know if or how it could be done, but I'd love to see a scaled-down version of Sunset Boulevard.
Which Musicals Do You Want to See the British/Menier 'Minimalist' Take On?#24
Posted: 5/11/10 at 5:30pmJCS.
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