Why Hairspray and not LB or Xanadu?- Page 2

[FosterChild]

Posted: 2/11/08 at 11:36pm

I'll say the story and songs are the number one and two reason(s) of a very long list.

[PUPPETMAN]

Posted: 2/12/08 at 12:17am

I must be the only person around who thinks HAIRSPRAY is a waste of time and talent - at least in the touring version I saw and the boring film. The audience at the performance I saw was not enthusiastic at the curtain call. Edna and Wilber were terrible, not funny at all - their duet bombed big time.
In the film I could not accept John Travolta. For me it was just a case of terrible miscasting. The only thing that saved it at all was Queen Latifa.
Ok, now it's time for the bashing of this message to take place.

[bythesword84]

Posted: 2/12/08 at 12:38am

No, Puppetman, I personally thought Hairspray was horrendous. After about three minutes I found the music to be annoyingly grating on the ears, the plot to be overly preachy and irritating (I get it, accept people, being the main point that I found to be annoying. I know what you're saying so stop saying it all the time). This, of course, is not a reflection on any of the cast members, but merely my opinions of the show at large. I've never claimed to be a Hairspray fan, and I never will. I don't understand the draw to it, including the music people swear up and down about. To this day the one song I could probably sing to you from it is Good Morning Baltimore and that is only because for awhile I know I couldn't escape people playing it. I remember when I saw it, thinking, what on earth are people enjoying about this show? When it won, I was baffled. I'm still baffled by why it was/is so popular.
Having said that, I intentionally did not see the movie, so I can't comment on that.
I suppose that means my answer to the original question is, I have no idea.
Legally Blonde is what it is, its something teenage girls seem to like (and others as well, but you have to admit that is the main demographic) and the music is for the most part forgettable- aside from, for me, Shindle's ending to the Legally Blonde Remix. Did I love it? No. Did I hate it? No. I thought the show over all was merely mediocre. The fact that I thought it was mediocre and not bad, is why I've seen it twice where I would never go back to Hairspray again.
Xanadu, to me, is different. First, I don't think a show NEEDS to have a message to be considered good. Second, I love a show that is aware of itself without being obnoxious. No one up on that stage thinks they're going to be selling you the next big, meaningful piece of theatre. Third, I was never bored during it and I actually enjoy seeing it more than one time. I have always left not only singing the title song, but from the first time I saw it I could hardly wait for them to release a recording with I'm Alive and Don't Walk Away on it. If it were up to me, I would have Xanadu be bigger than Hairspray, but obviously my opinion is not the majority one.

Updated On: 2/12/08 at 12:38 AM

[bythesword84]

Posted: 2/12/08 at 12:56am

I think Bat Boy has fantastic music as well, I just didn't feel that Legally Blonde's music was as good.

[allofmylife]

Posted: 2/12/08 at 2:13am

I have always prided myself on my taste in musical theatre. I like Weill, Sondheim, Kern, Bernstein... I love "Lady in the Dark" and "The Crooked Mile."

And I love Legally Blonde.

Go figure. I think some of the songs are hauntingly melodic. I enjoy the lyrics, which I think are clever.

Sadly, this thread is just another of many taken over by the same people who want to dump on this fun, sweet show all over again. We've seen this phenomenon before and we'll see it again. And again. And again.

Updated On: 2/12/08 at 02:13 AM

[ICEcreamAssassin]

Posted: 2/12/08 at 2:46am

I agree with ALLOFMYLIFE, LB is a great fun show and there are moments and songs that are pretty damn good..

Have not seen xanadu but the show seems like a joke that the audience is in on.. so dont know what to expect.

I did not like Hairspray when I saw it in NYC. So boring, no energy..I was soo disappointed after listening to the cast recording every day for 4 months. The movie was ... "so much better.. " lol

BTW Hairspray is a lot more relevant compared to the other two shows mentioned.

[snl89]

Posted: 2/12/08 at 3:02am

Honestly, I think the difference is that I at least do not consider Hairspray to be "fluff". Yes, it is incredibly fun, and has very campy characters. But it is actually an extremely well written, well developed show with a real heart and meaning behind it. It's a legitimately GOOD show. With Legally Blonde and Xanadu, they really are just fluff. They're cute and fun, and a good time at the theater. There's not a whole lot there beyond that.

(and don't get me wrong, that's NOT to say that the others aren't really very very enjoyable. Heck, Wedding Singer was a fluff musical as well and it was THE single greatest time I've ever had in a theater! it was my happy drug! haha)

[knicknut]

Posted: 2/12/08 at 8:30am

Hairspray's also about an "average" girl (read: unattractive) that will attract a large "average" contingent that lives vicariously through her. Just like Hanna Montana attracts girls who want to be "normal" but also a star, Hairspray allows unattractive girls to think they can be stars.

Crude but true.

BTW, I also found Hairspray to be fluff AND preachy, without being particularly novel. (You mean segregation is wrong? Wow--groovy!)